Author: T3d-1978

Thrive

| T3d-1978
Thrive

Thrive

Thrive is a two-player abstract strategy game with incredibly simple rules that grows in complexity as you play.

You play as one of two lotus flowers, competing to control the pond. Be the first to capture all but one of your opponent’s seed pods and win this game of tactical decision making!

Each turn you move a piece, then add two additional pegs to any of your pieces, giving them more possibilities for movement on future turns.

Game Mechanics:

  • Abstract Strategy
  • Grid Movement

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 20 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.56

Telestrations

| T3d-1978
Telestrations

Telestrations

Each player begins by sketching a TELESTRATIONS word dictated by the roll of a die. The old fashioned sand timer may limit the amount of time they get to execute their sketch, but it certainly doesn’t limit creativity! Time’s up! All players, all at the same time, pass their sketch to the next player, who must guess what’s been drawn. Players then simultaneously pass their guess — which hopefully matches the original word (or does it??) — to the next player who must try to draw the word they see — and so on.

Game Mechanics:

  • Paper and Pencil
  • Party Game

Game Specifications:

  • 4 – 8 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.08

Tapple

| T3d-1978
Tapple

Tapple

Each round in Tapple, one player draws a topic card, then starts the timer. In the next ten seconds, that player must give a single word answer that fits within the topic, press down the letter key in a special electronic device that corresponds to the first letter of that word, and restart the timer. The next player must then think of a word for the topic that starts with a different letter, press down that starting letter, and restart the timer. 

If a player runs out of time, she’s out for the round. If only one player remains in a round, she collects the topic card. If players manage to press down all of the letters before knocking all but one player out of a round, the players reset the device, draw a new topic card, then start the timer again, this time having to give two answers for the topic – each starting with a different letter – within the allotted time. Whoever collects the most topic cards wins!

Game Mechanics:

  • Memory
  • Party Game
  • Player Elimination
  • Word Game

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 10 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.04

Sushi Roll

| T3d-1978
Sushi Roll

Sushi Roll

Rice and dice! Roll with your favorite Sushi Go! characters in Sushi Roll, a dice-based version of the best-selling card game!

Load up the conveyor belts with savory sushi dice —­­­­ then pick one and pass the rest! Earn points for winning combos like two tempura or a set of sashimi. Grab a menu to re-roll your dice or use chopsticks to swap with an opponent. And be sure to save room for pudding at the end!

Game Mechanics:

  • Dice Rolling
  • Open Drafting
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 5 Players
  • ~20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.24

Sushi Go Party!

| T3d-1978
Sushi Go Party!

Sushi Go Party!

Sushi Go Party! expands Sushi Go! with a party platter of mega maki, super sashimi, and endless edamame. You still earn points by picking winning sushi combos, but now you can customize each game by choosing à la carte from a menu of more than twenty delectable dishes. What’s more, up to eight players can join in on the sushi-feast. Let the good times roll!

Game Mechanics:

  • Closed Drafting
  • Hand Management
  • Party Game
  • Set Collection

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 6 Players
  • ~20 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.30

Survive: Escape from Atlantis!

| T3d-1978
Survive: Escape from Atlantis!

Survive: Escape from Atlantis!

Survive is a cutthroat game where players seek to evacuate their pieces from an island that is breaking up, while remembering where their highest-valued pieces are located to maximize their score.

An island made up of 40 hex-tiles is slowly sinking into the ocean (as the tiles are removed from the board). Each player controls ten people (valued from 1 to 6) that they try and move towards the safety of the surrounding islands before the main island finally blows up. Players can either swim or use boats to travel but must avoid sea serpents, whales and sharks on their way to safety.

Game Mechanics:

  • Action Points
  • Bluffing
  • Dice Rolling
  • Grid Movement
  • Memory
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 2 – 4 Players
  • 45 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.70

Super Mario: Level Up!

| T3d-1978
Super Mario: Level Up!

Super Mario: Level Up!

In Super Mario Level Up! join Mario and his pals as you advance them up the Mushroom Kingdom while challenging other players to gather the most coins and reach the castle at the top.

Each player starts with a unique line-up of characters that they are trying to score the most points with. Players take turns moving any character up the board until a character gets to the top.

Once a character is advanced to the top board, players vote to see if the character stays or is kicked off the Mushroom Kingdom. It takes only one NO vote to get them off the board. And players should use the NO votes wisely as each player only has two NO votes in their hand. The round ends when the character is unanimously voted to stay at the top.

Score up your points and play another round. Game ends after three rounds.

Game Mechanics:

  • Bluffing
  • Deduction
  • Racing

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 6 Players
  • 10 – 30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.25

Sunken Sailor

| T3d-1978
Sunken Sailor

Sunken Sailor

Sunken Sailor is a game of deceit, sailor stories and skillful drawing. Each player is a sailor, but only one is the Sunken Sailor – can you figure out who? Sailors collectively draw an object that recounts a rowdy adventure you all shared. BUT there is a sailor among you that cannot recall the adventure and doesn’t know what is being drawn – that is the Sunken Sailor. The Sunken Sailor wants to keep their identity from the other sailors and to try to piece together what everyone is drawing. Sailors win if they can figure out who the Sunken Sailor is. The Sunken Sailor wins if he or she can go undetected or figure out what is being drawn.

Game Mechanics:

  • Bluffing
  • Deduction
  • Line Drawing
  • Party Game

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 8 Players
  • 20 – 40 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.00

Stop Thief!

| T3d-1978
Stop Thief!

Stop Thief!

An alert pops up on your smartphone: A crime has just been committed! Grab your investigator’s license and your keen powers of deduction and hunt down the suspect. But watch out because you’re not the only private eye on the hunt, and only one of you can slap the cuffs on the suspect and claim the reward. Get enough reward money, and you can finally leave this rat race behind and retire to a sunny tropical beach in the Caribbean.

Stop Thief is a family game of logical deduction for 2-4 players. An invisible suspect commits a crime. Only the sounds they make give them away. Listen to the clues and figure out where they are hiding. Play cards from your unique deck to move around the board, sneak through a window, or even get a private tip. Once you have the suspect pinned down, swoop in and make the arrest.

The obvious first step in this restoration was taking the electronic device and turning it into an app. Doing that allows for better sound quality and a more dynamic platform for different modes of play. Next step was ditching the roll-and-move mechanism and, in general, stripping out some of the luck and adding in a healthy dose of strategy. By replacing the dice with decks of movement cards, it also allows asymmetrical decks, which increases the fun and replayability. Game effects were also added to the suspect cards to further spice things up.

Game Mechanics:

  • Cooperative
  • Deduction
  • Hand Management
  • Hidden Movement
  • Memory
  • Take That

Game Specifications:

  • 1 – 4 Players
  • 30 – 60 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.53

Stella

| T3d-1978
Stella

Stella

Starseekers! Explore the sky and bring some light back to your world.

Stella is a competitive game in the Dixit universe. In each round, players interpret Dixit cards on a board after receiving a common clue word. Each player observes the Dixit cards and secretly associates these cards with the clue word, marking on their erasable personal slates the cards that they choose. Selecting the same cards as the other players allows you to score more points. Conversely, selecting a card that no one else chooses may cost you dearly.

At the end of the fourth round, each player calculates their total score. Whoever has the most points — which is possibly more than one person — wins.

Take calculated risks, but beware of the fall.

Game Mechanics:

  • Deduction
  • Party Game
  • Push Your Luck

Game Specifications:

  • 3 – 6 Players
  • ~30 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.14