Age range: 8+
Players: 2-30
Playing Time: 5-15 Minutes
Style: Board Game
Publisher: Façade Games
Review: Everyone is poised at the edge of their seat, coiled springs. Cards fan in front of the players, collected during a game session of deep competition. The group’s attention focuses in on a tiny, golden trophy figurine as the Judge clears their throat, reading out a topic. Silence falls and then, suddenly, “ALBATROSS!” Welcome to Trophies by Façade Games.
To play, a judge draws a card with a list of topics on the side facing themselves (a type of bird) and a letter on the side facing the group (A). The first player that can come up with a suitable answer to the topic using that letter is awarded the card, and play continues until the deck is exhausted. That’s it. This is an excellent game to incorporate in virtual programming, because only one person, the judge, needs to actually have the game copy in hand. If they keep tally on a board behind them instead of handing out cards, the whole game can be played over Zoom or Discord with no physical interaction at all.
Verdict: Overall, Trophies is a little bit off the beaten path. That works in its favor as a light weight hidden gem. It comes in a small tin and can be taught in minutes. It’s also cheap and compact, which works well for libraries with a small gaming budget, or who are looking for an option to expand past the basic gateway games. Our most serious gamers delight in a game being added to our collection that they haven’t heard of before, and our newer gamers love having an offering that they can play with kids and grandparents at the table together.
In practice, this has been a great game to recommend to patrons. It can find a place for itself on pretty much any game table, whether that’s to rev up a group before a more serious night of gaming, or to keep the family together and off of their devices for a little bit longer after dinner. No one can resist the lure of the tiny golden trophy token awarded to the winner, and competition will be fierce. Trophies is a quick to learn game, but one that groups will want to check out again and again.
*A copy of Trophies was donated to our library by Façade Games with no expectation of review.
This review was submitted by Emma Fish. Emma Fish is a Library Assistant working at a small rural library in Lebanon, Oregon. She spearheaded a project to add a games collection to her library during COVID shutdown in Spring of 2020, and has been excited to see it grow and develop!