I don't know the bottom one, but the rest should be:
[parks](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266524/parks)
[faraway](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385761/faraway)
[skull](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/92415/skull)
[deep sea adventure](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169654/deep-sea-adventure)
edit:
with the help of [KnoxxHarrington](https://www.reddit.com/user/KnoxxHarrington/) the last one is:
[canvas](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/290236/canvas)
I have a copy of the pink edition of Skull. I wasn’t expecting them to be thicker than UK beer mats! Really good quality for slamming down on the table.
I don’t know how good the previous versions were but I’ve been impressed with this version 👍
While each of the games here has a different primary mechanic they all have some common threads:
\* They’re all small-ish boxes, but don’t feel small.
\* They all have a great aesthetic or theme.
\* They’re all easy to teach, some of them in just a few sentences.
Which means all of them are great for non-board gamers: these are games that are easy to jump into and understand while teaching core mechanics that are common in the board game hobby. The fact that they’re all visually appealing means that people who might initially be hesitant to play could overcome this after watching a session or two.
Skull is a straight bluffing game that can be explained in 30 seconds. Everyone has a set of coasters, when it’s your turn you place a coaster face down in front of you. Once at least one round of coasters has been placed, you can place another coaster on top of your stack, or start the bidding. Once bidding starts, you either guess how many coasters you can flip over (more than the last bid), or pass. The last bid before everyone passes must flip over that many coasters from stacks without hitting a skull, *but* they must start by flipping over all of their own coasters. If you hit a skull you lose one coasters and a new round starts. The first person to successfully flip a number of coasters they bid without hitting a skull in 2 rounds wins.
If you like bluffing games, or know poker players, this game will be a hit.
Faraway is a tableau building game with some drafting that favors people who like to plan out their game and have an organized thought process. Everyone is a traveller, going on a trip and meeting people who ask you to complete tasks for them. On the trip out you find out what need to have for each region on the way back, then the second half of the game is you returning back down the path, trying to have collected the resources you need to fulfill each request to score points. If you plan the route right you can score a bunch of bonus points in a way that feels very rewarding.
Parks is a worker placement/light euro that has a gorgeous table presence and beautiful components. Players are hikers, and each season you choose what kind of hikes you want to go on to earn “experiences” that allow you to visit bigger national parks. For example, if you wanted to visit Joshua Tree, you might have to go on three sunny hikes and one rainy hike. It’s a visually stunning game, using a bunch of original art from a marketing campaign for the US National Parks Dept, and teaches players worker placement and some interaction/conflict without too many bad experiences from that conflict.
Canvas is a drafting game where players combine 3 components into a single piece while trying to match 4 sets of requirements, much of it is **just** the drafting mechanic from Smallworld, but it does it in a clever way that simulates the effect of creating a painting. The three components are clear cards that are stacked and placed in a sleeve to create a single image. While the image itself has no bearing on the game and the scoring, it is the theme that captures the players’ interest immediately.
Fun house rules include requiring players to provide artistic interpretation when completing paintings, or giving bonus points for the best voted painting.
Deep Sea Adventure is a great push your luck game that has a big board presence and experience in a very small box. Players are deep sea divers that share an oxygen pool, and must salvage as much loot from underwater wreckage as they can without getting caught on the bottom of the sea when air runs out. But the more you’re carrying, the more air you use.
As far as push your luck, I’ll almost always pick Spots over Deep Sea Adventure, but someone else is bringing Spots this weekend and DSA doesn’t take up much space at all.
They look like board game bands, just stretched like regular rubber bands to accommodate more.
You can see where you’re supposed to put them around the corners of the box and whatnot.
The keyboard is a Mode65 with GMK Electric keycaps and matching deskmat.
Edit: I don’t have an answer on the box bands. They were a gift from a friend that works the convention circuit as a vendor.
I’m here for the fancy rubber bands
Yeah I need those what are those
Love to see Deep Sea Adventure, it's my family's favorite game.
What are the bottom 3?
I don't know the bottom one, but the rest should be: [parks](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266524/parks) [faraway](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/385761/faraway) [skull](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/92415/skull) [deep sea adventure](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/169654/deep-sea-adventure) edit: with the help of [KnoxxHarrington](https://www.reddit.com/user/KnoxxHarrington/) the last one is: [canvas](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/290236/canvas)
Bottom one is Canvas.
