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Pinched! Game Review
by Justin Bell on February 24, 2026
For the most part, the team at Mighty Boards has never done me wrong. After a middling experience with their recent release Red North, I didn’t rush their other SPIEL Essen 2025 release, Pinched!, to the table until recently. But after doing plays at three, four, and five-player counts, I’m excited to share that Pinched! was a blast. Save for my thoughts on how the game’s random card draw can affect scoring and notes on a specific player count, I highly recommend giving Pinched! a look. “I’ll Take That” Pinched! is a hand management and set collection game of bluffing and thievery for 2-5 players. Over a series of turns, each player (taking on the role of a thief in a gang of them) will serve as the Mastermind for a given turn. Using a hand of location cards, the Mastermind will select a heist location from amongst the 3-5 locations available in that game. The Mastermind plays this card face-down into the center of the table, then each other thief will play a card from their own hand of location cards in the hopes of matching the location selected by the Mastermind. During the reveal, two things could happen. If the Mastermind picks a location that… The post Pinched! Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Masters of Crime: Incognito Game Review
by Justin Bell on February 24, 2026
I’ll admit it: my wife and I got a little too comfy. After some of the best experiences in the one-shot, mystery gaming arena with the KOSMOS series Masters of Crime, I expected my fourth run to be another blowout. Masters of Crime: Vendetta, Masters of Crime: Rapture and Masters of Crime: Shadows are the height of the category; one of those titles was on my top 10 games of 2025, but all of them could have been, if I had just sprinkled the titles across the entire list. What those games got right is why I recommend them to everyone I know. The scenarios are fantastic, you’re always placed in the shoes of the villains, not the cops, the puzzles are tough but fair, and the endings always made logistical sense after working through all the bread crumbs dropped during the investigation. Masters of Crime: Incognito was the next game on my list. I created a draft for this review and had a 5.0/5.0 placeholder ready to go before I played the game. I was sure Incognito would be another banger; why wouldn’t I? My wife and I set up a date night for a Friday evening play. I made the cocktails; she grabbed our note-taking components, laid out the game, and read the… The post Masters of Crime: Incognito Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
How (and Why) to Start a Silent Board Gaming Club
by Jennifer Derrick on February 23, 2026
One of the best discoveries I made last year in my town was a silent book club. It seems like an oxymoron, but for us introverts it's an easy, low stakes way to meet new people without being overwhelmed. The premise is this: everyone brings a book to read to the event. (Unlike a regular book club, this is a book of your choosing. Not everyone is reading the same book.) Most events follow a similar structure: Thirty minutes of chit-chat at the beginning, an hour or so of silent reading, and then some more chit-chat at the end. The chit-chat can be structured so that each person talks a little about the book they've chosen, or it can just be a discussion of "whatever." Some people don't even stay for the after-chat, preferring to just read and go. Events are held at restaurants or bars. Others are held in libraries, bookstores, or private homes. The biggest positive I hear over and over about the silent book club is that, in a busy world, the meetings provide a guaranteed chance to slow down and get some reading done. Meeting new people in a real-life, low-stress environment is a close second. After loving my local silent book club, a light bulb went off in my head. Why wouldn't the same thing… The post How (and Why) to Start a Silent Board Gaming Club appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Pixies: Flower Power Game Review
by David McMillan on February 22, 2026
If you’ve played the game Pixies and liked it as much as I do, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Pixies has returned, better than ever, with an all-new expansion. Consisting of just 14 new cards, the Pixies: Flower Power expansion introduces even more intriguing mechanics and adorable critters into the mix. Before continuing, if you’re not familiar with how the game is played, I recommend you go check out my review of Pixies so that the rest of this review will make sense. It’s a small game, so it’ll only take you a few minutes. Each card in this expansion is bi-colored, which means it’s easier than ever to create large color zones. This is the first new change. Beware: the bi-color nature of this expansion comes with a dark side. Many of the cards will score you negative points for having particular colors in your display. Bi-color cards count as two colors, so it’s very easy to get yourself into trouble if you’re not careful. [caption id="attachment_328324" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Image credit: BGG User @rainalyn[/caption] The second big change is that, during end-of-round scoring, face down cards are worth five points apiece, and there are even some cards that will earn you extra spirals for having face… The post Pixies: Flower Power Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Power Vacuum Game Review
