USD ($)
EUR (€)
When I heard that there is an international day to celebrate food, I was slightly confused – I celebrate food every day! But 16 October marks the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation way back in 1945. Focussed on ending hunger and food poverty, the UN gives each year a specific theme, and 2024 is all about “right to food for a better life and a better future”.
With that in mind, we are going to showcase some great games that put food on the table in cardboard form. Get ready for some synapse sizzling snacks and main courses to nourish your mind and your soul!
SUSHI GO PARTY!
Phil Walker Harding first brought us Sushi Go! And then he went home, got his dancing shoes on and decided he wanted to partaaaay! Haha okay, not quite, but he has jazzed up his classic close drafting, sashimi set card game with some additional flavours! Set collection and play-and-pass still form the basis of this game. But this time, you’ll have 22 different types of card to choose from (compared to the original 8) when you decide which cards to keep and reveal to everybody else around the table. With some dishes only scoring if they are paired with delicious accompaniments, and others gaining VPs if you collect the most, you need to watch what everybody else is gorging on!
AGRICOLA
The classic farming euro, Uwe has been bringing the sheep to board gaming tables for decades. Providing food for your people is the juice of this game. Breed and feed, breed and feed. Ignore either at your peril! With a number of variants (Agricola Family Edition and 2 Player All Creatures Big and Small), you can always find a farming simulator to suit your group. Played over 14 rounds, you are competing to build and run the best farm. By placing out workers, you’ll be visiting locations to unlock resources that will steer your strategy. But timing is everything in Agricola, and you can plough up those VPs if you gain resources when they are at their most prolific and use them effectively. But waiting to reap what others haven’t sown could mean you have forgotten about the basics of successful livestock farming! Those sheep like to make more sheep, and they need somewhere to do what sheep do best! Each game offers opportunities to try different strategies, and it undoubtedly deserves its Golden Geek status!
NEW YORK SLICE
I don’t cut - I take all! What? That’s not a thing? Well that’s most definitely how I order and eat pizza! Favouritefoe doesn’t share food! Haha Okay, New York Slice is an I cut- you choose style game where we are competing to collect slices of pizza which will be worth VPs at end game if you collect the most of each type. Each round, a player carves up the giant pizza into portions, and players then select the section they want. The carver gets what is leftover. Choosing between eating pepperoni slices for straight up points and keeping slices to build majorities is one element. But there are also specials that add some extra spice to the value of different pizza toppings. Anchovies are also a big no-no, and
penalise players at end game. With photo-realistic artwork, don’t play this game when you are hungry Not unless you are prepared to phone your nearest delivery service, stat!
GONUTS FOR DONUTS
Mmm donuts………..that famous line wasn’t said for nothing. Bluffing and deduction are sprinkled all over these powdered delectables in this set collection game. And besides being a box of scrummy sugar coated donuts it’s brilliant fun! Light, fast playing, and easy to learn, you’ll be simultaneously bidding for the donuts you want. But, if multiple players go for the same card in the offer row, nobody gets it! As such, you want to be unique in your picks, but they’ve got to suit the sets you’re building! Each donut has a specific scoring or drafting power, and some will only score if you hold the majority. Lick those fingers and get ready for some sugary sweet sussing out in Gonuts for Donuts!
FINCA
The beauty of Mallorca is shown all over Finca. But instead of heading to the beach, we are going into the fields. Harvest time is here, and there are yummy almonds, oranges, lemons, figs, fish, and all host of goodies to be gained. Placing workers on a rondel-style wheel, you need to balance collecting the resources you want with gaining donkeys to deliver what you have reaped. The number of a give food you can collect depends upon how many workers are already on that spot. As such, whilst you may be able to get a bunch of oranges, you could pave the way for your opponents to gain even more on their turn! Tasty tension indeed!
DELICIOUS
Pencil First Games always bring out beautiful games. And Delicious is no different. It’s a flip and write based on filling vegetable containers and harvesting fruits, based on the cards drawn each round. The various wheelbarrows and tubs require different numbers and types to be filled for points. And in a delightful twist on the usual box crossing or ticking, you will be drawing the various veggies as they are planted. Fear not, however, for there is a very handy drawing guide in the rules to assist those of us who are somewhat creatively challenged! haha
Well, I’m now ravenous for some scrummy board gaming action! I hope we have inspired your food related game night on 16 October 2024!
