Breaking games, a new publishing division of AdMagic, had a great booth packed with indie games. I spent a lot of time there checking out each game, talking to the developers, and having a real blast. It’s always great talking to folks from small press, as they’re always so full of enthusiasm and pride for their games.

Hogger Logger – $15 – Ages 7+

I previously previewed Hogger Logger while it was running on Kickstarter. Finally getting to see the finished product was great, as the game has real polish that I didn’t get to see in my prototype version. What really impressed me is how their Kickstarter finished in September and they’re already shipping backers their copies. It was also kinda nice to see a quote from my preview on their table. Currently taking on Pre-Order.

Mobscenity – $15 – Ages 17+

Hot on the tail of games like Cards Against Humanity, Mobscenity is an adult-themed party game with horrible, horrible potential. Not outwardly as crass, the game’s cards are pretty mild. It’s when you combine them with the right group of people that morality takes a nose-dive into the ground. Every round the current Master plays two cards, each with one word on them. Then the rest of the players must come up with a definition. The best definition wins the round. Some combos I quickly saw at the booth were Donkey Crack, Chocolate Spank, and Cream Dragon. Available now.

Funemployed – Ages 13+

Another party game, Funemployed has players using a hand of 3 cards to come up with a resume for a job posting. Cards can be swapped out with face-up cards on the table to help come up with a better story. We played a quick round and the results were pretty amusing. If I recall I had come up with a french-speaking male consort who was currently trying to get a job as a school nurse. The game is currently up for pre-order.

What the Food – Ages 8+

What the Food is a card game about a high-school food fight. Players take the role of different characters, each with their own special ability, in a huge food fight where you’re trying to get out with the least mess on you. The more you’re hit, the more humiliation points you gather. The person with the least humiliation wins. The game has a programming element to it where you’re stacking your moves ahead of time, and seeing how everything plays out. There’s also special cards in the deck that can have positive or negative effects depending on your current standing in the game. Currently available for pre-order.

Letter Tycoon – Ages 10+

A word game with an economy. Building words earns you money. Money you can use to buy letter patents that earn you more money each time other players use those letters. Fast paced, and a really cool idea overall. Players must work get to patents, stocks, and money to come out victorious.

Billionaire Banshee – Ages 18+ (though certain cards can be removed for younger play)

A game about dating with 8-bit art and a sick sense of humor. Combinations of traits are put together, and you need to guess if the other players would actually date the character with that set of traits or not. There’s some strange stuff in there, and most of it is pretty hilarious…and filthy. Available for pre-order.

Poop – $10 – Ages 6+

Ah, Poop. A game about…poop. Developed by the designer and his son, Poop has you doing your business while trying not to clog the toilet. Players play numbered cards under the current toilet card, trying not to go over the number listed. If 3 cards of the same color are played then a courtesy flush is performed, clearing out the current toilet. There’s also cards that have you perform certain actions, like making fart noises. Simple, quick, and a sure-fire hit for any children players. Available now.

49 – $25 – Ages 10+

49 is a game that takes a bit of brain. You start off the game with $49 and some chips. Players need to bid for numbers on the board to try and get 4 of their chips in a row. Of course it’s not as easy as it seems with Payoff cards and other actions to mix things up. Available now.

Twirk – Ages 7+

Twirk, aka The Game I Am Most Bad At, is a word game where you need to quickly spell words using the cards in your hand and a dice rolled on the table. The tricky part is there’s a letter limit, and a time limit. I swear I sat there looking at a hand of cards for like 5 minutes trying to figure out a word while the designer pumped out words and tried to convince me I really wasn’t an idiot. I blame my performance on the heat of the show floow, dehydration, and anything else I can get away blaming it on. This is a game I could see my 9-year-old utterly crushing me at. Available for pre-order.

The Appalachian Trail Game – $25 – Ages 8+

And educational game about hiking the Appalachian Trail. Players learn to identify plants along the trail, low-impact camping skills, and the 10 most important things to have on a hike. The first player to hike the entire trail wins. One of the coolest parts of the game is the board is printed on the same material as trail guides, so it’s super rugged and almost impossible to rip. This is one I’d love to play with my Cub Scout Pack. Available now.

Funny Mix – $16 – Ages 4+

One of my favorite games of the show, Funny Mix is game that helps children read. The game is full of super heroes who’s names are real words, and also describe the power that hero has. Using cards that have a printed piece and transparent sections, kids put together their heroes while sounding out the letters and forming words. There’s a bunch of ways to play, and heroes with both 3 and 4 letter words to use. I’ve got a 4-year-old who’s currently learning to read, and this would be absolutely perfect for him! Available now.

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What do you get when you put a pig in a lumberjack outfit?

…

Well you get a hogger logger, but that has very little to do with Hogger Logger, the card game.

Hogger Logger is a fast-paced game of high and low. A card is placed face up with several face down cards below it. Each turn a player must choose a face down card and guess if it is higher or lower than the face up card. If they’re correct, they guess again. If they’re wrong, play moves to the next player. The player that guesses the last face down card wins the round.

Simple, right?

Well you’ve also got a hand of cards you can play from to change to the value of the face up card. You can also earn action cards that let you bend the rules in various ways.

Here’s a video of some dudes playing the game for the first time:

I’ve got to say the game is pretty fun, if not a bit simple. It was easy enough for my 4 year old to play with us, and the kids really got into the whole guessing/playing cards/guessing aspect of the game.

The pig in the lumberjack outfit didn’t hurt either.

Seriously, though. $14 gets you a copy of the game, and you’re guaranteed one now since the game is fully funded. While it’s not for the most die-hard games, it’s a fun game for the family to play without too much of a time commitment to both play and learn.

A preview copy of Hogger Logger was provided by Hogger Logger for review.

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Dead Men Tell No Tales, Minion Games’ 14th Kickstarter project, is a pirate-themed cooperative game in which players explore an on-fire, undead guarded, sinking ship. But why, you ask? Well, for treasure of course! The game has an interesting fatigue mechanic, and also allows players to share with others their unused actions.

Applying the 13th Age roleplaying system to the classic setting of Glorantha is the goal of 13th Age in Glorantha. With new classes, monsters, and icon relationships, designers Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet look to focus on what they call “myth-crawling”.

While not the first to crowdfund metal coins for games, Coins for Anything is offering an array of alternate designs at a reasonable price. The are Egyptian, Greek, dragon, fire, magic, Viking, Roman, and pirate sets.

From designer Philip duBarry and publisher Game Salute, Skyway Robbery is a steampunk-styled adventure game where the players are criminals traveling the world on an airship, each stop presenting a new opportunity for theft. After recruiting gangs and collecting the tools needed to grab loot, the winner is the player to have accumulated the most criminal renown.

Ignore the lumberjack pig art if you can, Hogger Logger is a game about trying to guess whether one’s face-down cards are higher or lower than the face-up one. Seems simple enough until you realize that other players can change the cards in play at any time simply by replacing them with cards from their hands or by playing action cards for more chaotic manipulations.

1750: Britain vs. France is a historically based card and dice game that includes political, diplomatic, and economic elements in addition to combat.

Play as a child’s toys fighting off nightmares in the card game, Nightlight. The game is cooperative, includes multiple scenarios, and features an interesting mix of cute and dark art.

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