Spring, summer, fall, and winter, one constant for us is that we never tire of board games. Allow us to elaborate, in the spring and summer you can catch us outside soaking up every last bit of daylight, grilling, enjoying cold drinks, and sitting around a board game with friends; likewise, in the fall and winter, you can catch us inside, enjoying the crackling fireplace and aroma of a home-cooked meal, while sitting around a, you guessed it, a board game with friends. Here’s the thing though, we’re total science nerds, so we prefer our board games to be a little sciencey. If you’re nerdy like we’re nerdy, then you’ll love these games just as much as we did!
Evolution
We’ve often thought about things such as how we would survive the zombie apocalypse, even a global pandemic (you know, before the whole Covid thing), but prior to the game of Evolution, we had never thought about how we would survive extinction. The name of this game is to design if you will, an ideal species that will, not just survive, but thrive. Nab the game here!
Promising review: “Evolution (the game) manages to pull off what few modern games can. On the one hand, the engine and the basic rules of the game are fairly simple. Every action is based off playing the trait cards you have in hand.”
May Cause Side Effects
Imagine you’re part of a clinical trial study for a new drug, but not long after you take it, you start talking as if you’re completely inebriated or randomly begin doing really annoying things like booping your friend’s nose, crazy, right? Well, absurdity is the point when it comes to May Cause Side Effects, a fast-paced medical-themed guessing game. Buy it here!
Promising review: “We just tried out this game with a group of 8 friends and had an absolute blast! The combinations of red pills and blue pills were hilarious. Sometimes they fit perfectly together, other times they seemed impossible to pull off at the same time, but every time it was hysterical. Not only did everyone have a great time, but many of the people there said they wanted to buy a copy for themselves.”
Onward to Venus
If you are into steampunk, then you’ll love Onward to Venus where you’ll play as a 19th-century colonist in the world of Dr. Grordbort. Your target(s) are the planets and moons where you’ll claim resources, attack other players, and hunt for game, all the while keeping control of your colonies and keeping the space pirates from taking over. Buy it here!
Promising review: “Nice Sci-Fi strategy game with great artwork and theme. It’s complex enough to keep me interested but simple enough for more casual players to pick up and enjoy.”
Photosynthesis
Calling all biology enthusiasts! (obviously…) If strategy games are more your thing, then you’ve got to get your hands on Photosynthesis. In this game you’ll take their trees from their life-cycle from seedlings to full bloom to rebirth while earning points along the way as your leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Buy it here!
Promising review: “Don’t be fooled by the beautiful artwork, or the adorable little illustrated animals hidden within the components, Photosynthesis is a vicious abstract strategy game, and it’s probably the best use of thematic gameplay for any tabletop game in 2017, worthy of being equated with other top tier uses of theme in designing gameplay, such as Shadows Over Camelot, Blood Rage, and just about anything produced by Fantasy Flights.”