Had a blast at Gen Con 2016!
Last week marked a big first for me — my first Gen Con experience! I’ve wanted to go to Gen
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Cooperative Games
Star Trek Panic is a blast!
I can still clearly remember the first time we played Castle Panic.
From the very first turn, the monsters streamed from the forest and wrecked havoc on our castle walls and towers. We were on the defensive immediately and it never seemed to let up.
It was awesome!
So when given the chance to play the just-released Star Trek Panic, we didn’t hesitate a second.
And we’re so happy we did — because Star Trek Panic is a blast!
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Best Games of 2015! – The Dice Tower Awards
The best board games, card games, dice games, family games, and party games of 2015 have now been awarded!
Just a couple days ago, on July 9, The Dice Tower announced the winners of the Dice Tower Awards — the annual crowing of the best board games published.
With thousands of new games published each year, there’s always so many great games to choose from.
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Burgle Bros. is a great cooperative board game
Just like we’d imagine a real heist to be, Burgle Bros. is a challenging cooperative experience. Players work together to crack 3 safes and escape to the roof in order to win.
However, if they don’t stay clear of the guards, they’ll be caught, rat out the co-conspirators, and lose.
While playing, you’ll feel the tension build as you explore the 3 floors of the bank – setting off alarms, cracking safes to grab the loot, and trying to stay a step ahead of the guards on your way to victory. (Or terrible defeat – which can be a common outcome.)
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Escape The Room: Mystery at the Stargazer’s Manor
Since it’s a cooperative experience, Escape The Room can definitely be enjoyed by everyone in the family.
The game box says ages 10+ and the challenges will take some thinking. But that shouldn’t stop you from having younger kids join in the fun.
In our case, my wife and I made sure not to take charge in solving the puzzles, but rather let our kids read the clues, try to solve the challenges, and open all the packets.
But what we liked the most is that even though we let them lead out, we weren’t sitting idly by. It truly felt like a joint deductive effort.
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Best Board Games 2015 – Nominees are set!
What are the best board games and card games from 2015?
We’ll soon find out because the annual Dice Tower Awards are upon us.
The annual awards recognize the best board games published every year and the 2015 nominees were just announced.
Over 4,000 new board games, card games, dice games, and party game are published each year. So finding the best board games and card games takes a bit of time.
Lucky for you, board game reviewers from around the world take part in The Dice Tower Awards.
Check out this year’s nominees!
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The Game Canopy = best game bag!
How do you carry your board games when you’re heading out somewhere else to play?
We’ve used a variety of options when going away for a family vacation, extended family gathering, or off to game night — such as plastic totes, cloth bags, and standard duffle bags.
Some of those options severely limit the amount of games we can take and don’t protect the games very well.
But recently we found out about The Game Canopy, by Level 3B, and now the issue is solved!
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Last day of fun at SaltCon 2016 – Day 3
After a couple great days at SaltCon, I was looking forward to one final day of fun.
So with just a few hours of sleep, I was happily diving back into action before the main gaming hall opened.
Knowing it was the final day of SaltCon, I had to make the most of the day playing games at the top of my want-to-play list. And there were still many people I was hoping to meeting up with before the end of the con. It would be a busy and fun day!
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Fun at SaltCon 2016 continued – Day 2
After a full Day 1 at SaltCon 2016 into the wee hours, I headed to my hotel room for a few hours of sleep before diving back into many more tabletop games on Day 2.
Of course, in addition to playing games, I took more time on Friday to visit with the exhibitors in the game hall and talk to publishers and game designers. I also perused the Game Swap area every now and then for a hidden game gem.
After the main game hall opened that morning, I once again found a couple friends and we headed for the Hot Games area.
Now on to mini game reviews of the 11 games I played on Day 2!
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Had a Lot of Fun at SaltCon 2016
This past weekend I joined in with 1,124 others to play a ton of board games at SaltCon 2016.
The board game convention, SaltCon was held this past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and I was happy I could attend all 3 days this year. I made sure to get the time off work as well as the time away from home. That way I could completely immerse myself in the fun and play as late as I wanted every night.
Now that I’ve rested up a bit, it’s time to look back on all the fun.
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