Short takes: Counter Spy, Co Ca Ngua, That's You

These are three games I tried and watched at the recent Thailand Board Game Show. All are from South East Asian designers. 

Counter Spy is from Vietnam. It is a 2-player deduction game. During setup, reveal one card to be the murder victim, and place one card face-down at the centre to be the murderer. The rest of the cards are dealt out to the two players, becoming their starting hands. Your objective is to find out who the murderer is. There are only 15 cards in the game. They come in four colours, and the numbers range from 1 to 7. The distribution is as follows. 

This is a notepad for taking notes when you play. 

You can already eliminate many cards from suspicion once you get your starting hand. The rest will take a bit more work. On your turn, you have two options. You either attempt to guess the murderer, or you give a card to your opponent. The round ends when you take a guess. If you are right, you score 2 points. Otherwise, your opponent scores 1 point. You win when you score 3 points. So the game will go at least 2 rounds. 

The more common thing you do during the game is to give a card to your opponent. When you do this, you must also share information in a specific format. E.g. you can say that you have 3 yellow cards, including the card being given, and that card must also be yellow. Information can be based on colour, or number, or number of cards in sequence. E.g. I have a sequence of four consecutive numbers. You use the information you get to work out who the murderer is. You have to mindful of what information you give to your opponent. You want to minimise helping them. 

Cards given to you are placed face-up before you. 

Victim, murderer and point card. 

I had two black cards and that is lucky. The black cards are numbered 5, 6 and 7, and this distribution is different from other colours which come in 1 to 4. I did my best not to reveal any information about my black cards. This way, it was very difficult for my opponent to determine the murderer. If he had the black 6, and he felt the murderer was a black card, he would have only a 50% chance when taking a guess. If he didn't have the black 6, his chance would be just one third. If I could eliminate the possibilities of all other colours, I would know the murderer was the black 6. 

This is a microgame. It's short. It's clever. I like how it doesn't need to rely on special abilities on the cards to make the game interesting. It's only numbers and colours. 

Coca Ngua is not exactly the correct way to type the name of the game. I don't know how to type Vietnamese. This is a light roll-and-move race game. Before you dismiss the game, let's take a closer look. 

The characters are cute. 

The race track is assembled randomly using cards. You only need to make one lap to win. There are four sections, each with four number cards. They must always be in ascending order. On your turn you roll two dice to attempt to move. If there is a card of the number you roll in front in the same section, you get to advance to that card. When you reach the last card in a section, you will get a free move onto the corner card on your next turn. After that you enter the next section. 

This is certainly not only a roll-and-move game. There are several other mechanisms which add some tactical elements to the game. You have hand cards. Whenever you fail to move, you get to draw a card. Cards can be used in several ways. If you play a pair, you get to advance to that specific number. If you play thee cards, you take an extra move. You may also play a card to modify the race track. Remove a vacant card and insert your card instead. The section must still be sorted in ascending order, which means you may be helping yourself towards the next corner (by removing a card before you) or you may be slowing down an opponent (by inserting a card before them). 

From the second section onwards, you can attack other players. When you land on the same space as another player, you knock them over. They lose a turn. There is a catch-up mechanism in the game. If you trail the lead player by at least one section, you get to roll three dice instead of two, and you get to choose which two dice to use. This makes it easier for you to make a useful combination. 

It is still a simple game, but the options you have give you a bit more control and allows you to do some strategic planning. 

That's You is a party game from Indonesia. It is a cooperative game. You don't exactly win or lose. You just try to work together to score as many points as you can, like in Hanabi. 

Every player gets one chance to be clue giver. Once everyone has had the chance to do so, the game ends, and you check to see how many points you have scored. When you set up a round, you draw six cards from the deck. The cards describe a person. For example mommy's boy, or someone who is always friend zoned, or someone can't even hurt a fly. Each card will be assigned a token facedown. One of these tokens mark the correct answer, and only the clue giver knows which one it is. The clue giver has three discs to give out. This is the only way you can give clues. There's a disc labelled "Most Likely", which you should give to the person best matching the description on the correct answer. There's a disc labelled "Least Likely" which of course you would give to a person who does not fit the description at all. Then there's a third disc which is double sided. You have to choose which side. One side says "More Likely", and the other "Less Likely". 

