Madcala Components Overview and Impressions
Druid City Games designs and publishes some fantastic board games, and for the longest time I’ve only ever envied them from afar. I’ve had the chance to play Wonderland’s War in the past, and the game was phenomenal, but that production was out of this world. When Druid City Games reached out to ask if we wanted to review a couple of their titles in the Alice in Wonderland series, I jumped at the opportunity, and those games arrived today. First up is Madcala, a Mancala system for two players that works incredibly well.
One of my biggest beefs with board games that include neoprene playmats is that the mat rarely ever fits in the base box. It’s a surefire way to make me not want to play your game, because I absolutely hate storing my games in two different locations. Madcala does include a mat which is really nice, but they won my hearts when that baby rolled up and tucked away inside the box.
That does make the box a lot bigger than it probably needs to be. This game could have come with a standard folding board, and the footprint of the box would be much smaller. I think this will be a sore spot for some, but I’m OK with irregular sized boxes on my game shelves. This game also includes a fantastic insert; a good insert should be standard in board games in 2025 in my opinion, but it’s still not something you see as often as I would like. This one is fantastic, though, and holds everything in specific spots – it makes setting up Madcala incredibly easy.
There are a good number of cards here and I think the quality is better than average. If Madcala is a game you plan to play weekly, I could see the argument of sleeving the cards; that said, after our initial review period, this will be one I play about once a month with my wife, and I have absolutely no concerns about these cards holding up for us long term.
The transition away from cardboard chits in games that don’t have a lot of chits is something I’m really enjoying. Druid City Games isn’t the first to do this, but I’m glad to see them doing it. These chips are really nice quality, and mimic the chips you’ll find in Wonderland’s War. They aren’t quite the Chip Theory poker style chips, but are incredibly impressive still.
Last but definitely not least is the artwork – this game looks phenomenal, and it’s easily one of the best looking games I own. Manny Trembley’s take on Alice in Wonderland is phenomenal, and easily my favourite depiction of this franchise, all time.
If you plan to pick up Madcala in 2026, you will not be disappointed in the component quality. You get what you pay for here, and a bit more. And spoilers: the game is pretty damn good too!
Article By Adam
