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Favouritefoe
Do certain things make you think of specific colours? For me, Tuesdays are always grey, air is perpetually green, and home is unequivocally red. Oh and 6s are always blue. Synthesthesia (sensory cross-over) is just another of the particular things that make up me, but at least it is a pretty one! And it makes #rainbowboardgames a fascinating exercise in celebrating colour!
Social media is stuffed full of hashtags which help folks connect over shared interests and experiences. One great example is a lovely ‘Grammer, @unicornsandboardgames, who created #rainbowboardgames to help showcase games featuring certain colours every month.
To help celebrate the first Instaversary of her fun community initiative, we are running a monthly feature which suggests games which inspire thoughts of the colour in focus.
And July is all about yellow games; lemon, gold, chartreuse, amber, canary, mustard, and banana. So here are 5 top games which are bursting with this sunny hue!
RR Ink Shining Yellow - Favouritefoe
Railroad Ink Shining Yellow is one of the Challenge Editions of this marvellous roll and write series all about creating a point-tastic network of roads and railways. The yellow part focuses on two included expansions which mix up the base game play on top of the new crop of symbols and special effects. Canyons and Deserts bring in precious cacti and essential bridges which add to the thinkiness of this great, fast playing placement optimisation game. I never thought I would become obsessed over assigning multiple track and road section dice,. But as I now own this one and all the other versions as well as almost every promo and extra expansion pack published to date, I can’t deny being a die-hard Railroad Inker!
Gubs - David Ireland
My first peak into the world of Gamewright games was with this peculiar looking game. These incredibly strange little yellow creatures just look so incredibly random. When I was given this game from my wife, I truly wondered what on earth I had been given? This was Gubs. I do not know at all what the creator was thinking when they made this one, but they sure have some imagination. It is so much fun though.
A game for two to six people, the objective is simple: be the player holding the most amount of Gubs at the end of the game. The content on the cards is as random as the Gub creature itself. You have trap cards, equipment cards, healing cards and then the yellow event cards. Most of these cards do have the ability to flip a game upside down. What looks like a certain victory can instantly turn into a horrendous loss. It’s hilarious and I would not change a thing about it. Perhaps if you are a serious game player you will not appreciate this one. The bold colour and simple game mechanics, however, make it a wonderful family game. And it’s also perfect to play with friends when looking for something simple to play that generates a few chuckles.
Sand - Favouritefoe
A new game from Devir which is unarguably currently one of the hottest publishers around, Sand is a journey through the desert. From the Akaishi Mountains to the Cliffs of Seaclaw, the epic task of transporting goods takes place. In the game, 1 – 4 players are vying to move the most wares on the back of their trusty caterpillars (I can’t help thinking of the worms in Tremors!). Focussing on pick up and deliver and action selection, it takes place over 5/6 rounds. And the action and gold earning possibilities gradually build over a couple of hours as the hardworking worms grow in size and capacity. There are also side missions which reward with extra bonuses and goodies at end game. There’s a variety of resources to manage, as well as movements dictated by the dice you roll, and the player boards are a feat for the eyes. Although we did find the rule book a little tricky to navigate, the game comes alive when you unlock upgrades and make use of the special characters.
Spartacus: A game of Blood and Treachery - David Ireland
What is beneath your feet? WHAT IS BENEATH YOUR FEET? Sacred ground, Doctore. Watered with the tears of blood. Your tears! Your Blood! Your pathetic lives forged into something of worth. Listen! Learn! And, perhaps, live! As GLADIATORS
Set on the harsh yellow sands of the great city of Capua, players take control of their Ludus, to run a house of gladiators by plotting and scheming against their rivals, to lay claim and purchase their next household champion, and battle to glory in the all entertaining arena. There is no getting away from the fact that this is the most ruthless and brutal board game I have ever played. For players with yellow streaks running through their veins, this one is not for you. There is no space for the weak.
The player to reach 12 victory points first will take the win. A turn is split into 3 phases; intrigue where you plot against the others, the market where you bid in auction format for gladiators, slaves and weapons and then the arena, where houses pit their champions against each other in combat which invariably leads to glory for one, and death for another. This is such a well created game as it has everything and satisfies so many aspects of gaming for me, however it gets really personal also and so cutthroat. The game even comes with a warning to highlight this. That satisfying moment to acquire the legendary slave, Spartacus, in the market phase, to watch him then lose in the arena in the next turn, and then turn to the hosting Ludus of this arena phase and see them turn their thumb down resulting in your gladiators execution is punishing. I love this epic game, will you?
Honeycombs - Fsvouritefoe
Honeycombs is a chilled, tile laying game by Gibsons which comes in the best, bright yellow canvas bag I have ever seen! Co-operative or competitive, the objective is to match the most icons on the lovely, chunky hex tiles in order to make the biggest honeycomb. The more wee icons you can match when you lay your next tile, the more points you score. And if you play competitively with your own pile of tiles, then chill turns a little more to thrill as it is a race to be first to complete your comb. On the shelf, this game is a beacon of sunshine, and it definitely hits the #rainbowboardgame spot for July!
