This past weekend I journeyed home to Flagstaff, Arizona for Easter weekend. In my family anytime a kid comes home we have a party and/or game night to celebrate and catch up with friends. During the night I was able to show off Nut Stash’s artwork and animation. Eventually we had a chance to play a few rounds with different groups of people. Since it was a large crowd, we played in groups of 6 with 3 players on each team. I had only play tested this a few times but after that night I am 100% confident that Nut Stash was meant to be a 2 to 6 player game.
That night was the first time my family had the chance to play Nut Stash or see the game in-person. I had tested the game with friends and random play testers, but this felt like the biggest test. I originally designed the game to be family friendly and created the rules around what I thought my family would be able to grasp. The Reynolds family had always preferred party games and the occasional Game Wright or Exploding Kitten level game. So, I decided a light game like Nut Stash was the perfect first game to create. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous to find out their thoughts on the game.
Eventually we started playing it in the dinning room with our family friends the Godwins. We were having so much fun the rest of the party started to gravitate over to watch and try and figure out what we were doing. This was the first-time animal noises were added to when the Predators popped up thanks to Scott. This just added to the laughter. We ended up playing the game 4 times in a row with players switching out to try the game. At one point my friend Tay had to leave mid-round to take a phone call. Thankfully, Gina was able to sub right in. It was impressive because she hadn’t heard the rules. She had watched the animation and us playing which allowed her to pick up on the rules. I was having so much fun that I never recorded any of it or asked anyone to record it. A few people took photos of us playing but that was it. I can’t be disappointed because I wanted Nut Stash to get people off their phones and it did!
This was by far my most memorable play test with a mixture of laughter, disses and nut puns. A great “improper stash” video was taken thanks to my sister Kali and my friend Amber mocking my warning to be careful stashing cards because left over cards are negative points. I had players asking if they could write reviews and when they could buy it. I know family and friends are supposed to be supportive but it’s nice to know that they will be backing the Kickstarter in June because it’s a fun game. Plus, there’s the bonus that I created it. Overall, it was the best game night and Good Friday ever!