Matthew BaileyQuite often during these marathons, it’s common for many of the games we play to be brand new to us. However, this hasn’t been the case this Christmas. As a result, many of the games I’ve been reviewing are ones we’ve played but simply not reviewed yet. Therefore, we’ve had a run of good games, and I’m sorry/pleased to say that today’s game is no exception.
Game 8 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Fit to Print”, played with Jack (.8.). I’ve also played this with a group of 13-year-olds as well as a group of adults.
“Fit to Print” is a time-based tile-laying game from Peter McPherson, the designer of “Tiny Towns” and “Wormholes”. The artwork in the game, by award-winning artist Ian O’Toole, is beautiful. Released by Flatout Games, it sits perfectly alongside all their previous winners like “Calico”, “Cascadia”, and “Verdant” (which I admit I haven’t played yet).
The concept of the game is to create the front page of a newspaper over three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). In the game, you gather your articles and then make your spread.
The game is split into several phases. The first phase is the research phase. Essentially, under a time limit (which can be adjusted based on difficulty and age), you each delve into the box in the middle to grab the articles you want for your page. The challenge here is that you can only take one at a time, fitting only what can sit on your small cardboard desk (which is super cute). You’re trying to visualise what you need while keeping track of the colours and moods of the pieces you pick up. Finishing first gives you an extra bonus.
Once players have their articles, it’s time to lay out the newspaper. Each player drafts a centrepiece piece, giving specific scoring conditions for that round. The centrepiece goes on your newspaper over the star. Under a tight time limit, you lay out your pieces following strict rules. Articles come in three colours (pink, blue, or green) and cannot be adjacent to each other. Advertisements must also be spaced apart. Photographs score based on what they touch. Additionally, articles have moods, either happy or sad, so balancing your paper is crucial.
After laying out your paper, you score articles, the centrepiece, and pictures. Points are deducted for leftover white space, imbalanced mood, and articles not fitting on your board.
This process repeats for Saturday and Sunday, with the newspaper size increasing each day. The winner is the one with the highest score over three days, but there’s an intriguing mechanic: the person with the least money from ads can’t win. You don’t need the most money; you just shouldn’t have the least.
The component quality is excellent, with high-quality cardboard. The artwork is stunning; I’d hang a painting of these characters on my wall.
As a fan of tile-laying games, I adore “Fit to Print”. It introduces unique mechanics to the genre. It’s easy to explain but challenging to master. It’s been a hit with everyone I have played it with and it’s definitely in my pile of games I will pull out for new players.
I haven’t played this with Toby (5) yet, but he might grasp it. However, with the amount to keep track of, six or seven might be a better-starting age.
I own the Kickstarter version, which includes a mini-expansion. Still, honestly, the retail version would suffice. There’s also a “print n play” version linked below.
Cannot recommend this highly enough. An excellent game.