If you play with old friends, you will be giving clues based on how well you know them. If you are playing with new friends, it will be based on your first impression of them. Both cases are interesting and fun, and trigger discussion. 

Once all three discs are given out, all players except for the clue giver must work together to eliminate the wrong answers one by one. If you do poorly, you will lose points. If you manage to find all five wrong answers, you score 3 points. 

The fun in this game is the table talk about how we perceive one another. You may be surprised by how your friends perceive you. The cards in the game come in two types, a normal type and a whacky type. The whacky type has some silly descriptions and also some fantasy-based descriptions, like necromancer. You can play with one or the other type, or mix them up. 

Thailand Board Game Show 2024

The Thailand Board Game Show was 8 - 10 Nov 2024. Malaysian designers and publishers were invited, and five of us made it to the show - LUMA, Meja Belakang, Hardknock Creatives, Zodiac Go and Cili Padi Games (me). This was my first time showcasing my games outside of Malaysia as a fair exhibitor. 

I met Yoyo of Swan Panasia at the fair. I first got to know him more than 20 years ago in Taipei. That was when I got into the boardgames hobby. He was the one who taught me Carcassonne, and it was at his and his wife's cafe Witch House. I met him before the show started, and managed to show him my published games.   

These were all the Malaysian games displayed at the fair. I helped my designer friend Poon Jon (nPips Games) bring his game to sell too - Furmation of Rome. 

I employed a local helper through the organiser. His name is Chris (Apiwat Toey Jaturongparatipat). It was necessary to have someone who spoke Thai, because most visitors were more comfortable with Thai. Chris was fantastic. He was enthusiastic when teaching my games. He was lively and engaging. I had no idea what he said, but whatever he said when teaching the game seemed very funny to me. He seemed to be teaching my games even better than me. I almost wanted to record him teaching my game. Once when he was teaching the game to a visitor and he had a friend sitting down to play together, the two of them were like running a scripted comedy show. It was amazing to watch. The lady who was learning the game was highly entertained. Eventually she bought all three of my games.  

I managed to browse the other booths. Most games were in Thai, and explanations were in Thai too, so I couldn't listen in. I don't speak Thai at all.   

This particular group bought all four games I brought, three designed by me and one by Jon. The two guys both bought Ali Baba. So in total they bought five games. 

Three of my Malaysian game designer / publisher friends flew to Bangkok on Friday itself. It was a very long day for them. They had to go to the airport around 3am. The only non-Malaysian in the photo is Francesco from Italy. He is a game scout and licensing consultant. He is interested to discover Asian games and bring them to a wider audience.  

My helper for Day 2 was Tree (Surakit Joradol). He is a music teacher teaching piano and guitar at a high school. He runs a boardgame cafe too as a side business. It is called Eat & Play. 

This is a demo version of Vagrant Dash by Malaysian designer Hwa Siang. His game sold out at the show. It was a highlighted game by a local influencer / reviewer. I need to learn to do influencer marketing like this.  

Snow White being taught. With a minimum player count of 7, it's not easy to get it played at conventions.  

This was my helper on Friday and Sunday, Chris (Apiwat Toey Jaturongparatipat). We took this photo around the end of Sunday. 

Martin Ang is a designer and publisher from Indonesia. He has been in the boardgame business for 9 years, starting with a game library, and entering publishing in 2018. I had a long chat with him and found many things we have in common. He too used to be a fan of heavy Eurogames, but in recent years find them repetitive and samey. He shared with me about the Indonesian boardgame market. JinxO is a party game, and a clever one. Martin's booth is nearby, and I always hear a lot of laughter and cheers from people playing JinxO. 

Haireey and Jia Xian (Lim) from Meja Belakang. Some of us Malaysian designers took the opportunity to distribute our games in Thailand via Wise Box. 

All the Malaysian designers and publishers plus Yoyo of Swan Panasia.

Sarawut Jirawaree (2nd from left) is a Thai designer and publisher. His company Desk Deck Boardgame Studio currently has games from four local designers. I bought several of their games to try. 

