Trent, Author at The Board Game Family

Charterstone Board Game Review

Would you love to build your own little village and watch it grow?

We’re not talking about SimCity here. Instead, we’re talking about Charterstone by Stonemaier Games.

Charterstone is a campaign, legacy game where players compete to win the graces of the Forever King by building a grand village over the course of 12 games.

Since it’s a legacy game, choices players make will permanently alter the game board — making future game options and experiences all unique!

The game was published at the end of 2017 and we finally got a copy and a chance to play this summer. And now we’re ready to share our thoughts about this unique game.

August 23, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, campaign, city building, legacy, Stonemaier Games, theme

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Happy, but Sad – A New Chapter

Why do our children think they can just grow up and become independent?

I mean, just because we teach them skills to be able leave the nest and fly, does that mean they really have to?

Well, that’s the situation we (mom & dad) are finding ourselves in right now.

Our youngest child just moved off to college!

While it’s a very exciting time for both him and us, it’s also a time of sadness.

We’re sad to close this chapter of our lives — the chapter filled with little tikes running around, young kids adventures, youth sports, late at night homework, late nights with friends, and many fun games.

But we’re also happy in looking forward to Caleb’s adventures ahead!

August 17, 2021August 17, 2021 Trent 1 Comment family

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Stuffed Fables: Oh, Brother! – Even more stories to play

Last week we shared about the cooperative story game, Stuffed Fables – where players are the stuffed animals helping a little girl.

Now that little girl has a baby brother with his own 2 “stuffies” – Pokey the unicorn and muscular Manny.

So it’s time for the stuffies to dive into even more adventures in Stuffed Fables: Oh, Brother!

While the game includes a new storybook, new tokens, sleep cards, and its own discovery deck, players still need components from the Stuffed Fables base game to play.

August 15, 2021August 15, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Asmodee, cooperative, family, kid, Plaid Hat Games, solo, story, theme

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Stuffed Fables – Bedtime stories as a cooperative game

Toy Story movies are still some of my favorite movies.

I love the idea of our toys having a purpose. And Pixar knows how to breath depth of character into them throughout their adventures.

Well, a few years ago, Plaid Hat Games brought that concept to life in a cooperative board game that’s fantastic for families called Stuffed Fables.

The game is a cooperative adventure game where the main characters are “stuffies” (stuffed animals) working together to save the child they love from a scheming, evil mastermind.

It’s also an “Adventure Book” game where the game board is actually a physical book teaming with adventures on every page.

And it works wonderfully!

August 9, 2021August 15, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Asmodee, cooperative, family, kid, Plaid Hat Games, solo, theme

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

SaltCon 2021 End of Summer Fun

“Back in the Game”

That was the bold statement on the winning t-shirt design for SaltCon End of Summer 2021. And it couldn’t have been more appropriate!

It was awesome to be back at SaltCon this past weekend playing game after game for a couple of days straight.

SaltCon is the big board game convention in Utah, USA and it’s packed with gaming goodness. The event is typically held for 4 days in March each year, so I was sad when it was announced last Fall that the March event would be canceled. But, the news a few months ago that they’d hold an “End of Summer” SaltCon for 3 days at the end of July got me excited again.

Let’s dive in!

August 3, 2021September 2, 2021 Trent 0 Comments card, convention, deck-building, dice, family board games, luck, party, strategy, Top 10 lists

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

World’s Fair 1893 board game review

One of my favorite memories as a teenager was when our family went to Canada for Expo 86. It was a World’s Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, and I thought it was so cool.

The theme of Expo 86 was “Transportation and Communication: World in Motion – World in Touch” and it was a spectacle.

Perhaps it was because of my experience going to a World’s Fair that I was drawn to the board game World’s Fair 1893 when it was published a few years ago.

I first played the game at SaltCon a while back and enjoyed playing it. Then earlier this year, Renegade Game Studios announced a new version of the game. They sent us a copy and we’re excited to tell you all about it.

July 25, 2021 Trent 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, area-control, family, luck, Renegade Game Studios, set collection, strategy, theme

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

Best Games of 2020! – The Dice Tower Awards

The best board games, card games, dice games, family games, and party games of 2020 have been awarded!

The Dice Tower recently announced the winners of The Dice Tower Awards — the annual crowing of the best board games published last year.

With thousands of new games published every year, there’s never a shortage of great new board games to play.

Top board game reviewers, podcasters, and industry contributors from around the world participated in the nomination and voting process.

Now, let’s see The Dice Tower Award Winners for 2020:

July 18, 2021 Trent 0 Comments Best Board Games, card, cooperative, dice, family game, kid, luck, party, strategy, The Dice Tower, Top 10 lists

Board Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

King of Tokyo: Dark Edition game review

In 2012 we reviewed one of the hot new board games that year, King of Tokyo.

King of Tokyo is a push-your-luck board game where you get to play “king of the hill” using dice, special ability power cards, and cool monsters.

It’s no wonder why it jumped to “hot game” status because it’s easy to play and a lot of fun for up to 6 players.

iello quickly published an expansion for the game, King of Tokyo: Power Up. And a couple of year later released King of New York.

Last year, they published a collector’s edition of the game called King of Tokyo: Dark Edition and we’re excited to share our thoughts about it.

July 4, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, dice, iello, luck

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Break In: Area 51 – Game Review

Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed your mission.

Unfortunately, you left your spaceship behind and the humans have captured it and are taking it apart in a place they call “Area 51”.

You better break in and get it back before it’s too late. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to return home.

What are you waiting for? Get going!

June 24, 2021 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, cooperative, escape, PlayMonster, solo, thinking

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Theme Every Game Night with Medieval Collectibles

Cosplay has exploded over the past two decades and the resources available to fans to make or buy costumes and accessories of all sorts has kept pace.

One such resource is Medieval Collectibles — a one-stop-shop for collectors of medieval weapons, renaissance clothing, and many other such items.

To get a first hand look at the high quality and range of their items, they sent us a Black Hilt Rapier and a Norman Crusader Guarding Door Bookend.

To cut to the chase, we’re extremely impressed with both items.

June 15, 2021June 15, 2021 Trent 0 Comments theme