Top 5 for September 2026 - Top 5's w/ Our Family Plays Games
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Transcript
Hi everybody, I'm Starla.
I'm Mick.
And we are Happy Little Meeple Games. And we're back again with another top five on BGG.
Here we go.
All right, everybody. We're back with another top five.
Yes.
But before we get into that top five, you know, we like to share some of the things that go along with the topic of the show.
Yes, we do. We do.
Yes, and this month we're talking about our top five 2026 games thus far.
Thus far, cuz I got games to talk about and games to play still. Yes. Yes.
But just thus thus far.
Yeah, thus far. The ones that we played together, you know, yeah, that we have some, you know, you know, that's pretty cool.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, we're going to talk about things in our life that, you know, kind of tie into the topic. So, I'm going to talk about a few things that are my favorites that have happened in 2026 thus far.
Thus far. Yes. So, what are those Starla?
Now, one of the favorite things that's happened this year uh-huh was that we went to the zoo here in Omaha.
Yes. Yes. For we've been in Omaha for
seven years.
seven years and in Omaha is one of the best zoos in I think the world.
world.
And that's the Henry Doorly Zoo. And everybody keeps saying, "Why haven't you guys gone yet?" Every time I say something to somebody, they look at me like I have just destroyed Omaha. Like, "Why haven't you gone to Henry Doorly Henry Doorly Zoo yet?"
And every year we say we're going to go, we're going to go, we're going to go.
Yes. Yes.
So, this year I told Mick for my birthday, we are going to the zoo. Cuz you know, on my birthday we typically go out to eat, but I said we're going to go to the zoo. So, Mick took off work, Grant took off work, I took off work, and we spent the day at the zoo, and it was wonderful.
And we didn't even to see all of it. This is like the Disneyland of zoo.
Yeah, they say it takes at least 2 days.
2 days. They people suggest taking 2 days. That's Disney World. So, we did see as much as possible.
And we got an added benefit of exercise.
Because there's a hill. There's a hill that everybody said avoid this HILL WITH YOUR LIFE.
UNFORTUNATELY, we didn't avoid the hill.
wrong turn somewhere and we had to hike that hill.
That hill took an hour and a half away from us.
It was a pain.
In pain.
It was it was painful cuz we were not ready to do that much walking.
It was it was pain.
We had a lot of fun cuz we we did the tram and then we did the um
What do you call that? The sky fart.
The sky ferry. Safari. The carriage you over you know like a ski lift type thing. But it was just a wonderful experience. So well laid out. So that is one of my favorite things so far.
No, it's not well laid out because we missed we missed the elevator to go back.
Well, that's just for that one exhibit. But I mean the zoo in and of itself is well laid out. Yes, it's just beautifully done.
It is really done. And I mean it's you know, we had a great time in the aquarium and also the you know the desert dome that we stayed an hour and a half in the desert dome. It was it was great. It was it was a lot of fun. A lot of fun.
So, that's one of my favorite things. What's one of your favorite things for this year?
I think the one the other thing is we're now starting and we started this year going to restaurants in different towns that we visit and not going to restaurants that we can go to at home.
That's true. And we found a few when we went to Sioux City.
Yeah.
Iowa. We found a couple of restaurants that we'd never been to before that are not in Omaha and they were and we had a pleasant time with them.
I think in Sioux City we really went off the beaten path and found the the wiener you know the the Coney dog you know restaurant I forgot the name of it but Greta probably put it up but it was really unique and and and good.
old-fashioned.
Old-fashioned and then we also discovered a root beer that we did not know about that is kind of in the upper Midwest called 1919 1919.
Yes.
And I was like woah and Starling Grant had it first then I had it second. And then we were like wait a minute that's some good stuff.
Yeah, we had it at one restaurant cuz I'm a big root beer lover.
She is.
So I love getting specially getting craft root beers you know specialty root beers I love that and we had to try to mix it oh I don't want to try it but the next time we went to a restaurant that had it mixed that I'm going to try it and he fell in love.
Fell in love and then we found that Costco enough said that was it right there.
That's it.
That's it that's it so that was one of my favorites.
Well thus far now my last favorite thing just happened a few days ago.
Yes.
I got a new car.
She got a new car SO THAT THAT'S HUGE.
THAT THAT'S A FAVORITE RIGHT THERE.
