I had a good time final weekend taking part in a bunch of latest video games with pals at SaltCon Spring 2025.
This yr I used to be capable of get in just a few video games after work Thursday evening, a bunch of video games for a full Friday, adopted by a handful of video games for half a day on Saturday.
Many of the video games I performed have been new to me. Some sport have been hits that I’d like to play once more. Whereas different video games fell flat and I used to be comfortable to maneuver on.
In case you’d prefer to know extra in regards to the SaltCon occasion itself, take a look at my put up from final month overlaying the many issues that occur at SaltCon. This put up will give attention to mini-reviews of the 17 video games I performed – within the order through which I performed them.
- Pies
- Bacon
- River Valley Glassworks
- [redacted]
- Cardline: Globetrotter
- After Us
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Pink Rising
- Trio
- Energy Grid
- Race for the Galaxy
- Downforce
- Riot on the Spherical Desk
- Relic Runners
- Akropolis
- Treasure Island
- Azul: Queen’s Backyard
Pies & Bacon
I eased into SaltCon Spring sport taking part in with a few pals and these two fast card video games by Allplay.
Pies is a trick-taking sport the place gamers play fruit playing cards over the course of three rounds with the purpose of amassing mixtures of components to organize the tastiest pies. After every trick in a spherical, gamers declare a card from the trick for his or her assortment – beginning with the winner of the trick. However there are additionally motion playing cards in play that permit gamers to do issues like steal playing cards from different gamers.
Bacon is climbing card sport the place gamers rating based mostly on how quickly they do away with all their playing cards. The primary participant to start out lays down a combo of playing cards from their hand (like units, runs, flushes, and so on.). Following gamers should lay down a better valued combo or go. Bacon playing cards are wild and every participant begins a spherical with two of them.
They’re each very gentle card video games and have a whole lot of luck in them as a result of card draw. That being stated, gamers nonetheless have various selections to make that may influence the end result. So there may be nonetheless a little bit of considering concerned (as I found with dangerous selections in Bacon).
River Valley Glassworks
River Valley Glassworks was one of many Sizzling Video games at SaltCon Spring. Nevertheless, I didn’t have to attend for a spot to open up on the Sizzling Video games tables as a result of one among my pals had a duplicate with him. So he taught just a few of us tips on how to play this enjoyable coloured glass-collecting sport (additionally by Allplay).
Within the sport, gamers draft glass from the person river tiles. As they declare all of the glass on a tile, that tile shifts to the top of the river and is refilled with extra glass (the quantity relying on the variety of stones proven on the tile). So the river is consistently flowing with extra glass popping up for a declare.
As soon as gamers take they glass, they place them on their participant board from left to proper on the underside row. As soon as a colour of glass is positioned on the underside row, solely glass of the identical colour could also be positioned above it. On the finish of the sport, gamers rating factors based mostly on the place and peak of the glass on their board. It takes a little bit of planning blended with some luck on the river to attain properly.
When drafting, the form of the glass you “pay” issues. When amassing and storing, the colour issues. So it’s vital to regulate each what you must spend with and what and while you acquire completely different colours. Enjoyable issues to consider, however not overthink. As a result of the sport turns and the sport itself performs in a short time.
I used to be hopeful going into this sport and it didn’t disappoint!
River Valley Glassworks is a superb household board sport and I’d like to get a duplicate so I can play it time and again.
[redacted]
[redacted] seemed like a enjoyable spy sport after we noticed it within the SaltCon Sport Library. We learn on the field about spies infiltrating an embassy, transferring from room to room, recovering information, and escaping to a helicopter. Nevertheless, after going by the foundations after which diving in, we shortly found that the sport fell terribly flat.
The concepts within the sport sounded nice. However the execution was an enormous miss.
In protecting the the secret, the remainder of my mini-review for the sport has been redacted (to avoid wasting you).
![[redacted] board game](https://www.theboardgamefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SaltCon_Redacted.jpg)
Cardline: Globetrotter
Lest we finish the evening on a nasty observe, we hit the SaltCon Sport Library once more to discover a gentle and fast sport to wrap up Day 1.
