Pretty Collections and Designs in The Whatnot Cabinet
Collect beautiful and eye-catching objects to arrange on shelves in aesthetically pleasing ways with The Whatnot Cabinet.
I seem to arrange my board game collection all the time across various shelves… But I was ready to take on something a little more manageable with The Whatnot Cabinet! This is all about picking up lovely objects and creating a collection to display. Yet finding the perfect arrangement takes a bit of luck and planning, for you never know what you’ll collect!
Disclaimer
I work for the publisher, and the reason I brought this to my table was to try out the mini-expansion. Everything here is my own personal opinion, but I directly worked on developing and playtesting the solo rules for the mini-expansion.
Game Overview
Game Name: The Whatnot Cabinet
Publication Year: 2021
Designers: Eduardo Baraf, Steve Finn, & Keith Matejka
Artists: Kim Robinson & Beth Sobel
Publisher: Pencil First Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
The goal is to fill up a cabinet with various tiles, but the trick is to make the most of colors and types in the rows and columns. Goals and special bonuses provide other ways to score well, and the fun is in seeing an entire collection take shape with all kinds of delightful little objects on display!
First Play
February 13, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 12, 2025
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
24
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
45
Game Area
20" x 18"
Low Score
23
Fascination Pack Solo
Recently, there was a great question about how to use the mini-expansion with the solo mode. There is a new PDF file to download that explains some quick clarifications.
Essentially, any discarded tiles that match the color and / or object type are set aside to check for majorities at the end. This combination also defines another type of bonus tile.
There is just enough to add a little layer of strategy without adding anything to the play time. Only another discard pile.
This random assortment felt thematic with the yellow leaf… Which just so happened to match the solo deck and autumn!
Planning for Bonuses
A total of 5 bonus cards are used each play, setting up a few ways to earn victory points. Yet these are flipped over pretty quickly, so earning 2-3 cards is usually the best possibility.
I also forgot about how short gameplay is: Just 3 rounds, with 2 actions each based on a turn order board. Very quick!
Although luck plays a big role, meaningful choices exist in which goals to pursue and how to fill up a cabinet.
I’ve been chasing after what I call the perfect cabinet, which maximizes the scores for every row and column. Possible? Yes! Probable? Not at all… But you know I’ll try for it!
Halloween Whatnots
As I continue on with my costumed Calico Critters, this scene seemed like the perfect spot for trick-or-treating. There was the costume… There were the treats… The critter?
That was one very convincing ghost outfit. Ha ha! All I knew was that there was someone with ears who wasn’t around…
And I should probably know that the back of the turn order board has a nice display on it, but this was an exciting discovery as I moved the components around. Stealthy?
I had a few recent plays to look back on, yet I was hopeful that I might reach the highest scoring tier of collectors!
A Beautiful Cabinet
Although there is an abstract feel to gameplay related to aligning objects in rows and columns, the final result is always so pretty to look at. Lotd to admire on the shelves!
I’m following the advanced setup that uses less tiles, but I still managed to pick up a pair of purple leaves. I always try to score every row and column… Just missed with this one.
I didn’t do particularly well with the bonuses, either, but I gained tokens from choosing some of the riskier actions.
This was a lot of fun, even if I played a lot over the last week, and I was still in search of a high score to celebrate.
The Intersection of the Hobby and Work
It’s been years since I actually played this one, and I think I figured out why pretty quickly. Since I work for the publisher, I often try to keep the hobby separate from my work. That’s a real challenge when you do what you love! Part of me also doesn’t want to flood my posts with what might seem like self-promotion, even though these are games I personally enjoy.
How long have I worked in the industry? Exactly 5 years as of this month. Hurray! I’ve been with Pencil First Games the entire time, and I love it. But that’s a whole other story of behind-the-scenes fun and hard work. I usually steer clear of posting about our games, particularly any I’ve personally worked on, for the important divide between a hobby and work.
However, I might play more of these games! After all, I keep getting closer to 3,000 solo plays of Herbaceous… And those plays started before I worked for the publisher. It’s just an interesting conundrum at times, because I know I have a whole stack of solo games I would love to play, yet associate them with my work time more than my hobby time.
