Top 5 Games for July 2026 - Top 5's w/ Our Family Plays Games
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Transcript
Hi everybody, I'm Starla.
I'm Matt.
And we are
OUR FAMILY'S GAMES. YEAH.
And welcome back to another top five on BGG.
HERE WE GO.
ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY. TYPICALLY, WE kick off the show by tying in our top five games with things that we do in life on a daily basis. But, this month, for the month of July, we're doing something totally different.
Totally.
Mhm.
Mhm.
This month, we're talking ABOUT GEN CON.
WOO!
GEN CON.
YES, THAT WILD AND CRAZY, but fun board game convention right here in America that attracts over 80,000 visitors each year.
80,000? Mostly about board games.
BOARD GAMES.
BOARD GAMES. WOO! And a lot of table top other stuff, you know, but that's a lot of people.
Yeah.
And it takes over the whole downtown area of Indianapolis.
That is correct.
That is crazy. Oh, we got to dive into it one day.
One day.
One day we got to dive into it.
Cuz we never been to Gen Con.
Yes, we have not.
But
Yes, family, we have not. Yes.
But, this month, we're going to talk about five of our most anticipated Gen Con games.
Now, you're saying why are we talking about it, but Gen Con and BGG are very close connected. Because all the time, BGG has always put out like a preview list of all the games. Eric Martin, when he was working for BGG, would always get all the, you know, the games and put them on to a list and everybody would look at it. You know, other content creators would kind of see what's going on and and people like, "Okay, what's the best games out there? What's coming out? What's being sold? What's being demoed? What's hot?" All that. So, now, uh Martin is now gone. So now, the publishers do it themselves. They put it on there. And so you still have that list, and BGG still puts it out, and people really depend on that. So So that's really it's really cool.
Yes. So this month, we've got five games in our possession
Yes.
that we think you need to look at.
Yes.
So next up, we'll share our top five anticipated Gen Con games.
HERE WE GO.
NOW THIS IS THE FIRST ONE UP, AND WE'RE GOING in alphabetical order
Yes.
like Starla always want to do.
That's right.
You know, so we're going to do that. But it's kind of like a what did we get kind of like what we do on our channel. Then we're going to do here. We're just, you know, we haven't played these games yet. We got them, haven't played them, but we're excited about them. We're going to try to play a few of them, you know, for the week of Gen Con, so we can have them ready and we can be kind of like play along with everybody else. You know, play along with the Gen Con folks.
have them. So now we got to do is play them.
All right. So the first one out is a follow-up game from Cascadia, you know, but this is Cascadia Alpine Lake. Now this game was Kickstarted with two other games, but now this is its Gen Con debut. So this is the second game after the regular Cascadia, and this one has I think a little bit more meat on it.
Yes. So this is from Floodgate Games. Now I'll tell you a little bit about it. And the reason why we picked these games on our top five is cuz when I look at a game, I look at the artwork on the front, then I look at the back, and I read what it's about. So we want to share what it's about with you. Now with Cascadia Alpine Lakes, it is a standalone follow-up to the award-winning Cascadia.
Yes.
Now this is a puzzly tile layering game for the whole family. And so you're going to take turns drafting habitat tiles and wildlife tokens to build the most harmonious ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest. So you're going to select a tile, a token set, place them into your expanding ecosystem. You can layer tiles to add elevation. That's the new thing.
That's the new thing family.
Yes. And you score points as you arrange wildlife into your habitats and make a space for pristine alpine lakes. So you've got variable habitat and environment scoring goals. And each game of Cascadia Alpine Lakes brings a new spatial puzzle to your table. And I mean the the the elevation. And look at this game.
Now we do want to say that we did do a preview of this.
Yes.
And so we did play this in prototype form. We didn't get the final We haven't played the final one and we definitely want to play the final. But what we know of it is that elevation that really puts a whole big spin on the Cascadia world. Like cuz you're going up and it it's really fun.
And I like that spin.