Cardline: Globetrotter is like the various Timeline video games we’ve reviewed earlier than. Gamers get a hand of playing cards, however don’t take a look at the again facet. On their flip, they have to selected the place it goes within the line up of different playing cards. As soon as they select, they flip the cardboard over to see in the event that they’re right. If they’re, they’ve efficiently gotten rid of one among their playing cards. If not, they discard the mistaken card and draw a substitute card to their hand.
The primary participant to efficiently place all their playing cards, wins.
Within the Globetrotter model of the sport, the playing cards are nations. And the again facet of every card contains details about that nation’s dimension, inhabitants, GDP, and CO₂ emissions. Every time you play, you’ll be able to select a distinct ingredient that it’s essential to put so as. For instance, the primary time we performed, we selected inhabitants. Thus, we tried to place our playing cards so as from lowest to highest when it comes to inhabitants.
Every sport solely lasted about 5 minutes so we performed a number of occasions earlier than we known as it an evening.
After Us
Friday morning, we began off with a sport I’ve been desirous to play because it was printed in 2023 by Pandasaurus Video games known as After Us.
The yr is 2083 and the people are gone. However the apes have survived and have stored evolving. Gamers are leaders of ape tribes guiding their tribe to collective intelligence.
It’s a deck constructing sport with a singular option to play playing cards. Like in lots of deck constructing video games, gamers begin with their very own deck of starter playing cards. They draw a sure quantity into their hand every spherical and use them to collect components that assist them purchase extra highly effective playing cards so as to add to their deck. Rinse. Repeat.
Nevertheless, the distinctive ingredient in After Us is that after gamers draw their 4 playing cards, they organize them in a row to make combos. Gamers acquire the assets or factors which might be in accomplished packing containers beginning with the highest row, then the center row, then the underside row. Most playing cards have items of a field on the sting of the cardboard and gamers can solely full a field by putting them subsequent to a different card the place they align.
Every spherical is performed concurrently, so everybody attracts their 4 playing cards after which arranges them on the identical time. Then they acquire the assets listed on their playing cards and use the assets to purchase new ape playing cards for his or her deck. After they acquire a brand new ape card, it’s positioned on prime of their deck so that they’ll draw it into their hand on their subsequent flip (I like that half!).
I additionally love the simultaneous play to maintain issues transferring alongside. The draw back, nonetheless, is that I don’t actually pay any consideration to what my opponents are doing. I don’t get to see the cool combos they’re placing collectively. So in that sense, it’s like a multi-player solitaire – the place every participant is simply attempting to do the perfect they will with their playing cards. There isn’t actually any option to influence different gamers.
However that’s not all the time a nasty factor. My thoughts was clicking the entire time on tips on how to greatest optimize my card arranging and which varieties of ape playing cards to accumulate subsequent.
Total, I actually loved the sport. Though I didn’t rating very properly, it left me itching for extra performs. Positively an indication of sport. (Plus, I actually just like the art work.)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I just lately purchased a duplicate of Star Wars: The Clone Wars however hadn’t performed it but. So I took it with me to SaltCon to present it a go.
The sport relies on the sport play of Pandemic. However as a substitute of viruses infecting nations world wide, droids and blockades pop up throughout the galaxy. Gamers work collectively as completely different Jedi to finish numerous missions and defeat the villains.
I actually loved the sport. And never simply because we gained. 🙂
The final sport movement is acquainted due to figuring out Pandemic. Which is good. Nevertheless it’s the implementation into the Star Wars universe that brings it to life as a enjoyable sport.
Every sport, gamers select a distinct villain to face. And that villain has its personal deck of playing cards that shall be used through the villain motion part of every flip. The distinctive talents of every Jedi additionally suits properly into the sport play. Nevertheless it’s the random missions that it’s essential to full alongside the way in which that basically make the sport distinctive. As an alternative of simply transferring across the board to struggle droids, the missions offer you different functions to work on (whereas additionally preventing droids). And in so doing, the playing cards in gamers fingers can serve a number of functions. Very enjoyable.
Pink Rising
Pink Rising is a card sport based mostly on the e-book sequence by Pierce Brown that includes a dystopian society divided into fourteen castes. Gamers symbolize a home trying to rise to energy as they piece collectively an assortment of followers by attention-grabbing card play.
