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Welcome to Which Game First where we boldly explore the hilariously huge world of board games. Did we unearth any hidden treasures you’ve been missing out on? Let’s find out!
First up: We Purrrsuade our allies to join our underwater kitty kingdom in Catlantis
Next up: We step right up and usher the ladies and gentlemen through our attractions in The Grand Carnival
And lastly: We rush to Taxi, Take off and Travel round trip Jet Race
Catlantis
Designed by: Prospero Hall
Published by: Ravensburger (2019)
Players: 2 – 4
Ages: 8 & up
Playing time: 30 min
Catlantis is a set collection game in which players are Mer-cat nobles, vying for the best treasures and correct card combinations to score the highest amount of victory points.
Each player is assigned a fur order and fin family. This information is secret, do not share it with the other players. You’ll be trying to collect matching cards to your order and family, but if the other players start to realize what you are aiming for, they will try to stop you.
There are 4 community cards face up. On your turn, you make an offering to only one of the other players. Choose 2 of the 4 community cards. The player to whom you made the offering will choose one of those 2 cards. The remaining card becomes yours.
Then refresh the community cards with 2 new cards from the deck, and it becomes the next player’s turn.
Play goes around and continues until there are no more cards in the deck.
Score points based on treasure types collected, and cards you collected that match your fur order and fin family. The winner is the player with the most points, and becomes the cutest ruler of Catlantis.
The Grand Carnival
Designed by: Rob Cramer
Published by: Uproarious Games (2020)
Players: 1 – 4
Ages: 12 & up
Playing time: 45 – 60 min
In The Grand Carnival, players compete to create the most impressive carnival this town has ever seen. Plan your carnival’s layout, build attractions, hire staff, and manage the crowds.
Players start by prioritizing their move, assigning it a score of 1 the lowest and weakest set of options, to 5 the highest, offering the most choices. You can’t assign the same number twice until the end of your 5th turn. Then a new round starts, and there are 7 rounds in total.
On a turn, you can:
- Place a Foundation Tile
- Build an Attraction on top a foundation tile:
- Move a Guest: guests collect tickets which are VPs
“Tricks of the Trade” cards allow for extra VPs, so try and unlock those as fast as you can.
Players earn points from sets of the same size attractions, sets of each size of attraction, carnival barkers, guests that move all the way through your park, and their tickets.
The player with the most points wins, and becomes Lord Barkerous The First, ruler of The Grand Carnival.
Cross Country Jet Race Game
Designed by: (uncredited)
Published by: Warren Built-Rite Games (est. 1950s)
Players: 2 – 4
Ages: 6 – 12
Playing time: ?
In Jet Race, the instructions are … read the gameboard, they are printed on there!
One player may operate the spinner OR you can pass it around! Each spin results in a player moving 1 or 2 spaces.
But be careful! You might end your turn on a space that reads “Lost in the mountains” or “Lost over Canada”, forcing you to go backwards.
Once your plane finally makes it to the Atlantic ocean, it must go around in a holding pattern and then re enter its track to get back to where they started. The first who successfully returns home is considered the winner of Jet Race. But really … are there any winners in this game?