I do like that spin.
the addition to for the elevation that they've added. This is great. Go check it out. Again, we played the prototype. We can't wait to open this one up and play it. But just look at it. This is great.
pretty. It's a pretty. And just don't think oh they're just trying to make a little money, just trying to throw something there. No. This is a good one. This is this is a lot cuz you got Randy Flynn, you know, Spiel des Jahres winner, coming back with some more. It's good. It's good.
Yeah when you make changes to a game that really change how the game is played, it's a whole new game. That's why this is a stand alone.
Yeah. Yeah it's a real good one. It's good.
Cascadia
Now family, this game is so hot when you touch it it just burns you. Now this is number one on the preview that BGG has for Gen Con releases And and it and I'm excited for it. We got it and I am ready to play it. So, that one is Entropy.
Yes.
And I'm excited. Board & Dice, they come with the the heavy hitters and they got another heavy hitter here that everybody's talking about. So, we're I mean, it's from really three really good designers and I'm very interested in it.
Yes, this this is an interesting one. It says for eons entropy was an inescapable force of nature, but then humanity evolved to understand it, harness it, and even bend it to their purpose.
Mhm.
Yes, you are to become a scientist, a member of the most revered cast. You must prove that you can create new solar systems, coast stars into life, shape a range of biomes, and ultimately seed planets with life. While it all may be a simulation, it will the outcomes will define everything that follows. This game is interesting. You In Entropy In Entropy, players build solar systems with stars, planets, and asteroids and then fill them with life by playing cards.
Now, it's a rondel system and there's a lot going on. There's a lot going on on this one, so I'm very excited. Now, it's a little heavy. It's you know, the box is heavy and it's a little heavy, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun. There's a lot of interaction, player interaction, so I'm really interested in what Board & Dice and so many people are so excited for this. I want to see what it's all about. I'm ready. I'm ready.
out Entropy at Gen Con.
Yes. Now, another one we got kind of introduced kind of late to and it's coming from Thunderworks Games and that is Flip Tunes Season 2. Now, we just got Flip Tunes, the first edition, and it was it was fun. It was fun. It's a cartoon.
You know, you're kind of building like a little tableau, some drafting of cards. It's it's a fun game. It really is. So, when we we they gave us season two, we're like, okay, what's going on here? And it just adds on more flavor, more fun, more I guess cartoon characters. It's a lot of fun.
Now, this is a standalone game, but you can find it with the original. And I did I did play a combined and now it's just four players, but then you can go to eight players, add everything in, and it's fun. It's a lot of fun. Yeah, so in this one you got to get a fresh new cast of talented tunes to star in the next animated feature. And this game plays up to eight when combined with the original Flip Tunes.
So, you get new cards, uh just a bunch of new stuff to add to the game. So, again, you can play it by itself, or you can play it with season one, but this one you need to go check out when you're at Gen Con.
Because Flip Tunes is fun. You know, I really enjoyed it, and I think you enjoyed it, too. So, it's it's a lot of fun. So, when they came out I mean, it just came out out of nowhere. So, I'm really, you know, definitely check it out cuz it's a lot of fun. All right, so the next one, now, family, this is a weird one. It's weird. So, I'm just going to give it to you. From Crowd Games, Winnie the Pooh Serious Detective. Now, I don't know how serious Winnie the Pooh can be.
Well, first of all, when did he become a detective?
WHEN DID HE BECOME A DETECTIVE? I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE HOW DID HE GET ON THE CASE?
I KNOW HE USED TO LOOK FOR HONEY.
WHO GAVE HIM PERMISSION to go out and be A DETECTIVE?
BUT IT'S A CUTE idea that Winnie the Pooh now he can be a detective and it's going to be serious.
So, I I didn't know the woods that he was in was that dangerous?
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S DANGEROUS.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WOODS OUT THERE? I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL nice and and everybody was happy, but it don't look like he don't look happy on here, y'all. He don't look happy. So, there So, there's three cases that you're going to get into. Each one of them got different, you know, artists and different situations. So, I'm excited to see what's going on cuz this one was unavailable for a while, but now it's making its Gen Con debut to So, you can get it. I'm excited about it.