Every card has a singular energy and most even have distinctive scoring targets. On their flip, a participant locations one among their playing cards onto a rising stack of playing cards. After they play it, they use the cardboard’s deploy capability. The participant then takes a card from the highest of the cardboard stack in one other location and taking the motion for that location (additionally including the cardboard to their hand).
As such, gamers are continuously attempting to determine which playing cards of their hand they wish to maintain for end-game scoring vs which playing cards to discard for talents and actions. It’s an attention-grabbing stability as a result of each choices are beneficial.
It’s additionally irritating to see playing cards you’d like to have in your hand be positioned on a location and get lined deeper and deeper in a stack of playing cards. As a result of it’s tremendous uncommon that you just’ll get a capability that may allow you to pull them out from the center of a stack. As an alternative, gamers have to be opportunistic with simply the playing cards on the highest of every stack when it’s their flip (or a blind draw from the face down deck).
It was enjoyable to play, however it’s not a sport I’ll hunt down to play once more.
Trio
To lighten issues up a bit, we subsequent performed 6 video games of Trio.
We didn’t got down to play that many video games. However with how fast it performs, and with the enjoyable sport play, we stored desirous to play time and again.
Trio is a straightforward card sport with playing cards numbered from 1 to 12 (there are 3 of every quantity within the sport). Gamers attempt to be the primary to get three “trios” – a set of three of the identical quantity. They achieve this by asking different gamers (or themselves) to disclose both their highest or lowest card of their hand. Or they will flip over a card within the heart of the desk. Gamers get to disclose two playing cards this manner on their flip. If these playing cards match, they get to disclose a 3rd card in the identical means. If that third card additionally matches, the participant has efficiently made a “trio”.
It sounds easy, and it’s. Nevertheless it’s the combo of reminiscence and solely having the ability to ask for the very best or lowest in gamers fingers that deliver within the strategic ingredient. And it’s that combo that makes it enjoyable and addictive.
Trio is a sport we just lately acquired from Pleased Camper and is subsequent on our checklist for a full overview. Often, with the quantity of video games we’ve got to overview, a brand new sport coming in has to attend a very long time for a overview. Nevertheless, with how a lot enjoyable we’ve had taking part in Trio with completely different teams of individuals over the previous month, it’s shot proper to the highest of our overview checklist.
Subscribe to our opinions, to be notified after we publish our full overview this subsequent week.
Energy Grid
After taking part in a bunch of sunshine video games of Trio and getting lunch, we have been able to dive into the meaty sport of Energy Grid – nonetheless one among my favourite technique board video games.
And it didn’t disappoint!
I took my copy of Energy Grid to SaltCon as a result of my nephew stated he’d like to study the sport this yr. He’s heard me speak about how a lot I benefit from the sport and he needed to lastly play it. And I used to be very happy to oblige. 🙂
Somewhat than dive right into a full rationalization right here, when you’re interested by checking it out, hop on over to our full video overview of Energy Grid.
(And, in case you’re curious, sure, I did pull out a tie-breaker win ultimately. So satisfying.)
Race for the Galaxy
After a breather from our just below 2-hour sport of Energy Grid, I used to be excited to play Race for the Galaxy for my first time.
The sport was first printed virtually 20 years in the past, in 2007. So having heard about Race for the Galaxy for years and having fun with Roll for the Galaxy, after I landed a duplicate of Race within the SaltCon Math Commerce, I assumed taking part in immediately was the easiest way to dig into it.
Within the sport, gamers construct galactic civilizations by taking part in playing cards representing worlds or technical and social developments. Every spherical, gamers secretly and concurrently choose an motion card corresponding to 1 part of a spherical. These phases let gamers draw playing cards, play playing cards, add items to worlds, or devour items for VP chips. Though each participant can carry out all of the phases chosen that spherical, the participant who selected the particular part will get an additional benefit throughout that part.
As the secret says although, it’s a race. Irrespective of how a lot you take pleasure in increasing your worlds and tech, when you don’t regulate what really triggers the top of the sport, you’ll be overlooked in area when it issues most.
Sport finish is triggered both when a participant has constructed a civilization of 12 playing cards or when the pool of VP chips is exhausted. Every participant totals the victory factors of their galaxy plus any VP chips earned throughout play. The very best rating wins.
