Since we’ve been reviewing family board games for more than 13 years, we’re often asked for advice about what games to buy, how to make a family game night, and other family game-related topics.
Last week, a writer asked us to help contribute to their article on Expert Advice for the Ultimate Game Room at Home.
The question they had for us was, “How do board games bring families together?”
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Perhaps the first question you’ll have when you see our review of Founders of Teotihuacan is “How should I pronounce Teotihuacan?”
Our answer to that is, “However you’d like.”
That way you can move right on to the next question, “Is it fun to play?”
And for that we respond, “It depends on what type of fun you like in your board games.”
Take a deeper look and see if it’s a fit for you and your family.
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The number of people wanting to plays games over lunch at the company I work at has been growing. And for such a group and setting, the board games and card games that get played are those that are relatively short and can accommodate many players.
So when I got a review copy of Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace – A Love Letter Game from Asmodee, and realized that up to 6 players could play, I knew the perfect place to break it in!
Not only are the Love Letter games fun and quick-playing, but this new iteration is a Star Wars version of the game. And there are plenty of people who love Star Wars at the office.
So what better place to give it a go!
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With Spring in the air and the many shutdowns of the last couple of pandemic years coming to an end, so many of us are looking for an escape. Although we may have settled into new routines, there’s often still an urge to break free.
And our review today is all about setting things free from their confined boxes.
In particular, these are “escape room” style puzzle boxes from EscapeWelt in Germany. Taking a look at their website, you’ll see they have a nice assortment to choose from.
The two we dove into are House of the Dragon and Space Box.
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Farmers markets are known the world over as almost all countries have some form of them.
At these markets, patrons enjoy a wide variety of goods that reflect the culture and economy of the area they’re being held in. From produce to handcrafted goods, you can find almost anything you want or need at one of these amazing local events.
In Downtown Farmers Market, from Blue Orange Games, players compete to gather goods from the market that fulfill 8 overlapping objectives. The player who does this the best is crowned Market Champion.
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When our monthly game night fell close to Star Wars Day earlier this month, we had to dive into some Star Wars games.
And that meant it was a perfect time to play Star Wars: Destiny!
It’s a 2-player card and dice game battle that we have tons of cards for – so we could set up multiple head-to-head battles among everyone there. Plus, it can be played in 30 minutes and then we can be on to the next battle against a different opponent.
That’s also when I realized that even though we’ve had the game for a number of years, we haven’t posted our full review of Star Wars: Destiny yet.
That changes today!
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Imagine if Checkers married a building system like Kenex or Tinker Toys, what would their baby look like?
Well, I might have found the answer to that, Gridopolis!
On the front of the rulebook it says Gridopolis is a “3D strategy game and system”. The system part of it comes in the form of a modular playing board called the Grid-Set. The Grid-Set can be built in any manner of ways before you start playing and may change throughout the course of the game making this a truly unique experience.
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“Within the charming valley of Everdell, beneath the boughs of towering trees, among meandering streams and mossy hollows, a civilization of forest critters is thriving and expanding. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host—you have a busy year ahead of yourself. Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises?
Prepare to be enchanted by the wondrous world of Everdell. Once you are here, you might never, ever, want to leave.”
Such is the intro text to the board game Everdell by Starling Games.
The big question is, is it true – Once you enter and play, will you ever want to leave?
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“Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.”
Have you ever stared up at the night sky and thought, “I can do that.”
Well, now’s your chance! In Twinkle, players take on the role of celestial creators decorating the night sky with beautiful constellations. The player who can do this the best will be the King Celestial!
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Whenever we visit a US National Park, we take a lot of photos!
How can you not take photos when you’re wandering around, taking in nature’s beauty?
These are also the types of photos I use for my phone and desktop backgrounds. Looking at the scenic photos can bring a sense of peace.
However, when such pictures are all broken up, mixed around, and players are racing against the clock to be the first to arrange their picture, that peace can evaporate quickly!
That’s a bit what it’s like playing PicTwist: National Parks – a new board game from The Op.
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