Have you got fingers for thumbs or thumbs for fingers? Dexterity!

Jenga is very popular. Why? Well for one thing, the rules take about 20 seconds to explain, but more importantly it is a game loaded with tension. Who doesn’t hold their breath as they slowly try to wiggle that piece out of the tower?…Exhale and then hold it again as you gently place it on top, not quite letting go as you test to see if your placement will cause the downfall, all the while your face changing colour as you have forgotten to breathe for 45 seconds…

The recent release of Rampage made me think about how many fantastic dexterity games there are out there and I thinks it time you got to know some of the ones we have in our IBGC library.

1. Crokinole

1867 was a great year. This game was invented, and some country was born. Its the dexterity grandaddy and a classic and bloody hard to buy. You need a good board to play but the good ones cost about $300, but luckily you can borrow ours. You work in pairs to get your disk into or as close to the middle as possible, and at the end of each round you score points for how close you are to the centre. First to a 100 points wins. Its wicked fun, it really is, and more people should be playing it!

2. Bausack

This game is 6 games in one. Its basically an assortment of very oddly shaped bits that you stack to make something that looks like New York Modern Art. It can be an auction game, a stack as high as you can game or any kind of game you want. What’s guaranteed is that you’ll take a picture of your creation and stick it on Facebook cos it’ll look so cool.

3. PitchCar

Build a racetrack and flick your car around it first to win. Its a amazingly tricky game and like real racing passing other players is tough, real tough. It can play up to 8 people and is best with more people. The joy of a 3 foot flick that passes 3 cars is something everyone should experience. Plus we have 2 copies and an expansion so you can make a MEGA-TRACK (only recommended on our largest of tables…or two pretty large tables squished together).

4. Riff Raff

A piece a engineering genius. That boat rocks. Get rid of all your prices by placing them on the ship and you win, if they fall you take them back, unless you catch them in which case you don’t. You think you’ve caught them until you realise the boats rocks both ways…

5. Ascending Empires

Quite possibly the greatest game in the Universe. You flick your ships to take over planets. You flick them to destroy your opponents ships. There is also a technology tree, and a large range of actions and strategies available. Currently its out of print but I have been asking Zman if they are ever going to reprint it, they said maybe in 2015. Here’s hoping so.