Party / casual games
For a demo or more information: reach out to chrisbacke AT gmail DOT com =)
Note: Games will come and go from this list because they have been signed by a publisher, to comply with NDA’s, or shelved to make time for other projects. All games here have been playtested and are in a pitchable state.
The Audition
A silly party voice-acting game where the performances are measured in seconds.
3–8 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
You’re all actors trying to impress the Director with your acting chops. Each round, one player is the Director and everyone else receives three cards: a Line card, a Character card, and a Personality card, with each line drawn from a classic Shakespeare play. Your job is to communicate your Character and Personality as you deliver the line. Players score points every time the Director correctly picks the Character and Personality a player had. It’s a fun, silly party game where all the answers are on the table.
Banana Royale
It’s a battle royale game of spinning bananas!
3–10 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
Use the cast of banana-inspired characters to deflect the banana away from you. If you’re out of cards when the banana points at you, you’re eliminated – draw from the spoiled deck and get vengeance if you can. Last player standing wins.
Crazy Travel Stories
Everyone loves a crazy travel story – and everyone’s a judge.
4–12 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
Whether you’re traveling right now or can’t wait for your next vacation, everyone loves a crazy travel story. Tell a great story using a story-starting card and the word cards in your hand. This game adds a twist on the impress-the-judge mechanic: every player is also a judge, which keeps the storytelling low-key and fun.
Diving For Fish
Communicate with hand signals to trade and collect fish!
2–6 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
You’re all scientists studying the fish in the Pacific Ocean. Dive underwater to capture some fish so you can tag them and study them further. Roll dice and work together to match cards and catch fish. There’s just one catch: you’re underwater, so there’s no speaking. Hand gestures and non-verbal cues are always allowed, though, so hold your breath while trading. Can you fill your case with a fish of each color before the deck runs out? Three difficulty levels with co-op, semi-co-op, and competitive modes.
Doubloon Drop
A piratey game of bouncing doubloons!
2–6 players, 5–10 minutes, 8 and up.
Doubloon Drop combines the nostalgia of POGs with a core loop you’ll pick up just by watching. Drop a coin (a POG-like disc) so it lands on one of the round neoprene mats, which represent the treasures. Watch out as others try to bounce their discs into place, possibly knocking yours out. The discs have to stay on the mats to score points. A bit of dexterity, a lot of nostalgia.
Grab? Grab!
Brain-bendy, fast-paced party chaos!
Party / casual – 2–5 players, 10–15 minutes, 8 and up.
Grab! is a casual party game of grabbing the right piece. Roll two dice, then grab one matching piece as fast as you can. First to get all five colors or shapes wins. Sounds easy? Watch the video. Imagine Jungle Speed and Ghost Blitz (Geistesblitz) having a baby.
Inkblot
Party pop psychology presenting pareidolia.
3–10 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
Although it’s no longer used as an investigative tool, the Rorschach test was used for decades to evaluate people. Today, players go on a similar journey with inkblots. One player is the Patient, while everyone else is a Doctor trying to understand them. The Patient writes what they see in a classic Rorschach-style inkblot, then answers yes/no questions from the Doctors. Write your guesses, and if your answer is chosen by the Patient, you score points. Simple. Or is it?
Maze of the Minotaur
Escape the maze before the Minotaur catches you.
2–6 players, 15–20 minutes, 8 and up.
Deep beneath the palace at Knossos, the Minotaur paces its maze. It knows that if it cannot catch a Tribute, it goes hungry. Meanwhile, the young Tributes know that if they cannot outrun the beast, they will be lost in the dark forever. Whether you’re a beast or a Tribute, when you hear the bellow echoing through the corridor, you’d better get running.
In this real-time, press-your-luck, dice-chucking game, it’s the Minotaur vs. the Tributes. Roll dice to move forward, choose the risky vs. the safe path, and escape into daylight!
Now Trending
Party performing and trend stealing.
4–12 players, 20–30 minutes, 12 and up.
You’ve just joined the world of fast trends and tons of followers. One player starts a trend, then another player spins that trend into something new. Get ready to start some trends, or put your own spin on someone else’s. A party performing and trend-stealing game with lots of potential for props.
Re-gift!
A classic holiday tradition turned into a family-friendly card game.
3–8 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
A take on the classic Christmas game White Elephant, also known as Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa – Re-gift is your chance to collect (and re-gift) some wacky presents. Pass gifts to your neighbors, keep one for yourself, or take an action to steal gifts from other players. The player with the best (or worst!) gifts wins. This card game adaptation adds a twist to the holiday tradition, and it’s simple and safe enough for the whole family – no wrapping required.
Rummy Runway
Rummy with a fashionable twist!
2–6 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
It’s time for a fashion show. Along with the other fashion houses, show your style by merging fabric with form. Create outfits, riff off the outfits your opponents make, and aim to use all your cards first. The first to 100 Style Points wins.
Who Tore Up The Couch?
Family-friendly hide-and-seek with a social deduction twist.
4–8 players, 20–30 minutes, 8 and up.
In this game of hide-and-seek, you’re all puppies playing together, and somehow you’ve each ended up with a piece of the torn-up couch on you. You DEFINITELY didn’t tear up the couch, so now it’s time to pin it on another puppy. As you hide your own dog toys and hunt for everyone else’s, you’ll search for the cards hidden by other players while trying to pin the torn-up couch on another dog.
Wormhole Wranglers
Wrangle wormholes in a race back home!
2–6 players, 20–30 minutes, 6 and up.
It’s a race back to your home planet! Each turn, place and move a wormhole tile, then roll your chosen die to go to warp. Land on a wormhole to zip from one end to the other, and take advantage of the wormholes other players have already wrangled into place – just remember that entering one end always sends you out the other. Unlockable pieces help the game grow with the family, like legacy-style boxes you open after enjoying the base game to add another piece and a twist. First to reach the planet wins.