Wouter & Ymke 
Imagine this: you’re browsing a furniture store, admiring a beautifully crafted sideboard. There’s something so satisfying about the perfect alignment of drawers and the clean lines of a well-thought-out design. Now imagine turning that feeling into a card game where your goal is to craft the ultimate sideboard. That’s the idea behind Sideboards, designed by Hartwig Jakubik and published by Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag.
What’s the game about?
Sideboards is a quick card game for 1 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, with a playtime of about 15 minutes. Your mission is to build a sideboard that meets three scoring objectives. These objectives shift every game, so one session might have you focusing on more grouping colors, while the next pushes you to create the perfect row of matching handles. It’s a small puzzle that feels a bit different every time.
How do you play?
At the start of the game, players pick three objective cards: one for colors, one for handles, and one for rows. These set the scoring rules for the game. The color and handle objectives ask you to arrange cards into specific patterns or combinations, while the row objective challenges you to build the longest continuous row of drawers with either matching colors or handle shapes.
Each player starts with a hand of three cards, each showing drawers in different colors and designs, along with a handy exchange card. The exchange card lets you toss your hand once per game if you need a reset, kind of like a free do-over.
To kick things off, everyone picks two cards to start building their sideboard. The leftover card gets passed to the next player. From there, each turn follows the same rhythm: pick a card to play, pass the other one to your neighbor, and draw a new card. This cycle continues until everyone’s sideboard is complete with eight cards.
What’s the challenge?
This isn’t just about picking pretty drawers. You’re constantly juggling the objectives, figuring out how to get the most points while watching what your neighbors are up to. The row objectives, in particular, challenge you to figure out the best way to line things up while still leaving room for your other goals. Since cards are passed around, you’ll also need to adapt quickly if your plans go sideways.
How do you win?
Once all the sideboards are finished, it’s time to score. The three objective cards set the rules. Color and handle objectives reward specific patterns or groupings, while row objectives focus on how long you can keep a matching sequence going. Add up the points, and whoever has the highest total wins.
Our Thoughts
Sideboards is the kind of game that sneaks up on you. At first, it feels like a light, straightforward puzzle. Match colors, line up handles, and score points. But as the cards start coming in and the objectives start clashing, you realize there’s more going on. Should you focus on the longest row of drawers or chase that perfect color combo? Every turn is a little tug-of-war between what you want and what’s actually possible.
Drafting adds just the right amount of interaction. Sure, you’re building your own sideboard, but you’re also keeping an eye on what your neighbors are up to. Passing the wrong card could be the difference between a win and a “so close.” It’s small, it’s quick, and yes, it’s a little puzzly, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
This game is a great travel companion. The small box, short playtime, and no table-hogging pieces make it easy to bring along. It’s also perfect for a gaming warm-up or when you’re not in the mood for a brain-burner. Think of it as a satisfying snack between heavier games.
Sideboards feels like the lovechild of a drafting game and a compact tile-layer, with just enough strategy to keep you coming back. If you like quick, puzzly games that don’t take themselves too seriously, you’ll feel right at home here.
📝 We received a copy of the game from the publisher, Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag.
