Hand Management

Hand management games are games with cards in them that reward players for playing the cards in certain sequences or groups. The optimal sequence/grouping may vary, depending on board position, cards held and cards played by opponents. Managing your hand means gaining the most value out of available cards under given circumstances. Cards often have multiple uses in the game, further obfuscating an "optimal" sequence.

Reference on BGG

Capybara Crush – Entry #7795

As Presented in August 2024

Designer(s) | dylan coyle

Match-3 game! Draw a card OR play sets. Discard a card to trigger powers (like flipping or moving cards in your hand). The value of sets are dynamic based on how long no one played that set!

Game Length

30 min

Player Count

2 - 4

Otter – Entry #7794

As Presented in August 2024

Designer(s) | dylan coyle

Save baby animals from the hungry otters (or feed them)!
Shedding game that's all about perfect timing!
Each otter pile has rules, but you can draw to swap rules.
Lots of epic combo turns!!

Game Length

30 min

Player Count

2 - 4

Audience

Casual

Dev. Status

Nearing Completion

Playtest Platform(s)

| Screentop.gg

Interested to Play Get Updates

See Details »

Twin Tarot – Entry #7709

As Presented in August 2024

Designer(s) | Zach Morris

Top and Bottom: Orange/blue rectangles filled with black rectangles that have a purple stroke. Middle: A 5x5 grid of mixed blue and orange squared.

A chaotic 2 player game where you play 2 game-breaking cards every turn. The catch is that your opponent always vetoes one of them

Game Length

30 min

Player Count

2 - 2

Audience

Medium

Dev. Status

Playtest Platform(s)

| Screentop.gg

Interested to Play

See Details »

Intended Audience

Casual:
This game expects players to focus more on social interaction than strategy and/or takes under 45 minutes to play in full, including the rules teach.

Medium:
This game involves some strategy and takes 45-90 minutes to play, with no more than 15-20 minutes of that time spent on the rules teach.

Heavy:
This game focuses on strategy and takes 90 minutes or more to play, with 20 minutes or more of that time spent on the rules teach.

Development Status

New:
This is more of an idea to workshop than a game.

Middling:
You have playtested the prototype before, but you expect it to still have bugs.

Nearing Completion:
You know the game works but are trying minor adjustments.

Final Testing:
This will feel pretty close to playing a published game, but you’re still taking feedback.

Publication Path

Self Publishing
The game creator(s) will handle marketing, sales, distribution, and all other logistics of bringing the game to market.

Looking for a Publisher
The game creator(s) are looking for someone to partner with them to handle some or all of the process of bringing the game to market.

Under Contract with a Publisher
The game creator(s) have found a company or individual who will partner with them to handle some or all of the process of bringing the game to market. The publisher and designer might be the same person, but, beyond the self publishing option, a game that is “with a publisher” will publish under a brand that publishes for a variety of designers.

No Plans to Publish
The game creator(s) will not make this game available for sale to the public. The fun of creating and playing the game is all the reward they need.

Publication Method

Crowdfunding
The publisher will produce the game after a large group of people have paid in advance. Crowdfunding platforms include Kickstarter, Crowd Sales through The Game Crafter, Gamefound, Indiegogo, etc.

Retail Distribution
The publisher will distribute the game to retailers such as friendly local games stores (FLGS), Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Cool Stuff Inc., etc.

Print on Demand
Also known as POD. The manufacturer can print one copy at a time so that the seller doesn’t need to carry inventory. Popular POD services include The Game Crafter, Drive Thru Cards/RPG, and Board Games Maker.

Another Publishing Method
Other methods may include handmade games, print and play or monthly subscription games, creating a seller account on an online marketplace like Amazon or Etsy, and/or selling from your own website — or anything else the publisher can dream up!

Crowdfunding Status

Planning Stage
The campaign is not yet open for backer pledges. Interested players may be able to follow the project on social media and/or via email updates.

Late Stage
The campaign is either open for backer pledges or has recently finished funding. The publisher is making final tweaks to the product before sending final files to the manufacturer.

Rework Stage
A crowdfunding campaign launched in the past did not meet its funding goal or was cancelled before the campaign ended. The publisher plans to launch a new campaign using lessons learned from past campaign(s).

None
There is no plan for a crowdfunding campaign at this time.