May 2024 Staff Picks!
- Posted on
- By Wes | he/him
Every month BHG staff pick out 1-2 of their favorite games to share! We strive to highlight a diverse range of tabletop games!
What would be your top pick this month?
Josh's Pick
Habitats - Animal-Themed, Grid Movement, Tile Placement, Open Drafting, Family, Strategy Game
Can you build a beautiful preserve?
Welcome to the jungle! Habitats is a tile-laying game. Drive your jeep around and choose the best animals for your wildlife preserve. A successful preservation is more than a working habitat. You'll also have to build tourist destinations, campgrounds, and watchtowers!
Your goals change every year and you’ll have to get what you need before other rangers snatch them up.
—description from publisher
Kyndra's Pick
Wandering Tower - Fantasy-Themed, Memory, Hand Management, Family Game
All the wizards must assemble at Ravenskeep... but every last one of them has procrastinated, distracted by learning new spells. They've also used all their potions ”they can't show up unprepared, with empty potion bottles! Help your wizards get to Ravenskeep as quickly as possible. Using their magic they could even move the very towers atop which they stand to get there more easily! But how can they refill their potion bottles along the way? Well, here's a little secret: Trapping wizards allows you to capture some of their magical essence in a bottle...
—description by distributor
Jeff's Pick
Dorfromantik - Cooperative, Area Majority, City Building, Hexagon Grid, Family Game
Adapted from the award-winning video game! Rippling rivers, rustling forests, wheat fields swaying in the wind and here and there a cute little village - that's Dorfromantik!
Soby's Pick
I've Venn Thinking - Humor-Themed, Party Game
We have more in common than you might think. In fact, that's kind of the point of this game. This Venn diagram-based party game by Brass Monkey is all about finding (hopefully) hilarious similarities between two random (and we mean random) things. Just draw the included red and blue discs to create unexpected pairings (like the Month of February and Tom Cruise*) and then compete with friends to try to find the funniest thing that they both have in common.
*We recommend: Shorter than average.
—description from publisher
Aidan's Pick
Mouse Trap - Roll/Spin and Move Game, Action/Dexterity, Animal-Themed, Children's Game
In Mouse Trap, 2-4 players race around a track collecting wedges of cheese from 3 traps (constructed during setup but very much rendered in the Heath-Robinson/Rube Goldberg style of the the original).
Whenever cheese is collected from a trap, or at certain other times, the toilet in the center is flushed. This releases a ball, which will trigger one of the three traps at random. Trapped mice lose a wedge of cheese. The first player to gather 8 wedges (a full circle) is the winner.
—description by boardgamegeek.com
Wes' Pick
5 Minute Dungeon - Cooperative, Elapsed Real Time Ending, Fantasy-Themed, Fighting, Hand Management, Family Card Game
In this game, you’ll join forces with your friends to fight your way through five dungeons filled with deadly obstacles and dangerous monsters! You’ll choose to play as one of ten heroes, each with their own special cards and abilities. In 5 Minute Dungeon, there are no turns. Everybody will be racing against the clock to slap down symbols that match the current card from the Dungeon. You’re all in it together—either your party defeats the dungeon and moves onto the next one, or you all perish!
—description by publisher
Sophi's Pick
Pylos - Hand Management, Pattern Building, Square Grid, 2 Player, Abstract Strategy Game
In Pylos, you want to be one who places the final ball on top of the pyramid. Sounds simple enough, right?
—description from boardgamegeek.com
Brendan's Pick
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Harmonies - Pattern Building, Environmental-Themed, Family Game
—description from publisher
Jordan's Pick
Cathedral - 2 Player, City Building, Territory Building, Tile Placement, Abstract Strategy Game
Imagine yourself living during Medieval Times. The Cathedral, a place of sanctuary and worship, was the focal point of the city and located in the center of town. Two sets of playing pieces symbolize both the buildings and the two opposing forces who battle to gain control by strategically positioning their building pieces back on the board. In this award-winning game of competition and rivalry, victory goes to the player who is best at blocking and out-maneuvering their opponent.
Matthew's Pick
Beacon Patrol - Cooperative, Nautical-Themed, Tile Placement, Modular Board, Grid Movement, Abstract Strategy, Family Game
You and your friends are captains of the Coast Guard, entrusted with ensuring the safety of the North Sea coast. Work together to explore the waters and inspect vital lighthouses and buoys. Act efficiently, as time is short and you must explore as much of the sea as possible! Move your ship, lay tiles, and collaborate with your fellow captains to gain the highest honors and the admiration of all the residents along the coast. Once you start to get comfortable, add in any of the included mini-expansions to add a challenge!
—description by distributor