It’s pretty cold down here in South Louisiana. But even temperatures below 60 degrees can’t stop us from playing games. We’ve got cardboard to play and cards to throw at each other! A little chill won’t keep us from having fun.

I was really looking forward to getting together with my old Scouting buddies again. These are the folks who used to lead our troop, and we get together for game nights every so often. We used to do this more often, and actually, the whole idea for Board Game Gumbo started on New Year’s Eve when our kids were still in school together. We had a big pot of gumbo and played board games. We’re aiming to do it more in 2026.

With this group, we tend to enjoy games that are on the easier side. In the past, games like Azul and Ingenious, which are good for puzzling, have been popular. We also like quick card games. So, I knew exactly what to bring.

First up, we played Cabanga! This is a new game for us from Amigo Games. I’ve been playing it a lot since I got it about a year ago. It’s a game where you try to get rid of your cards. The twist is that we play cards to the middle in four different colored rows. When you play a card to the left or right of a row, if another player has cards with numbers in that color that fall between the two cards showing, they have to yell “Cabanga!” and toss their cards at the player who just played. This means they get penalty cards from the draw pile.

Since the goal is to be the first to get rid of all your cards, getting extra cards really sets you back. Sometimes I wonder if we’re playing the game or if the game is playing us, because it feels like there’s always a best move to make with the cards in my hand. But, I’ve introduced this game to people from 8 to 80 years old, and now to my scout dad friends, and it’s been a hit everywhere.

Next, my buddy brought out a game I’d heard of but never played before: SET. The dads really enjoy this type of game. There’s a bunch of cards laid out in the middle, and each card has a different color, shading, and shape. Our job is to find sets of three cards. A set is made if, for each characteristic (color, shading, shape), the three cards are either all the same or all different. If you find a set, you grab those cards, and they count as your points.

Basically, it’s all about spotting visual patterns faster than everyone else. I’m really not good at games like this. I’d rather play that game called Illusion, by Wolfgang Warsch, because at least I have a decent chance of doing well. But, the group had a good time watching the younger players and the more experienced ones grab lots of points.

Finally, we played the card game version of one of my favorite bidding games, Ratzia. This is the newer version from 25th Century Games, and I really like it. Yes, Ra is the classic version of this game, a fantastic one by Knizia, but for a group of friends who don’t play many hobby games, Ra can be a bit confusing with its scoring and the Nile river part.

Ratzia is much easier to play. Players are the leaders of Rat mafia families. You’re trying to grow the legal side of your business by getting places to help you hide money. You’re also trying to hire thugs and steal valuable items. But you have to be careful! Police cards can trigger auctions at bad times, and the Courthouse can send your buildings back to where they came from.

What a blast! It was close right up until the last few turns before we knew who won. As the players got more comfortable with the rules in the second and third rounds, there were a lot of exciting moments as people fought for the cards. This version is definitely a keeper.

Until next time, let the good times roll!

— BJ from Board Game Gumbo

** Some of the games mentioned were given to us by the companies that make them, either as copies to review or as donations to the Southern Board Game Fest. **