That's huge that is huge.
Cuz my car I had before that I'd had for 7 years so it was time for me to upgrade.
it was time for Starling to get a new car before that other car fell apart. Yes.
So yes I mean those are some of the favorite things thus far and I think the car is going to be a favorite thing well for yeah for
For real 2 years.
Yeah for a while.
finally got a new car with all the with a lot of bells and whistles and that she don't know how to work but you know I'm going to help her I'm going to help her
I'm going to help her.
I mean you go from an old car that was you know
That didn't have have nothing.
Yeah so but yeah those are some favorite things that have happened and I'm excited about that and I'm excited about these games we're going to share as well.
we are we are.
next we'll share our top five 2026 games thus far.
Thus far.
All right, as always, you know me.
Yes.
I put our top five list in alphabetical order.
Cuz we love them all equally.
Yes, cuz this is not a ranking or a rating. We're just going to talk about five games.
Yes, yes. We do that ranking stuff later.
Later, yeah.
Yes, later. Yeah.
So, first on our list is Bunny Kingdom Town.
Yes.
It is a two-player game from Yellow Games.
Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
In Bunny Kingdom Town, lead one of two powerful royal families as you compete to build the most prosperous city and earn prestigious golden carrots. You're going to purchase buildings, strategically place them to grow your districts, and complete requests from your townsfolk people for valuable rewards. But, watch your rival. Claiming the locations they need can disrupt their plans and give you the advantage. Build wisely, outmaneuver your opponents, and become the most successful leader in the kingdom. Now, I love Bunny Kingdom Town.
Yes, it is it is a lot of fun. Now, I never played the original Bunny Kingdom, but you have.
the original. I wasn't a fan of the original with all of the different bunnies you put around.
of like area majority. Yeah, you want to say that.
different, but it does have a little bit of area majority in it.
But, but it's really fast-paced, and it's a real challenge. You know, two players like a It's a very It's like a chess game, but a little bit more sophisticated tile laying chess game.
Yes.
And I really do like that, you know, cuz there's a lot of strategy in it, you know, cuz should I take that tile or area, you know, near, you know, Starla's area, or should I just kind of hang in my area?
Not a smart move.
But sometimes I have to go over there cuz there's something I need to do over in your area.
was the problem, see. This is how you
I got to do it.
Because he put he put one of his bunnies over in the area that I was dominating.
And he had to go get him back.
I had to retreat.
was a waste of a turn. See, you should have just stayed out of my area.
Yes, I had to retreat. So, that's what I had to do to get out. But, I do like Bunny Kingdom. It's it's a challenge. It's a puzzle. But, I like it's a competitive puzzle.
Yes. And I love that it's a two-player game cuz we like to play against each other a lot.
Yes, we do.
And I I love the artwork on the game. It's cute. It's quirky. I just love the the play of it. And I mean, I'm not so much an area majority person, but the way this game plays, you just fall into it naturally.
Yes. And and it's really cool. I like tiling and all that. Yeah, I like that.
Kingdom, again, I did not like it at first, but I would love to play it again because we played that game so many years ago. I would love to revisit it and see how it stacks up against Bunny Kingdom.
I do. I want to play it cuz I did not Since you said, "Oh, Mick, I don't like it." And I said, "Well, I just shied away from it." But, now I do want to play that and just experience it. Yeah, I do want to do that.
Town has the essence of Bunny Kingdom with that majority and all that.
definitely want to check it out.
to do that.
I'll do that. Now, the next one is Flip Tunes season 2 by Thunderworks Game won the four-player, and it came out 2026.
Flip Tunes season 2 is a fast-paced deck-building game featuring an all new cast of cartoon animals including aquatic creatures and sporty stars. Each round flip six tune actors from your deck into a 3x2 screen grid. Combine their unique talent effects to create on-screen chemistry, earn fame, and build your studio success. But, choose your cast carefully because not every tune works well [clears throat] together. Play season 2 on its own or combine it with the original Flip Tunes for more variety.
Now, this was a surprise. Now, they Now, Flip Tunes, the first I guess we call it the first season,
Yes.
was fun.
It was fun.
It's fun.
It's fun. I mean, the cartoons are reminiscent of the old-fashioned cartoons, the little characters on there. And I mean, it's just fun where you're trying to, you know, build your little tableau with your little animals and making sure that you put them in the right spot so you can maximize the points. I love it.
