The most important question of the week has returned! What Have We YOU Been Playing?? Let us know by responding to our social media posts about this article!

As for us, here are some of the highlights of what WE’VE been playing over the last week…

DAVID W:

I bought “Lost Cities: To Go” a year ago–at first just because I thought a more portable version of “Lost Cities” would be great to have, but then because I found out it wasn’t just a mini-version but had some tweaks, and I’m always interested in how The Good Doctor (ie, Reiner Knizia) revisits his masterpieces. (See “Lost Cities: Rivals”)

Turns out it’s another great variation AND my mom loves it! We’ve been playing practically every day, and she’s been beating me regularly–partially because I’ve had to unlearn my hard-won “Lost Cities” strategies. They don’t apply! Amazing how just a couple of twists in gameplay radically alter the playspace.

Unfortunately, the game is still only available in German via import–but it deserves a North American release!

The only quibble I have is the colour choice for the tiles–very hard to distinguish blue/green and red/purple. Actually had to sticker the tiles to make it playable!

MATTHEW R:

I picked a digital version of Viticulture, the worker placement game by Stonemaier Games.  I have played it a few times before, and its one of the few games I really disliked at first and then grew to appreciate with further plays. The theme is fun, you are making wine, and the digital implementation works well; it even has some nice thematic background music. I think the tutorial and user interface make this something even those who have never played Viticulture before can learn and enjoy.

KIMBERLY T:

I’ve been playing some oldies but goodies! Two games that I never mind returning to are Sushi Go (Party) and Coloretto. Both games are super fun, play well with a diverse amount of people starting at 3 minimum, and require dynamic and clever player interaction. Sushi Go Party just adds to the wonderful variety of card play from Sushi Go and is so beautiful and interactive that I can’t wait to change the menu for my next play. It also makes me very hungry to play:) Coloretto has a little press your luck and cutthroat play. There’s nothing worse than seeing the column that you set up for yourself (perfect in size, color, etc.) taken by an opponent, who leaves you with a trash pile that devastates your round. Luckily, there are several rounds to average together so that each round you play doesn’t determine the winner or loser in and of itself.

SEAN J:

I have been playing a lot of Marco Polo on Board Game Arena. It’s such a good game, and actually plays very quickly once you know what you’re doing. Marco Polo is all about travelling around the map, collecting resources, and completing contracts. You’ll do well if you learn to optimize your dice and build outposts in strategic locations. One other element that sets this game apart is the individual player powers. Each one seems super strong, but they’re balanced. You just have to use them effectively. I’m looking forward to playing Marco Polo 2, which currently sits on my wall of shame.

JON-PAUL D:

The Beans and I recently launched our own Little Thumbs YouTube channel, and one of our first videos was sharing what we played as a family last week. Those games included two from HABA and two from IELLO – Animal Upon Animal, Color It, Loot N Run, and Croak.

You can view the video right over here:

Thank you for joining us for another week of games played, both at tables and on screens! For a deeper look at a recent game, check out our recent article featuring Knot Dice from Black Oak Games.

Until next week, keep that good game energy flowing!