New Game Round-up: Gods Reborn in Thunder & Lightning, Unexpected Meals from a Magician & Knot What You Expect from Matt Leacock

In Knit Wit, you craft your own word categories using loops and spools, then find playful answers that match as many categories as possible. The more categories you match, the more points you score! Who will be quick enough to grab the bonus buttons? Every point counts when victory hangs by a thread!

I have worked on that expansion for quite a while now and always thought, like I did with Targi: "If Kosmos don't want to publish it, my wife and I have an awesome expansion just for the two of us." But the long development time really improved the expansion, from just a bunch of new tribe cards, to some great new gameplay elements.

My latest change in the game convinced Kosmos at last. Shortly beforehand my editor told me that they would not publish the expansion for an expansion's sake, but only if the test players never wanted to play without it again. After a prototype weekend this spring, my editor contacted me and said: "The play testers told me they never want to play without the expansion again, so now we have to publish it!"

To make this evening more special, he has prepared a unique delicacy — poutine! Unfortunately for everyone at the party, Houdini is a terrible cook. Each player must use their skills in magic to escape from the party without hurting Houdini's feelings.

Houdini's Poutini is a competitive game in which each player represents a group of five magicians. They must collect a combination of item cards with which they can perform magical escapes from the party. The Houdini card will mingle about the party, making it more difficult to escape the party without hurting his feelings. You must use your skills as a magician to get your entire group free from the party before time runs out and the poutine is served. When only one player remains or time runs out, anyone who was unable to escape must politely choke-down Houdini's ill-prepared Franken-dish.

A variation on rummy with a splash of Old Maid with lots of screwing over your opponents, Houdini's Poutini is a fast-paced and exciting card game for any with a strong mind and stronger stomach.