Did you know that this month is “Dogust,” which is a national celebration of our canine pals? Moreover, August 1st is considered a universal birthday for all shelter dogs. This is a time worth celebrating for all dog lovers!
What enhances a celebration? Board Games! …well, and cake, but that’s not what this blog is about. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorite board games featuring human’s best friend.
Jameson, one of our favorite visitors at RIW!
Who doesn’t love an absolutely adorable dachshund? In Winston, you’ll find yourself competing against others to create the longest weiner dog. Players will take turns playing 2-5 cards, adding heads and bodies to their dogs.
The dogs are played in the center of the table, with players taking turns adding body sections until a dog has at least two body segments and a head. There are 5 colors of dogs in the deck, and only one of each color can be out on the table at a time. When a player’s turn ends, if one of the dogs has at least 2 body sections and a head, it must be collected.
Whenever you collect a dog, count the body segments and see if you’ve collected the longest one. If so, you take the wooden bone and get bonus points when the game ends (be aware: others can steal the bone from you by making longer dogs!). If you have the shortest dog, you’re stuck with the wooden poo and will score negative points.
Winston is a cute, simple, and accessible game suitable for a large range of ages. It fits easily into a purse or pocket and is a fabulous way to pass the time while waiting for a meal at a restaurant or in a long line at a convention. In fact, you might say that this game is…a real weiner.
Sorry, folks – the jokes don’t get any better. Onto the next game!
I love a good “push your luck” style game, and Spots might be my favorite out there right now. On your turn, you’ll roll dice and place them onto dog cards, burying any dice that don’t match the face values currently up on your dogs. You’ll need to be careful – if you bury too many dice, you’ll bust and have to start all over again!
What I enjoy most about Spots are the choices that are presented to you on your turn. In the center of the table, there are multiple action cards for you to pick from, things like: Walk, Run, Roll Over, Sit, Stay, etc.
Each of these cards presents a different way to roll the dice or act on your turn, allowing you to manipulate how you acquire dice for your dogs while trying to prevent busting. When an action is taken, you flip the card over to its gray side, leaving other players unable to access that action until all of the others have been used and the actions refresh.
The game actually comes with 24 action cards (each game is played with 6 of them in the center) so that you can swap out and change up the gameplay between games.
Spots is fun and gratifying on a multitude of levels: dice gremlins will enjoy rolling large quantities of dice when taking specific actions and people who want to see if just one more roll will get them exactly that number they need will love the thrill of pushing their luck.
I came across this game by complete accident, and believe me when I say that I’m sure glad I happened to spot it! …wait, that’s a different game.
Become a dog walking champion in the medium-weight set collecting game: Dog Park! In this game, you’ll compete over four rounds to gain the most reputation among your fellow dog walkers.
Each round is broken down into four phases. In the first phase, you’ll be staking your reputation and making secret bids on your preferred pups to try and gain the upper hand on your opponents.
The next phase is selection. Players will choose which dogs from their kennel to take on a walk, paying close attention to each dog’s unique needs and abilities.
In the walking phase, you’ll journey through the park collecting resources and activating abilities. Dictating your pace is important here! Slower walkers will be able to collect more resources, but will run the risk of losing reputation for being the last walker in the park.
Once you’re home, you begin your final phase where you’ll take stock of your walk. You’ll gain reputation for the dogs you’ve walked, but be sure not to neglect the pups in your kennel: your reputation will take a hit for unwalked dogs!
At the end of four rounds, you’ll score everything and see who wins the honor of being the most reputable dog walker. This game is fun and accessible for non-gamers, but more serious gamers need not fret: this game is more than just a walk in the park.
Fetch cards, collect bones, and gather food for your beloved pooches in Dog Lover! Rescue dogs from the shelter, teach them new tricks, and cherish them for their uniqueness. Whoever takes the best care of their dogs wins.
In Dog Lover, you’ll start with two random cards: a dog and a trick. In between all players, a 3×3 grid (9 cards in total) will contain other tricks, which you will then attempt to match with the patterns on the tricks in your hand. There are a variety of card types that have various effects:
– Dogs will immediately sit in front of you. Stay!
– Food cards are exchanged for one of four food types, which will be used to feed your dogs.
– Adoption cards can be exchanged for a rescued dog, which comes with a special power or endgame bonus.
– Dog toys (favorite things) are collected in sets and the more of them you have the higher you can score.
– Training cards are tucked under dogs for bonus points or can be exchanged for a new trick.
– Walk cards are also worth bonus points.
– Bone cards offer a bonus for fed dogs.
– Trait cards are ongoing powers and endgame bonuses, but must be attached to a dog on the turn you claim it.
– When the “End Game” card appears in the deck, you complete the round so that each player has the same number of turns, then you tally points. The player who scores the most is crowned the Ultimate Dog Lover – no bones about it!
Every dog deserves a second chance, and that’s what Forever Home is all about – second chances for shelter dogs. This puzzly pattern-building game uses a combination of tile placement, set collection, and drafting mechanics to put you in the role of a shelter worker trying to help find these precious pups a new and loving home.
On your turn, you will take two actions (there are three to choose from). You can:
– Take a dog token
– Take a training card
– Move a dog
Each of these actions play into the different moving parts of the game. Training cards are like your hidden objectives; you score these when you achieve certain patterns on your game board, which are made by collecting and placing dog tokens. The ability to move the tokens will help you score your training cards.
All of these mechanics play nicely into each other, coalescing in a cohesive and fun gameplay experience with an overall charming theme. I mean, who doesn’t dream of helping animals find their forever home?
The end of the game is triggered when any player completes their seventh training card. Play continues until everyone has had an equal number of turns, and then the point tallying begins. The player with the highest score wins, but the real winners here are the shelter dogs. After all: every dog has his day!
Thanks for joining me in celebrating Dogust through board games. If you have a pup at home, please head over to our social media and share a picture with us – we’d love to see them!
