Designer: Steve Finn, Beth Sobel, Eduardo Baraf Publisher: Pencil First Games

What is The Whatnot Cabinet?

Well, it’s a game of nick-nacks, doodads and gubbins. In the broadest of strokes, it’s similar to Sagrada, in that you’re drafting items to your board, but rather than making a magnificent window, you’re gathering stuff that’s going to be an absolute nightmare to dust.

You have an empty cabinet with twelve empty spaces just crying out to be filled with interesting little trinkets that you’ve picked up here and there. By arranging these bits-and-bobs in particular ways you can score points – horizontal by type, vertically by colour – as well as picking up further points for fulfilling certain criteria as the game goes along. Maybe a bonus for filling the corners first, or the same items on one row and different items on another – and once that bonus has been scored, it’s off the table for the remaining players, so there are some tactical decisions that need to be made.

Everyone has access to the same moves but each move can only be used once each turn (which then determines the turn order next time) and while each move has the same result – two items for your cabinet – how you get those varies from drawing completely blind to resetting what’s available and various points between.

Visually it’s a gorgeous game – as most of Pencil First’s offerings are. Beth Sobel’s artwork is delightful, the whatnots are beautifully represented and your cabinet will look delightful even if you end the game kicking yourself for choosing a green turtle over a purple shell. The whatnot tiles are nice and sturdy and the player pawns are beautifully turned out, being both different shapes and colours.

It’s a quickie too. Gameplay is around twenty minutes or so, and it’s easy to learn, so it can act as a palette cleanser between a couple of bigger games. A nice light and airy game to whet your gaming whistle, while still having a bit of strategy, forward planning and that mix of luck and outrage over an opponent taking the piece you wanted that everyone craves.