Yeah, and then so when Flip Tunes season 1 came out, everybody was really excited about it, really liked it. Then they kept secret season 2.
Season 2.
And then they burst out in Gen Con. They said, "Here we go. We found it. So, you know, we got it." And And it's a lot of fun.
Well, I mean,
It's just a It's just a, you know, a continuation of season 1, but with a few more little
you more characters to work with and stuff.
You have Now you have fish involved, you know, a mean shark that's that's mean. But, you know, it's a lot of fun, you know, building your tableau and trying to make your cards work and draft the right cartoon characters to have
in your tableau.
so much fun doing that. It's so much fun.
I love about it is that it is a stand-alone.
Yes.
But, you can combine it with season 1 and just make it a bigger game.
And And I did that at Archon, our our gaming convention. You know, we did that and it was eight players. They have a good rule set for it and it was a lot of challenging fun and I loved it. Yes.
All right, the next one I list
Yes.
is Got Five.
I got five on it. Yes.
That's not the same. Um Got Five from Blue Orange Games is a two-to-four-player game.
Yes.
Got Five is a game of logic, deduction, and clever questioning where players race to uncover their five hidden numbers. You can see everyone's tiles except your own, so you must gather clues, track information, and eliminate possibilities. Reveal new tiles, ask opponents for hints, and piece together your hidden sequence using careful observation and strategy. Think you solved the puzzle? Declare Got Five and reveal your answer, but choose wisely. One wrong guess could cost you the game.
I love Got Five.
me tell you, I was sold from the box.
Well, see, it's from the song, kind of sort of. Explain that song, Star.
I'm not going to explain that song. It has absolutely nothing to do with Got Five. And if you get into the meaning of it, it has absolutely nothing to do with Got Five.
No, it doesn't. She likes the rhythm of it.
the music.
The music, yeah.
Yeah, yeah. I When we would play games back in the day, if I was winning or felt really good, I would always play that like my theme song, and it would make them so upset.
Yes.
You always have to hear the rap song I Got Five on it. Yes, yes.
game, Got Five, I was in love with it from the box, cuz they got these cute little tiles with eyeballs.
And it looked like Pac-Man.
of look like Pac-Man ghosts.
You know, it does a little bit, but it is it's really, really fun, where you have to figure out, you know, the numbers and and and get it correct, you know.
sequential order. You want to make sure you want to make sure they're right.
They're right, and then once you say, "Okay, I Got Five." And then when you start flipping them, if you're in the correct order.
If you're in the correct order, you win. But if you messed up one, you lose. Cuz you got to know.
Yes, you got to you got to really think about it and really kind of deduce what's going on
It's all about deduction.
at your opponent's, and it's a really cool deduction game.
Because you don't see your numbers.
No, you do not.
sees your numbers.
Yes.
And you got to question them and and look at their face and how they react to see what's going on, and then put your numbers in the right order without seeing them.
and and it is a lot of fun.
It is.
And what's so good about it, I've won every game that we've played, me and you.
I I don't know if that's good or not.
That is great.
think that's good.
That is great. Your little song didn't HELP YOU WITH THAT, DID IT? NOPE. MHM. And I love that. Got five. Yes, love it. Now, the next one up is Honeycomb from Flatout Games, one to six players.
Honeycomb is a quick, interactive, I stack, you choose card game. Play as secret agent bears gathering valuable intel and spy supplies without getting stung. Arrange secret caches to tip your opponents while trying to figure out how they've arranged theirs for you. Choose wisely because the sweetest honey may hide a swarm of bees. With set collection, clever traps, and constantly changing card combinations, every round presents a new puzzle.
Now, Honeycomb is a very interesting game. It's family friendly, I'll tell you that, but I think it's a challenge for a lot of even experienced gamers.
Yeah.
Because it's the I stack, you choose.
Right.
And that's That's a very different mechanic that I've I've played before.
Well, I mean, even the whole theme of the game. You are bears.
Spies. You're spies.
And you're spies, and you've got a folder, and you've got to stack intel in your folder, and you want to stack it in a way that it does not help your opponent.
That's crazy. When you But, you also want to help you because if your opponents don't want that stack, you kind of know what's in there, and you say, "Well, you know, I think I can get help for it." So, it's kind of a It's a delicate balance of how can I hurt my opponents, and how can I help myself?
