I had a good time final weekend taking part in a bunch of recent video games with buddies at SaltCon Spring 2025.
This 12 months I used to be capable of get in just a few video games after work Thursday night time, 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 had been new to me. Some sport had been hits that I’d like to play once more. Whereas different video games fell flat and I used to be completely satisfied to maneuver on.
In case you’d prefer to know extra concerning the SaltCon occasion itself, try my submit from final month overlaying the many issues that occur at SaltCon. This submit will give attention to mini-reviews of the 17 video games I performed – within the order during which I performed them.
- Pies
- Bacon
- River Valley Glassworks
- [redacted]
- Cardline: Globetrotter
- After Us
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Purple 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 buddies 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 gathering combos of elements to arrange 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 primarily based on how quickly they do away with all their playing cards. The primary participant to begin lays down a combo of playing cards from their hand (like units, runs, flushes, and so forth.). Following gamers should lay down the next 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 numerous luck in them because of the card draw. That being mentioned, gamers nonetheless have a variety of decisions to make that can impression the end result. So there’s nonetheless a little bit of pondering concerned (as I found with dangerous decisions in Bacon).
River Valley Glassworks
River Valley Glassworks was one of many Sizzling Video games at SaltCon Spring. Nonetheless, I didn’t have to attend for a spot to open up on the Sizzling Video games tables as a result of certainly one of my buddies had a replica with him. So he taught just a few of us how one can 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 shade of glass is positioned on the underside row, solely glass of the identical shade could also be positioned above it. On the finish of the sport, gamers rating factors primarily based on the place and top of the glass on their board. It takes a little bit of planning combined with some luck on the river to attain effectively.
When drafting, the form of the glass you “pay” issues. When gathering and storing, the colour issues. So it’s vital to keep watch over 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 replica so I can play it time and again.
[redacted]
[redacted] gave the impression of a enjoyable spy sport after we noticed it within the SaltCon Recreation Library. We learn on the field about spies infiltrating an embassy, shifting from room to room, recovering information, and escaping to a helicopter. Nonetheless, after going by way of the principles after which diving in, we rapidly found that the sport fell terribly flat.
The concepts within the sport sounded nice. However the execution was an enormous miss.
In preserving 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 night time on a foul be aware, we hit the SaltCon Recreation Library once more to discover a gentle and fast sport to wrap up Day 1.
Cardline: Globetrotter is like the numerous Timeline video games we’ve reviewed earlier than. Gamers get a hand of playing cards, however don’t have 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 appropriate. If they’re, they’ve efficiently gotten rid of certainly one of their playing cards. If not, they discard the mistaken card and draw a alternative 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 international locations. 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 unique factor 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 instances 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 12 months 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 novel method 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 parts that assist them purchase extra highly effective playing cards so as to add to their deck. Rinse. Repeat.
Nonetheless, the distinctive factor in After Us is that after gamers draw their 4 playing cards, they prepare them in a row to make combos. Gamers acquire the assets or factors which are in accomplished 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 inserting 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. Once they acquire a brand new ape card, it’s positioned on prime of their deck in order 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 shifting 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 making an attempt to do the very best they’ll with their playing cards. There isn’t actually any method to impression different gamers.
However that’s not at all times a foul factor. My thoughts was clicking the entire time on how one can finest optimize my card arranging and which varieties of ape playing cards to amass subsequent.
General, I actually loved the sport. Regardless that I didn’t rating very effectively, it left me itching for extra performs. Undoubtedly an indication of a superb sport. (Plus, I actually just like the paintings.)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I just lately purchased a replica of Star Wars: The Clone Wars however hadn’t performed it but. So I took it with me to SaltCon to offer it a go.
The sport is predicated on the sport play of Pandemic. However as an alternative of viruses infecting international locations around the globe, 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 received. 🙂
The overall sport circulate is acquainted due to realizing Pandemic. Which is sweet. However it’s the implementation into the Star Wars universe that brings it to life as a enjoyable sport.