by Andrew Lynch on February 21, 2026
I approached Telephone in a dark, isolated room, far from where prying eyes might see us and ears might hear us. “Telephone, I’m going to make you deal.” He didn’t say anything. I knew he wouldn’t. Telephone had survived in proximity to the Supreme Socket by being a good listener. I took a drag from my cigarette, its red light dimly reflecting off the gold accents on the walls. “Neither of us are replacing the Supreme Appliance. You know it and I know it. We don’t have to like it, but we have to face the facts. You’ve turned too many people off, and I...” “You’ve burned too many people.” “In a manner of speaking.” A long pause. Not even a dial tone. He really knew how to draw you out. “We both like Toaster,” I ventured. “In a manner of speaking.” “We both know how to handle Toaster.” “Sure. I know how to keep my bread from getting burnt.” “Blender and Radio are disorganized and at one another’s throats. Let them waste their energy. If we work together to back Toaster…” “It works out better for both of us.” “Exactly.” “I see your point. You have a deal.” For now, at least. So it goes. A temporary truce is better than a permanent war. I turned to leave. … The post Power Vacuum Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Five Families Game Review
by Andrew Lynch on February 21, 2026
Five Families doesn’t quite work. Let’s get that out of the way at the start. Friedemann Friese’s latest big box game had a lot of promise. It mixes together a strange and confrontational auction system with area control scoring, it has wonderfully straightforward rules, and it has cute li’l mobster meeples, but none of these admirable traits can save it. Its joys are undercut by its runaway leader problem, the impact of the capriciousness of the card draw, and, worst of all, monotony. Still, at least Five Families respects its audience enough to be one of the more interesting letdowns I’ve experienced in a while. I don’t think it’s a good game in the commercial sense, but I wish every game that didn’t work could manage to fail like this. It is something equally or possibly even more valuable than “good”: Five Families is worthwhile. Married to the Mob The Five Families are the five principal branches of the Mafia as it operates in the United States. If you’ve seen The Godfather, you know who these guys are. While the idea of the Five Families feels irrevocably tied to mid–20th century America—probably, come to think of it, because of The Godfather—the… The post Five Families Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Tom & Will Do TantrumCon 2026!
by Tom Franklin on February 20, 2026
TantrumCon 2026 took place on February 5-8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event was held at a downtown Marriott hotel, making use of its cavernous main hall and many side rooms. Two of our contributors, Tom Franklin and Will Hare, attended and have this report for you. Tom Franklin Having done craft shows for 16 years, the first night, Thursday evening, felt less like the end of a rousing first day and more like a pre-setup time. It reminded me of weekend shows that allowed vendors to set up their booths the night before the show starts so they’ll be fully ready when the doors open to the public the next day. A few groups of 3-4 people played games in the Learn to Play room. Through body language and positioning, I got the impression these people came to the convention already knowing one another. By Friday, vendors had set up and were teaching their games to an interested public. The biggest and best display I saw was from AllPlay Games. There, I spoke with Danique from AllPlay, learning about some of their latest games. Later, I returned to their booth where Damian played several of their small card games with me, including Slambo!, 3 Witches, and French Toast. For a volunteer, he did a great… The post Tom & Will Do TantrumCon 2026! appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Whistlewood Express Game Review
by Kevin Brantley on February 20, 2026
All Aboard! Trains are a core pillar of the board gaming world. It'd be hard to find a gamer who hasn't played a train game of some sort, whether that's the gateway-friendly Ticket to Ride, a crunchy 18XX title, or the industrial majesty of Brass: Birmingham. It's one of the hobby's most enduring themes, equally at home in the classic era and the modern renaissance. Something about locomotives just clicks with gamers: the routes, the networks, the satisfying logic of getting from here to there. Most train games revolve around route building, delivering cargo, or some variation of the two. The formula is well-worn, and for good reason. It works. But it's rare to see a "train" game genuinely spin the genre into something truly different. Usually, the chrome changes; the bones stay the same. Enter Whistlewood Express, a two-player game that uses only cards and a single, handsome wooden locomotive. To my surprise, it plays more like hand management than a traditional train game, and it comes with a mysterious spiral notebook tucked in the box: the Freightmaster's Logbook. That notebook turns out to be more important than it first appears. 2P Train The base game is played over a series of turns in which… The post Whistlewood Express Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Xenology Game Review
