Here are all of our staff favorites for April!

Every month BHG staff pick out 1-2 of their favorite games to highlight! Some are newly released and some have been gracing tabletops for many years.
What would be your top pick this month?

Josh's Picks:

Abandon All Artichokes (2020) - Family Card Game, Drafting, Deck Building

Your garden patch has been invaded by artichokes, and you have no choice but to abandon them all! Harvest as many fresh vegetables as you can to build your deck and swap, discard,or compost those nasty artichokes before they take over! Abandon All Artichokes requires luck, strategy, and a green thumb in order to save your garden. 

The Initiative (2021) - Cooperative, Deduction, Campaign/Mission Game, Adventure Game

The Initiative is a cooperative code-breaking game in which players are transported back to 1994. A group of teenagers has found a mysterious board game called "The Key." Players will play this mysterious game, while also helping the teenage protagonists through major events in their lives by following a series of missions found in an interactive comic book. The game's campaign is broken into chapters, each taking 30-60 minutes to complete in which players will advance through the comic book, regardless of if they won or lost the last mission. 

Kyndra's Picks:

Mille Bornes (1954) - Classic Games, Hand Management, Team-Based, Racing

Mille Bornes is a classic French card game in which players compete to travel 1000km, navigating through different hazards along the way. Play green lights and protections on yourself while dumping hazards on your opponents, and be the first to reach the finish!

Megacity Oceania (2019)- Dexterity, Area Influence, Real-Time, Set Collection

In MegaCity: Oceania, players take on the role of construction workers. Thanks to new technology, we are now able to construct elaborate buildings on top of floating platforms in a game that is a healthy mix of dexterity and light strategy. Players compete to collect new contracts, construct buildings, and try to earn awards while they build a unique city with every game!

Jeff's Picks:

Cartographers: Heroes (2021) - Flip-and-Write, Line Drawing, Grid Coverage, Bingo

In Cartographers: Heroes, you are the royal cartographer sent on a mission to document the Western Lands. However, war is brewing on the horizon as Dragul forces are coming to thwart Queen Gimnax's desires to expand west. This is the sequel to Cartographers, another BHG staff-favorite, and can be played as a standalone or combined with Cartographers for more fun! Follow the prompts and fill out your map to collect the most points and win the queen's favor! 

Pan Am (2020) - Auction/Bidding, Economic, Transportation, Worker Placement

In Pan Am players take on the role of emerging airline companies vying for the champion title currently held by Pan American World Airways. By outbidding your rivals, gain the landing rights to exotic locations, acquire new planes, and develop insider connections to gain information. You can also go the route of profit by selling your assets to Pan Am themselves. Spanning four decades of historic events, Pan Am is a game of global strategy. 

Soby's Picks:

Mystic Market (2019) - Set Collection, Educational, Economic, Open Drafting

Have you ever wanted to make your own potions? In Mystic Market you are competing against other players to buy and collect ingredients to craft potions and beat out your opponents. However, every ingredient purchased will change the value of all other ingredients. Do you buy what you need now, or do you wait a turn or two on the chance the price drops? Meddle with your opponents and amass the greatest fortune ever seen!

Munchkin (2001) - Fantasy, Fighting, Humor, Hand Management, Card Game

This award-winning game by Steve Jackson is perfect for someone who wants the Dungeons and Dragons experience without having to roleplay. Players compete against each other to kill monsters, kick down doors, and collect as much loot as they can! The first person to make it through the dungeon wins!

Haley's Picks:

Burgle Bros (2015) - Cooperative, Exploration, Maze, Dice Rolling

In Burgle Bros, players take on the identities of different members of a heist crew trying to pull off a robbery at a highly secure building. Using each player's unique powers navigate through the three floors and crack the safes along the way -- without getting caught. Players have three stealth tokens, and each time they are spotted by a guard they lose one. If anyone is ever caught without a stealth token, the game is over. Crack all three safes and make it to your helicopter waiting on the roof to win!

Space Dragons (2021) - Open Drafting, Card Game, Trick-Taking

A trick-taking game in which adventurers try to catch space dragons -- or perhaps not? Space Dragons is a game that plays over seven rounds. Players will take turns playing a single card, and the player that plays the highest card gets to capture the current space dragon. After seven rounds, the player with the most points earns the title of most daring dragon hunter, and wins the game. 

Daniel's Picks:

Star Wars Rebellion (2016) - Area Control, Hand Management, Area Movement, Heavy Games

Star Wars: Rebellion is a game in which players take on the role of the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire to fight for rule of the galaxy. Command starships, move your troops, and rally galactic systems behind you. Each side has different mechanics and abilities to help you overcome the other side. This game is an epic conflict of heroic proportions that any avid-fan will love. 

Star Wars: Imperial Assault (2014) - Adventure, Exploration, Miniatures, Heavy Games

Imperial Assault is a tactical game in which players compete as either the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance in scenario-based missions and skirmishes. You are placed in the middle of the Galactic Civil War following the destruction of the Death Star. In the campaign, players must meet mission-goals to further advance the story and secure victory for their side whereas skirmish mode pits you against your opponent in tactical combat as you advance your own troops and defeat those who oppose you. 

Aidan's Picks:

BEEZ (2020) - Abstract Strategy, Grid Movement, Pattern Building

In Beez, players compete against one another to secure the most nectar for their hive by optimizing their flight patterns. However, all players will be competing for a variety of public and private scoring goals, so remember to keep an eye on what the other bees are doing. Take flight as a bee and support your hive before the other bees take all of the nectar!

Lord of the Rings LCG (2011) - Deck Building, Living Card Game, Cooperative

In the LotR: LCG, players work together to play through the events occuring between Bilbo's 111th birthday until Frodo departs from the Shire. Players construct a deck made up of three heroes of their choice, as well as a variety of alleis and attachments to help ensure their success. However, as heroes and allies become exhausted, players need to decide what route to take: do they continue questing to advance the story at the risk of losing troops, or do they focus on taking down enemies without making progress, unsure of what is to come?

Roheen's Picks:

Liar's Dice (1800) - Bluffing, Dice Rolling, Player Elimination, Betting

In this classic South American game (also known as Perudo, Bluff, or Dudo), players secretly roll five dice and make increasingly higher declarations about what values lie amongst all of the players' dice (i.e., "there are ten sixes"). However, if someone calls your bluff, all dice are revealed and either the bidder or the caller will lose dice depending on who won. The last player with dice wins the game!

Autumn Harvest (2020) - Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, Fantasy, Card Game

In this standalone successor to The Tea Dragon Society, players work to create bonds between themselves and their tea dragons that grows as seasons pass, making memories that will last a lifetime. Players draw cards throughout the game that trigger effects to strengthen their bond with their tea dragon, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins! This game can be played on its own, or be combined with The Tea Dragon Society to expand gameplay to include five players.