In recent weeks, digital entertainment has seen a boost, but so has a more old-fashioned corner of the leisure market: board games. Of course, board games have been in the midst of a renaissance for the past decade or so, as evidenced by their visibility on Kickstarter and in high-profile new titles like Cards Against Humanity, launched in 2011. But stay at home orders across the world have made analog entertainment more attractive to an even broader audience. Many people who hadn’t broken out a Scrabble board in years are craving the kind of fun that comes from low-stakes competition with friends and family. Some have even figured out how to play games digitally, over platforms like BoardGameArena or via video chat.
Over the past few years, Studio71 has developed tabletop games with top game designers and content creators. Below is a sampling of games available for purchase or preorder from Studio71 Games.
Half Truth (available for pre-order) is a party game for all ages and people created by legendary game designer Richard Garfield (creator of Magic: The Gathering) and 74-time Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings. With art by renowned graphic designer and illustrator Ian O’Toole, the game comes with 500 trivia question cards, each with a category like “A state with no national parks.” There are six possible answers, three right and three wrong, and players have to place bets on the answers they think are right. It’s a unique trivia game that allows all players to answer every question. All fun, no waiting!
The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls Game is a multiplayer card game designed by Edmund McMillen and inspired by his hit video game Binding of Isaac. Player cards, each of which come with different abilities, are handed out at the beginning This randomized start sets the course for a game full of sacrifice, betrayal and hoarding. Co-operation and bartering, are also strongly encouraged.
Shady Agents, a game of truth and lies, comes from the creators of the Just Kidding Party YouTube channel. In this game of 4 to 10 players, there are operatives (good agents) and defectors (bad agents). Everyone is undercover, so no one can be trusted at their word. Cards have probing prompts (like “Tell us about a guilty pleasure you can’t give up.”). Half of the group has to lie, while the other must tell the truth. At the end of the game, all is revealed!
Pet Evil (available for pre-order) is a party game for 2 to 6 players that’s social and strategic. Nuclear weapons and cute animals combine in this game centered around building (or breaking) alliances. You collect cards to build missiles, then decide where to fire them. If you play your cards right (and, of course, avoid those evil pets) you’ll be the last missile standing.
