Two delicious games that play in 15 minutes, with different twists and mechanics: that is exactly what you want to wake your brain up at the beginning of the week!

First, let us introduce Khiva, a game by Johannes Goupy & Guillaume Scholz, for 2 to 5 players.

Since time immemorial, a continuous flow of caravans, loaded with riches, have crossed the desert. Khiva, a small setting in the heart of the desert, welcomes the most savvy merchants to acquire tremendous wealth. Welcome to Khiva!

In Khiva, you play the role of a merchant and try to attract the richest caravans thanks to a system whose sensations are reminiscent of tug of war. Bags of salt, luxurious carpets and teapots, so many riches to collect throughout the game to achieve your objective.

Once setup is complete, 5 cards are dealt to each player. These cards will allow you to move a camel. Players place in front of them 1 face down card that they will play for this turn AND a card that they pass to their neighbor on the left for subsequent turns. Players reveal their cards simultaneously. Each player moves the camel of the color they played in the direction of their Path. If 2 players have played a card of the same color, the one who played the lowest value moves the camel and collects the indicated wealth. The other player receives 1 gem as compensation. The played cards are put aside but still visible to everyone. The further we go, the more information we will have about the cards still present in the game.
The game ends as soon as one of the resources is exhausted. The winner is the one who has accumulated the most riches.

You can learn the game by using the tutorial, or click the link below:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=khiva

Second, let us discover a nice trick-taking card game for 2 to 8 players by Xavier Jauneault: Ekko.

EKKO is a shedding game in which you will have to get rid of your cards before your opponents. Be careful because at any time, if you have the Mirror card, you can steal the other players' turn and make them all draw!

EKKO is a real party game. During the game, all players must pay attention to what is going on around the table. Indeed, a player can, at any time, play a Mirror card and thus steal his opponents' turn. The Mirror card of a card is the one whose numbers are reversed compared to this card. For example, 73 is the Mirror card of the card 37. Playing a Mirror card allows you either to make all players draw or to get rid of a card! There is also a strategic aspect to the game, because when it is your turn to play, you play a card according to what was played by the previous player. For example, if I place my 02 (on which is indicated the minus sign), the next player will have to play less than 02, which is very unlikely since the cards go from 01 to 98, forcing him again to draw a card.

There is of course a tutorial, too, or you can also click the link below to discover more about the game and play it right from your browser:

https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=ekko

Both of these titles were developed by Moof, who did an excellent job with the kind authorization of The Flying Games publishing and the related game designers authorizations.

That's it for your Monday double-release!

See you on Wednesday for more surprises.

Until then, take care and play fair...