Play to Win Games #G2S2025
One of our more popular events at Granite Game Summit is the Play-To-Win. Play-To-Win is where you can play one of our featured games for a chance to win that copy of it. How cool is it that you can come to a gaming event and have a chance to win just by playing a game?
How it Works
To enter all you need to do is take a game that interests you from the Play-to-Win tables and give it a try. When done with the game, return it to where you got it from. Each player enters their information into the the play-to-win entry form at the kiosk next to registration. Scan your badge and select the game you played. That’s it!
The Games
To prepare, we want to give you the opportunity to learn some of the game before you get to the event, maximizing your ability to play even more!
Another Man's Treasure
Vintage rummy gets renovated in this quirky game. Your goal is to play cards into patterns quicker than others. If a cards becomes available that is needed to complete your pattern, you'll have to beg your neighbors to give it up. But don't get too greedy or you might end up stuck with a bunch of stuff you don't want. Full of nostalgia and emotion for those old time treasures.
Bad Apples
Bad Apples pits bidders, bluffers, and spoilers against one another in a high-stakes auction that reveals the craftiest, most deceptive player at the table. Wager boldly and claim your prize or sabotage your opponents and leave them holding the bag. Are you the baddest of the bunch? Gather your group and find out!
Baseball Highlights 2045: Bases Loaded
In this quick and interactive game, two players build their teams as they play, combining both strategy (building your team) and tactics (playing the game) without any of the downtime. During each "mini-game", each player alternates playing six cards to simulate a full game's highlights. The mini-game includes defensive and offensive actions, and your single card play may include elements of defensive and/or offensive plays. Do you try to thwart your opponent's pending hits, put up strong offensive action of your own, or use your better players to do both?
Botany
In Botany, each player takes on the role of a character whose abilities will shape the way they play the game. Will you focus on exploring the globe in search of the most valuable specimens? Will you make quick and efficient trips to gather reputation quickly and build your estate?
Cabanga!
Players take turns placing one card next to the matching row card in the middle, ideally with as small a difference as possible because the larger the number gap, the greater the chance that the other players will call out "Cabanga!" and throw cards with the values between the two number cards to the active player. These thrown-in cards are placed on the discard pile, then the active player must draw the same number of cards from the penalty pile.
When a player has no more cards in hand, the round ends and all players count the points on their cards. As soon as a player has collected 18 points, the game ends and the player with the fewest points wins!
Catan
Players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine which resources the island produces. Players build structures by 'spending' resources (sheep, wheat, wood, brick and ore) which are represented by the relevant resource cards; each land type, with the exception of the unproductive desert, produces a specific resource: hills produce brick, forests produce wood, mountains produce ore, fields produce wheat, and pastures produce sheep.
Cheers to the Governor
The game is simple but the struggle is real. Pressure mounts with each advancing round. Stay on track through mishaps and laughter as your team strives for perfection in this classic party game!
Players count to 21 one by one around the group. Once you've successfully reached 21, draw a Numbers card and a Rules card. The rule will replace the number during the counting process (Example: Instead of saying the number 5, players need to clap twice.) If you mess up the count or forget the rule, start the round over. Once a round of all rules has been successfully completed, your team wins!
Combo
Play apples, bananas, cherries, and more to make a shared fruit feast. Low numbers are worth more but you score only if your card is part of the winning combo! Can you lure others to follow your juicy offer, or will they be tempted by the fruit of another? Win the most points and victory is yours for the picking!
Combos
Score points by winning. You win a Combo card by being the first to play a Combo cards combination of described on that Combo card
Convert
Two opposing players each have a set of 10 differently shaped wooden blocks that are played on a 4x4 board with alternating black and white squares.By manipulating pieces to fit on the board, as well as with each other, players attempt to score rows of four while claiming spaces on the board by converting them to their color.
Empire's End
You lead a grand civilization at the height of its influence, but can you save it from collapse? In Empire's End, 2-4 players compete to keep calamity at bay. Empire's End marries the intuitive and elegant mechanism of reverse-bidding with engine-building, long-term planning, and strategic depth. The result is a game with a quick tempo, abundant tension, and multiple challenging paths to victory.
Fire In the Library
Fire in the Library is a press-your-luck game in which players must try their best to rescue books and accumulate knowledge. The game is played in rounds with a variable turn order in which earlier players have more risk but a higher possible reward. Everyone starts with tools to help mitigate their luck or change the probabilities for their opponents! Gain more tools when your luck runs out or if you take the safe route and exit the library before things get too risky. Hurry, as the game ends immediately when any one wing of the library completely burns.
