Build your own galaxies in Cosmic Factory

How are your galaxy building skills?

Oh, you haven’t built a galaxy recently?

Well, maybe it’s time you give it a try.

In Cosmic Factory, players race to build personal galaxies in ways that will score them the most points. The catch is that they must do so in under 1 minute!

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Family fishing fun with Miaui!

Grab your fishing pole and hit the islands in this fun family board game by Z-Man Games and Asmodee!

Of course, in Miaui, you’re not fishermen but instead you’re fisher-cats.

After all, isn’t it well known that cats love fish?

So why not have a game about cats catching fish?

There’s a fishing festival about to happen and the skilled Miauians are vying to bring in the most valuable fish from the lagoon.

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Record numbers at SaltCon 2019!

Another super fun weekend of board gaming at SaltCon is in the books!

I look forward to SaltCon with high anticipation every year and it never disappoints.

And that’s exactly how I’m feeling again looking back on last weekend of fun board gaming with friends and strangers.

SaltCon is our local board game convention that rolls around the first weekend of March. And like the previous years, it continues to hit record numbers.

For SaltCon 2019, more than 1,900 people came for the fun!

Here’s my quick run down on the 20+ games I played over the couple days I was there.

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Ubongo: Fun-Sized edition game review

Sharpen your speedy, Tetris-puzzle solving skills because it’s time to play Ubongo: Fun-Size edition.

It’s not exactly Tetris, but whenever we’re playing with polyomino pieces, we can’t help thinking of that addictive shape-placing game.

There have been various versions of Ubongo published over the years. And last year, Thames & Kosmos released the Ubongo: Fun-Size edition.

And the good news is that it’s just as fun.

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Raiders of the North Sea board game review

Recruit your crew, gather supplies, and set off to raid unsuspecting settlements for gold, iron, and livestock — because you’re Viking Raiders!

At least, you can pretend to be in Raiders of the North Sea.

There are various ways to gain points that impress the Chieftain. And if you earn the most points, you’ll come out victorious over the other Viking crews.

Do you have what it takes to become the most impressive Viking leader in the North Sea?

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Dead Men Tell No Tales: Kraken expansion review

You’ve vanquished the skeleton crew, you’ve grabbed the loot, you’ve kept the deckhands in check, and you’re about to escape the burning ship to enjoy your spoils when it happens.

The ship starts to shake. The floorboards start to rumble. Then all of a sudden, tentacles start bursting through the boards all over the ship.

You and your fellow pirates stumble away from them the best you can when you notice the Kraken surface just off the bow of the ship and block your exit!

How will you survive? Start loading the cannons and take it down!

You can in Dead Men Tells No Tales: The Kraken expansion.

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Get with the flow in The River

Living in the Western United States, we’re very familiar with Pioneers. In fact, many of our ancestors were pioneers who helped settle the West.

So games about pioneers have a certain draw for me. The good news is that The River, by Days of Wonder, is a good family board game.

It’s relatively quick to play, keeps players engaged throughout, and has a good balance of luck and strategy.

Check it out!

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Falling shapes are fun in Drop It

We recently added a puppy to our family and are working on training her. One of the commands we’re trying to teach her is “Drop It”.

Inevitably, she’ll grab something she’s not supposed and we’ll ask her to “drop it”. It’s hit or miss so far, but we’re working on it.

One thing that’s not as tough as training a puppy is a new game by Kosmos called Drop It. Instead, this kind of dropping it is a lot more fun.

In Drop It, players take turns dropping various shapes for points.

That’s right — drop some shapes and score points!

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