King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo was my present to myself for my birthday. I played a friends copy first and it seemed like it could be fun for lots of different kinds of players. It doesn't disappoint. The art is adorable, and gameplay is quick and competitive, and it has the perfect balance of luck and strategy. It's one of my favorite games to play with my family and non-gamer friends, but I pull it out with my tabletop game group fairly often as well.


TNG score:

Story - 4
In this game you are monsters attacking the city of Tokyo. If only all those other monsters would leave you alone to your work, right? Only one can be king of the hill, or city as the case may be. Each character does have a name and picture, but no back story or individual strengths. However, your strength and health do change as the game goes along so there is some character progression.



Immersive - 2

This is a basic dice game, and besides the art and monster character progression, there isn't a whole lot about this game that immerses you in the story. There are cards that you can buy (and adorable little glass energy cubes to buy with) that do boost the immersive score a little.

Learning Curve - 3
Almost everything in this game is pretty self-explanatory, and the main game mechanic is similar to Yahtzee so most people catch on to it quick. There are some complexities that give the game variety and interest, but I would say even if nobody had every played the game before, you could probably learn it in fifteen minutes.

Time - 2
Thirty minutes is a pretty good estimation for this game, not counting learning time. I've had it take almost an hour, but only because someone was determined to kill everyone else off to win. Half-hour seems to be the sweet spot for non-gamers: any longer than that and they can get bored. So this game works well for any group.




Total - 2.75
While I wouldn't recommend this game for your grandparents unless they are serious gamers, I do think this game works for most groups. It is quick to learn, competitive without being brutal (in most cases) and has the cutest art and game pieces. It isn't high is nerdiness, but I have yet to meet a nerd who didn't enjoy it.

5-Minute Dungeon

Oh, Five Minute Dungeon. How I love you. Kickstarter games are fun, but sometimes they end up lacking in one element or another, most often the game mechanics. Not so with Five Minute Dungeon. This game is cute, complex, co-op (hurray!), and full of future gameplay potential. Also, just enough nerdiness to be playable by gamers of all nerd levels. Who could ask for more?

The premise is that you are on a dungeon crawl, working together to defeat monsters, obstacles and mini-bosses. You do this by matching symbols that represent items and skills. It is very quick moving (five minutes unless you want to keep progressing to new dungeons) and the count-down timer app (awesome idea) has fun and famous voices.

TGN scale:

Story - 4-6

I know I gave a range instead of a solid number here, but this game is uniquely hard to nail down for me. On one hand, the story is pretty standard nerd-stuff: fight monsters, use magic items, become a hero. Each person takes on a character, and each campaign is slightly different, but at the same time, the story, characters and backstories are sort of assumed. There isn't any depth to the story, but mostly because there doesn't need to be; the game makers assume that the nerds only need the suggestion of background and you can fill in the gaps. They're right. We already know what a Valkyrie is, we already know how to fight monsters, so there is no need to explain. On the other hand, if you don't know much about dungeon games or about fighting monsters, it really doesn't matter, as none of those things affect gameplay at all. Brilliant.

Immersive - 3-5

This one is a lot like the story rating. It does feel like a dungeon crawl, but only if you want it to. The game could just as easily be completely devoid of all dungeon elements, and it wouldn't change the gameplay at all. It might take the fun out of it, though. At least for me. So basically, it isn't as immersive as some nerdy games, but it does have lots of possible immersive elements.

Learning Curve - 0-3

This game takes almost no explanation to learn to play. You could literally be thrown into the game half-way through with no explanation, and still play comfortably. There is a bit of strategy, though, and the longer you play, the further you get into the game, and the more strategy required to beat those bosses.

Time - 0-5

5 minutes is as short as any game I've ever played. But if you prefer your dungeon games to last a bit longer (and who doesn't) then you could keep playing this game for several hours without starting over. Or longer. It took us several days to defeat the final boss.

Total - 1.75-4.75

If I was to average out this game to a single number, that would put it at 3.25. But I put a range on each of these because you imbue your own nerdiness level into this game. For some people, it would play nerdier than others. This game has the potential to be almost like a basic party game, with just enough nerdy elements to draw serious gamers. I played this with my boardgamer friends and then later with my sister-in-law who likes to tell me she doesn't get any of my references because she isn't a nerd. It was just as fun both times. 

