Trent, Author at The Board Game Family

Just One party game review

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.

December 21, 2021 Trent 1 Comment 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, guessing, party, Repos Productions

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Jamaica Board Game Review

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?

December 12, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, Asmodee, luck, pirate, Space Cowboys, theme

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Gravwell 2nd Edition Board Game Review

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!

November 21, 2021November 22, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, chaos, luck, Renegade Game Studios, special powers

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games Top 10 Lists

Board Game Gift Guide 2021!

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.

November 13, 2021November 19, 2023 Trent 0 Comments game gift guide

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Plague Inc.: The Board Game Review

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.

October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Asmodee, luck, solo, strategy, them

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Santorini in New York?

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!

October 23, 2021 Trent 4 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, abstract, luck, Roxley Games, strategy, variable set up

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Queenz Board Game Review

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.

October 5, 2021October 11, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, luck, Rio Grande Games, strategy, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Mondrian Blocks Brain Teaser review

Do your kids love puzzle challenges?

Or maybe it’s you that loves such challenges.

If so, then you’ll want to check out Mondrian Blocks, published by Smart Egg.

On its own, it’s essentially a solitaire puzzle. However, if you’ve got more than one copy, you can play them in head-to-head races.

September 27, 2021September 27, 2021 Trent 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, puzzle, Smart Egg, solo

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews

The new Skull King!

Three years ago we played a family card game that immediately became a family favorite. We played it over and over and quickly reviewed it to share why we enjoyed playing it so much.

The game was Skull King, by Grandpa Beck’s Games, and the enjoyment we get out of playing hasn’t subsided at all since then!

If anything, we’ve enjoyed it more and more over the years.

And now, there’s a new version of Skull King to love!

We were very excited when we found out Grandpa Beck’s Games was updating Skull King with a few new twists. And now that we’ve had time to play it over and over, we’re excited to tell you all about it.

September 15, 2021 Trent 3 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, card, Grandpa Beck's Games, luck, Skull King, trick-taking

Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews

Qwinto Dice Game Review

We have no idea what “Qwinto” means or where on earth that name came from, but we do know it’s a fun dice game!

Over the last few years, “roll-and-write” games have been pouring out from almost every game publisher. These are games where players either roll dice or flip cards and then write the results on their personal sheets. A few such games we’ve reviewed include That’s Pretty Clever, Kingdomino Duel, and Metro X.

Qwinto, by Pandasaurus Games, is the latest we’ve played and we’ve been hooked!

We got a copy in the game trade at SaltCon 2021 and have played over 20 times this past month. And when we play a game that much, you bet we’re going to tell you all about it.

September 2, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, family, Pandasaurus Games