One of my favourite things about going to events isn't just selling our own stuff. It's finding something new that makes me stop and think, we need to get this at BlueCyborg.
That's exactly what happened at Tabletop Scotland.
Two games I first came across there have now made their way onto the BlueCyborg shelves: Flora & Funga and Long Cow.
And while we're talking games, Shadow Ninjas is finally back in stock too after proving rather more popular than I expected last time around.
Flora & Funga
This was probably the game that stuck in my head most after Tabletop Scotland.
I saw Flora & Funga being demoed there by its designer, Kedric Winks, and it was getting a brilliant reception from the people sitting down to play it.
The first thing that caught my attention was the box.
The magnetic board actually wraps around it, then unfolds when you're ready to play. It's one of those really clever bits of game design that immediately makes you want to pick it up and see how it works.
But there's a proper game behind the clever packaging too. Or, more accurately, two games.
Flora is based around the lifecycle of dandelions. You're placing plants, buds, flowers and seed heads to create patterns and complete your mission cards. The landscape keeps changing as you play, so something that looks perfect on your turn might not stay that way for very long.
Flip over to Funga and you're working with mushrooms instead. You're still building patterns, but now you're scoring points, connecting and blocking pieces and using special powers to interfere with what's happening on the board.
They're similar enough that learning one helps you understand the other, but different enough that it doesn't just feel like the same game with mushrooms swapped for flowers.
And that seems to match the reception it's been getting elsewhere.
What Board Game described Flora as a light but absorbing puzzle, and particularly praised the magnetic board and overall production. Board's Eye View found Funga to be the more strategic of the two games, while noting that both could comfortably be played in around 15–20 minutes.
It's also very approachable:
2–4 players | 15–20 minutes | Ages 10+ | Gateway complexity
BoardGameGeek currently lists it at just 1.0/5 complexity, so despite all the pattern building and opportunities to mess with the board, this isn't something that needs half an evening spent learning the rules.
This is exactly the sort of game I like finding at conventions. Something a bit unusual, easy to get onto the table and with an idea behind it that makes you want to show it to someone else.
Long Cow
At the other end of the spectrum, we have Long Cow.
This is a card game about building cows.
Long cows.
Very long cows.
You're collecting heads, middles and tails to construct your herd, with longer cows scoring more points. Things quickly get rather silly with Holy Cows, Robot Cows and Franken Cows appearing on the table.
And just when you're feeling particularly pleased with your magnificent bovine creation, tornadoes and alien abductions can come along and ruin everything.
So yes, it's that sort of game.
It's a 2–5 player card game, takes around 20 minutes, is suitable from age 8+, and sits firmly at the gateway end of the complexity scale. The published BoardGameGeek data puts its complexity at just 1.0/5.
There's a bit of set collection and hand management underneath all the cow nonsense, but the appeal here isn't deep strategic contemplation. It's building increasingly ridiculous cattle while other people try to spoil them.
A recent Jupiter & Dann review described the gameplay as simple and highlighted the ridiculous variety of cows you end up creating. It's also a reworked edition of the original Gamewright game, now republished by Outset with new illustrations.
It's quick, cheap, easy to teach and very silly.
Sometimes that's exactly what you want from a game.
And Shadow Ninjas is back!
While Flora & Funga and Long Cow are completely new to BlueCyborg, there's also a familiar box back on the shelves.
Shadow Ninjas has been restocked.
This one disappeared rather quickly last time, and I can see why.
It's a hidden-movement game where ninja cats are attempting to sneak through the Shogun's mansion and steal his precious koi carp while Samurai Guard Dogs try to work out where they're hiding.
One player controls the guards while everyone else controls the ninjas, and much of the game is about bluffing, misdirection and remembering which pieces are actually your ninjas and which are just shadows.
It's another easy one to get onto the table at 2–5 players and around 10–20 minutes.
Reviews have been particularly positive about how accessible the hidden-movement idea is. Our Board Game Life called it a great introduction to the genre and praised its quick setup, simple mechanics and components, while Zatu described it as fast-paced and highly entertaining.
So if you missed it the first time around, you've got another chance.
Shadow Ninjas is back in stock
From Tabletop Scotland to the BlueCyborg shelves
I came away from Tabletop Scotland with quite a few things scribbled down to investigate afterwards, and it's nice to see a couple of those discoveries finally arriving.
They're also three very different games.
Flora & Funga is the clever little pattern-building game with the fantastic magnetic board.
Long Cow is twenty minutes of increasingly ridiculous cattle.
And Shadow Ninjas is the returning favourite for anyone who enjoys bluffing, hidden movement and sneaky cats.
All three are on the shelves now.
And this is one of the reasons I enjoy finding games at events rather than simply working through distributor catalogues. Sometimes you get to actually see a game being played, watch how people react to it and discover something you'd otherwise have completely missed.