Sometimes the most fun board games have the simplest mechanics and rules, but still make for a really fun time for any kind of board game player. My Shelfie from Lucky Duck Games and designed by Matthew Dunstan and Phil Walker-Harding came out a couple years ago and isn’t a super heavy game. That also makes it a great game for folks who are newer to board games and don’t want to learn a million rules. I’ve played it a few times already and I know I’m going to be pulling it out anytime I have friends over who just want to do something quick but still want to think a little.
What’s in the box?
My Shelfie comes with 1 living room board, 4 bookshelf displays, 12 common goal cards, 132 item tiles (22 of each of the 6 types), 12 personal goal cards, 4 card holders, 8 scoring tokens, 1 first player seat, 1 end game token, and 1 bag.
Overall all the components were great, and I didn’t have any issues with punching out the item tiles. The first player seat was not cooperating for me however, so I would suggest taking something sharp to make sure the holes for arm and leg rests are really well cut out before trying to insert the bigger piece in. The box isn’t big enough to have the shelves set up permanently but everything fits nicely. I also liked that the bag actually draws close. Sometimes drawstring bags in these games don’t close well!
How’s it play?
In My Shelfie, all the items of your living room are laid out on the floor. In a game with three or two players, items are not placed on the three or four dot squares. The end game 1 point ribbon token is placed in the cardbox box, two common goal cards are placed near the board, and the scoring tokens are set upin two piles from loest tohighest value based on the number of players.
Each player receives a bookshelf display and one personal goal card. Players take 1, 2, or 3 item tiles from the living room and place them in their bookshelves to score points. However the tiles must be adjacent to each other in a straight line, have at least one side free, and be placed into the shelf in the same column.
The game ends when a player completely fills their bookshelf. The player with more points at the end will win the game.
The four ways to score points are:
Get points based on your personal goal card. If you match six items you’ll get 12 points.
Get points from the common goal cards which are explained on the back of the rulebook.
Get points for adjacent item tile groups.
Get 1 point for being the first to completely fill your bookshelf.
The verdict?
All you’re doing is filling up your own personal bookshelf with a common and player goal in mind, but that’s what makes it so fun! Do you pick up one piece to get to your personal goal, or do you take a bunch of pieces to get create groups for more points and to get your shelf full faster, which triggers the end of turns for the other players?
In this example, the player would have received 4 points for having the plant, games, and trophy tiles in the right place, points for the five different groups of 8, 4, 5, 4, and 3 tiles to get a total of 24 points.
Now if you’re a gamer who really likes thinking through your choices and a lot of challenging moments, My Shelfie isn’t the game for you. But I played it with my friend and my brother, neither of whom have played a lot of board games, and we had a great time. They picked it up pretty quickly!
I definitely recommend getting this game if you want something quick and fun to add into the rotation.
Images and review copy courtesy of Lucky Duck Games
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