Casual Games

It's time for our crowdfunding picks for October 2013! This month we're seeing some new themes (junk collection in space and lying pandas) while also keeping with some of the common themes we've seen in the past (monsters, pirates, and ninjas). There are several press-your-luck style games currently seeking funding. We're also starting to see a trend of digital game studios crossing over into tabletop game publishing, and I believe this will continue as casual tabletop games continue to gain popularity.

Casual games are still blossoming like a rose on Kickstarter. It's great to see so many great projects, yet it's becoming more and more difficult to narrow them down to our top picks. When we first started putting together this list, we had to dig long and hard just to find a few good casual games to include — now there are so many that we couldn't possibly include them all.

Our picks for September 2013 include games about monsters, cavemen, art museums, mobsters, royalty, fancy parties, and more.

Saddle up and get ready to head to the tracks! HomeStretch by R&R Games brings the excitement of horse racing right to your table. Whether or not you are into horse racing or you are a skilled gambler, there is fun to be had cheering on your miniature horses to the finish line.

Take a journey with me back to a time when messages were delivered not by text or email, or even snail mail as we know it, but as a handwritten and hand-delivered parchment. The king lazily sits on his throne as his servants receive messages of various importance, who then rush to get the message to the king as quickly as possible to be rewarded for their work.

Casual games are a great way for singles to break the ice without having to worry about pick-up lines or awkward conversations. Fortunately, the executives at Match.com have picked up on this and have recently begun hosting game nights as part of the Match.com "Stir" events.

Pizza Theory, by Gryphon Games, offers a new way to play with your food. A thick, juicy pizza is hot out of the oven, but there are no toppings — and what good is a pizza without toppings? This is where you come in: be the first to get all of your toppings on the pizza and you’ll be the master chef.

Casual gamers come from all ages and backgrounds, and certainly sports fans are no exception. For the hockey fan, NHL Ice Breaker is a highly competitive and fast-paced game that brings the excitement of hockey to the table. We recently had the opportunity to evaluate this officially licensed NHL game from CSE Games. I will tell you what we thought of it, but first a bit of info on the game itself.

Who doesn't love rolling a handful of dice? Dice games are plentiful nowadays, and everyone should have a few good casual dice games in their game collection. We have recently evaluated three new ones, Flash!, Nada!, and Botchee. Find out below how we liked each of them.

Casual Games have a big presence on Kickstarter right now, almost like never before. This is our biggest crowdfunding roundup yet, packed full of some fun and exciting casual games seeking your support. Take a look!