As I mentioned in a recent post, visiting Evermore Park was one of the neater experiences my family has had of late. While there, my son and I spoke with artist Jared Horton of the shop Petulant Pudgies, where he makes cool stuff like D&D character creator dice, original sculptures, and his very own passion project card game, Monster Workshop.

I knew right off the bat that Monster Workshop was exactly the sort of game my 11yo son would be into. In it, you play as a mad scientist racing to construct a monster out of various types of body parts (plus a special power or two) before the other players at your table can. Just as an example, your monster could be comprised of robotic legs, the torso of a yeti, the head of a space alien, and the arms of a nightmare.

The first two scientists (out of six max) to finish their monsters get to have their creations battle one another, and whoever wins two fights wins the game.

Each game takes only 15 minutes to complete and the strategy is relatively light, so it's perfect for kids and adults with short attention spans (*raises hand*).

“When it comes to Monster Workshop, I am the very definition of biased, but I feel like we’ve come up with a wonderful game that is fun and exactly what I’d hoped it would be. The feedback I’ve gotten from everyone, including strangers has been very positive, and my inner child couldn’t be more delighted.”

—Jared Horton (creator)

You can get the game for $24 on Amazon, where it's being sold by friends and business partners of Horton (which is why you see it listed as “Witty Emporium” rather than “Petulant Pudgies”) who helped him put the finishing touches on the game before it went to market. However, it's also available directly from his own site for $30 in case you prefer to buy that way.