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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 speak easy and carry a large jug in Moonshine
Next: We balance art with strategy, and the well goes deep in Ink
And lastly: We try to take tricks by betting on our blind hands in LUZ
Moonshine
Designed by: Thomas Dupont
Published by: BLAM! (2025)
Players: 2 – 5
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 30 minutes
Moonshine is a fast-paced, simultaneous dice-based engine-building game set during the prohibition era, where you run a speakeasy. Each round, one player rolls the dice to create a shared pool of forbidden resources. All players then use those dice results to fulfill the needs of potential customers on their personal boards.
Satisfying a customer allows them to join your speakeasy, granting you a powerful permanent bonus like more dice or prestige points. The game continues until a player reaches 12 prestige points, at which point the player with the most total points wins as the top speakeasy operator.
Ink
Designed by: Kasper Lapp
Published by: Final Score Games (2025)
Players: 1 – 4
Ages: 8 & up
Playing time: 30 – 45 minutes
Ink is an abstract strategy and tile-placement game where players compete to create the most stunning paintings. On your turn, you draft a tile from a central rotating wheel, which you then strategically add to your personal painting area to form contiguous areas of color.
The core goal is to complete numbered objectives on the tiles by creating color groups of a specific size. When an objective is completed, you get to place your ink bottles on that space and other blank spots in the area, with the ultimate goal being the first player to empty their supply of ink bottles to win the game. Completing larger areas also unlocks powerful Bonus Actions that can further boost your progress.
LUZ
Designed by: Taiki Shinzawa
Published by: IELLO (2024)
Players: 3 – 5
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 30 minutes
LUZ is a unique trick-taking game played over four rounds where you know the suit/color of your cards, but not their value. Players hold their hands facing outwards, allowing all opponents to see their card values, but not themselves.
Before each round, you must bet on the exact number of tricks you believe you will win, using your opponents’ visible card information and deductions to inform your bid. During play, you must follow the lead suit if possible, and the highest card in the lead suit, or a yellow trump card, wins the trick.
Points are earned only by correctly hitting your bid, with a safety bead offering a slight buffer, and the player with the highest score after four rounds wins the game.