Tiny Epic Series: Tiny Reviews
Do you love a big game...
with lots of nice miniatures, metal coins, an awesome insert, but hate the size and weight of the box? How about the fact that you have a limited amount of space, but want more and more games? Or do you simply love a good bang for your buck?
Whichever one you are (maybe you are all of these), you are most likely going to LOVE the Tiny Epic series, as they offer a lot of game in a small box at an affordable price!
Tiny Epic Defenders
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs
Tiny Epic Pirates
Tiny Epic Defenders
Publisher: Gamelyn Games
Designer: Scott Almes
Player Count: 1-4 players
Play Time: 30 minutes
Mechanics: Action Points, Area Majority, Cooperative, Tower Defence Variable Player Powers
“Aughmoore is in ruins. The evil could not be contained and its darkness has spread to every region of the world. Shattering villages and infecting all forms of life. There has never been a more dire need for Heroes. Everyone who remains must rise up, must unite, and must risk everything to preserve what little spirit remains.
Take your battlestations and defend the Kingdom, in this fast past cooperative defense game featuring ITEMeeples® set in the world of Aughmoore.” 1 - Description from the publisher
Tiny Epic Defenders is a cooperative where players will be choosing their hero in order to defend their regions and their capital city. Each hero has their own unique abilities to give you a chance to successfully defend your kingdom.
Your heroes will also get the opportunity to gain accessories which grant them other unique powers. Once they get these new powers, the meeples will actually WEAR the accessories (ITEMeeples®)!
It is a face-paced game where you scramble to get the right resources to the right location. Strategy is paramount, however, it might be useless without working as a team and clear communication.
For whom is Tiny Epic Defenders?
If you enjoy planning out the most effective approach to defend locations and use unique abilities and powers, this is going to be a home run for you!
This game might also be for you if you enjoy a challenge. The card-turning mechanism dictating the events about to happen keeps you on your feet and adds complexity to finding solutions.
Does Crunchy recommend Tiny Epic Defenders?
This game is great! However, solo seems to be where it shines the most as each individual’s impact feels quite small, but as a group is important. Playing solo allows you to make those micro-decisions all by reaping the full satisfaction of success.
The artwork is fantastic, the quality of the components is good, and the challenge is satisfying.
Let’s not forget about the accessories wielding meeple: They are so much fun! Yes, it’s a gimmick, but they are fun and actually immerse the player a little more into the game.
Score: 8/10
If you enjoy Tiny Epic Defenders, give these a try
Dwar7s Winter
If you enjoyed the tower defence of Tiny Epic Defenders, you will get a very tough challenge with Dwar7s Winter.
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs
Publisher: Gamelyn Games
Designer: Scott Almes
Player Count: 1-4 players
Play Time: 30-60 minutes
Mechanics: Contracts, Resource Management, Worker Placement
“In Tiny Epic Dinosaurs, breakthroughs in modern science have dinosaurs and humans existing side by side. This has allowed for a lucrative industry. Dino Ranching! Independent ranchers have begun farming dinosaurs to sell to the highest bidders for use in their high thrill theme parks. You are one of those ranchers. Do you have what it takes to out ranch your opponents and operate the most successful dinosaur farm!?” 2 - Description from the publisher
In Tiny Epic Dinosaurs you are trying to become the most lucrative dinosaur rancher by buying, breeding and selling dinosaurs.
You accomplish this by placing workers to activate certain actions such as harvesting resources, researching technologies, improving security to not lose your dinosaurs, and more in order to fulfill your contracts.
There are challenges that you need to keep in mind, such as feeding your dinosaur. Dinosaurs are rowdy as is, but a hungry dino is much more! If a herbivorous dinosaur gets hungry and you can’t feed it, it will break free. If a carnivorous dinosaur gets hungry and you don’t feed it, it will eat another dinosaur!
For whom is Tiny Epic Dinosaurs?
First of all, if you love dinosaurs, this is an easy choice, If you enjoy resource management and worker placement, this is a fun game that offers a good challenge (especially in solo mode) and also packs lots of nice components in a small box
Does Crunchy recommend Tiny Epic Dinosaurs?
Tiny Epic Dinosaurs is super cute, has great components and offers a challenging puzzle. If you are prone to analysis paralysis, beware! This game has many options and figuring out which one is the best for your situation can take a while.
However, not losing any of your dinosaurs and fulfilling personal contracts is quite satisfying. And if you manage to win in a solo game, you will be talking about it for the rest of the week! (Yes, it really is that challenging).
Score: 8/10
If you enjoy Tiny Epic Dinosaurs, give these a try
Dinosaur Island Rawr N' Write
Dinos. What else do you need?
But in all seriousness, Dinosaur Island Rawr N' Write is a fun Roll and write game that offers the potential for lots of combos as well as strategic planning to get the most out of your dinosaur theme park.
Definitely check this one out!
Tiny Epic Pirates
Publisher: Gamelyn Games
Designer: Scott Almes
Player Count: 1-4 players
Play Time: 30-60 minutes
Mechanics: Dice Rolling, Pick-up-and-Deliver, Rondel
“You helm a notorious pirate ship in the swashbuckling days of yore. Guide your ship and crew through the unforgiving seas in search of fame and fortune. Plunder settlements, trade booty on the black market, hire scurvy crew members and avoid the ever-vigilant Royal Navy. Be the first pirate to bury three treasures, and you can declare yourself the most nefarious Dread Pirate of the Seven Seas!
Control a pirate captain in the swashbuckling days of yore. Guide your ship and crew through the unforgiving seas in search of fame and fortune.” 3 - Description from the publisher
Tiny Epic Pirates is a pick-up-and-deliver game where you play as pirates whose objective is to be the first to bury three treasures. You will do so by hiring crew members for your team, selling booty, attacking ships and exploring different locations.
You will sail your ship and perform multiple actions using a rondel. From there, you will build up your riches to finally be able to bury them in multiple spots on the map. You will need the help of your deckhand in order to perform the actions you need at the right moments.
This game offers everything you would expect in a pirate-themed game: confrontation, stealing, gaining gold, and burying treasures. It offers the opportunity to find a strategy but beware, other pirates might have something else in mind!
For whom is Tiny Epic Pirates?
If you enjoy stealing, racing and pirates, Tiny Epic Pirates is a must-try as it is one of the few pirate-themed games that the actions and objectives all work really well with the theme.
Does Crunchy recommend Tiny Epic Pirates?
Tiny Epic Pirates immerses you really well in the theme of being a pirate. The rondel action selection is well integrated in the game as there is (almost) always a way to select the action that you need.
The race to be the first to bury three treasures brings an exciting tension to all the stealing and fighting you will be doing.
Score: 8/10
If you enjoy Tiny Epic Pirates, give these a try
Yukon Airway
Did you enjoy the pick-up-and-deliver mechanic of Tiny Epic Pirates? Check out Yukon Airways!
Yukon Airways has pick-up-and-deliver, contract fulfillment, and open drafting mechanics where the objective is to bring passengers to tourist locations. You need to plan ahead of time in order to maximize your routes and have the happiest tourists!