I took the opportunity to ask fellow Malaysian designers to help playtest Taking Sides. I need to do more playtesting with different player counts. This was the first time I playtested with the new theme - the Three Kingdoms period in China. It seems to work pretty well. 

It was a great experience exhibiting in Bangkok. I got a glimpse into the Thailand boardgame market, and it's so much bigger than Malaysia. It was good to meet designers, publishers and boardgame industry players from other South East Asian countries. Of the Malaysian games presented, two games sold out, Vagrant Dash and Zodiac Go, which is wonderful news. Speaking to people from different countries gave me new insights and perspectives, which is invaluable. 

I played several games at the fair. Capsule reviews coming soon! 

Allegra Grande

The Game

Descriptions of Allegra Grande refer to a public domain name called Golf. I am not familiar with Golf at all. Maybe this is a German or European thing.

In Allegra Grande, every player starts with a grid of 4x4 cards, all face-down except for two randomly flipped face-up. The cards have different point values, and point values are bad. You want as few points as possible. The distribution of the cards in the deck is uneven. There are more cards for the middling numbers, and fewer at the extremes. During the course of the game, you get to manipulate your tableau of cards. Some actions force you to turn cards face-up. The game ends when anyone has all cards revealed. You compare scores to see who wins (lowest total wins). 

You have two actions on your turn. You can draw cards from the deck or the discard pile to swap with cards in your tableau. You can swap positions of cards in your tableau. Some cards have special powers, e.g. they let you peek at your face-down cards. Some actions force you to reveal one of your cards. This is basically forcing the countdown towards game end. 

When you have three or more cards of the same number in a row, you must remove them from your tableau immediately. Now this is a great way to reduce your points, but you have to be careful not to leave ugly gaps in your tableau. Rows and columns automatically collapse. If you remove a whole row, those below it automatically move up to fill the gap. However if you remove all but one card in a row, that remaining card blocks the rows below from collapsing. Making rows and columns is a tricky thing to plan. You also need to watch what numbers your opponents may want. What you discard can be picked up by others. The card distribution is uneven. This affects your decision on which numbers you want to collect to make rows. The middling numbers are easier to collect. 

 

That eye icon is a special power

The Play

There is an ongoing challenge trying to know what cards you have and then manipulating them to clear rows of cards. There comes a time when you need to decide whether to take higher cards to complete sets or to take smaller cards to minimise your total points, giving up on trying to complete sets. Orchestrating complete sets is not easy. You don't want sets of three, because that will leave you with that awkward single card. The game feels slightly solitairish, but you do need to pay attention to other players' tableaus. You need to know how many cards of each number are already out there, because that affects your chances of drawing specific numbers. You also need to avoid discarding numbers which your opponents want. 

It's actually not easy to coordinate your card movements to complete the rows in a good sequence. It takes some careful planning. I certainly fared poorly in my first venture. 

I cleared my cards in a poor manner, leaving an ugly F. F for fail! 

Chen Rui (opposite) did much better. Now she had a neat 3x2 grid. 

The Thoughts

I am not familiar with Golf so Allegra Grande is novel to me. Everyone is playing with their own tableau of cards, so there is no direct confrontation. However you do have to watch what your opponents are doing. Managing your tableau is interesting and challenging. There is excitement in drawing cards and hoping to get the right number. There is also excitement in revealing your own cards and finding out you have that number you need all along. These are what make card games fun. Some uncertainty and surprise. There is certainly luck in the game, but you do have some control over how best to solve your problem. 

13 Ghosts

The Game

13 Ghosts is a deduction microgame. Every player holds one secret card, and everyone tries to guess one another’s card. Once your card is guessed correctly you are out. The last person standing wins.

The deck has 13 cards, numbered from 1 to 13. Every card has an ability you can use. Everyone starts with a secret card and also one hand card. On your turn you must play your hand card. If you play it face up, you get to use the ability on the card. Sometimes an ability allows you to ask your opponents a specific question about their secret. There are abilities which does other fancy stuff too, like letting you peek cards in the deck. If you play your card face down, you get to attempt to guess your opponents’ numbers. Guessing right eliminates the opponent holding that number. Since there are only 13 cards, the game is quite short.