Since take pleasure in taking part in Roll for the Galaxy, I used to be already conversant in the completely different sport phases and choice course of. However there’s nonetheless rather a lot to absorb throughout a primary play. It is going to take repeated performs earlier than I really feel comfy with all of the icons and what I’m doing through the sport. Nevertheless, I’m very happy to maintain on taking part in it.
Downforce
Since my nephew hadn’t performed Downforce earlier than both, I used to be very comfortable to show him tips on how to play – as a result of it’s one among my favourite racing video games. We ended up taking part in twice with 6 gamers and he gained each occasions!
Within the sport, gamers bid in automotive auctions, race the vehicles, use particular powers, and guess on the outcomes. There’s no cube rolling because it’s the playing cards that decide which colour vehicles transfer and the way far. And regardless that you wish to favor the vehicles you purchased within the public sale, the playing cards you play can even be transferring different participant’s vehicles as properly.
So to do properly, what you actually need to do is place the precise “bets” on the three betting factors through the sport. If the vehicles you guess on end excessive, you’ll rating properly.
To get a full sense of how the sport performs, take a look at our full overview of Downforce from final yr.
Riot on the Spherical Desk
Riot on the Spherical Desk was a SaltCon attendee sport present this yr. Which signifies that upon coming into and getting your badge, you’ll be able to merely take a duplicate of the sport.
Since all of us had a duplicate of the sport, we figured we should always give it a go. Granted, you solely want one copy of the sport to play, however it gave us all an opportunity to attempt a sport that was sitting in our scorching little fingers.
The sport is a card sport the place gamers assault and defend. One participant assaults the participant to their left by taking part in a card from their hand. Then the defending participant can defend by taking part in a better card to dam. Nevertheless, all gamers can pile on playing cards in the event that they match one of many playing cards already within the battle. But, all different gamers’ playing cards depend with the attacker. The defender stands alone.
After the primary spherical of play, I knew it wasn’t a sport for me.
The humorous factor was that I did the perfect within the first spherical and gained a crown. The primary participant to three crowns wins the sport. However with 5 gamers, I may additionally inform it was going to take some time to get to that time. Certain sufficient, the sport lasted about an hour – means longer than I like for a sport of this sort.
On my means out that evening, I positioned my unopened copy again on the shelf on the entrance – for another person to have who might take pleasure in it. (I additionally forgot to take a photograph through the sport.)
Relic Runners
Due to a previous dedication Saturday morning, I wasn’t capable of get again to the conference heart till about 11:00 am. After I met again up with pals, we dove into one other sport that I’ve been desirous to play for years, Relic Runners.
The sport was printed in 2013 by Days of Marvel. Which suggests it’s been greater than a decade that I’ve been interested in taking part in it (I’m all the time maintaining a tally of what Days of Marvel publishes.) It’s additionally one other sport that I picked up within the SaltCon Math Commerce, so I used to be anxious to dive proper in.
Gamers are archeologists scouring the jungle for treasure and valuable relics (aka. victory factors). The catch is which you can solely enterprise out to date earlier than that you must get again to base camp to replenish on extra rations – as a result of uncovering treasure and constructing pathways is hard enterprise and requires rations.
The sport is simple to know, however it’s the choices that make you assume. Since you have got restricted rations every time you head out, you’ll solely be capable to get to date earlier than you must return. Constructing trails of your colour enables you to transfer additional distances later, so that you’ll undoubtedly wish to do this. However that additionally presents a tradeoff with gaining the advantages from a few of the early treasures too. The sport holds attention-grabbing selections all through.
Since we have been taking part in with 5 gamers, it was robust deciding which option to enterprise out as a result of the opposite gamers may swipe what you’re after earlier than you get there. Whereas all of us loved the sport play, we likewise all agreed that 5 gamers is simply too many to really feel like you have got management over your destiny.
Since I now have the sport right here at dwelling, I’m interested by taking part in it on the 3- and 4-player counts to see how completely different it might really feel.
Like all Days of Wonders video games, the parts are implausible too.
Akropolis
Akropolis was a sport I hoped to play at SaltCon final yr however didn’t get to it. So I used to be very comfortable to lastly get to play it this yr.
