Top Ten Lunch Games

I've written on the subject of lunch games many, many times, but probably most completely here. The category of lunch games--games that can be played and in most cases taught in an hour--is near to my heart for several reasons, not least of which is lunch when I am most likely to have time free to play a game. The pressures and responsibilities of home prevent me from attending more than one game night a month. But over lunch? Then I am free.

In my earlier post, I listed several criteria for ideal lunch games. They are:

• Goldilocks playtime (neither too short nor too long)
• Simple rules
• Simultaneous (or near simultaneous) play (in other words, there's always something to do)
• Chaos factor (players have an opportunity to break gameplay conventions)

So which games am I most excited to play over lunch? Here's my list.

The Gondola Ride (a review of Rialto)

Venice. Land of bridges and gondolas and noblemen vying for the favor of the powerful doge. You are one such nobleman, with lots of cards, cylinders, coins, and cardboard at your disposal. If you've got an hour, you've got an opportunity to ride your gondola to the top.

Is controlling Venice in the cards for you? Find out in Rialto!

Circus Spectaculus (a review of Spectaculum)

There once was a time when traveling circuses roamed the earth, supported by the patronage of wealthy benefactors. Sometimes the shows received good marks; sometimes performers were booed off the stage in the middle of their act. But one thing was certain: life was always interesting. And there were ducats to be made for enterprising show managers.

Spectaculum seeks to transport players to this world of entertainers and circuses through a game of stock manipulation. Is it worth the price of admission? Find out below!

Cannonball?! Run!! (A Review of Castle Dash)

Boy, neighbors sure can be a nuisance! If you think that loud next-door parties, keeping up with the Jones’, and pesky neighborhood covenants are frustrating today, just be glad you didn’t live in the Middle Ages. I mean, you’d think the average nobleman would be happy with his intimidating parapets, piles of treasure, and a well-stocked moat of man-eating eels. But oh, no! Instead, every Lord in the subdivision has to go and send his hired thugs to take your gold. Can you defend hearth and home while sneaking over and swiping some extra coin for yourself? Your sanity will be pushed to the limits in this mad-cap, free-for all!

Brown-Bag Games

Especially now with a new baby in the house, most of my gaming takes place over my lunch hour at work. There's a pool of around six of us to draw from where I work, and usually somewhere between three and six of us are interested over any given lunch hour when a game is proposed.

All of this lunchtime gaming has got me thinking about my favorite lunchtime games, as well as what I value in a lunchtime game. See my thoughts below!

Black Market Pier Pressure (a review of Santiago De Cuba)

[Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house eurogamer, @Farmerlenny, and his deadly enemy the thematic space-loving @Futurewolfie.  Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

A good lunch game is hard to find. A game that easily lands itself within an hour time frame often lacks the depth of longer, more satisfying gaming experiences, and games that go beyond the bounds of a lunch hour might force some players to sit out or work after hours to make up the time.

Enter Santiago de Cuba, a lunchtime Euro of black-market goods, supply and demand, and shipping. But the question is, is this a boat you want to be on? Find out below!

Fri Day Game Day

Work weeks are long.  especially when your work does not involve inventing board games and playtesting them all the time.  Even if you like your job, it gets tiring and by the end of the week, you just need something to look forward to.

Enter the institution of FriDayGameDay.  FDGD for ease of typing, this is the official iSlaytheDragon sanctioned boardgame-to-end-the-work-week event.  Every friday, I head down to the lunch room for one in a long rotation of delightful board games.