Moomeenyu Designs

14/05/2025

We're back from a long break!

Last weekend we had the pleasure of sharing a booth with .co at Doujin Market 2025, where we got to showcase Hitmen Hotel.

Although Doujin Market doesn't really draw in the kind of crowd looking for board games, we did still manage to catch the interest of a number of folks and bag some sales in the process too.

There was a bunch of catching up with old friends who were running their own booths, as well as a lot of geeking out over the many cosplayers.

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28/02/2025

We're back after our big Lunar New Year break! Don't worry, we've still been gaming and we've a lot to share about 😊. One of the games we've been designing is "Cor-roll", a coral reef themed combination of Yahtzee style dice rolling and Sequence.

It began when we started playing Yams-Yahtzee Junior (published under Djeco) and my little girl enjoyed it. The dice chucking is very tactile and involves great moment-to-moment tactical considerations that's also simple enough for young kids to understand.

Sequence is another classic family game where you try to claim a row of spaces based off the limited card options in your hand. It involves longer term strategic considerations as to where to focus your efforts and how to corner your opponents. Again, great for young kids as the decisions are impactful but not overwhelming.

Since we've been delving into the use of customized dice for Cor-roll, in the next posts I'll share a few ways you can make cheap customized dice for your own games and playtesting purposes 🎲

Until then, happy gaming!

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-Roll

28/01/2025

MooMeeNyu Designs wishes everyone a Happy Lunar New Year in advance!

The phrase "年年有余“ (nian nian you yu) is to wish for someone to have ample surplus year on year. The word 余 (surplus) sounds like 鱼 (fish), so fish motifs will usually accompany this phrase.

(The background is a sneak peek at a kid's game that I've been working on with my daughter over the last year! More updates to come soon)

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-Roll

13/01/2025

We all fell sick over the New Year period, so we haven't been playing much 😷

What bit of brain power we had left, we decided to spend on a simple classic game, Dobble (known as Spot it! in the US).

We played Asmodee's 2023 Disney Princess version (not to be confused with the 2014 Blue Orange Games simplified version which only has 31 cards instead of the usual 55 cars).

(1) To start, give each player a hand of cards - older players can be given more cards to even the playing field.

(2) 1 more card is place in the middle as a starting card. Dobble cards are made such that every 2 cards will have exactly 1 matching pair of icons.

(3) When you find the matching pair between your top hand card and the middle card, call out the icon name and place your card on top of the middle card, becoming the new reference card in the middle.

(4) Keep going until one player manages to shed all their cards first and wins!

What makes the game tricky is that the icons could be of different sizes and orientations (because of the circular layout), and several icons have similar colour schemes. Suggested symbol names are provided in the rulesheet for those uninitiated in your IP of choice.

There are 5 ways of playing Dobble in the rulesheet, though all revolve around the same mechanism of "spot a pair, shed a card". We focused on the simplest game (first to shed all cards wins) because it's quick and easy.

For 3 or more players, we did also enjoy the variant where you choose who's stack to drop your card onto - in this variant, the player with the smallest stack when all cards have been played wins. There is a small bit of strategy as players work together to take down the leader, which will then shift and new alliances are formed on the fly.

Dobble is a very simple and fun game to play with kids! There are many IP editions, so just choose your kid's favourite one (obviously Disney Princesses for us).

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03/01/2025

Not long ago we covered how to play a game of "Alpha-Burg" using alphabet cards from 2 packs of IKEA's UNDERHÅLLA cards. Those packs came with picture cards, which I'll show how you can use to play a fun, simple game with 3-5 year old kids.

This game is "Princess Magic Fairy", published under HABA, which I've adapted for play with UNDERHÅLLA cards. You'll need 2 packs of the number / picture cards.

----- Game preparation & Setup -----

[A] Take out the 8 blank cards - on one, draw a "Goblin King" and on the remaining 7 draw goblin minions.

[B] Optional - on one set of picture cars, make a mark in a corner to denote them as display cards. This is for ease of setup on future games. Mark the Goblin King as well.

[C] Display 1 set of picture cards on the table as reference cards. Set the Goblin King aside as a rival player.

[D] Shuffle 1 set of picture cards with 7 Goblins, and put them into the card box.

[E] Players take turns being the one who draws (called the Fairy) and the guesser.

----- Playing the game -----

The objective of the game is to win 8 cards before the Goblin King does.

(1) The Guesser turns around, such that their back is facing the Fairy.

(2) The Fairy draws a card from the box and looks at the picture. They then draw the picture on the Guesser's back. Optional - use a "magic wand", a blunt stick-like object as a stylus.

(3) The Guesser points to one of the reference cards to indicate what picture was drawn on their back.

(4) If correct, the players keep the picture card (that the Fairy drew from the box).

(5) If wrong, the Goblin King keeps the card instead. Additionally, whenever a Goblin is drawn from the box, immediately add it to the Goblin King's cards, then continue with your turn by drawing another card.

(6) Players take turns being the Guesser and the Fairy.

(7) The game ends when either the players or the Goblin King collects 8 cards. If the players do it first, the players win!