Every sport, gamers select a unique villain to face. And that villain has its personal deck of playing cards that will likely be used in the course of the villain motion part of every flip. The distinctive talents of every Jedi additionally matches properly into the sport play. However it’s the random missions that it’s essential to full alongside the best way that basically make the sport distinctive. As a substitute of simply shifting 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 palms can serve a number of functions. Very enjoyable.
Purple Rising
Purple Rising is a card sport primarily based on the guide sequence by Pierce Brown that includes a dystopian society divided into fourteen castes. Gamers signify a home trying to rise to energy as they piece collectively an assortment of followers by way of attention-grabbing card play.
Every card has a novel energy and most even have distinctive scoring targets. On their flip, a participant locations certainly one of their playing cards onto a rising stack of playing cards. Once they play it, they use the cardboard’s deploy capacity. 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 making an attempt to determine which playing cards of their hand they wish to preserve for end-game scoring vs which playing cards to discard for talents and actions. It’s an attention-grabbing steadiness as a result of each choices are invaluable.
It’s additionally irritating to see playing cards you’d like to have in your hand be positioned on a location and get coated deeper and deeper in a stack of playing cards. As a result of it’s tremendous uncommon that you simply’ll get a capability that can allow you to pull them out from the center of a stack. As a substitute, 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, nevertheless 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 an easy 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’ll flip over a card within the heart of the desk. Gamers get to disclose two playing cards this fashion on their flip. If these playing cards match, they get to disclose a 3rd card in the identical approach. If that third card additionally matches, the participant has efficiently made a “trio”.
It sounds easy, and it’s. However it’s the combination of reminiscence and solely with the ability to ask for the best or lowest in gamers palms that deliver within the strategic factor. And it’s that combo that makes it enjoyable and addictive.
Trio is a sport we just lately acquired from Completely satisfied Camper and is subsequent on our checklist for a full evaluate. Normally, with the quantity of video games now we have to evaluate, a brand new sport coming in has to attend a very long time for a evaluate. Nonetheless, 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 evaluate checklist.
Subscribe to our opinions, to be notified after we publish our full evaluate this subsequent week.
Energy Grid
After taking part in a bunch of sunshine video games of Trio and getting lunch, we had been able to dive into the meaty sport of Energy Grid – nonetheless certainly one of 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 mentioned he’d like to be taught the sport this 12 months. He’s heard me speak about how a lot I benefit from the sport and he wished to lastly play it. And I used to be very happy to oblige. 🙂
Relatively than dive right into a full rationalization right here, in case you’re eager about checking it out, hop on over to our full video evaluate of Energy Grid.
(And, in case you’re curious, sure, I did pull out a tie-breaker win in the long run. 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, once I landed a replica of Race within the SaltCon Math Commerce, I believed taking part in straight away was one of the best ways 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 eat items for VP chips. Regardless that each participant can carry out all of the phases chosen that spherical, the participant who selected the precise part will get an additional advantage throughout that part.
As the secret says although, it’s a race. Regardless of how a lot you get pleasure from increasing your worlds and tech, in case you don’t keep watch over what really triggers the top of the sport, you’ll be disregarded in area when it issues most.
Recreation 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 get pleasure from taking part in Roll for the Galaxy, I used to be already accustomed to the completely different sport phases and choice course of. However there’s nonetheless lots to soak up throughout a primary play. It would take repeated performs earlier than I really feel snug with all of the icons and what I’m doing in the course of the sport. Nonetheless, 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 completely satisfied to show him how one can play – as a result of it’s certainly one of my favourite racing video games. We ended up taking part in twice with 6 gamers and he received each instances!
Within the sport, gamers bid in automobile auctions, race the automobiles, use particular powers, and guess on the outcomes. There’s no cube rolling because it’s the playing cards that decide which shade automobiles transfer and the way far. And despite the fact that you wish to favor the automobiles you acquire within the public sale, the playing cards you play will even be shifting different participant’s automobiles as effectively.
So to do effectively, what you really want to do is place the proper “bets” on the three betting factors in the course of the sport. If the automobiles you guess on end excessive, you’ll rating effectively.