Games TGN Score Rundown

Here is my chart of every game I've scored so far. I will continue to add to it as I review games. There are a few on this list that I don't plan to review in full, simply because they are so well known. Being as popular as some of these games are seriously skews their nerdy results. But I've included my scores for them here anyway, just to give you something to compare against. If you wish your game was on this list, or if you know of an awesome and nerdy game you think I should review, send me a message to let me know.

Pocket Madness

Pocket Madness is really a a sweat

little game about, well, insanity. This is another game inspired by HP Lovecraft, so you know it's going to be good. Ok, so it's a little creepy, but look at that adorable art! look at that staring eyeball! Look at those cute little green cubes! It's almost worth it to collect the madness cubes just to shuffle them around and hear the satisfying clinking. Sure, it makes you insane but, some things are just worth it, you know? I fully enjoy this game, not just because of the cuteness, but also the gameplay is quick and engaging.


TGN score:

Story - 8
Because this is a Cthulhu game, it comes with a built in story. You are trying to invoke the Ancient Ones' powers using card sets to drive your play fellows insane. fun, right? The story isn't incredibly complex, but it enough fantasy and paranormal horror to drive up the score.

Immersive - 4
Not counting the artwork, the gameplay doesn't really have anything to do with the theme or premise. You cou
ld probably remove the paranormal elements and it wouldn't change gameplay at all. But on the other hand, there are elements that add to the immmersiveness (immersivity?) of the game. Not even counting the artwork, the collecting of the madness cubes keeps the theme in the forefront of your mind.

Learning Curve - 3
Because this is a numbered card came, it is similar enough to traditional card games to be fairly easy to learn. The rules take a few minutes to get the hang of, but reading the rulebook itself goes quick. This may take away from the nerdiness a little, but it is definitely a positive in this game.

Time - 4
Takes about a half hour to play. Again, this short time may take away from the nerdiness, but it does not take away from the enjoyment of the game. Sometimes you just need a quick little game with some nerdy themes, right?

Final TGN score - 4.24
All in all, this could be played by a wide range of players, even non-gamers if they can get past the initial nerdy theme. It makes it a perfect game to play with your friends as a gateway nerd game, or if you are getting tired of the hour long set up for Runebound and need a breather.

The Oregon trail

The Oregon Trail is one of those games that is as much a draw for its nostalgia as it is for the gameplay. Even if you've never played the original computer game, it still feels like you are playing an 8-bit kind of game, which is nostalgic all in itself. I love co-op games, and Oregon Trail does co-op in the best possible way. It manages to give everyone something to do without pitting you against each other. It is both challenging and silly. My only complaint against the game is all the constant dying. Knowing you can catch dysentery at any moment is funny and adds risk, but I hate when teammates are eliminated from a game and just have to sit and watch the rest. Lots of games do this , but it bothers me. It was my main complaint against Exploding Kittens too. At least in The Oregon Trail watching after you die is still pretty engaging.

TGN scale:

Story - 5
Ok. There is a story here, characters even, and even story progression beyond the initial premise. You are a group of people trying to follow the Oregon trail without dying completely out along the way. Well, actually you are a bunch of gamers playing a video game about people trying to follow the Oregon trail without dying along the way. Too meta? . . . No. It's fun.



Immersive - 7
The setting and story progression are absolutely what this game is about. No, you don't feel the pain of the sicknesses or the animal encounters, but you sort of feel like you do. This game draws you right into the story, and doesn't release you till it is over. The game is basically just drawing cards, but somehow it draws you in all the same.

Learning Curve - 2
There isn't much to this game, when it comes to gameplay. The cards tell you what to do, and as long as someone there knows how to play, the explanations can be minimal to the rest of you. Nor is there much strategy to learn.

Time - 4
You can expect the game to take about a half hour to an hour, depending on how many people are playing. And how anal the group is about straight piles and lines.

Final TGN score - 4.75
Like I said, most of the nerdiness draw comes from the nastalgia. But because the game goes pretty quickly and takes almost no time to learn, I think it could be interesting to just about anyone who likes games, even if they haven't ever played the computer game. So that puts it around the same level as Dominion or Forbidden Island or Flash Point, slightly above games like Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride, but below some more complicated games like Legendary.