Hi everyone :)
Today I'm going to be reviewing Xmas PileUp from Mushroom Gaming (check them out here). You might remember a little while ago I reviewed Rabbit Rummage which I had backed on Kickstarter, and this game is by the same creator. My usual disclaimer applies - I am not getting paid for writing this review. I was, however, lucky enough to play a pre-release version of this, as it is coming to Kickstarter next week, Tuesday 15th September (you can sign up to be notified on launch here). The game will cost £10. The Basics
Xmas PileUp is the latest instalment in Mushroom Gaming's series of quick and simple games, as such it is very easy to understand and get playing.
The basic concept is that you are looking to pile up the Christmas trees and end the game with a taller stack than your opponent. If your tower falls over you need to start again, so it's all about having a good pile at the end. Each player takes it in turn to roll the die, and that many trees are taken from the bag. Where the tactics come in, though, is that you can choose whether you add those trees to your pile or your opponents puts them on their's. Is it any good?
As I've come to expect from Mushroom Gaming, the game is well conceived and designed. The pieces are high quality, and the tactile experience is really good. The use of a stereotypical Christmas tree design is perfect for a game like this, as the edges can fit together in a number of ways and mean that not every stack will be identical.
The gameplay is very simple but effective. Once again, this really does have the feel of something you could play with the whole family (babies who might eat pieces aside). I found it a lot of fun to play, and it's amazing how much tension there can be when stacking small wooden Christmas trees! As with so many games, I found that the time a game takes varies based on who is playing. Much like a game of Jenga where one person spends 10 minutes inspecting the stack before making their move and another player takes 5 seconds, some may consider their pile carefully while others are rather more gung ho. There's definitely a psychological aspect of this too! With this variation in mind, most games lasted about 5 minutes, although 10 minutes was quite possible where mind tricks were involved :) In keeping with the other games in this series it isn't going to appeal to those who look for board games to provide high strategic challenge and mental workouts, but nor is it designed to. Would I recommend it?
I think that this is a very well designed and realised game, which will make a great stocking filler (or stocking stuffer if you're from the US) for any family member who enjoys light hearted board games. With delivery anticipated in time for Christmas, it could also be perfect for keeping children entertained over the holiday period.
It's possible that this says something about me rather than Christmas in general, but I find that there are always down times which can be difficult to explain to hyperactive children. I would see this working really well as a little time filler to keep guests entertained and laughing on the day. When I was a child we got presents late afternoon on Christmas Day (I know, I've lived a terribly tough life :p) so this would have been a great option to keep my brother and me occupied. It is, of course, very themed towards Christmas, which would reduce it's play throughout the year, but I think that being able to break it out each year could almost become a bit of a tradition.
If you're interested in Xmas PileUp you can sign up to receive a launch notification here.
You can find all of Mushroom Gaming's products here.
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