If your game night needs a quick two-player filler that fits in a coat pocket, Pipes is worth a look. The new card game from London publisher Wotan Games is crowdfunding now on BackerKit, and it turns the humble job of connecting plumbing into a tense head-to-head race.
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Start organising for freeDesigned by Dave Battom, Pipes is played on a four-by-four grid built from 16 of 18 pipe-layout cards, most of them laid face down. Each player swaps in their own starting pipe, then races to connect their pipeline to the far side of the grid. You can only flip cards that link to your existing network, or swap already-revealed tiles to stall your opponent. It is a brain-twister with a fittingly combative tagline: "When Water Means War."
Pipes is one of 50 portable games in BackerKit's Pocketopia 2026, an annual collection that spotlights small-box, easy-to-learn tabletop games. Wotan Games is a UK publisher based in London, better known for chunkier boxes like its Camelot series and the tactical skirmish game War of the 9 Realms. A tight two-player card game is a change of pace for them.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThe BackerKit campaign runs until Thursday 28 May, and Wotan Games will have Pipes on the table at UK Games Expo at Birmingham's NEC the following weekend, so you can try it before the campaign closes. If you are heading to the show, see who else is going. Pocket-sized duels like this are ideal for warming up a session, or for filling the gap while you wait for latecomers to turn up.
Sources: Tabletop Sentinel | Wotan Games | BackerKit Pocketopia 2026