(8) If you get good enough at the game, ramp up the difficulty by denoting 1 or 2 Goblins to count as 2 x cards.

And that's it, a simple little co-operative game you can play with young kids using 2 x UNDERHÅLLA packs (only S$6.00 !). Have fun!

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27/12/2024

This week we are revisiting a classic game - Snap! - but in a new way. This version is a combination of Memory and Snap, and in my opinion is superior to the original Snap!.

I can't claim to be the sole designer of this version, because I vaguely remember some game that worked similarly. I simply can't recall what it was called, so I'm calling it "Memory Snap!" (not to be confused with a fruits themed game of the same name).

----- How to play Memory Snap! -----

The game plays up to 6 players, and works with any Snap! deck or standard deck of playing cards.

(1) Shuffle the cards and set it to one side, in reach of the dealer. Everyone places one hand on the table / floor.

(2) The Dealer deals cards into a face up pile in the center of the players' hands. You can stop to shoo a player whose hand is too close to move further back.

(3) The Dealer (if also playing) must slap with the hand that is on the table / floor, and not the one dealing the cards.

(4) Anytime you think there is a repeat of any card, yell "Snap!" and slap your hand onto the face up pile.

(5) Unlike regular Snap!, the paired cards do not need to be next to each other to count. Players must try to remember what cards are inside the pile.

(6) If correct - there is indeed at least one pair of the same cards - then take 1 of those cards into your personal score pile. If wrong, remove 1 card from your score pile and return it to the deck (ignore this if you have no score cards).

(7) Reset the deck by shuffling all the cards (except the claimed score cards), and play again. The first player to collect 7 score cards wins the game!

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Both I and my little girl prefer this version over regular Snap! because it tests both Memory and Reflexes, rather than just Reflexes alone.

The game also naturally draws to a conclusion as players collect score cards. In regular Snap!, the cards can sometimes cycle around between players for a bit before the game ends.

So, if you have kids and some cards lying around, try out Memory Snap! and see if you enjoy it too 😊

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19/12/2024

Today we have IKEA's UNDERHÅLLA cards, It's cheap at S$3.00 a pack, so I got a few.

It's not a game, but 2 sets of double sided cards. One has alphabets, with capitals and lowercase on opposite sides. The other has mathematical symbols and numbers, and shapes on the opposite side. 4 cards are blanks, so you can fill in your own shapes, or throw in the (curiously missing) multiply and divide symbols.

The IKEA website lists some ways to play with very young kids, and ends off with "Feel free to make up your own games – the possibilities are endless!"... so, yes I made my own game 😊.

----- Alpha-Berg -----

Alpha-Berg is a spelling game that uses the alphabet cards. One set is enough for 2 players, and you can combine sets from 2 x UNDERHÅLLA decks for enough cards to go up to 4 players (it's cheap! that's only S$6.00).

The objective is to have the most points at the end of the game.

To setup, shuffle the cards and give 5 to each player as a starting hand. Place 2 cards side by side on the table as a starting point to grow the alphabet "iceberg". Set the rest aside as a draw deck.

On your turn, play a card adjacent to the iceberg, forming a word that contains the letter of the played card, as well as all letters in a straight line connected to it.

Score points equal to the number of letters used. For e.g. I play "U" next to QOA and spell "Quota", scoring 4 points for QUO and A, because "T" is missing.

You MUST form a word containing at least 2 letters. If unable to, don't play a card but instead pick up a card from the iceberg. You cannot break the iceberg in 2. You'll miss a turn but increase hand size for the rest of the game.

Either way, end your turn by picking up the top card of the draw deck to add to your hand.

Words cannot be repeated. Adding "s" to make an earlier word plural is not allowed.

I modified the cards with numbers on the indexes so they can double up as score trackers, but you don't have to go that far. Just keep score with a notepad or counters.

Once a player has reached 20+ points, everyone gets an equal number of turns and the game ends. The player with the most points wins! If tied, the player in earlier turn order wins.

Enjoy!

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Designer note: The core mechanism of spelling a word that contains these letters, as compared to a traditional system of exactly playing out all the letters (e.g. Scrabble), was inspired by the game "Alphabeasts" by Daryl Chow, published under Origame. Definitely worth checking out if you are into spelling games!

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13/12/2024

Cockroach Poker is a proven classic party game with a simple premise - bluff and double think other players into taking your cards, making them lose by collecting too many of a kind. There are many versions of the game, but the one I'm familiar with is the "Royals" version, which adds a few new mechanisms over the base game.

In the base game, there are 7 types of animals. The back of the rulebook has a handy player aid for identification. To play, send one of your hand cards face down to someone else, claiming what animal it is - which could be lie.

The receiving player has three choices: (1) declare it's true and open the card, (2) declare it's a lie and open the card, or (3) peek at it and send it off to someone else, making a claim.

If you choose to open the card, and are right, the card goes back to its most recent sender as a penalty. If wrong, you keep the card as a penalty. Penalty cards are laid out face up in front of players. A player loses if they collect too many of a kind (5 for 2 players, 4 for 3-6 players).

The other way to lose is if your hand is empty on your turn.

