Front Page

Content

Authors

Game Index

Forums

Site Tools

Submissions

About

You May Also Like...

O
oliverkinne
December 14, 2023
Hot

Mycelia Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
December 07, 2023

River Wild Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
J
Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
Hot
O
oliverkinne
October 09, 2023
O
oliverkinne
October 06, 2023

Outback Crossing Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
October 05, 2023
O
oliverkinne
October 02, 2023

Forests of Pangaia Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
September 29, 2023

Bagh Chal Review

Board Game Reviews
AL
Andi Lennon
September 28, 2023
O
oliverkinne
September 25, 2023

Castle Panic Review

Board Game Reviews
GS
Gary Sax
June 21, 2023
Hot
O
oliverkinne
June 09, 2023
Hot
O
oliverkinne
June 02, 2023
Hot

Ahoy Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
May 26, 2023

Village Rails Review

Board Game Reviews
O
oliverkinne
May 19, 2023

The Spill Board Game Review

Board Game Reviews

Tinderblox Review

Hot
O Updated January 15, 2021
 
4.0
 
0.0 (0)
5709 0
Tinderblox

Game Information

Game Name
Designer
Players
2 - 6
There Will Be Games

It was getting dark, which meant it was time to light the campfire. We had already collected plenty of wood and tinder and someone had started to build the first layer of the fire. Now we were going to take turns and add more wood to it. After all, we were on a teambuilding camping trip, so we had to show we could work together. Of course, most of us were very competitive and soon people were starting to show off. The head of marketing decided that adding branches vertically, balancing them on the base, was the thing to do. IT, of course, went one further and decided to light the fire in a couple of places to add extra peril. It was quickly turning into a mad competition of Tinderblox by Alley Cat Games.

I think you get the gist. Here is a mad dexterity game, where you have to stack wooden piece on top of each other in a specific way. The more pieces have already been stacked, the harder it is for you to add the ones you need to add. If anything is knocked over or falls on the fire on your turn, you lose. That's simple enough.

However, there are a couple of twists here. First of all, you have to use little plastic tweezers to pick up and stack the wooden pieces. That's harder than it sounds, because the tweezers don't want to really hold the pieces tightly, so as you pick things up, they move around and if you squeeze too hard, they fly across the table, knocking over the fire in the process, unless you're very lucky.

The other twist is, that a deck of cards decides which pieces you have to stack and how. There are brown, long, square shapes, like the roads in Catan, which represent the logs, and cubes that are either red or yellow, which stand in for the fire. The cubes are a tiny bit bigger than the square face of the logs, meaning that your bonfire is very quickly unbalanced.

The cards, that tell you what to stack on top of the fire, can be quite easy, requiring you to add a single log or fire cube, but more often than not are more difficult. You might have to put a log vertically, then balance a red fire cube on top, before you can put the whole thing onto the fire. Of course, you always have to handle the pieces with the tweezers, taking them out of the tin one at a time, assembling them on the table, then lifting the assembled section onto the bonfire in the middle of the table. Some cards make it even harder by making you use your non-dominant hand.

It's all a bit of fun, of course, and if you like Jenga, you will also enjoy Tinderblox. Most games are over very quickly, within 15 minutes, but the more you play, the better you get and soon you have assembled a giant, roaring fire that's nearly touching the ceiling - or at least, that's what it feels like.

The whole game comes in a mint tin, so you can imagine how small the cards are and the tweezers. I love mint tin games though, because you can easily fit them in your coat pocket, a rucksack or your handbag and have them with you everywhere. You just might want to make sure you play at a stable table or if you play outdoors, that it's a quiet, calm day, without any wind, or you'll be increasing the difficulty a few more levels.

So, if you want a quick, fun game, that's easy to teach and learn, quick to play and fits in your pocket, then Tinderblox comes highly recommended.

Editor reviews

1 reviews

Rating 
 
4.0
Tinderblox
If you want a quick, fun game, that's easy to teach and learn, quick to play and fits in your pocket, then Tinderblox comes highly recommended.
O
Oliver Kinne
Oliver Kinne (He/Him)
Associate Writer

Oliver Kinne aims to publish two new articles every week on his blog, Tabletop Games Blog, and also release both in podcast form. He reviews board games and writes about tabletop games related topics.

Oliver is also the co-host of the Tabletop Inquisition podcast, which releases a new episode every three to four weeks and tackles different issues facing board games, the people who play them and maybe their industry.

Articles by Oliver Kinne

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this listing.
Already have an account? or Create an account
Log in to comment