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Writer's pictureEmily Critchell

Tinderblox... Campfires burning!

This travel sized game for 2-6 players, comes in a compact tin and will fit perfectly in many a pocket. Themed around building a campfire, players take it in turns to draw a card and use the tweezers to place blocks on the campfire as directed without knocking it over.


Tinderblox game set up in a cafe ready to play. Layout shows a drink, the game tin and the blocks, tweezers and cards laid out on a table.

We first came across Tinderblox on TikTok, it intrigued us both from the get go and it seemed like a game we would enjoy. When we finally got round to picking up a copy for ourselves, we were not disappointed.


First Impressions


The game is nice and compact, easy to fit in a pocket or bag and is bright and colourful. If someone looked over at you whilst you had this game on the table in a cafe, on a train or somewhere similar, it would certainly catch their eye and pique their interest! Although the pieces are small, they are not so small that they are difficult to play with and if you dropped a piece, it wouldn't be too difficult to find it. As soon as Alex started getting the game out for the first time, I was eager to play.

Game Play Overview


Tinderblox is simple to play and learn. The base card and 3 logs are placed in the centre of the table and then players take it in turns to draw a card and place the blocks depicted in the order shown using the tweezers. Some cards will have a symbol in the top left corner to indicate that you will need to use your non-dominant hand for the turn. If a player knocks any of the blocks off the stack during their turn, they are out and play continues in this fashion until only 1 player remains. That player is the winner!


Tinderblox game in progress, stack of varying blocks building up the campfire as per gameplay

Pros and Cons


This is a very simple game, with quick gameplay and plenty of competition and fun. It is easy to learn and teach to others whilst out and about or as a quick filler in between other games or whilst waiting. There are just 2 types of blocks, wood and fire, each with their own distinct shape, making the game suitable for those who are colourblind despite the fire cubes being 2 different colours. It's not a game you'd want to play all evening but it doesn't try to be that sort of game. Some cards are easier than others and depending on your orientation to the stack at the time, it can be tricky to get your hand or the tweezers in the right position to be able to place the blocks in the best location.


Final Verdict

Overall, I really enjoyed this game and can see us bringing it out with us quite frequently. I love the theme and the dexterity element to the game and feel that it has a reasonable amount of replayability despite it being quite similar each time.


In conclusion, we would rate this game a 10/10

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