July 2023
This month we bring you a roundup of recent additions to the rental library following our visit to UK Gaming Expo 2023. We recommend three travel-friendly games that are great for taking on the road. We throw the spotlight on the award winning designer of Viking Raiders. We also invite you to join our summer charity drive in aid of Dementia UK as well as give you a chance to win a game of your choice from our online store.
Three travel-friendly games to take on the road.
We love board games and we find opportunities everywhere to play. So even if you're on a camping trip and have limited bag space and small playing surfaces don't let that stop you from enjoying games on your trip! Based on our most recent road-trip adventure, the following games are great to take with you when you travel:
Gaming on the road: three games for your campervan
While watching the sunset from our campervan on a recent road trip we enjoyed a quick game of the new Azul Mini. It has all the charm of its big brother but with the convenience of mini player mats where the pieces slot neatly onto the board and do not move around once placed. The game play hasn’t changed but the playability on the road scores highly as it can now fit neatly in its mini bag and be placed in a glove box or small backpack.
On the topic of journeys to distant places... a shout out must go to one of the most tiny and most epic games we have played on the road. Tiny Epic Galaxies is a gem of a strategy game that really is out of this world. It packs a decent amount of strategy play in a highly portable little box and it plays well at all player counts (though we think the sweet-spot is three players). Tiny Epic Galaxies is scores high on re-playability as each game offers new options and decisions to allow for fresh challenges each time it flies onto the table.
When your table is small and you need a quick setup 2 player game Mandala cards is the game for you. Traditionally a Mandala is created over a long time with meticulous details and vibrant colours. Typically they represent a spiritual ritual journey that is taken by the creator. The card game of Mandala does a great job at representing the building and deconstruction of each mandala on a journey to victory. The cards have vibrant colours and the play mat is good quality making it enjoyable to play but also easy to pack.
UK Games Expo 2023 Round-Up
In June we visited the UK Games Expo, which this year attracted a massive 32,000 unique visitors. As you would expect, that meant all three halls were chock full of fans looking to discover, discuss, buy and of course play the latest games.
As always the orginisers put on a great show with plenty of open gaming tables and fun event and refreshement stalls to compliment the trade-stalls. UK PlayTest group was there for budding designers to invite people to test and give feedback on their prototype games. The latest titles were available to be played and the queue to get a first play of Disney’s L’Orcana card game ahead of its release was reminiscent of the mile long queus at grocery stores we saw in the Covid-Days. We decided to forego hours of queuing , so will have to wait until the game’s release to bing you a review of L’Orcana. What we did do, however, was meet many designers and publishers who told us about their games, with some kindly donating review copies for you to enjoy from our rental Library.
We also got to play some great games, and make some new friends. UKGE put on a host of events and we got to enjoy the antics of the musical comedy show Jollyboat when it was time to give our feet a rest. We were proud to help raise some money for charity and grateful to have met some truly amazing people. A big thanks to all those involved: the organisers, designers, publishers, the amazing volunteers and of course the players for making this year’s expo a resounding success.
This year’s UKGE showed the hobby is truly alive and well. As a result of the amazing generosity of some of the publishers we were able to come back with more games to bring you than we had originally budgetted for! We will be showcasing each game we added to our library as we play them. So keep an eye out on here, on our facebook page and the Board Game Fans UK facebook group for reviews of the new games we added to our rental library this month as we play them!
PS. If you have played one of the new games and would like to send us a review we would love to hear from you.
Join our charity drive in aid of Dementia UK
Following the incredible generosity of fellow board gamers at our charity game night last year and as part of our Have Fun - Do Good philosophy, this year My Board Game Library is once again raising money for Dementia UK. The charity drive will run from 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2023.
If you would like to participate and donate £5 please visit and share the Just Giving link below. Your donations are safe and secure and will be sent straight to the charity by Just Giving at the end of each month.
A big thanks you in advance from everyone at My Board Game Library for participation to support this important cause.
P.S. As My Board Game Library memberships already help to support us and our Have Fun - Do Good mission, we will be donating £5 on behalf of all our members.
———— ———— ———— ————
Good to know:
Board games can help lower the risks of dementia by providing cognitive stimulation through problem-solving and memory recall. Also the social engagement during gameplay combats isolation and improves well-being. As well as being an entertainment, board games can provide distinct emotional benefits through the experience of feelings of joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Even for those who suffer from dementia board games can help to keep an active mind and promote socialisation and enjoyment. Of course, it is important to choose the games carefully, avoiding complex or time-based games and taking into account the person’s abilities and adapting the rules as needed. You may wish to consult a professionals for personalised recommendations, but with a bit of care and preparation board games can be a fantastic way for the whole family to re-connect and spend some important quality time with a loved one who suffers from dementia.
Spotlight on VIKING RAIDERS:
winner of UKGE2023
People’s Choice Best Card Game - General.
Viking Raiders is a card game by Morten Billcliff which has player competing to raid, plunder and trade in an race to be the first to establish their clan, build a navy and fill the treasure coffers with lots of lovely loot!
The game is very easy to pick up, partly thanks to the clever help cards that teach new players the rules at the appropraite time during play so you can get straight down to playing with minimal “teach-time”.
As you would expect from a game about Vikings going on raids there is plenty of back-stabbing, player interaction (interference) and of course the gods themselves may intervene when you least expect it with cards such as Ragnarok or Stormy Seas that affect all player when they come up.
Once players are familiar with the basic play they can play the advanced mode which lets each player have a unique ability for the game. The play is fun and fast - we played two back to back and each game took less than an hour which felt just right. As the box says: let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be a Viking for 45 minutes!
Click on the picture above to learn more about the game.
" You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing! "
George Bernard Shaw
Subscribe to updates & more
receive updates on new blog posts
(optionally) opt in to receice My Board Game Library monthly newsletter and special offers and discount codes as well as an invite to join the Mad About Board Games community on discord.
We use cookies to improve your experience and to help us understand how you use our site. Please refer to our cookie notice and privacy statement for more information regarding cookies and other third-party tracking that may be enabled.
