Matthew BaileyGame 26 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is a group favourite that I decided to include, largely because Toby has a friend over for a playdate and really wanted to play it, and that is “Sink ‘N’ Sand” played by Toby(5), Toby’s friend (also 5), and myself.
“Sink ‘N’ Sand” was a game that came out of nowhere last Christmas and became the absolute darling of the group. I know a lot of people on here own it, but I thought I would feature it again largely because we have probably gained about a thousand people since last Christmas, and it’s still a fantastic game. There really isn’t anything else quite like it.
I still have to admit that I can be a bit of a board game snob and will often overlook mainstream games that are sold in supermarkets and toy shops, as they are usually low quality and iffy in terms of compelling gameplay. However, “Sink ‘N’ Sand” manages to punch way above its weight and has any right to do so. As such, it is easily one of the most played games in our house, and it is usually our go-to game when one of my son’s friends come over and Toby suggests we play “Cora Quest” with a poor child who has only ever played snakes and ladders.
Essentially, you make the structure and place the coloured rods in. You then use a mould to mould a block of kinetic sand (yes, the same kinetic sand you buy in shops that sticks to itself) and place it on top. This then makes a grid, that using the dice, you place your characters on.
Essentially, you then roll the dice and remove a rod of that colour, doing your best to get your opponents to sink through the sand before you.
That’s essentially it. But trust me, it’s brilliant. The sand falls in a really cool way, and it can be really tense as your little person holds on to seemingly nothing, and the nail-biting moment as you remove a rod to try and sink someone else only to have slightly unexpected results.
This fills the same niche as something like Kerplunk, but this is the best game of this genre I have ever played. Is it going to feature in the BGG top 100? No? But there is something about playing it that is altogether quite magical.
There is also a mechanic where you place a red gem in the sand, and if it falls through, the person who grabs it can use it to place themselves back on top. Inevitably, though, we removed this from the game as we found the person who happened to get it received such an advantage that they invariably always won the game.
Components are the usual mass-produced plastickyness, but it all comes apart well, fits nicely back in the box, and the sand can be stored inside the building safe and sound without the need for a separate baggy.
Best of all, it is cheap, with an RRP of £19.99 and is currently available in most places for £14.99ish (its mean price has crept up by a few pounds recently). I cannot give you a higher recommendation (especially for a game I fully admit I never would have even considered if I had not played it last July at the UKGE).
The only sad thing is due to the type of publisher (and the fact it seemed to go on sale very quickly), it is very unlikely we will see more.
I want expansions… I want extra character packs… I want another tier!
This truly is op-tier stuff right here that is way way better than it has any right to be.
