Tabletop Talks Week 4

March is here Tabletoppers! Which means Spring is right around the corner! As we here at TTS Blog get ready for the warming weather and the longer days we thought we would serve up a little inspiration for how to spend this half rainy, half sunny month. So, this week, Tabletop Talks will bring you two games for those waiting out cold days and two games to motivate you to conquer the warm ones!

1. Funfair

Building the best theme park in town

Get ready to pop on a t-shirt and head to the amusement park in Funfair - Building the best theme park in town

Funfair is a card-based tableau & engine-building game from Good Games Publishing that invites you to live out an ultimate childhood dream, building a theme park! In this game, players build up to 5 attractions and then upgrade them in various ways with features, guest services, and themes each with a mix of costs, benefits, and some come-into-play abilities. This basic goal is combined with a collection of well-designed strategic mechanics including attraction scores, victory points, and in-game events, to name a few. Together, these factors guarantee a deep, rewarding, and replayable gaming experience. Obviously, you want to build the best theme park in town, but how do you do that and drive out the competition?...that's up to you!

Funfair was built as a lighter, tighter, faster, and friendlier version of Good Games Publishing's hugely replayable and modular theme park building game Unfair. Both games were created with a desire for an accessible engine-building game based around something everyone loves, theme parks! And they have done just that by creating a board game that gives you 20 to 30 satisfying tableau-building decisions in 30 to 60 minutes all portrayed by a fun art style guaranteed to have you reminiscing about your favorite ride.

Good Games Publishing is based in Sydney, Australia, and has used TTS to build their creation internationally through collaborative design and playtesting. Funfair is in worldwide retail release right now! Also, check out their website for details and information about the game and its expansions!

2. First Ascent

Get Climbing!

Get ready for your first non-freezing outdoor adventure of the year with First Ascent - Get Climbing

Have you ever wanted to go rock climbing, but were maybe a little nervous? No worries, thanks to First Ascent you can experience the board game version of conquering that challenging mountain right from your living room table! First Ascent is a rock climbing-themed strategic board game where players compete to gain the most points, find the best route up the mountain, and become the most skilled climber! This unique 2-5 player game elevates (no pun intended) the mechanics of route building, resource management, card drafting, and engine building while also throwing in elements of set matching, push your luck, and board modification for good measure. Get ready to race your friends to the top, but remember, don't look down…

First Ascent was created so that rock climbing could have a well thought out, stats-based board game-like other, more mainstream sports. The inspiration shaped a unique tabletop experience that, in addition to being exciting and rewarding, is a faithful representation of the one activity everyone wants to try, but might be a little afraid of! After throwing in incredible artwork, inclusivity, and harmonious integration of theme and mechanics, First Ascent becomes a must-play for everybody, even if you never plan on climbing a rock in your life.

The team behind First Ascent has used TTS to recreate their fun and wonderfully themed board and game pieces and assemble a polished version of their game here! First Ascent will also launch on Kickstarter in Spring 2021! Until then, be sure to stay up to date on release information via their newsletter or website!

3. Hair of the Dog

Welcome to the Best Pub in Town

Wait out the cold with a couple of cuddly companions in Hair of the Dog - Welcome to the Best Pub in Town

Hair of the Dog from Cherry Picked Games has one simple, unique, and adorable goal: Pet dogs! In this game, players take the place of a patron at their favorite dog-friendly bar as they try to pet dogs as quickly and effectively as possible. But, be careful, you’re also trying to be good customers to the bar: if a staff member ever catches you without a drink in your hand, you’ll be passive-aggressively shamed. This adorable balancing act comes complete with specific petting mechanics, purchase and consumption rules, and conversational requirements, adding a deep layer of strategy on top of Hair of the Dog’s cute premise.

They took this idea and built a one-of-a-kind strategy game that meaningfully incorporates its theme with its mechanics. The result is a tabletop experience that is clever, funny, and should definitely not be played around any cats!

The creators of Hair of the Dog have used TTS to conduct playtesting after the pandemic shut down their local dog bars and have created a beautifully crafted version, available soon! Also, if you try out Hair of the Dog be sure to give the team as much feedback as possible, because for every survey response, the team at Cherry Picked Games will donate $5 to the humane society! Hair of the Dog will also be launching a crowdfund soon, so keep and eye out for that or any other news on their website!

4. CSL: Crime Scene Ludus

 It’s up to you to solve the case

Push through to the chilly weather with a little true crime fix in CSL: Crime Scene Ludus - It’s up to you to solve the case

If you’ve been needing a little extra true crime in your life, don’t worry, we have just the game for you! CSL: Crime Scene Ludus from Matteo Bonvicino is a unique social deduction, rule engine-building game for 1 to any number of players. In this game, you take the place of a crime scene investigator following a grizzly murder. Presumably, between sips of coffee and wisecracks to your partner, you must use a combination of die and card mechanics to answer the how, the what, the when, the where, the why, and the who. Only then your investigative team can piece together what happened and create a compelling account of the crime that took place before you. Crime Scene Ludus pairs this premise with a true “crime generator” meaning that no two cases will ever be exactly alike. This guarantees hours of replayability and the ability to duck under yellow crime scene tape as many times as you want!

CSL: Crime Scene Ludus was created out of a love for mysteries and a love for board games. The result is the wholly unique crime scene generator board game that will satisfy even the pickiest true crime enthusiast. This unique mechanic guarantees that every new case will be as exciting and unknown as the last when it lands on your desk. Use your deduction, use insights from earlier cases, and just do whatever it takes to solve the case! 

Matteo has used Tabletop Simulator to create CSL: Crime Scene Ludus and its expansions from the ground up and now has a fully playable mod!

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