We enjoy playing several trick-taking card games.
Our favorites over the years have been Skull King, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, and Cat in the Box. That’s because they all present some very unique spins on basic trick-taking game play.
We’ve recently played a new trick-taking card game with unique twists that have us thinking in fresh ways yet again.
Sandbag, by Bezier Games, is a fun new spin on trick-taking card games that’s a lot of fun.
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Strange things are happening at the Wonderland amusement park.
That can mean only one thing – Finley has struck again.
It’s up to you to stop all the madness. You must Find Finley!
Find Finley is a new family board game from Fat Brain Toy Co. that will have your kids exercising their deduction and reasoning skills.
Read on to discover more about this new family board game and get a chance to win a copy for your family!
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My first encounter with Valeria: Card Kingdoms at SaltCon 2017 was an absolute blast, leaving me eager for more.
It reminded me a lot of Machi Koro, but I liked Valeria’s fantasy theme much better. Plus, I loved that everyone gains resources on anybody’s turn, not just on their own turn.
I added the game to my wish list soon after, but just never pulled the trigger on buying a copy. That is, until two years ago when Daily Magic Games published an updated version!
The new edition not only had upgraded components and streamlined play, but it was also much cheaper!
I’ve since introduced the game to many friends, and everyone has had a great time playing.
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A few years ago, I was introduced to a new racing game from by Restoration Games that has become one of my favorite racing games of all time – Downforce!
In the game, players bid in car auctions, race the cars, use special powers, and bet on the outcomes. There’s no dice rolling as it’s the cards that determine which color cars move and how far. And even though you want to favor the cars you bought in the auction, the cards you play will also be moving other player’s cars as well.
I first played Downforce at SaltCon End of Summer 2021 and then bought a copy later that year.
So it’s high time for me to write a review about it and share why I enjoy it so much.
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The first weekend of March, I spent a couple of days playing a bunch of fun games at SaltCon Spring 2024.
SaltCon Spring is a 4-day event held on the first weekend of March. This year, I arrived Thursday night after work and stayed through Saturday afternoon (taking Friday off work so I could play all day).
Even though SaltCon now hosts game events a few times each year, the spring gathering is the biggest of the bunch and one I look forward to every year.
This year, the attendance hit 2,400!
Read on to get a quick recap of the 16 different games I played and my thoughts on each.
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We really enjoy tile-laying board games.
Whether we’re building out our own areas like in Barenpark or adding to a central area like in Carcassonne, we love creating a unique arrangement every time. No matter whether we win or not, we feel accomplished seeing what we’ve made.
That’s one reason we were drawn to Cascadia when it was first published in 2021 by Flatout Games.
We were also drawn to the gameplay and the wonderful theme of habitats and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest.
And after having played it numerous times, we’re happy to report that Cascadia knocks it out of the park on all accounts!
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When playing with family, we like games that have a good balance of both luck and strategy. We enjoy having to make interesting choices during a game but also like an element of luck to keep things interesting.
So when a game has “Lucky” in the very name, should we shun it?
Don’t be too quick to do so!
At least, you shouldn’t do so with Lucky Numbers by Tiki Editions.
That’s because Lucky Numbers has great choices throughout to keep players engaged and having fun.
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This time of year, it’s great to gather as family and friends for some light-hearted games.
Similo, by Horrible Guild, fits that very well.
That’s because Similo is a cooperative deduction game where everyone either wins or loses together. It comes in a variety of card sets of 30 cards such as Fables, Myths, Animals, History, and more. All of which have fantastic artwork that add to the enjoyment of the game.
The goal is to make the other players guess one secret character by playing other character cards from your hand as clues, stating whether they’re similar to or different from the secret character.
And because it’s nice and compact, it’s a great game to give as a gift as well.
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When I heard Stonemaier Games was publishing a sequel to Scythe, my interest jumped into overdrive.
After all, if you’ve seen my video review “17 Things I Love About Scythe” then you know how much I enjoy the original board game. And even while I write this, I realize my original review was over 7 years ago in July 2016!
Wow, how time flies.
Anyway, earlier this year, Stonemaier Games released Expeditions to the delight of many.
I was fortunate enough to get a review copy and now I’m eager to share my thoughts after diving into the game wholeheartedly.
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We’ve posted a Board Game Gift Guide for the past 12 years. And each year we’ve recommended around 40 games to get your friends and family as gifts.
Which means that through our annual gift guides, we’ve shared close to 500 game ideas!
Well, rather than give another list of new games to check out, we’ve decide to roll back through our 12 years of game gift guides and pick out our very favorites to recommend for 2023.
So, without further ado, here’s our recommended favorites in each category.
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