Roll up, roll up!
The sun is setting, and magic is afoot. It’s time to play Midsummer Night’s Fayre.
Produced by Gamewright, makers of such games as the Forbidden Island series and Sushi Go!, this whimsical game gives you the opportunity to have a night of fun at the Fayre from the comfort of your own living room. But this is no ordinary Fayre – for this is run by elves and fairies causing mischief!
Roll up, roll up!
The sun is setting, and magic is afoot. It’s time to play Midsummer Night’s Fayre.
Produced by Gamewright, makers of such games as the Forbidden Island series and Sushi Go!, this whimsical game gives you the opportunity to have a night of fun at the Fayre from the comfort of your own living room. But this is no ordinary Fayre – for this is run by elves and fairies causing mischief!
The big question here is – does this game hit the jackpot?
Come and see the Wonder
Firstly, as you can see from the box, this game is stunningly beautiful. The intricate artwork on the cards and the fairy pieces and the rich and vibrant colours really draw you in to the fantastical world of the Fayre.
Players are each assigned their own fairy meeple, and corresponding set of dice to match. After rolling these dice in the game’s set up, the numbers facing upwards becomes your deck.
During the game, players play 10 minigames out of the selection of 12, 3 at a time, trying to win as many points as possible, by placing their dice on minigames.
However, there are also mischief cards. At the start of each player’s turn, a player must draw or play a mischief card. These cards have the ability to turn games on their head in an instant. These cards can be used to help your own game, or to ruin the chances of another player, as you can play them not only on a player’s dice pool, but also dice already assigned to a minigame, meaning you can change someone’s fortune in a matter of seconds.
Play ends after 9 minigames have been completed. The 10th is left unfinished and then everyone gets a final round in the prize pool before seeing who is the victor.
What game will you play?
Playing lots of minigames within a larger game is a really great idea, and was certainly contributed to me buying the game in the first place.
The minigames are based on the classic fairground games we all know and love, such as ‘Ring Toss’ and ‘Test Your Strength’. Some have also been given an extra magical twist such as ‘Hook a Hippocampus’ or ‘Dart the Ogre’. Each game has its own win condition, ranging from simple concepts like ‘most odd numbers’ to pure luck, to others being based on the pool of Fairy Dice in the middle of the board. These dice are rolled and played on top of the minigame card, meaning the aim of that game is slightly different every time you play.
A minigame is completed when all the dice spaces on the card are filled. Players then work out who has won the game and who placed second and third. While second and third place receive standardised points, the winner gets to go to the Prize Pool!
This is the inside of the box lid, a great way of using space and removing unnecessary pieces. Players use the Goblin Dice to roll into the Prize Pool and see how many points they receive. Printed in the Prize Pool are dice containing different numbers – and a dragon in the middle. If your dice lands and touches one of those printed dice, you get the number on top of your dice, plus that of the dice underneath! However, if you hit the dragon in the middle, you win nothing. Similarly, if you roll the goblin on the Goblin Dice, you steal a card rather than receiving any points. This part of the game truly feels like a fairground game in itself, and adds an extra level of fun but also jeopardy to winning the games.
During our game of Midsummer Night’s Fayre, we had players scoring big inside the Prize Pool, but others hit the dragon or rolled the Goblin Dice. While I love this chaotic mechanic, I can see some people getting frustrated that winning minigames doesn’t necessarily mean you are more likely to win the game.
But isn’t that part of the luck of the Fayre?
Does Midsummer Night’s Fayre strike it lucky?
Each game is also easy to understand and pick up, perfect for players of all levels of board game experience. As the game is constantly changing, it also means even if you’re struggling with one set of minigames, your fortune could change with the reveal of the next game.
Having 12 games in the pack to go through is a great idea, meaning that each time you play will be completely different to the last. The order of the games being randomised also adds to that – your dice that may have rolled great for one game but may not necessarily be great for the next.
The minigames feel varied and interesting, however if I’m being picky, another couple of completely unique minigames would have been great. For example, the Tug of War game is a unique concept within the game that we all really enjoyed, whereas Shooting Star Gallery and Dragon Hoard Hunt are pretty similar.
There is also a surprising amount of strategy involved in the game. While the game could be played just for fun, those with more strategic minds have a lot to consider when picking where you will go on your turn. Who is likely to end the game if you place it on that square? How many points are you likely to get dependent on that decision etc etc.
Personally, I was a little sad the 10th minigame was not completed, having invested highly in this game. However, choosing which game not to finish can have a big impact on the winner and so adds some extra end-game strategy.
I would also note that, while beautiful to look at, the fairy meeples have been designed to be standing on their tiptoes, which does make them quite malleable – one of my pieces came out of the box and is constantly leaning downwards. However, the level of detail on them is wonderful.
All the Fun of the Fayre
As someone who loves anything with a Fayre-based aesthetic (think The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, or The Wild Beyond the Witchlight D&D book), Midsummer Night’s Fayre ticks all my boxes.
It only takes 30 minutes to play, so is a perfect way of fitting a quick game into a busy day, or to break up longer games at a board game evening.
While I have been nitpicky at points in this review, the game overall has the makings of a true favourite, and will be great for gamers and non-gamers alike.
I can’t wait for my next visit to the Fayre.
