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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: We hope the city council chooses our design proposals over the competition’s in Cloud City
Next: We try to restore power to an island filled with dangerous dinosaurs in Sauria
Lastly: We bare our hearts, our souls, and our deepest thoughts to one another in Social Security
Cloud City
Designed by: Phil Walker-Harding
Published by: Blue Orange Games (2020)
Players: 2 – 4
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 30 – 60 min
Cloud City is an abstract strategy game where players are architects, designing the best city planning project, in hopes of being the one to be chosen by the city council.
Develop your city with buildings and build walkways to connect buildings to one another. Walkways earn city council votes and the longer the walkway, the more points. Walkways can earn 1, 2, 3, 5, or 8 city council votes. River walkways connect the smallest buildings, forest walkways connect midsize buildings, and ice walkways connect the tallest buildings.
The architect with the city plan that features the most and the longest walkways will win the game! And no, Lando Calrisian is not on the council.
Sauria
Designed by: Maximillian Dennis
Published by: Millian Games (Kickstarter 2022)
Players: 1 – 5
Ages: 14 & up
Playing time: 45 – 150 min
Sauria is a game of survival, where each player must survive on an island filled with dinosaurs for up to 16 days (16 rounds) – all the while trying to restore power and functionality to a dinosaur park that has turned into a feeding frenzy.
Each player also has individual goals which, if achieved, yield extra victory points. But escaping the island is the primary goal. The game takes place over 16 Turns which make up 48 in-game hours. Once the 16th turn is over, so is the game, and any character who has not reached safety is dead.
Players take turns performing actions, engaging in unique encounters, and interacting with the park’s locations. Meanwhile, dinosaurs reveal themselves, hunt, attack, and defend themselves against the players and other dinosaurs.
To make matters even worse, at the 24-hour mark, the volcano begins to spew lava onto the island, destroying roads, jungle, and buildings, and panicking even the friendliest of dinosaurs.
Let’s see if this game is … DINOmyte!
Social Security
Designed by: Roger Burten
Published by: Ungame (1976)
Players: 3 – 6
Ages: 6 & up
Playing time: Whatever you want!
“SOCIAL SECURITY is a new, novel, non-competitive game for family, classmates, church groups – or for any ‘happening’.
SOCIAL SECURITY consists of a game board, six kinds of cards, a spinner, pawns, and a die.
Players, from six year olds to grandparents, will find themselves stretching their imaginations and practicing new communications skills.”
Players move around the board drawing, reading, and commenting on mildly thought-provoking cards. Some cards ask for an opinion on interpersonal issues, some present Ozzie and Harriet-type domestic problems then ask for possible solutions. Certain squares direct you to spin a large spinner built into the game box that directs similar tasks.
As the box reads … entertaining, enlightening, non competitive, and non threatening. OK, let the backstabbing begin!