Game review 19: Spin and Play Counting Games
Sometimes as a parent, you've just got to go back to basics
I see you all, fellow board game bloggers, having a whale of a time with Twilight Imperium, Frosthaven and Nemesis. I watch on with envious eyes as you all get lost in endless table-top sandbox worlds, rule over your own star systems and fight that slightly near-the-knuckle close-to-copyrighted-material xenomorph.
And sure, there may be a time and a place to teach your daughter the intricacies of interstellar strategy in Star Wars Rebellion, but those five minutes between homework and playing with slime time isn’t it.
So if you want a fairly instant stop to the screaming (not necessarily theirs), then all praise to Make-Believe Ideas’ Spin and Play Counting Games.
Got a small human with recognisable bits of your face on it who turned up a couple of years back and now won’t stop following you around and asking weird questions?
Then this is the ideal board game book for you. No, really.
No set-up time; no need to find dice - they’re attached to the spine; counters stuck in a handy storage spot in the front cover.
This is an elite-level portable, easy, no-mess, analogue distraction device.
The book consists of five bog-standard introductory counting, roll-and-move games. That may sound like most game hobbyist’s idea of hell – or heaven, for those who like nothing more than to do a bit of whizzened sneering.
But let me assure other parents: this saw us through many potentially noisy rail journeys in pre-lockdown days, and more during that pandemic.
It still gets the occasional turn-out now, when there are only a few minutes to spare between chores or when, after a day of work, my brain has ceased to function and the most mindless activity is required.
Is it going to be enormously huge fun for parents to play? No, obviously. Will it give you five minutes peace? Absolutely.
Parenting win.
E’s review
What did you like best about it?
“The Teddy Bear’s Picnic”
Is it difficult?
“It’s easy. But it’s tricky to always win.”
Marks out of 10
“10”
My review
Advised age range
5+, but from my experience it’s fine for 3 and 4-year-olds
Set-up time
Under a minute. Everything you need is within very easy reach
Price
RRP is £12.99, but I’ve seen some sellers flog it for as little as a couple of quid
Practicality
Hard to beat. Fits in a rucksack and the dice and counters come attached. The only quibble is the dice can shift uneasily on their access and the counters are easy to lose, but you can still use anything nearby.
Fun for parents
Gameplay, theming, etc is as basic as it gets, so no. But that’s not the point. This will give you the head space to do far more involved things after you play