New Games for September 9, 2022 - Soccer Die in the Mussie Neuromesh

• Squid Neuromesh
• Soccer 17 & Teams Expansion
• Roll or Die

Squid Neuromesh

You are an experimental neuroscientist attempting to transmit data from a patient’s brain using an experimental technology (‘Squid Neuromesh’). Unfortunately, this data often gets scrambled during transmission.

A fascinating twist on rolling and writing, as there’s the added layer of trying to make a creation with the tetris-style shapes added to your mat - and the players win if all of the creations are guessed correctly by the other players at the end. What might sound easy enough, but the dice are rarely going to hand you the exact things you need to make the shape you’re going for. But there’s also a press-your-luck element if you don’t roll what you need - which could let you add any five squares onto the creation OR force you to add the least-useful creation onto the mat. Designed for two, but playable with more, you won’t want to miss out on this fun take on the genre.

Soccer 17 & Teams Expansion

A two player soccer game with only 17 cards, in about 17 minutes.

If you enjoy sports themes, especially soccer, then you won’t want to miss this clever little card game for two players. Both sides have a hand of 4 matching cards, and you both secretly choose one - if the colors match, there’s a turnover and the other player has the ball. Otherwise the side with the ball executes their move, potentially earning star points and other effects based on where the ball is at. Shooting is also clever, as you draw a random card from a hand of 6, one of which will score the goal. The more star points you earned, the more chances you have of drawing more cards at this point. It is sure to be fast, fun, and really easy to pick up the rules and just start playing.

Roll or Die

You are a band of mighty heroes delving deep into a dungeon rife with treasures and troubles. The skills of the Wizard and the Rogue allow you to navigate the mazes, puzzles, and traps with ease. The mighty Fighter decimates the weak goblins and orcs in your path, and the Cleric eliminates the undead with blasts of holy light. But every now and then a more troublesome foe presents itself, and you must work together to defeat the most dangerous creatures in the dungeon. It is time to Roll… or Die!

Roll your way across 33 turns to try and outscore the health of the chosen monster for the game. Since you’re using polyhedral dice, there’s some interesting dynamics in what you’re trying to lock in each round, and there’s several actions you can do each round along the way to try and maximize your score. And maximizing is something you’ll need once you see the health of these baddies! If you enjoy yahtzee-style games with plenty of twists to keep a gamer satisfied, you won’t want to miss out on Roll or Die.

Game of the Week: Tussie-Mussie

Coming from an era full of fads such as using tear catchers to determine the length of mourning, Tussie-Mussie is based on the Victorian fad that assigned meanings to the flowers that friends and lovers exchanged. Famous authors such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte all utilized the meaning of flowers in their writings, and now you can experience the language of flowers in this game from Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave and artist Beth Sobel.

This clever game with an I Cut, You Choose mechanism is sure to delight you with its brilliant gameplay and provide a nice way to spend the evening together with a friend. If you enjoy games like Hanamikoji, or want a game with a clever floral theme that’ll teach you what flowers mean when given as a gift, then look no further than this excellent game. And even if you are alone, there is a great solo expansion for the game that is worth scooping up for fun with flowers.