Trent, Author at The Board Game Family

Fallen Treasures coming soon

At SaltCon earlier this year I met game designer Tucker Smedes as he introduced some friends and I to The Pirate’s Flag.

We had a great time playing the game and enjoyed getting to know Tucker. He’s the owner of publishing company CardLords and they’ve just launched a Kickstarter game for a very family friendly game called Fallen Treasures.

I asked Tucker to tell me a bit more about this latest game. Since it’s very family-focused, I thought you’d be interested in hearing more about the game as well.

November 2, 2018 Trent 0 Comments CardLords, Kickstarter, kids

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Letters, Trivia, and a Game Giveaway!

It’s time to rounding our our week of 7 kids board game reviews!

The first is a game for kids learning the alphabet and the second is for kids who think they know it all.

Check out our reviews of Sequence Letters and Kids Know Best and then enter to win a copy for your family.

October 30, 2018October 29, 2018 Trent 14 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, kids, luck, Pressman Toy

Card Games Cooperative Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Building Cows and Making Faces

Our first set of kids game reviews this week each had some elements of math to them.

Today we’re leaving the math behind and moving on to silly fun.

We’ll first head out to pasture and build some cows, then it’s on to silly faces and sounds.

October 27, 2018 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, Gamewright, kids, luck, Tactic

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Bevy of Kids Games Reviews and Game Giveaway!

Over the coming 7 days we’re reviewing 7 new board games and card games your kids may love.

Since kids games have very simple rules, each review will be a shorter than our typical reviews. As such, we’re also going to review a couple games at a time. And we’ll end with a game giveaway!

We’re starting off with 3 games that can help your kids with math:
* Monster Crunch: The Breakfast Battle Game
* This Game Goes to Eleven
* Make 7

October 24, 2018October 25, 2018 Trent 5 Comments 2 players, 3-players, 4 players, 5 players, 6 players, Big G Creative, card, family, Gamewright, kids, Pressman Toys, strategy

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Get painting with Bob Ross: Art of Chill

Are you ready to paint some Happy Little Trees or Almighty Mountains?
That’s exactly what you get to do in Bob Ross: Art of Chill.

I’m pretty skeptical of board games based on pop culture references. Many times these publishers seem to rely on just the popular theme for success rather than quality game play. So when I heard about a board game based on Bob Ross, a PBS art show and personality from the 80’s, I was very skeptical.

It turns out that Bob Ross: The Art of Chill is my biggest surprise game this year!

I’ve had a great time playing it!

October 10, 2018 Trent 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Big G Creative, card, set collection, theme

Board Games Cooperative Games Game Reviews

It’s hard being Robinson Crusoe

Life sure isn’t easy on a deserted island. In fact, most of the time it can downright stink. But that isn’t to say there aren’t pleasures to be found.

Such is the case with the Robinson Crusoe 2nd edition board game from Portal Games.

It’s one of the hardest cooperative board games we’ve played. Yet it’s filled with so much adventuring theme and tough decisions, that we keep thinking about it long after we’ve played.

September 30, 2018February 1, 2019 Trent 6 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, adventure, cooperative game, luck, Portal games, risk, solo, theme

Board Games Cooperative Games Game Reviews

You may not survive Hellapagos

In Hellapagos, you and your fellow castaways are shipwrecked on an island with an approaching hurricane in the distance. You must work together to have any hope of getting off the island before the hurricane strikes.

Or at least some of you may make it off the island alive…

Hellapagos is a semi-cooperative board game for up to 12 players that’s super challenging to all win together. But you have to try. Because if you don’t work together, no one will survive. By working together, there’s at least a chance you can make it.

Do you have what it takes to be one of the survivors?

September 23, 2018September 23, 2018 Trent 7 Comments 10-player, 11-player, 12-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, cooperative game, Gigamic, luck, player elimination, random

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Head of Mousehold card game review

Tom & Jerry was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. Jerry would antagonize Tom to no end in every episode with lots of slapstick antics.

No matter how hard he tried, Tom could never get rid of Jerry.

For some reason, playing Head of Mousehold by FoxMind took me back to those simple, lazy Saturday mornings.

September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, card, family game, FoxMind, kids, theme

Articles

Women game and toy inventors abound

You might have guessed the inventor of the Barbie Doll was a women. But did you know the inventor of Monopoly was also a woman? That’s right, Elizabeth Magie invented The Landlords Game in 1903!

It then went on to be published as Monopoly by Parker Brothers in 1935. It has since been licensed in more than 103 countries, printed in more than 37 languages, and spawned tons of themed versions that continue to be released every year.

While the majority of the 5,000+ board games published every year are designed by men, we’re seeing more and more modern games being designed by women.

September 6, 2018 Trent 0 Comments game design

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Azul board game review

It’s hard for an abstract strategy game to make its way in this world. The masses clamor for board games dripping with theme. Like with movies and books, players are drawn to games that help them escape into a new realm.

So when an abstract board game comes along and wins the coveted Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award, people take notice.

Such is the case with Azul by Plan B Games and Next Move Games.