The chums I used to be taking part in with Saturday had already performed the sport earlier than I arrived, however they have been additionally very happy to play it once more and educate me. So we dove in.
It’s a tile-laying sport of city-building. Every tile is made of three mixed hexes and gamers place them to construct their cities out and up. That’s as a result of on the finish of the sport, gamers rating factors based mostly on the varied metropolis sections (as seen from above) and the extent that they’re on. The upper the extent, the extra factors. However in increase, you’re additionally overlaying a few of your metropolis that gained’t rating. It’s a really attention-grabbing tradeoff as you place items to get the perfect rating you’ll be able to.
One other attention-grabbing facet of the sport is that the tiles are acquired by a draft. In the beginning of every spherical, various tiles are set out in a row. On their flip, if a participant needs to take the primary tile within the line, they will achieve this freely. But when they need a tile additional up the row, they have to pay 1 stone for every tile they go.
Rounds clip by shortly as a result of all you do in your flip is take a tile and place it. After everybody has positioned a tile, a brand new spherical begins with extra tiles being set out.
Every sector/colour of the town scores in numerous methods.
For instance, the pink hexes are navy and solely rating in the event that they’re on the outskirts of the town. The blue hexes are residential and so they all wish to be linked. Gamers solely rating for his or her largest linked residential sector. Whereas the yellow hexes are markets and so they don’t wish to be subsequent to one another. Gamers solely rating these in the event that they stand alone. And so forth.
Due to the fast “draft and place” movement, a sport of Akropolis flies by. And it additionally leaves me wanting extra. So, sure, Akropolis simply obtained bumped up on my wish to personal sport checklist.
Treasure Island
We subsequent dove right into a thought-provoking sport of Treasure Island. It’s a deduction sport of 1 vs many.
One participant is Lengthy John Silver who has buried his treasure someplace on the island (which he marks the exact level on his mini-map behind his display screen). The remainder of the gamers are his mutinous crew who tied him up in a tower and are out trying to find his treasure. Every spherical, Lengthy John Silver provides a clue to the place the treasure is. To make it even harder although, a few of his clues could also be bluffs.
As every spherical passes, Lengthy John Silver will get nearer to his escape. If the sport goes that many rounds, then he escapes and races to the spot of his treasure. The opposite pirates have till Lengthy John Silver will get there to seek out it themselves and win.
Whereas the sport says the pirate who finds the treasure wins the sport, we discovered that it’s actually a cooperative search and we counted all pirates as winners after we discovered it.
The sport is filled with goodies. Every participant has their very own mini map and dry erase marker. They mark private notes on their mini map but in addition mark up the principle board with their motion and search areas – utilizing rulers, rings, and compasses.
It’s a really well-produced sport and we had a enjoyable time taking part in.
Now that I’ve a duplicate, I’m trying ahead to extra treasure looking out.
Azul: Queen’s Backyard
The final sport of SaltCon Spring 2025 for me was Azul: Queen’s Backyard. By late afternoon on Saturday, our minds have been getting a bit shaky from all of the socializing and sport taking part in. So we picked a sport that was a bit acquainted, but nonetheless had one thing new to attempt.
We’ve performed all of the prior variations of Azul, however hadn’t tried Queen’s Backyard but. So we have been conversant in the essential tile-drafting of all of the Azul video games. We simply wanted to study the brand new tile-placement guidelines and scoring for this newest model of the sport.
What we found is that this model of Azul is kind of completely different from the others. It provides much more choices and issues to look at for.
For instance, in all the opposite Azul video games, solely the colours of the tiles matter. Gamers acquire them in colour teams and place them in colour teams. Nevertheless, with Queen’s Backyard, the symbols on the tiles matter as properly.
So gamers should take note of each colour and image when drafting, paying, and putting on their boards. It’s a little bit of a thoughts bender.
And even after the sport ended, I hardly felt like I had construct out a fantastic backyard. It felt incomplete to me – regardless that we’d been at it for an hour.
I’m glad I lastly obtained to play it. However for me, I’ll keep on with our favourite model – Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra.
One other nice SaltCon is within the books.
I obtained to play many video games I’ve needed to play for some time. And I obtained to hang around with pals and my nephew and his spouse for a few days having enjoyable. So good.
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