Alright so last weekend my buddies came over and we finally got around to testing all the Unstable Unicorns expansions we’ve collected. You know how it is, you buy the shiny boxes, they sit on the shelf… for months. Time to see which ones actually make the game more insane.
Starting With Just The Base Game
First, just us three played the basic set. Remembered how darn simple it felt now. Build your stable, play unicorns, sabotage others. Pretty straightforward, almost relaxing. Steve won because we kinda ignored him until it was too late. Classic. Coffee was brewing, chips were getting crunched.
The Dragon Expansion
Then we cracked open Dragons. Oh boy, instant chaos. Felt like someone threw a firecracker into a card game. Suddenly unicorns are getting torched left and right.
- Big Win: The dragon artwork? Awesome. Pure hype seeing that huge dragon card smack down someone’s stable.
- Big Downside: Made the game SUPER swingy. One minute you’re winning, next all your unicorns are just… gone. Burnt toast. Steve groaned loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
Definitely added excitement, but felt like total luck decided things more than anything.
Trying The Rainbow Apocalypse
Thought we were ready for more, so dumped in Rainbow Apocalypse. Mistake. Huge mistake. The name’s cool, the cards are rainbow… the rules? Holy mess.
- What Happened: Suddenly you need charts just to figure out what card does what. Instant cards, constant chains, effects canceling effects.
- Result: Mike spent half the time staring blankly at his cards. Steve actually flipped the table halfway through a particularly nasty chain reaction. Cards everywhere. My fault, I played the wrong doom card. Snacks were everywhere too. Total disaster zone.
Felt like the game stopped being about cute unicorns and turned into trying to solve complex math problems while juggling.
Giving Nightmares A Shot
Cleaned up the cards (and the spilled chips), calmed Steve down. Figured maybe something darker? Shoved in the Nightmares expansion next game.
- Atmosphere Change: Instant mood switch. Cards look creepy, effects feel nasty.
- Problem: Felt like it dragged the game down, way too slow. Too much paralyzing each other. More groans, less laughter.
Got dark, got slow, kinda sucked the remaining fun out after Apocalypse already drained us.
What Actually Stuck?
After that whole ordeal, honestly? We cleaned it all up… and went back to just Dragons + Base Game next time.
- Dragon Expansion Won: It adds the right amount of crazy without breaking your brain or the table.
- Rainbow Apocalypse & Nightmares Failed: Too much junk stuffed in. Rules nightmares, too mean, way too slow. Made the game work instead of play.
My snack budget can’t handle another Apocalypse table-flip. Just keep Dragons nearby. Trust me, your table and friendships will thank you later.