There are so many great looking games from the 70’s and 80’s. Games that were probably too expensive at the time. Games that just had table presence to spare. Sub Search was one such game. Edward and I loved that game. It has led us to search out other games in that realm. Chopper Strike was our next purchase. Chopper Strike has a tag line on the box that reads: “The Two-Level land/air Battle Game.” And that was precisely what drew us to the game: the two-level aspect.

Since the game came out in 1976, and it had many little pieces, I went to my board game dealer whom I trust. He had a complete copy with all the pieces intact. I brought it home, and Edward wanted to play it immediately. So, grab your favorite opponent, and let’s play Chopper Strike!

A lot of past guests have mentioned Elizabeth Hargrave’s Wingspan as an answer to a question. Whether as the current game, 60 minute game, or just in passing, there is no denying Wingspan’s impact on the industry since its debut in 2019. It was nominated for, and won, lots of awards that year and in 2020. It has had four expansions so far with a fifth in the distant queue according to the Stonemeir emails.

Its deeper impact came in 2024 with the release of Wyrmspan, a reimaging, or reimplementation, of Wingspan, by Connie Vogelman with additional development by Hargrave. In this version, dragons replace the birds. Wyrmspan has an expansion as well.

Then, last year, a third game entered the Span world, Finspan, and that game is the focus of this episode. Finspan was designed by David Gordon and Michael O’Connell. In this rendition, the birds and dragons have been replaced with fish. Each of the games in the Span world have varied the mechanics of the original.
In Finspan, you are, according to the BGG page, a marine researcher seeking to observe aquatic life. You place fish in one of three zones, in one of three tracks, to dive down and observe. The marine researcher with the most points at the end of four weeks (or rounds) is the winner.

Gather your fellow divers, and let’s take a look at the Rule Clarity for Finspan.

Well, Facebook ads’s algorithm targeted me perfectly, again. While doomscrolling (which I have tried very hard NOT to do lately), an ad for a new dexterity game came across my feed. It was for a game called Catch 33, published by a company called Buddy Pal Games. So, of course I hit the notify me button and backed it on Kickstarter, probably on day one. What caught my attention were the ramps. Yes, ramps.

In Catch 33, you and your opponent are ramping dice up and into the bottom of the box trying to land it in the center cup. When it arrived, close to on time as any Kickstarter lately, my kids and I sat down, read the rules, and proceeded to play it. So, let’s see how it went.

Is there any better feeling than a great Goodwill find? Probably, but Edward and I were pretty satisfied with finding Sorry Sliders, opened but unpunched on the shelf for $3.02. We took that evening to the family dinner at my in-laws, punched it out, and prepared to play all four games the box bragged about. We even got The Daughter involved. Let’s see how it went and how it compares with Sorry Spin.

While collecting the Rivals Editions, a Hasbro game called Pictureka came up. Turns out, this 2006 game by designers Glenn D’Hondt, Arne Lauwers, and Sylvia Meert, two of which also did the artwork, fits the profile of what I am researching. It has multiple versions, including a card game, a Kube game (not dice), and even a few Intellectual Properties thrown in for good measure.

What struck me was, I had never heard of this game, and it is almost 20 years old, and I did not recognize the box art once I looked into it.

In Pictureka, you and your opponents race to find things in the very busy tiles that make up the board. The game’s tagline is: Find it Fast! Find it First! I procured both the original game and the Rivals Edition, to see what I had been missing.

I cannot remember exactly how I heard of Sub Search, a 1973 Milton Bradley release by an uncredited designer and artist. I am sure it was some book I was reading that talked about games that are similar to Battleship. Anyway, when I looked into it, Sub Search looked like a 3D take on the beloved classic. Battleship is a staple in my family. We even have a travel version or road trips. I scoured the internet, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to pull the trigger. Then, my game dealer (like a drug dealer, but not as unhealthy or illegal) got a copy, and I couldn’t resist.
Oddly, it sat unplayed for months. After Edward and I played through the entire Rivals Edition series, we needed a break from the classics. Yet, Sub Search, in its overly large box, stared at us until we gave in.

In Sub Search, you and your rival naval commander are trying to rid the other of their fleet of either the boats or the subs to claim victory in the seas. Launch torpedoes, drop depth charges, and place your mine on your quest for ocean superiority.

Edward and I have continued our quest to play all the Rivals Editions. This time, we sat down to solve the famous murder of Mr. Boddy, with Clue: Rivals Edition. There are few changes from the original game. Some for the two-player rework, some for…no apparent reason.

In Clue: Rivals Edition, you and your Rival are trying to solve the same mystery that has been happening for close to 80 years. Mr. Boddy has invited six people over to his mansion, and one of them has killed him. As usual, you must figure out who did it, with which of the six weapons, and at which of the seven locations in the one room. It sounds weird, but let’s see how it went.

As Edward and I have worked our way through various variants of mainstream, mass market games, we have found some gems and some stinkers. Yet, we have not slowed down. The latest game to reach the table was 2010’s Sorry! Spin, by Hasbro.

Sorry! debuted back in 1929, making it darn near 100 years old. Now that is some staying power. Sorry is one of many variations on the same mechanics and gameplay in games like India’s 4 AD Pachisi, the Westernized Parcheesi, 1962’s Aggravation (with the marbles instead of pawns), 1965’s Trouble with the Pop-O-Matic, and the like.

Sorry has many different variants out there, and hopefully with your support, Edward and I will be able to procure more of them. With Spin, the game board is a series of gears that rotate, or spin, affecting the gameplay and decision making. Believe it or not, we got The Daughter and The Wife to sit down with us and play. Let’s see how it went.