Board/Card Games
A few of the apps I have are simply the digital version of the real game. For all intents and purposes, they're the same game. I do have a few of these that I play for sake of easiness because I can't always pull out a game of Star Realms while I singing a child to sleep in the middle of the night. Here's what I have.
Star Realms - the very popular deckbuilder has a few features on the app that can not be found in the game. I recently sold my physical copy of Star Realms because I just wasn't getting it to the table very often. This way is just quicker and easier.
Friday (Freitag) - another popular deckbuilder, this one solo only, that is just easier to get to on the iPhone. I've noticed this one has a few glitches and has caused me some problems. For example, closing the app and picking up from an old game never works. Still, quick and classic deckbuilder. I have the physical copy of this but am trying to trade/sell it.
Onirim - I've actually never played the physical copy of this game, but it is my most played mobile game. I started off winning less than 25% of the time, but after 1400 games I've managed to win 715 (51.5% winning percentage). It's just such a nice, quick game that actually offers a lot of choice in such a small package.
Cat Lady - this game was getting played a lot more before I picked up Friday on the app store, but it's still a fun one. I have the physical version and my friends and family really like it, I just wanted to be able to play it solo as well (which the app lets me go).
Burgle Bros - I purchased this one but have only played it a couple of times. The physical copy recently left my shelf and filled my pocket with a few bucks and I'm finding that I just don't love this one. It's ok, a unique cooperative game, but just not for me.
Board/Card Game-ish
Some apps do not have a physical counterpart and are just a digital game. They probably make extra use of the digital benefits and could not be an actual physical board game.
Dream Quest - the best game with the worst art. This little rogue-like deckbuilder probably matches Onirim in terms of total time spent. You progress through three levels of a dungeon, purchasing/finding/earning new cards and battling enemies. The enemies have their own little deck of cards and they get progressively harder. For the couple of bucks this game is, it is a must own. Ignore the horrendous art and appreciate the deep gameplay.
Card Thief - an interesting little card game where you move your character around a 3 x 3 grid of cards, trying to avoid capture by guards. It's unique and fun, just not my favourite.
Card Dungeon - this one very loosely fits here. You only ever have 3 cards at a time and they provide the attacks and actions you can take. After you use them for a while, they fall apart and you need new ones. Movement is turn based and you kill monsters in a dungeon. You level up your character and find items and so on. Fun, not the very production value and can be glitchy, but fun.
Frost - a cold weather, survival deckbuilder. I think this would probably be a lot better on Steam because the cards are so small and I have no idea many of the little symbols mean. It's still ok and I'd like to get more into it, but it hasn't been played much.
Pirates Outlaws - think Slay the Spire, pirate edition. Slay the Spire is a popular (I think?) rogue like deckbuilder for Steam. This is basically the exact same game but with pirates. You move across a somewhat linear board and enter battles, buying new cards, upgrading cards, and scrapping the bad cards. You can level up your health and get artifacts that increase your firepower or ammo or whatever. This game has soaked up quite a few hours! There are a bunch of different characters you can get as well. It was only $1.39 when I bought it and well worth the price.
Board/Card Game Companions
Some apps I have because they make my physical board gaming possible or better. These are the companion apps.
Pointedly - this is a scorekeeping app and it's the best one out there. I've tried a few and this one just works the best and looks the best. Easy to use, saves all your games and your players, lets you see whose won the most games, etc. Helpful for any gamer.
5 Minute Dungeon Timer - you can play this wonderful cooperative game with just a regular 5 minute timer, but why not have a Scottish guy yell at you while you stressfully lay your cards out? There are a few different accents you can choose from (Scottish being the best). Love this game and the app works seamlessly with it.
Journeys in Middle-earth - you NEED this one to play the game and I'm mostly ok with it. It's definitely better to use on a tablet because the phone screen is so small, but I really like the bookkeeping that this app saves you from. It leaves you more room to just play the game and explore Middle-earth.
Renegade - there are a few Renegade games supported by this game, but I use is solely for Clank! solo play. The app throws little challenges at you and scraps cards from the dungeon row to simulate playing against another player. Clank! is my number one solo game and it wouldn't be with out this app.
Adobe Acrobat - not officially a board game companion app, but all of my Gloomhaven stuff is in an editable PDF saved in here. I wouldn't be able to organize and play my game without it!
I realized that I have a Star Realms authority app that I don't need because I don't have the physical game anymore. I also have a Gloom 5 (Gloomhaven) app that I think takes care of the enemy cards? But I never use it either. Time for some sprint cleaning.
Hopefully you found this interesting, helpful, or at least not awful. If there are any must-have board game apps that I need to have, please let me know!
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