Now, when you pick up this box and you read the bottom, it says, "Designed for adults, suitable for clever kids, too."
Clever kids?
So, this is an adult game. Yes, when you play as a detective in this game, and you've got three cases. Case number one is Losing Rabbit, Oh, Rabbit Lost.
So, somebody lost a rabbit?
a rabbit.
What?
Yeah, the case number two
I want to know, IS THE RABBIT DEAD?
IT JUST SAID LOST. It didn't say dead.
Okay, CUZ IF THEY TURN UP, FOLK, IN IN WINNIE THE POOH LAND, I I don't want to go there no more.
No, it just said he's lost.
Okay, okay, I'm good.
Now, case number two, it says, "How the detectives
helped King Arthur."
What? King Arthur running around in there? Okay, okay.
Yep, and then case number three, Two Kingdoms All Scrambled Up.
Okay, I want to check that out.
Now, it says, "In this detective adventure game
Huh?
Winnie the Pooh and his friends become detectives
Huh?
solving mysteries in three famous fictional worlds. Adults will enjoy the layered nostalgic storytelling, while younger players embark on new stories with beloved characters."
Okay.
Then it says, "Using action dice and exploring the locations, players reveal story cards story cards with have testimonies, observations, puzzles, everything that true detective work is made of. Winnie the Pooh and his friends are doing some work.
Now, why he can't just go and what what what's that little boy he be running after all the time?
Christopher Robin.
Why he don't just go find Christopher Robin and have some fun with him and play? And he Oh, he looking He looking serious. So, I'm scared. I'm scared of Winnie the Pooh, y'all. I'm scared.
Y'all got to check this one out.
I'm going to check it out. I'm going to check it out. It's Crowd Games, y'all. It's Crowd Games. And the last one we're excited about because we loved the one that came out before this. And so, now we're going to go with Bezier Zombie Princess.
Yes. The follow-up to Rebel Princess.
Now, Rebel Princess was based on hearts with a lot more, you know, events and and you had, you know, the princesses Yeah, characters that have special powers. And so, Zombie Princess is based on spades and teams.
Yeah.
And Stahler love spades.
I love spades. I'm excited about Zombie Princess. Now, if you guys know me, you know, I'm not a big zombie fan, but I'm making an exception FOR THIS ONE.
BECAUSE I LOVE SPADES AND SO, I WANT TO SEE, you know, how did they incorporate those elements from spades into this game?
Now, she serious spades player, y'all. So, I I I Bezier, I hope you got it right now. Hope you got it right.
cute. On the back it says, "Zombies in the kingdom." So, play the role of a fairy tale princess who must save the kingdom from a zombie horde. Play individually or in teams of two. Bidding on the number of tricks. Each princess has a unique ability. In every round, a different rule. So, it's really similar
Yeah.
to uh Rebel Princess.
Yeah, it's a little It you know, it has, you know, princesses with powers and it also has, you know, like events. But I want to see how they incorporated spades in that.
they got something else that this that Rebel did not have. Tokens. You can hear them.
Yeah.
Yeah, and on the back it's got some little golden tokens.
Yeah, so what what's the tokens for?
I can't wait to open this up and play it.
Yeah, we going to see what's going on. SO, DEFINITELY CHECK OUT ZOMBIE Prisons by Bezier Games and see what's going on with that.
So, those are our five most anticipated games that we want to play and that we want you guys to check out while you're at Gen Con. And then once we play them, we're going to come back and tell you about them.
Definitely so. Now, let us know what games you excited for and anticipate at Gen Con coming up. So, let us know about that in the comments down below.
All right, everybody. I'm Starla.
I'm Mit.
And we are
at THAT PLACE GAMES. YEAH.
AND WE WILL SEE YOU next month with another top five.
GOOD LUCK AT GEN CON. [screaming]
BYE, EVERYBODY.