Hanabi - Mahjong style...

One of the great games of 2013, Hanabi, was also one of the fiddliest.  If you don't own Hanabi, well, firstly, why not?  It's 8 bucks!!!!  Secondly, you might not have played it so you won't know how hard it is to not reveal your cards when holding them or picking them up as you always have to face them away from yourself.  Well, thanks to the immense and well-deserved popularity of the game, Abacus Spiele released a giant edition with card stands and nicer pieces and a deluxe collector's edition with Mahjong-style tiles and wooden box to hold everything.

Up until now, I'd only heard of the rare collector's edition but then I managed to finally find it at one local online retailer, BoardGameBliss (wonderful store by the way with some really obscure European stuff like this and a very friendly, generous owner).  And OF COURSE, I couldn't help myself!

Suffice to say, Hanabi with chunky black tiles is magical.  They're tactile, don't ever fall over, and they make that delightful sound whenever you play them to the table.  It's a simple change to the game but amazing how much more enjoyable it makes the whole experience.  (Just so you know, deluxe edition?  NOT 8 bucks...)