For Glory
For Glory is a game of gladiatorial combat and deck building for 2 players. Players take on the role of gladiator school owners, or lanistas, in ancient Rome. The game utilizes a two-phase system for deck building and combat. During the Machinations Phase, players recruit gladiators, secure the support of influential patrons, increase their income, and train their gladiators in a multitude of tactics. When the crowd's bloodlust becomes insatiable, the game shifts to the Arena Phase, during which players control their gladiators in various arenas to battle their opponents' gladiators for glory. Each gladiator has a unique set of stats and a unique ability. Having the right synergies between gladiators often means the difference between death and glory. During arena battles, players also play tactic and reaction cards from their hand to support their gladiators, or turn the tides of battle. The first player to gain six glory by winning arena battles is the victor, and will be remembered for all time as the greatest lanista of Rome.
Fromage
You are a French cheesemaker in the early 20th century making, aging, and selling your artisanal cheeses. Become the most prestigious cheesemaker in all of France by running a highly successful creamery and crafting exceptional cheese.
Fromage is a simultaneous worker-placement game where players place Workers to make cheese and gather resources from the quadrant of the board facing them. Once all players have placed their Workers, the board rotates, aging any cheese that was made, and presenting each player with a new quadrant to place Workers into. Score Prestige Points by selling cheese to the four locations, and by efficiently managing and upgrading your creamery.
Horrified: World of Monsters
Horrified: World of Monsters is a standalone game that features gameplay similar to 2019's Horrified, and in this co-operative game, you'll face off against the riddling Sphinx, the reclusive Yeti, the ravenous Jiangshi, and the Great Old One itself, Cthulhu. Each monster presents a unique challenge, and you can face them individually or in combination, with players pooling their unique skills to overcome puzzle-like obstacles inspired by monstrous legends and lore to gather item tokens, protect citizens, and avoid attacks.
House of Fado
In the game House of Fado, players have to manage their restaurant, attract customers, and contract and promote fadistas and musicians, thus gaining prestige for their fado house. Managers will move their staff members to different places to perform some actions, using the same bump action as in The Gallerist.
Jack Labrador
Jack Labrador is a high-action, take-that beer and pretzels card game. It adds two new symbols to traditional Rock-Paper-Scissors, ability cards, and a soupçon of strategy to keep things interesting.
Kinfire Delve: Vainglory's Grotto
Plunge into the well called "Vainglory's Grotto", where you're tasked to defeat its Master and save the world from potential disaster. Vainglory is rumored to be a playful and capricious being who treasures beauty above all else, but beware what lies beneath the facade!
King's Cup Extreme
King's Cup Extreme is a laugh-out-loud party game. Sometimes refereed to as Kings or Ring of Fire, this classic college drinking game has been revamped for a more widespread audience.
Letter Tycoon
Players take turns forming a word using a seven-card hand and a three-card community card pool, scoring money and stock rewards based on their word. Players may use their earned money to buy one letter "patent" in the word they make. In the future, whenever another player uses one of your owned letters on their turn, you earn money from the bank. Letters that are used less frequently have special abilities, increasing their power.
When enough of the alphabet has been claimed, players finish the current turn, then score all money, stock and letter patents owned. Create the most valuable empire and you can become the letter tycoon!
Linx
Build a of cards Chain connecting any 2 or more of the 4 Anchor cards on the table. A chain is a series of cards each linked to its neighbors by a matching number symbol.
Minecraft Explorers
In Minecraft Explorers, players explore the blocky landscape together looking for hidden treasure.
On your turn, you have action points to spend as you wish. You can explore different landscapes to discover what's on the back of a tile. Pickaxes and swords make some explorations easier, so perhaps you want to get them. Try to uncover the treasure you need to win.
Ideally you can avoid monsters such as Zombies, Creepers, and Endermen because at the end of each turn, you must reveal a monster card, and if this monster is already in play, your group will be overrun and more monsters will appear. Face the horde bravely because as soon as the monster cards are used up, you lose the game. Do you best to fill your chests with treasure before that happens.
Obsession
Obsession is a game of 16 to 20 turns in which players build a deck of Victorian gentry (British social upper class), renovate their estate by acquiring building tiles from a centralized builders' market, and manipulate an extensive service staff of butlers, housekeepers, underbutlers, maids, valets, and footmen utilizing a novel worker placement mechanic. Successfully hosting prestigious social activities such as Fox Hunts, Music Recitals, Billiards, Political Debates, and Grand Balls increases a player's wealth, reputation, and connections among the elite.