The game ends when anyone loses. What makes it particularly hilarious is the spontaneous mean spirited (in a fun way) unspoken alliances when an opportunity arises to knock out a player on the verge of losing.

The "Royals" edition adds 3 new card types. Each animal now has one Royal, denoted by its animal with a crown. A player can claim a card as a Royal instead of the usual animal claim.

When you receive a Royal as a penalty, you also take the top card of a central penalty stack - double whammy! Every time someone mentions "Royal", the tension suddenly ratchets up into high stakes.

The other 2 special cards are the "Black" and the "Subject". The Black card is always wrong no matter what claim is made (it is a lie by default), while the Subject is wild (any animal is correct) except it is not a Royal. When received as a penalty, play any one card as a substitute into your penalty pile, and take the special card into hand. In this way, these 2 cards cycle around repeatedly.

Cockroach Poker is lots of silly fun as an ice-breaker, or to wind down after a big game night.

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05/12/2024

Today we're playing something unusual - the McDonald's Meal Card Game! This was part of a birthday goodie bag set.

It's unusual to me because here is an attempt to rise above the standard fare of memory games and roll-to-move games, by introducing elements of more modern board games.

To setup, shuffle and lay 5 food Order cards face up. These cards require 2 to 3 food Items to fulfil, giving 1 to 2 points respectively to the player who claims it.

The food Items deck is shuffled and 5 cards given to each player. The remainder is set aside as a draw deck. If the draw deck ever runs out, the discarded cards are shuffled and set as a new draw deck.

The game is played in clockwise turn order. On your turn, draw a new food Item from the draw deck, then see if you can fulfil any Orders by paying the Item cost. If so, claim the Order card for points, and discard the Item cards used. Refill the face up Orders to 5 cards and end your turn.

If unable to fulfil any Orders, discard any 1 Item card and end your turn.

The game ends when the Orders draw deck runs out. The player with the most points wins!

----- A good effort, but -----

While I do laud the effort to make a more modern board game, perhaps the game could have spent more time in the playtesting phase.

What happens is that your hand of cards rapidly diminishes to a prohibitively low number of Item cards after just a couple of Orders, since you use 2 to 3 Items each time. Increasing hand size is impossible, because you have to discard 1 card if you don't fulfil any Orders.

This, coupled with the random nature of the card draw, and the very specific requirements of the Orders, resulted in several turns spent cycling through the draw deck just waiting for the right cards to come along. Not really fun.

Other games with this mechanism usually have an option to skip turn and replenish hand with a few cards, or to shed a number of cards in exchange for a Wild card. Having either of these options would have greatly improved this game.

Of course, we set about modifying the game to make it more fun and have more player agency. I'll share about the design process more in an upcoming post!

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29/11/2024

We're back from Sydney! The luggage had a bit of extra space, so I couldn't resist going back to the Good Games store at Bondi Junction to snag a few last minute small box titles.

(ok, that was only half true, we were forced to buy a new duffel bag to hold the clothes that were unceremoniously displaced by the board games 😂)

There were lots of great titles on display and what I appreciate was how both old and new games can be easily found, and not just the hottest new titles alone hogging the spotlight. Many games were also organized by categories, and there were staff recommendations too.

On this second run I picked up a couple of abstract games. Actually, it seemed like there weren't many abstract games in the store (I don't recall seeing the GIPF series, or Santorini).

I finally got my hands on Hive Pocket and all its expansions. I love Hive and have a digital copy on Steam, where the A.I. player trounces me regularly 😬. It's one of the titles that has greatly influenced my game design, and I couldn't find a copy in Singapore anymore.

I hadn't realized that Azul now has a mini box series for both the original game and Summer Pavilion. I've played original Azul and it was truly a cutthroat game. This time I picked up mini Summer Pavilion, partially because I haven't played it yet, and also because it personally looks prettier to me with its diamond shaped tiles and flower patterns.

I've also heard that it's more chill than original Azul, so it might be a more family friendly game. Don't want to crush my kid's enthusiasm for abstracts (which she already has little) with too cutthroat a game this early!

The last title I picked up is 5 Towers, an introductory level bidding game where players are trying to build up 5 sets (towers) in numerical order, but being careful not to overbid and getting too many penalty points for cards that can't fit into their existing sets.

Finally, there was a huge selection of Cockroach Poker, a silly light-hearted crowd pleaser. I got the Royals edition, since that was the one I'm familiar with. We cracked it open the same day we got it and had a blast throughout the week. More on that in my next post! 😊

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21/11/2024

19/11/2024

Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) is back this year at Fusionopolis, Singapore, 22-24 November. This year, ABGF will feature new publishers and game creators from all over Asia, as well as a massive game sales booth where you can buy hundreds of games.

Unfortunately, MooMeeNyu Designs won't be able to attend ABGF 2024 😭 as we will be overseas. However, you can still check out Arachnoir and Hitmen Hotel at the Origame booth 😊.

There's also a new micro-game, exclusive to ABGF 2024, co-designed by Daryl Chow (Origame) and myself! Register for the event and stand a chance to win a copy!

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