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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 line up the animals for the ultimate audition in Fliptoons
Next: We garner favors at the imperial court through the work of our clans in The White Castle
And lastly: We protect rare animal species inside our very safe spaces in Zookeepers
Fliptoons
Designed by: Jordy Adan, Renato Simões
Published by: Thunderworks Games (2025)
Players: 1 – 4
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 15 – 30 minutes
FlipToons is a quick deck-building game. You’ll begin with a deck of hopeful toon actors. Each round, flip six of these toons out from your deck into your screen grid to audition together.
Each toon card in your 3-by-2 grid has different talent effects. Some are resolved as soon as they are flipped. Many will interact with one another and (hopefully) earn Fame for your studio. But they won’t all have that special on-screen chemistry you’re looking for. Some won’t work well together at all!
After each Flip, tally up your current grid of toons’ Fame points, then spend them to hire more stars for your cast. Purchase these new toon cards from the market and add them to your deck. Or, spend some of your Fame to dismiss a card, and get that bad actor off the stage. Sorry kid, you just don’t have what it takes to be a star in this show.
If your Flip is the first to generate 30+ Fame, you’ll earn the Critic’s Choice award (worth extra Fame points) and trigger the end of the game. After that turn’s market phase, it’s time for one Final Flip. The player who earns the most Fame during the Final Flip is declared the winner. Applause!
The White Castle
Designed by: Isra C., Shei S.
Published by: Devir (2023)
Players: 1 – 4
Ages: 12 & up
Playing time: 80 minutes
In The White Castle, players control one of these clans and want to score more points than the rest. To do so, they must amass influence in the court, manage resources boldly, and place their workers in the right place at the right time. All of the action takes place in the most imposing fortress in modern Japan: Himeji Castle, where the banner of the Sakai clan flies under the orders of Daimio Sakai Tadakiyo.
The White Castle is a Eurogame in which players use resource management, worker placement, and dice placement to carry out actions. During the game, over three rounds players send members of their clan to tend the gardens, defend the castle, or progress up the social ladder of the nobility. At the end of the match, these activities award players points in a variety of ways.
The central panel shows Himeji Castle in all its splendor, divided into several zones. The largest is inside the castle, with the Room of the Thousand Carpets, where the courtiers must ascend socially until they reach the circle closest to the Daimio to enjoy his favor. There is also the pond and the gardens, patiently tended by the gardeners where everyone can relax and contemplate its beauty without restriction. Another important area is the wall and the outside of the castle, where the warriors patrol and stand guard. Finally, we find the area of the three bridges, where the three types of dice that can be used to carry out actions are accumulated, and the personal domain of each player, where they will keep track of their resources and where they will have a reserve of workers.
Zookeepers
Designed by: Pedro Gordalina
Published by: CardsLab (2022)
Players: 2 – 4 (up to 6 with 2 copies of the game
Ages: 10 & up
Playing time: 30 – 60 minutes
In Zookeepers, each player will represent a Zoo with the objective of saving the greatest number of endangered species. The game ends the moment a player saves a certain number of species and points are counted. The more threatened saved species, the more points are obtained.
Zookeepers is a turn based game where you win by scoring the most points after a player saves 9 species. During your turn you’ll be able to do one of the following actions:
– Manage keepers
– Save species and use bonus actions to send others for your opponents to save
– Move species to your temporary quarantine zones
– Collect resources from your keepers
Developed in partnership with the Lisbon Zoo.