In getting ready to write my 2021 Year in Review, I realized that I never posted a 2020 Year in Review.
Maybe that’s because 2020 felt like a gap year for everybody – and many things just didn’t happen.
Well, that gives me a better chance to take a look at both years and compare how they’ve shaken out for family board game playing time.
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We had a CB radio in our van when I was a kid and I remember talking to long-haul truckers via that radio during long trips with our family. Chatting over the radio while riding was a fun way to get a very small glimpse inside the cab of truckers.
I can only imagine the stories we’d get if we were to tap into truckers in space.
Because if they’re anything like what happens during a game of Galaxy Trucker, then we’d be in for quite the tale!
In the game, players frantically build their ships and then take them on a flight to gather goods, face space pirates, encounter meteor swarms, and more.
Strap in and check it out!
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The princess is having a wedding this weekend and everyone is rushing to gather gifts and treasures for the occasion.
But this gathering isn’t as simple as running to the store and buying things. Instead, you’ll be maneuvering boats and jumping from boat to boat to collect the items you’re after.
Plus, others will be out doing the same thing and they’ll make even harder for you to get around and get what you need.
So it is in Dragon Market – a fun family board game from Blue Orange Games.
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It’s that time of year again when so many of us want to have a great game to play at gatherings of family and friends for the holidays.
We’d all love a game that’s quick to explain, simple to play, can accommodate many players, and can be played over and over. It’s also nice to have a game that doesn’t take so much concentration that you can’t enjoy having conversations while playing the game.
Oh, and of course it’s got to be fun!
Well, we’ve got just the game for you and it’s called, Just One!
We bought a copy last year and have had a lot of fun playing it ever since.
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Setting: Jamaica, 1675.
After a long career in piracy, Captain Henry Morgan skillfully gets appointed to be Governor of Jamaica, with the explicit order to cleanse the Caribbean of pirates and buccaneers. Instead, he invites all of his former “colleagues” to join him in his retirement, to enjoy the fruits of their looting with impunity. Each year, in remembrance of the “good old days,” Morgan organizes the Great Challenge, a race around the island, and at its end, the Captain with the most gold is declared Grand Winner.
And with that, in the board game Jamaica you and your friends are set to race around the island of Jamaica, capturing treasure, battling your opponents, and trying to be the first one back to Port Royal!
Do you have what it takes to make it at sea?
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Gravity is our friend!
I’m sure most of us don’t think about gravity very often. Even though this force keeps us all well-planted on Earth, we just take it for granted and don’t give it a second thought.
But if you’re floating around in space without much fuel, you may start thinking more seriously about gravitational pulls. And that’s exactly how it is in the fun board game we’re reviewing today — Gravwell 2nd Edition.
In Gravwell, you’ll rely heavily on gravitational pulls to get you to your goal first. It’s a fun game with a bit of chaos and this year there’s a new edition to love!
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If you’re looking for some great game ideas for friends and family, you’ve come to the right place!
This marks our 11th annual Board Game Gift Guide and we love sharing great gift ideas!
And this year we’re sharing another 40 game ideas!
Since there’s a wide range of people (ages & interests) you may be considering, we break down this game guide into various categories and share a handful of game ideas in each category.
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Way back in 2009, our then 6-year old son, Caleb got us rolling in reviewing board games with his video review of Pandemic.
He shared how to play the game and what he enjoyed about working together to save the world from deadly viruses.
Fast-forward 12 years and the tides have turned.
Now we’re infecting the world with viruses and competing to be the most lethal in Plague Inc.: The Board Game!
That’s right, the popular mobile app game, Plague Inc., first released in 2012 by Ndemic Creations, is now available as a board game available from Asmodee.
I know it sounds odd while we’re struggling around the world facing a real global pandemic, but to be honest, we’ve had a very fun time playing Plague Inc.: the Board Game. And we’re happy to share why.
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Santorini has been a favorite 2-player board game in our family ever since we first played the reimplemented game by Roxley Games 4 years ago.
It’s an abstract strategy game with variable player powers where each player tries to get one of their pawns (workers) to the 3rd level of a building. The game components are absolutely fantastic and look just like the recognizable, blue-topped buildings on the Greek isle of Santorini.
So we were quite surprised when Roxley Games published Santorini: New York in 2020.
I mean, what do Santorini and New York have to do with each other?
It was a real head-scratcher.
Of course, that also didn’t stop us in the slightest from wanting to play it right away!
If you’re just as curious about how the awesome Santorini could morph into a new game set in New York City as we were, then you’ve come to the right place—read on!
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I’ve never been someone who loves bees.
I still have vivid memories of being stung by a bee when I was little and swelling up like crazy. So it’s hard for me to understand the desire of some people to become beekeepers.
It’s a good thing I don’t have to like bees to enjoy Queenz by Rio Grand Games.
It’s a fun set-collection and tile-laying board game where the players are beekeepers planting orchids to attract bees and produce the tastiest honey.
And it’s a great addition to a family board game collection.
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