I’ve been playing a new solo game called Spire’s End: Rangitaki. The art is really beautiful with a fascinating dominant color palette of sky blue and bright orange. I backed it last year and expected it to be rather on the small side. Reader, it is not. The box is about 10”x10” and fully 3” thick—the hefty size containing a few game components and hundreds of story cards to play through. Rangitaki and the other titles in this solo series are essentially choose-your-own adventure books but with the addition of combat. Depending on the choices I made along the way and how well I did in the fights, I would gain weapons or wisdom, become wounded, take the long or short way around the cannibal-infested island, etc.

While this isn’t a role playing game, it occurred to me that in playing through the story, I am doing a kind of interactive theatre. Board games have often been referred to as an art, and not only for the visual aspects. Rangitaki and other “storybook” games like it (Sleeping Gods, Stuffed Fables), invite the players to participate in shaping the tale. Conversation games like Would You Rather or roll-and-writes like Welcome to… offer the opportunity to create a narrative. Even in abstract games, the players are telling a story with their moves and their own interactions across the table. I suppose you could even make the case that the process of choosing a game to play is itself a kind of story…

What kinds of stories do you end up telling when you play? Does it feel like a performance or a kind of group project, whether the game is competitive or cooperative? What feelings do you take away from those experiences?

Alice C, board game librarian

Play Carcassonne

With its simple rules and endless possibilities, Carcassonne has been a fan favorite for 25 years. In this tile-laying game for 2 to 5 players, you’ll build a medieval landscape filled with cities, roads, fields, and monasteries. Every turn is a chance to expand the map and claim valuable areas with your meeples (cute little wooden figures). The beauty of Carcassonne is that it’s easy to learn but always keeps you thinking.

Therasa L, board game librarian

Note: we also have the 2-player only version “The Castle” which came out three years after the original and was designed by one of the most prolific game designers Reiner Knizia. This game is on loan from librarian Alice’s collection—play it before it rotates out!

Try our Cauliflower Wings

A vegetarian twist on a classic! Crispy cauliflower bites tossed in a sauce of your choice (barbecue shown above), and served with celery and ranch. A guest the other night said he thought they were better than chicken—high praise!

Order some to snack on while you play a pre-dinner game of Carcassonne—but make sure to wipe your hands!