Overboss
In Overboss, rival Boss Monsters emerge from their dungeons to conquer the Overworld. Each turn, players draft and place terrain tiles and monster tokens. Their goal: to craft the map with the greatest Power and become the ultimate Overboss!
Designed by Aaron Mesburne and Kevin Russ (Calico), this fast-paced game combines drafting, set collection, and puzzly tile laying. It's set in the retro-inspired pixel art world of Brotherwise Games' best-selling Boss Monster, but this is an entirely new experience.
Piles!
Piles is a fast-paced set collecting game designed for kids and families. If you enjoy classic games like Speed and Spoons then you'll love this easy to learn free-for-all.
In Piles you can play up to 8 players or even face off 1-on-1 for a fun two-player experience. You'll be matching sets of clothing by swapping cards through a universal discard pile. Average playtime is under 10 minutes making the game highly replayable and addicting. This portable card game is ideal for any occasion.
Plunder: A Pirates Life
Plunder: A Pirate's Life is a competitive, strategy-based gateway game played on a modular ocean map. The goal is to gain ten Plunder Points. Plunder points are obtained by conquering islands, sinking enemy ships, and burying treasure. On your turn, draw one Resource card for each island you own. Trade and manage your resources (wood, iron, rum, gold) to build and upgrade your fleet using miniatures and pegs. Ships sail the open map via roll and move. Battle enemy ships and conquer islands via dice combat. Game also features team play.
Roar and Write
Roar and Write is a competitive press-your-luck game about impressing different council members on the selection committee, garnering favor throughout the five kingdoms, and completing your own personal objectives to rise to the top of the selection committee's choices for the new ruler of the Animal Kingdoms.
Showdown
Sides
The objective of the game is simple: Each round, help two detectives find a mystery word. To do so, the other players (the witnesses) give detectives a one-word clue that starts with the letter at either end of the letter-card line.
The detectives then jointly offer an answer, and if they found the solution, two other players become the detectives and a new word is uncovered; if not, the witness players suggest a new clue with a new letter card. The fewer the clues used and the more words guessed, the higher the score. Will you beat the world record?
Spicy Dice
Roll the dice as many times as you want on a turn to try to maximize your score, but you have only thirty dice rolls at most over the entire game, so take care when pressing your luck!
The Quest Kids
The Quest Kids is a new-fantasy themed board game adventure for children 5 years old and up. In the game players control up to four of the Quest Kids (a brave team of young heroes) as they explore the magical Tolk's Cave. During their adventure the team will find treasure, scare away monsters, complete quests and discover magical items, all while helping their fellow Quest Kids out along the way. The Quest Kid with the most stars at the end of the adventure is victorious!
Toil & Troublez
Compete to find and collect magical items. Powerful action cards will help or hinder you along the way. The stakes rise with each card played. Balance the desire for points wisely as you push your luck. Play it safe or risk it all in the contest for victory.
Trio
On your turn, choose any single card to reveal, either the low or high card from a player's hand (including your own) or any face-down card from the table. Then, do this again. If the two cards show the same number, continue your turn; if they do not, return the cards to where they came from and end your turn.
If you reveal three cards showing the same number, take these cards as a set in front of you. If you are the first player to collect three sets, you win, except that a player wins immediately if they collect the set of 7s or two sets that add or subtract to 7, e.g., 4s and 11s.
We Go Way Back
We Go Way Back is designed to be played with family and close friends. You will rely on your history with each of the other players as you create specific clues based on shared memories, inside jokes, and personal details.
At the start of each round, players are secretly assigned another player. Next, a category is selected (such as movies, sports, or music). Using the category as a guideline, each player creates a clue which is read out loud. Players want their assigned player to know the clue connects to them, but do not want other players to make that connection.
Words are Hard
Words Are Hard is a series of rapid one-on-one matchups that can be played with any number of players. The dealer faces opponents one at a time until defeated, at which point the deck is handed to the winning opponent who becomes the new dealer.
In each matchup, the dealer faces their opponent and flips over a card to reveal an image. To win the matchup a player must say a word that starts with the first letter of the depicted image and then slap the card. If a player slaps the card before saying a valid word, they lose the matchup.
The winning player collects the card and becomes (or continues to be) the dealer. Play continues clockwise around the table. The goal is to collect the most cards.