To get a full sense of how the sport performs, try our full evaluate of Downforce from final 12 months.
Riot on the Spherical Desk
Riot on the Spherical Desk was a SaltCon attendee sport reward this 12 months. Which signifies that upon coming into and getting your badge, you’ll be able to merely take a replica of the sport.
Since all of us had a replica of the sport, we figured we must always give it a go. Granted, you solely want one copy of the sport to play, nevertheless it gave us all an opportunity to strive a sport that was sitting in our scorching little palms.
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 the next card to dam. Nonetheless, 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 rely 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 very best within the first spherical and gained a crown. The primary participant to three crowns wins the sport. However with 5 gamers, I might additionally inform it was going to take some time to get to that time. Positive sufficient, the sport lasted about an hour – approach longer than I like for a sport of this kind.
On my approach out that night time, I positioned my unopened copy again on the shelf on the entrance – for another person to have who could get pleasure from it. (I additionally forgot to take a photograph in the course of 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 buddies, 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 Surprise. Which implies it’s been greater than a decade that I’ve been inquisitive about taking part in it (I’m at all times maintaining a tally of what Days of Surprise 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 that you would be able to solely enterprise out thus far earlier than it’s essential to get again to base camp to refill on extra rations – as a result of uncovering treasure and constructing pathways is hard enterprise and requires rations.
The sport is straightforward to grasp, nevertheless it’s the choices that make you suppose. Since you’ve gotten restricted rations every time you head out, you’ll solely be capable of get thus far earlier than you must return. Constructing trails of your shade allows you to transfer additional distances later, so that you’ll positively wish to try this. However that additionally presents a tradeoff with gaining the advantages from among the early treasures too. The sport holds attention-grabbing decisions all through.
Since we had been taking part in with 5 gamers, it was robust deciding which method to enterprise out as a result of the opposite gamers might 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 just too many to really feel like you’ve gotten management over your destiny.
Since I now have the sport right here at house, I’m eager about taking part in it on the 3- and 4-player counts to see how completely different it could really feel.
Like all Days of Wonders video games, the parts are unbelievable too.
Akropolis
Akropolis was a sport I hoped to play at SaltCon final 12 months however didn’t get to it. So I used to be very completely satisfied to lastly get to play it this 12 months.
The buddies I used to be taking part in with Saturday had already performed the sport earlier than I arrived, however they had 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 primarily based on the assorted metropolis sections (as seen from above) and the extent that they’re on. The upper the extent, the extra factors. However in build up, you’re additionally overlaying a few of your metropolis that received’t rating. It’s a really attention-grabbing tradeoff as you place items to get the very best rating you’ll be able to.
One other attention-grabbing side of the sport is that the tiles are acquired by way of a draft. Firstly of every spherical, a variety of tiles are set out in a row. On their flip, if a participant desires to take the primary tile within the line, they’ll 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 rapidly 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/shade of town scores in several methods.
For instance, the pink hexes are navy and solely rating in the event that they’re on the outskirts of town. The blue hexes are residential they usually all wish to be linked. Gamers solely rating for his or her largest linked residential sector. Whereas the yellow hexes are markets they usually 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” circulate, 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). The remainder of the gamers are his mutinous crew who tied him up in a tower and are out looking for his treasure. Every spherical, Lengthy John Silver offers 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 full of 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 replica, I’m trying ahead to extra treasure looking.
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 had 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 strive.
We’ve performed all of the prior variations of Azul, however hadn’t tried Queen’s Backyard but. So we had been accustomed to the fundamental tile-drafting of all of the Azul video games. We simply wanted to be taught 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 selections 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 shade teams and place them in shade teams. Nonetheless, with Queen’s Backyard, the symbols on the tiles matter as effectively.
So gamers should take note of each shade and image when drafting, paying, and inserting 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 stupendous backyard. It felt incomplete to me – despite the fact that we’d been at it for an hour.
I’m glad I lastly obtained to play it. However for me, I’ll stick to 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 wished to play for some time. And I obtained to hang around with buddies and my nephew and his spouse for a few days having enjoyable. So good.
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