First up we bulion our Pho’s by hot spicing  their bowls in Ramen FuryNext we spin the gears to please the gods in a corniest of games…  Tzolk’inAnd lastly the march of clues is relentless as we race to answer riddles first… in Clever Endeavor

Ramen Fury @ 2:16Tzolk’in @ 12:10Clever Endeavor @ 22:54

Ramen Fury

Designed by: Forrest-Pruzan Creative, Prospero HallPublished by: Mixlore (2019)Players: 2 – 5Ages: 8 & upPlaying time: 30 min

In Ramen Fury, the Use-Your-Noodle Card Game, players rush to prepare and slurp up delicious bowls of ramen filled with tasty ingredients.

Collect combos of cards to score for different recipes while adding garnishes to boost your points. At the same time, watch out as other players throw spicy chili peppers your way or swipe foods right from your bowls! It’s “take that” fun that will have you calling for takeout!

The game ends after a player has eaten three bowls, and the player that ate the tastiest bowls, wins!

Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar

Designed by: Simone Luciani, Daniele TasciniPublished by: Czech Games Edition (2012)Players: 2 – 4Ages: 13 & upPlaying time: 90 min

In Tzolkin: The Mayan Calendar, your tribe places their workers on giant connected gears, and as the gears of the calendar tick forward, the workers rotate towards increasingly powerful action spots.

During your turn, you can either place one or more workers on the lowest visible spot of the gears or pick up one or more workers. When placing workers, you must pay corn, which is used as a currency in the game. When you pick up a worker, you perform an action depending on the position of the worker. Actions located “later” on the gears are more valuable, so it’s wise to let time work for you – but players cannot skip their turn; if they have all their workers on the gears, they have to pick some up.

The game ends after one full revolution of the central Tzolkin gear. The player that has pleased the gods with the most VP wins!

Clever Endeavor

Designed by: Laurence Blackwell, C. LaCroixPublished by: Mind Games Inc (1989)Players: 2 – 8Ages: 12 & upPlaying time: ~ 45 min

In Clever Endeavor, one player gives a card’s category and then reads out the six clues one at a time, as other players try to guess the answer.

The fewer clues you need, the farther you will move forward on the track towards the center. The player who solved the clue becomes the next clue reader. If no one solved the card, it passes to the left.

Players have two free guesses at the beginning of their score track, and one free guess once they enter the red zone. After that, they move back one space for each incorrect guess.

If a player lands on a space with a triangle, they draw a Venture card and follow the instructions. If they land on a red space with an arrow, they fall back to the space indicated.

The first player to reach the center of the board wins.