Our regular readers will know that we love small box games. Something to fit in a pocket or bag so we can take it to a coffee shop, where we seem to spend a lot of our money downtime.

Today we’re looking at Tinderblox by Alley Cat Games, a hot little dexterity game about building a campfire that comes in a tiny little tin.

So in the words of Fall Out Boy let’s ‘..light em up up up, light em up up up, light em up up up, I’m on fire!’ 

Key stats

2 to 6 players
3 to 15 minutes 
6 years+

Publisher: Alley Cat Games
Designer: Rob Sparks
Art: Rory Muldoon

Theme: Camping, Adventure
Key mechanics: Dexterity, Player elimination

Gameplay overview:

Tinderblox is a dexterity game where you competitively build a campfire by adding more logs and/or embers to the communal fire. The aim isn’t to build the best fire, but to build it in a way that causes your opponents to knock over part or all of the fire, whilst also avoiding knocking it over yourself. It kinda feels like reverse Jenga, but much less hassle to set up. 

Each turn, you flip a card from the campfire deck that tells you: 

• Which pieces you need to add to the fire. In the standard game this will be either logs or firecubes, alone or in combination.
• If it is a combination, how the pieces have to be stacked. And you have to put them together BEFORE putting them on the fire.
• Whether to use your dominant hand or your non-dominant hand. 

Sounds straightforward, right? Well, I forgot to mention you can only place the pieces on the fire using tweezers! 

If you knock over any parts of the fire you’re out of the game, and the winner is the last player standing. 

Our thoughts:

First, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane…we remember seeing Tinderblox the second year we attended the UK Games Expo as press. We stumbled across Rob Spark (the designer) at the press event enthusiastically sharing his prototype. Rob was really passionate about it and it was clear he was on to something, because Tinderblox has become a mainstay in many collections since – including ours! – spawning multiple variations (Tinderblox Night, Sunset and Storm) and a newer sequel, Barbecubes. Here’s what it looked like all those years ago!

But what do we think of it? Well, it’s fast to play and simple to learn, you can get a game of Tinderblox going in less time than Bear Grylls can start an actual fire (and according to google, Bear starts fires remarkably fast!). This ease of access means that you can teach the game to pretty much anyone: young children (with enough dexterity), non-gaming friends, casual gamers and serious gamers alike can all have a good laugh as they play. We’ve played Tinderblox with both of our mums and both had a great time. 

One of my favourite aspects of Tinderblox is its size. This isn’t just limited to its small tin, but the game and gameplay as a whole. You don’t need a big table because the components and required play area are small (which adds to the challenge, if you ask me and my big clumsy hands). Even on small tables we’re yet to lose any pieces over the edge when the fire inevitably collapses. 

The requirement to swap between your dominant and non-dominant hand is a clever design element that adds some trickiness. I know i’m not ambidextrous but I was surprised at how difficult it is to try and add pieces to the fire with the hand that I wouldn’t naturally choose. It sometimes feels ridiculous and that adds to fun around the table, as you all struggle with a seemingly simple task. 

Tinderblox is a great option to ignite some quick and easy fun at the table, with every game playing out slightly differently as every fire is built differently, it will easily keep your attention for a handful of plays. 

The campfire cards in Tinderblox dictates exactly what and how you should stack your pieces before placing them on the fire. This is a little different to Barbecubes (where you’re laying food on a barbecue grill) that defines how many bars of the grill the food must cover but not the orientation, as a result there feels a bit more room in the decision space for you to decide how to play. This is why I think I prefer Barbecubes, but both are great games.

As with all dexterity games Tinderblox may not be for everyone, especially if you feel you might struggle with fine motor skills for any reason. That said, and on the flip side, if you’re ambidextrous then Tinderblox might be the perfect game for you!

What we like: 

• It’s approachable – anyone can learn and enjoy from young children to non gaming family and friends.

• It’s a small game in a robust tin – perfect to carry around with you.

• Forcing the use of the non-dominant hand adds to the difficulty of the game, unless you’re ambidextrous.

• It’s a crackling little filler game that brings joy to the game table and can break up those long game sessions.

Considerations:

• You might feel there is limited opportunity for you to tactically place.

• Building fires needs some fine motor skills, if you think you may struggle with this then Tinderblox might not be for you.

Final verdict:

It’s lit. 

There is no surprise why Tinderblox has been such a hot game over the years, it’s quick, it’s fun. Playing Tinderblox has sparked a lot of laughter around the tables we have played it on, and as a result has become one of our small box favourites. If you’re looking for an easy to learn, fast paced, dexterity game to take out with you, you really should consider Tinderblox.