by Thomas Wells on February 19, 2026
When I saw Xenology, I was immediately piqued because it reminded me of a friend’s prototype, a game about studying humanity from the perspective of an alien race. I wanted to see the track a different design mind might do with a similar idea—one of my favorite pastimes. Unfortunately, Xenology doesn’t capture the weirdness of my friend’s game, nor does it capture the magic of the foundational eurogame elements it deploys across its own design. It’s a “do A so you can acquire C so you can do B and score some points” sort of game, nothing more, nothing less. It has the trappings of a much more interesting game, that resolves into something whose end result feels arbitrary and mushy, and ultimately just fades in with a broad swathe of other games in spite of the unique setting. Alien bureaucrats demand RFPs In the game, you’re an alien trying to advance in the alien hierarchy by studying human beings. The process by which you do this is reasonably straightforward. In the center of the board there’s an action cross of sorts, at the intersection a center action (Mission Control) with four actions that are arranged around it in an offset cross. You start with three alien meeples (cute)… The post Xenology Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Glimmerdeep Game Review
by Kevin Brantley on February 19, 2026
Glimmering I have a soft spot for “flip-and-writes” (and X-and-writes in general). They’re quick, snappy, and they fit perfectly into those “we’ve got an hour (or less) and a cozy table” game nights with my wife. Give me something that sets up fast, plays clean, and still leaves room for a little cleverness, and I’m in. The Hobbit: There and Back Again and Welcome to… are two of my go-tos for exactly that reason. And yet, I’m a heavy Euro gamer at heart. Engine building is my comfort food. There’s no greater feeling than building efficiency and reaping the rewards. The twist with Glimmerdeep is that it looks like it’s going to live firmly in that lighter flip-and-write lane, but hits you with “What if we hid a whole resource conversion machine down here in the dark?” Glimmerdeep isn’t the kind of flip-and-write where you’re simply coloring in shapes, adding up points, and calling it a night. As I read through the rules, I was delighted to see that this is, in fact, an engine builder. This is another testament to the old saying, “you don’t judge a book by its cover.” I Dig It Glimmerdeep plays over five rounds, following a steady rhythm of digging, building,… The post Glimmerdeep Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Make Your Words Count! Game Review
by K. David Ladage on February 18, 2026
[caption id="attachment_328066" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Good for home, as a filler, or for a game on the go.[/caption] Cards and Points If you have read my interview with Earl Patterson, you know how we met. Congress of Gamers has been a fount of good times, good games, and good connections for me ever since I moved to the DMV (the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area). Meeting Mr. Patterson was a joy. The first game we discussed was Make Your Words Count! and it takes very little time to discover that this is his baby. The game is relatively simple. From a deck of letter cards, players are dealt 5 or 7 cards (decided at the start of the game). They also determine the score goal; recommended is 100 points, but players can decide on a shorter or much longer game if they wish. In the center of the table are Community Vowels, one each of “A”, “E”, ‘I”, “O”, and “U”—these are each worth 0 points and are usable by everyone every round to ensure that there is always something the player can do. Note that there are standard vowel cards in the main deck that are worth 1 point each. On each player’s turn, they take the letter cards from… The post Make Your Words Count! Game Review appeared first on Meeple Mountain.
Six Questions with Alpha Earl Apps & Games (Earl Patterson)
by K. David Ladage on February 18, 2026
Once Upon a Time… Since August of 2023, I would say that an almost disturbing number of my gaming stories have started with the phrase “I was at Congress of Gamers, and…” This is not a bad thing! From the time my family and I moved from Iowa to Maryland, the three or four sessions of Congress of Gamers each year have been a regular part of our calendar. This is a truly wonderful, small gaming convention. Well… I was at Congress of Gamers, and relatively early on the first day, I spotted a gentleman setting up his vendor area and the first thing I saw was a vast field of Hot Wheels cars. I figured this could not possibly be what he was here for, so I went closer. Looking over the material he had for sale, I could see he was into Word Games. [caption id="attachment_328057" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Make Your Words Count is a great idea and an interesting implementation of the word game.[/caption] I am no stranger to Word Games, be they on a board (Scrabble, with or without the Monopoly elements), with dice (Boggle), or with Cards (Quiddler). Still, when I looked at this table, it felt like something was different. So, I spoke… The post Six Questions with Alpha Earl Apps & Games (Earl Patterson) appeared first on Meeple Mountain.