This week at the shop we played Silk, a delightful game in which players herd silkworms and compete to gain the most points. We have this game on our demo table for the week, if you didn’t have a chance to come to our demo night. Please keep checking to see what games we will be featuring every week, we have some great games coming up!

Silk is a great introduction to worker placement and area control mechanics. Last week we discussed the worker placement mechanic, which you can read here if you missed it. Area control is another popular mechanic in many board games such as Blood Rage, Carcassonne, Small World, and Scythe. Area control typically involves players strategically moving their pawns around the board to gain influence or points. In Silk, you place silkworms on different tiles, which have an influence on how many silk points you can earn. Players will have their worms moved by each other, as well as the looming ookami prowling the fields.

Begin your turn by rolling two dice to determine what action you will be taking. After you have earned enough silk points, you an option to modify your dice. One possible action is to produce more silkworms, which can earn you more points when harvesting, or replace worms taken by the ookami. Movement is interesting in this game, as each figure has its own rules for tile ownership. For example, shepherds, mastiffs, and ookami can never occupy the same tile. So movement of these pieces into an occupied tile causes everything else to 'bump' into a new space. You may strategically push your opponents worms off the more desirable grasses or closer to the lurking ookami.

Other actions include building permanents that can help you achieve bonus silk points, gain more control of the board,and create silkworms. Nurseries are very functional in this game, as they are necessary to produce silkworms more efficiently as well as build wall segments. Walls help control movement between the tiles. Shepherds are able to jump these walls, while all other tokens are unable to move through. Players can create an enclosure to protect their own worms from the ookami or secure the best fields. Silk introduces mechanics that are very familiar in higher complexity games. Silk is easy to pick up and could be a great addition to family game night if you have older children.

Join us next week to play Villainous! Take the role of infamous Disney villains, each with their own unique player mats, decks, and fates. This enchanting card game is great for all Disney fans, so stop by and give it a try!