Exactly.
It's It's wild, but it's a really fun game.
the whole theming of it. I love what they thought about how they thought about the bees, cuz you don't want to get stung by the bees.
get stung by bees.
And and to get the honey. You want to get good stuff, you know, in your tableau. It's It's just an interesting game. what the theme is really there. Yeah. The theme is there. And the artwork is so cute. I mean, the box when I first when we got it and I saw the box, I said, "I want to play this game." Yeah, you said you want to play the game. Yes. Yeah, cuz it was a cute bear on front. Looking like Winnie the Pooh. Well, not quite Winnie the Pooh, but We got a honey on you know on top of that. It's still still very cute the way they they design the bear. I just love the way it plays. The little uh components with the little folders that you put the stuff in. You actually have little folders and yeah. You have folders and you're passing them around, you know. Yeah. It's a fun game. Yeah, it's a lot It's a lot of fun. A lot of you know kind of deduction and trying to see how you can outsmart your opponent, but also help yourself. Love that. Love it. Love it. Now, the last one that we're talking about today is one that I heard a lot about, you know, right before Gen Con. There was a lot of anticipated Gen Con lists and even here on BGG on the list there, you know, a lot of people were really excited about it. And that's Panorama from Scorpion Mask Games. Two to four players.
Panorama is a relaxing tile placement game where you'll build the most beautiful landscape before the sun sets. Choose tiles carefully to create your panorama and score points by collecting animals and flowers across different terrains. But every choice comes with a cost. The farther you travel to claim a tile, the more you leave behind for your opponent's hot air balloons to collect. With changing objectives like the longest river or fewest clouds, every game offers a fresh puzzle. All right, now Panorama. Yes. Now, it's described as a relaxing tile laying game. It's not. And for all intents and purposes, it could be relaxing. But when you're trying to build your panorama, It's It's IT'S IT'S IT'S STRESSFUL.
AND YOUR OPPONENTS come along and take the tile that you're LOOKING FOR.
IT'S STRESSFUL.
OR THE TILES being placed so far away you can't get to it.
It's stressful.
Yeah.
But it's a fun stress.
fun.
It's a fun puzzly stress a stressful game that I really do like. It really makes you think and how you can really make your panorama
Yes.
score for you.
That's right.
And I love that.
trying to match those terrains and you're trying to get animals and flowers in those terrains.
so you can score. And I really do like that.
I enjoyed it but every time I was trying to get a tile, the one I think that would help me the most somebody would take. So now I got to rethink this. What else can I get out there that's going to help me make this panorama maximize points for me. And I really enjoyed that. I love that it's a small box game. It doesn't take up a lot of space. The tiles are nice. I just I love the way they set it up and it's very quick to play. I I thought it was great.
Yeah you know it's these little games that you know people probably say oh that's nothing. You know everybody looks at the big game. You know they really like oh what's the big games out there that everybody's falling in love with. But these little bitty small games that you think is just like oh it's nothing just a filler.
Yeah.
These things are really good and Panorama is one of those games
I agree.
that really just like oh this is cool.
But you know what I like about smaller games that are easy to play. When you're at a convention you can play a lot of games. I don't like to get bogged down in a game that's going to take me two three hours. I'd rather do something that's 30 minutes to an hour so I can play more. Cuz I want to play with more people. So I really like that about Panorama. It's not going to take all day. I mean we played it with four players and I think we got through it probably in about an hour but I think it took us a while because we had to learn it
but we really enjoyed it.
really enjoyed it and it's it's going to stay in our collection.
Definitely. It's one of those games I want to take with me when we go places cuz it's something you can easily introduce to people.
Yes, you can. So, I really really like that.
Now, those are our top five
2026 games
Yes. Thus far.
THUS FAR.
WE MAY HAVE ANOTHER list for you later.
We got a lot more games to play. Family, you know how many games came out of Gen Con. So, we got a lot of We got a lot to play. A lot to play. But, let us know if you, your family, or friends have played any of the games we listed. Or do you have some games that you want to talk about? If so, tell us down below in the comments.
All right, everybody. I'm Stahli.
I'm Mick.
And we are
OUR FAMILY GAMES.
AND WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH WITH another top five.
Bye.