If there is one thing the gaming industry is not lacking, it’s the “filler” game.
You know the type. They accommodate a range of player counts, but the key factor is quick play, certainly under 30 minutes, making them ideal to fill time while waiting for a late group member or to wrap up a night after someone heads home early.
There are literally dozens of these games available, with more appearing almost daily, it seems, and most fall into what The Meeple Guild has started to refer to at our table as “disposable” games.
Such games, let’s take this week’s 10 to Leave from Compound Eye Fox Studio, typically have a small footprint. They come in compact packages, are relatively low-cost, quick to learn, and quick to play.
What separates one from another is the “fun factor” and, for those that are enjoyable, their replayability. The latter is the real sticking point, as many filler games don’t have enough depth to maintain interest over repeated plays.
This is where the “disposable” aspect comes into play, and no, we don’t mean literally throwing the game away.
Rather, you might buy it, play it for a night or two, then pass it along to a friend so they can enjoy it, the cost being comparable to a night at the movies or a new book.
That brings us back to 10 to Leave, a tiny card game, literally, as the cards are smaller than standard playing cards.
The theme is, admittedly, a bit odd.
Each player has a hand of mosquito cards; the artwork is stylized but appealing, and they buzz around the head of “Sleepkid” (yes, that’s the name used in the rules). When Sleepkid wakes up, he begins swapping mosquitoes. If you’re lucky, yours escape, but if he swats them, they count against you at the end of the game; the lowest total wins.
It sounds corny, to be sure, but it works.
There is even a modest amount of strategy to uncover, which means 10 to Leave is solid for a couple of nights of filler play, but is probably one to pass along, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, because its quirkiness gives it a certain charm.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
Is the Buzz Real Here?
If there is one thing the gaming industry is not lacking, it’s the “filler” game.
You know the type. They accommodate a range of player counts, but the key factor is quick play, certainly under 30 minutes, making them ideal to fill time while waiting for a late group member or to wrap up a night after someone heads home early.
There are literally dozens of these games available, with more appearing almost daily, it seems, and most fall into what The Meeple Guild has started to refer to at our table as “disposable” games.
Such games, let’s take this week’s 10 to Leave from Compound Eye Fox Studio, typically have a small footprint. They come in compact packages, are relatively low-cost, quick to learn, and quick to play.
What separates one from another is the “fun factor” and, for those that are enjoyable, their replayability. The latter is the real sticking point, as many filler games don’t have enough depth to maintain interest over repeated plays.
This is where the “disposable” aspect comes into play, and no, we don’t mean literally throwing the game away.
Rather, you might buy it, play it for a night or two, then pass it along to a friend so they can enjoy it, the cost being comparable to a night at the movies or a new book.
That brings us back to 10 to Leave, a tiny card game, literally, as the cards are smaller than standard playing cards.
The theme is, admittedly, a bit odd.
Each player has a hand of mosquito cards; the artwork is stylized but appealing, and they buzz around the head of “Sleepkid” (yes, that’s the name used in the rules). When Sleepkid wakes up, he begins swapping mosquitoes. If you’re lucky, yours escape, but if he swats them, they count against you at the end of the game; the lowest total wins.
It sounds corny, to be sure, but it works.
There is even a modest amount of strategy to uncover, which means 10 to Leave is solid for a couple of nights of filler play, but is probably one to pass along, albeit somewhat begrudgingly, because its quirkiness gives it a certain charm.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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