Taking More Chances
This collection was aesthetically pleasing, if only you looked at it from left to right… Perfect scoring in the rows! The columns, however, were apparently an eyesore. Ha ha!
I was so certain I was going to have the right objects, yet they never showed up in the outdoors. Even drawing from the token bag didn’t help me out. Alas, no high score.
Still, I picked up a yellow leaf to earn me a bonus from the fascination pack mini-expansion, plus the majorities.
Adding this set of rules grants about 1-3 victory points, and that top solo scoring tier was still out of my reach!
Coordinated Columns
So close to a lovely collection! At least I had the best tile in the game in the upper left shelf. It’s a necessity. Ha ha!
I fared better with the bonuses in general, although it would have been nice to have a more cohesive color-coded theme.
One other nice thing about the colors, which I forgot over time, is how the banners are different shapes. Always nice to have a more accessible option whenever possible.
I was close to scoring each column and row, but the last few tiles were tricky. I couldn’t leave all the ones in the outdoors for the solo opponent to discard, but I needed a lot of them.
The Slumber Shelf
Well, well, well. Halloween costumes are really hard work, and this little rabbit just couldn’t keep her eyes open… But she was wise enough to make sure she grabbed a lollipop!
Too bad she wasn’t wearing a yellow leaf outfit, for that would have perfectly filled in this space. I wanted to make sure I actually could achieve the perfect cabinet. Yes, indeed!
There is an element of needing the right tiles to show up at the right times, yet gameplay is still a lot of fun.
Resetting took less than a minute, too, and I was right back at it… Quietly, naturally, courtesy of a napping Calico Critter.
A Red & Purple Theme
A-ha! I was quite excited about this excellent collection, which saw me earn victory points for every row and column. My mini-goal was achieved. Exciting times!
It was also neat to see so many red and purple tiles come out, which helped me out with my columns. There was just a slight deviation on the far right… Still visually appealing!
Actually, scores aren’t defined as tied to the aesthetics, but I like to laugh when I end up with any blank tokens.
“You put that leaf there?!” “How dare you collect too many blue rocks!” Just adds a little comical flavor to each play!
Session Overview
Play Number: 19-24
Expansion: The Whatnot Cabinet: Fascination Pack
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 35, 38, 32, 44, 39, 44 (2 Wins & 4 Losses)
My scores ended up shy of the highest scoring tier a couple of times, and it was wonderful to keep on playing! Every cabinet might look similar, but the decisions were fun. I liked taking early risks at times to build out my collection. This one is so colorful and beautiful, with some very smooth mechanics that make it a great choice. One day, I’ll manage to arrange the perfect cabinet… Just don’t wait. Ha!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every object tile is beautiful with all sorts of bright colors and types that are easy to tell apart by the iconography.
- Gameplay moves very quickly with just 3 rounds in the solo mode, making it easy to reset and play again.
- Although the luck of the draw is present, there are still interesting and meaningful choices about which tiles to pick.
- The sequence of play is clear and moves quickly with minimal downtime, even when using the mini-expansion.
- Scoring well requires risks and careful planning, and reaching the highest scoring tier is difficult but satisfying.
- Admiring the final collection is a fun moment at the end to see what objects complement one another for scoring.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Different tiles add variety, yet the overall gameplay is relatively repetitive without a lot of variation in what happens.
- A fair amount of luck is needed, particularly during the final round when the right tiles can be hard to come by.
- Remembering how rows and columns score isn’t easy to memorize, although there is a very helpful reference card.
- Bonuses sometimes work well together or are very different, which can have a clear impact on scoring opportunities.
Victory Conditions
Score 40+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 67%
Goals and Milestones
Score at least 40 points.
Score at least 45 points.
Complete the perfect cabinet with 24 victory points.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy about The Whatnot Cabinet? Have you achieved a perfect cabinet or reached the top solo scoring tier? I enjoyed all of the tile artwork, and it was such an interesting challenge to create these collections! Perhaps I should never be in charge of arranging anything… Ha ha! Very happy to have brought this one back to my table. It’s always welcome!
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