The Play

The decision whether or not to play a card face up depends not just on whether you want to use the card ability. Whether you want to release information to your our opponents is an important consideration. Your opponents’ action will give you clues. When they guess a number, they probably don’t have that number. But then maybe they are doing it just to mislead you.

Sometimes it comes down to how lucky your guess is. If you sense your opponents already knows your number, on your turn you probably to just guess their number, so that you can eliminate them before they do the same.

The Thoughts

The game is a process of elimination. It’s very short. There is some luck. I found it slightly dull, like work - a short but not very interesting task. This is actually somewhat similar to Love Letter, but Love Letter is one of my favourite games and it doesn't feel dry. On your turn you have two cards to pick from. I like how the card powers interact. In 13 Ghosts you only have one card in hand. However you can still choose whether to play it face-up or face-down. It is still a meaningful decision. I think what was a turn-off for me was that feeling of checking off a list of numbers. 

Mon

The Game

Mon is a card game from Japan. Cards are in three suits and are numbered 1 to 18. You play cards to three central rows, one for each suit. Generally you want to play cards in ascending order. The cards in the rows must be in ascending order. When you play a card, you either add it to the end (if it’s larger than the last card), or you insert it between the last two cards (if it is between those two numbers). If a card can’t be played at either position, it is a useless card and can only be discarded. When you play a card, you will place your point marker on it, indicating a number of points as specified by the card. The last card in a row can be vulnerable. If an opponent inserts their card before yours, they discard your point marker and also score an additional point for defeating your card. The last card is only safe if it is a number immediately after the second last card.

The Play

Not all cards are dealt out. Since there are still cards in the deck, you don’t know for sure whether a card that can defeat yours is in an opponent’s hand. Do you take the risk? It is possible to set a trap by playing a card which an opponent defeats, just for them to be then defeated by your other card. There is pressure to score points as often as you can. Options on your turn include discarding a card and discarding a card to draw a new one. However when you do these you won’t be scoring points. You are constantly evaluating whether to take risks. You also need to watch out for the rush to end the game. A leading player can quickly discard cards to push for a quick end.

The Thoughts

This is a clever little card game. It reminds me a little of Take 6 / Category 5. The theme could have been almost anything, and this could have been an abstract game. I appreciate that there was a theme applied. It makes the game more enjoyable.

Being environmentally friendly

From the games I bought at Essen this year, I noticed a new trend. Maybe it isn't new, just that I don't buy many games and I hadn't noticed it. Some game publishers have stopped using plastic in their games. There is no more shrink wrap. Cards are not wrapped in transparent plastic. Being environmentally friendly is a good thing. 

Fifty Fifty comes with no shrink wrap. The box top and bottom are held together by two pieces of sticky tape, one on each side. 

You don't need to worry about carefully removing the sticky tape. There is no need to worry about tearing the box surface due to the glue being too strong. Nor is there to worry about leaving some residue on the surface of the box. There is a line drawn across the sticky tape, and you are supposed to cut it there.  

Cards are wrapped in semi-transparent paper. 

Another game Allegra Grande has the same treatment. I notice that games which no longer have plastic are published in 2024. That is why I am guessing it's a new trend. 

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is here!

My third game is now released - Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. I have been very busy with work, and have not had much time to work on marketing and distributing the game. There is still a lot I need to do. The first region I was able to distribute to was Penang. I had a work trip scheduled, so I took the opportunity to make appointments with boardgame cafes up north to show them the game and to see whether they are interested to stock the game. Now I need to work on the KL / PJ area. 

I checked my records, and found that I have been working on Ali Baba for more than two years. It has undergone many changes and adjustments. Holding the final product in my hand was a sentimental moment. 

The Ali Baba box is much thicker than Snow White and Dancing Queen, because it comes with many coins. 

Mock-up of game in progress

One unexpected bonus is the box opening experience. When packing the game away, if you place the rulebook and the cards at the bottom and the coins on top of them, the next time you open the box to play it will be a nice experience. You will feel like you are opening a chest of gold coins. It's like discovering treasure. I did not explicitly plan to create such a feeling. I realised it only when experienced it myself. It was a happy unplanned perk. 

More details: https://www.cilipadigames.com/ali-baba