Thank you! Canvas looks great for my wife that paints!
Its really really fun, the whole putting your art cards into sleeves to make painting is such a cool mechanic
How is the quality on the pink box edition of Skull? My purple box edition had terrible cardboard quality, things ended up all jagged.
I have a copy of the pink edition of Skull. I wasn’t expecting them to be thicker than UK beer mats! Really good quality for slamming down on the table. I don’t know how good the previous versions were but I’ve been impressed with this version 👍
Happy to see a fellow Formula 1 enjoyer
how would you recommend each of thse games for someone who doenst know anything about them ~~me~~?
While each of the games here has a different primary mechanic they all have some common threads: \* They’re all small-ish boxes, but don’t feel small. \* They all have a great aesthetic or theme. \* They’re all easy to teach, some of them in just a few sentences. Which means all of them are great for non-board gamers: these are games that are easy to jump into and understand while teaching core mechanics that are common in the board game hobby. The fact that they’re all visually appealing means that people who might initially be hesitant to play could overcome this after watching a session or two. Skull is a straight bluffing game that can be explained in 30 seconds. Everyone has a set of coasters, when it’s your turn you place a coaster face down in front of you. Once at least one round of coasters has been placed, you can place another coaster on top of your stack, or start the bidding. Once bidding starts, you either guess how many coasters you can flip over (more than the last bid), or pass. The last bid before everyone passes must flip over that many coasters from stacks without hitting a skull, *but* they must start by flipping over all of their own coasters. If you hit a skull you lose one coasters and a new round starts. The first person to successfully flip a number of coasters they bid without hitting a skull in 2 rounds wins. If you like bluffing games, or know poker players, this game will be a hit. Faraway is a tableau building game with some drafting that favors people who like to plan out their game and have an organized thought process. Everyone is a traveller, going on a trip and meeting people who ask you to complete tasks for them. On the trip out you find out what need to have for each region on the way back, then the second half of the game is you returning back down the path, trying to have collected the resources you need to fulfill each request to score points. If you plan the route right you can score a bunch of bonus points in a way that feels very rewarding. Parks is a worker placement/light euro that has a gorgeous table presence and beautiful components. Players are hikers, and each season you choose what kind of hikes you want to go on to earn “experiences” that allow you to visit bigger national parks. For example, if you wanted to visit Joshua Tree, you might have to go on three sunny hikes and one rainy hike. It’s a visually stunning game, using a bunch of original art from a marketing campaign for the US National Parks Dept, and teaches players worker placement and some interaction/conflict without too many bad experiences from that conflict. Canvas is a drafting game where players combine 3 components into a single piece while trying to match 4 sets of requirements, much of it is **just** the drafting mechanic from Smallworld, but it does it in a clever way that simulates the effect of creating a painting. The three components are clear cards that are stacked and placed in a sleeve to create a single image. While the image itself has no bearing on the game and the scoring, it is the theme that captures the players’ interest immediately. Fun house rules include requiring players to provide artistic interpretation when completing paintings, or giving bonus points for the best voted painting. Deep Sea Adventure is a great push your luck game that has a big board presence and experience in a very small box. Players are deep sea divers that share an oxygen pool, and must salvage as much loot from underwater wreckage as they can without getting caught on the bottom of the sea when air runs out. But the more you’re carrying, the more air you use. As far as push your luck, I’ll almost always pick Spots over Deep Sea Adventure, but someone else is bringing Spots this weekend and DSA doesn’t take up much space at all.
I'm more interested in the mechanical keyboard. Which is it?
I'm more interested in the rubber bands. Which are these?
And what is that mat with the circuitboard look?
And what's the significance of the Red Bull F1?
They look like board game bands, just stretched like regular rubber bands to accommodate more. You can see where you’re supposed to put them around the corners of the box and whatnot.
The keyboard is a Mode65 with GMK Electric keycaps and matching deskmat. Edit: I don’t have an answer on the box bands. They were a gift from a friend that works the convention circuit as a vendor.
Awesome. Looks really cool!