1993 / Fencing board game / 2 players
**
Maybe this fencing simulator loses too much vital flavour when playing against yourself using random five-suited cards rather than properly themed ones and a cribbage board rather than shaped figures, but there didn't seem to be much to it. But I'll always give games a go when I can make them myself, and at least it was quick.
2022 / Drawing game / 2-4 players
**
Extrapolating preliminary lines and shapes into pictures isn't the most fun drawing game in our repertoire. We only tried it once.
Gloom of Kilforth: Encounters
2018 / Roleplaying card/board game expansion / 1-4 players
****
Loads more cards to extend the life of your cards-based sagas, plus new character options, some of which (Halfling and Druid) have joined my daughter's favourites in our tamer take on the game. I thought I'd have to do without until a bundle showed up on eBay at a tempting price, so I traded in the old set and got more optimised upgrades than were advertised or really desired...
2018 / Deckbuilding card game expansion pack / 2-4 players
****
Oh, look, it's the missing combinations from the United dual-faction sets, which they cheekily made a Kickstarter exclusive you couldn't buy from shops. I didn't expect to ever have these until an eBay seller accepted my insultingly low offer for their unwanted Kickstarter bundle that must have been sitting around for the best part of a decade, so this rarity worked out as one of my cheapest Star Realms purchases ever. The lesson is, just be patient and tight and everything works out in the end.
Hm? Oh, yeah, the cards are pretty good. More of the same.
2021 / Bag building card game expansion / 1 player
**
Resold
An essential expansion if you want to convert the doomed solo mission into a competitive space duel, but it offers very little for players who aren't interested in doing that. It came with my second-hand base game, but it wasn't worth keeping for a few extra cards.
2020 / Bag-building card game / 1 player
***
Resold
It wasn't my first cubes-based solo space game, but it was my first bag-building game, and this novelty and the vintage space art persuaded me to keep coming back for more punishment for a while. I liked how it all worked, but less that there didn't seem to be any possibility of winning without investing in expansions that retroactively balance the difficulty, which is a bit cheeky.
Star Trek: Star Realms – Borg – Invasion (DIY Solo Mode)
2025 / Deckbuilding card game variant / 1 player
***
Getting to play as the Borg and assimilating your friends and family could be fun, but the solo mode felt like more hassle than it was worth compared to the alternatives (even if I wasn't substituting spare authority trackers and non-ship/base trade cards for the components), and even a bit annoying. The drones are basically Fluxx zombies, but even less amusing.
2015 / Roleplaying game adventure / 2+ players
****
A creepy church and its cursed basement were supposed to test our patience and stretch our session length a little, but the fearless/foolish young hero made such a racket that the slimy and spooky baddies came to us and saved us the hassle of exploring. That also gave me an idea for the convenient resolution I hadn't worked out ahead of time.
My Little Pony: Tails of Equestria – Magice / Scary Lights
DIY roleplaying game adventures
A quick improv double feature before bedtime: one in the traditional mould, incorporating dice and pony standees, as we explored the Everfree Forest to find a potion to reverse a spell and save the day; the second a Monster High doll play session helping her to process her first optician visit.
***
This seems like it'd be a bit too basic to be a satisfying expedition for grown-up dorks, but it served as a Sunday afternoon quickie for earning our ponies some magical items, and the setting meant I finally got to use the Quarray Eel standee. The young player unexpectedly called in NPCs from previous adventures for assistance, represented by her toys. Story arcs take care of themselves.
1996/1999 / Sony PlayStation emulator games / 1-2 players
****
Bashing into walls at breakneck speed is still fun, but now it also has the sediment of 90s nostalgia. I think they actually carried on making other racing games after these, which seems a pointless endeavour.
****
I was after this rarity for a while, eventually finding it hiding in an unloved discount compilation padded out with crap I could try to sell on for 99p a piece, but probably won't bother.
It was even more Love Letter-like than I'd been expecting, but it didn't win over the young Love Letter fan as much, so we won't get to play this variant as often as I'd like. She even preferred some of the crap.
Workable, if wonky, solo mode:
Wonder Tales: Rumpelstiltskin (Solo Mode)
***
When you build your success on Sprawlopolis, your clientele are going to demand solo variants for your duel games, and some feel more natural than others. This program to run an artificial non-intelligence is a bit clunky, but a satisfying challenge to overcome, once you learn how to keep it in negative points. The generic scoreboard cards are a slightly cheeky add-on to make this more than just printed rules, but I use them since they're there.
****
One of the more straightforward microgames in the eternally deep pocket of the Button Shy wallet range, the double-sided character cards are only used to swap colours rather than packing in dense info-blasts at 90-degree integers as in some titles, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Indeed, much like the fairy tales they're based on, these cute cards belie cruel ordeals, in this case about screwing over your friends and family in pursuit of pointless points. Not the addictive adrenaline rush of Dustbiters, but more fun than Anthelion.
2022 / Card game / 1 player
***
This five-suited solitaire variant talks big, but the luck of the draw means it's possible to win sometimes, and it's not a huge step up from children's maths matcher Dos. There's also no reason you couldn't play using two standard card decks (especially since the deck's face up, so different card backs and styles don't matter), but you can buy the designer's custom deck if you like it. I used Carson City cards again.