I really don’t like trivia games.
At least, the trivia game most people are familiar with — Trivial Pursuit. And I’ve tried to like it. But to no avail. It’s just not for me.
That’s why I was a bit wary when we got a copy of Smart10 from Bananagrams.
Yet, once we pulled it out and played it, Smart10 became the hit group game this holiday break!
And I’m happy to tell you why.
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Back in early 2019, my four boys started asking me if we could get the hit game–Minecraft. I said “No” for a long time. Until after much research and finding out that you can play solo and in private servers, I finally relented and Minecraft entered our home.
Flash forward a year and a half and Minecraft has become a huge hit in our house, not only by my kids, but also by me!
Many hours have been spent creating worlds, adventuring to find treasure, and fighting the steady stream of monsters placed in our way.
When Ravensburger released the board game Minecraft Builders and Biomes, in late 2019 we were all very interested in how it would compare to its digital counterpart. I watch some play-throughs and sure enough, it looked like something we would enjoy very much. Once I got connected with The Board Game Family, I asked Trent to hook me up, and boy did he come through.
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As a child of the 80’s, I remember seeing Gremlins when it opened in movie theaters in 1984. And I loved it!
I also remember watching Gremlins with my kids when they were old enough for me to enrich their lives with classic 80’s culture. And that’s when I realized, Gremlins really isn’t a kids movie!
Those Gremlins are pretty nasty creatures. But the excruciating deaths by kitchen appliances is quite an eye-opening scene (when I’m now seeing it through the eyes of my kids).
How irresponsible of a parent could I be?
But I digress…let’s talk game instead!
With the Christmas holiday upon us, it’s time we slap some Gremlins around in this new game by Funko — Gremlins: Holiday Havoc.
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It’s June 11, 1962, the day you’re going to break into Alcatraz.
Yes, you read that right. You’ll be breaking into the most secure prison in the world to break 4 inmates out. Months of planning has gone into this daring operation and now it’s time to act.
At least it will be if you’re playing Break In: Alcatraz!
From the publisher, Playmonster: “Throughout this collaborative experience, you must work together to follow a series of clues and solve puzzles to unfold multiple layers of the game and move deeper into the prison to help your friends escape! You’ll encounter many obstacles and characters along the way…this game provides the thrill and challenge of an escape room, combined with the experience and world-immersion of a movie”!
Do you have what it takes to break into Alcatraz?
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If I gave you the clue “Barney”, would you be able to pick it out of a grid of 480 colors?
What about “Mustard”, “Ocean Spray”, or “Slime”?
That’s the premise in a new game by The Op called Hues and Cues. And it’s much tougher than we first imagined.cBut that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun game to play. The real question is will your family and friends enjoy playing it?
After all, that’s why we do these reviews — to give you a feel for a game and help you decide if it’s right for your group.
So let’s see where Hues and Cues may fall for you.
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I think we all wish we could be out traveling the world right now. Traveling is the thing I’ve missed the most in 2020.
We’ve had to cancel two big vacations we’d been looking forward to for a long time. One of those would have been this week. We’re totally bummed that we couldn’t be seeing new sights in Asia right now.
But in the meantime, we can jet all around the world in our imagination while we play Trekking the World!
Trekking the World is the latest board game published by Underdog Games. It delivers a lot of the familiar game play from Trekking the National Parks while adding a few new elements we really enjoy.
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In Healthy Heart Hospital players assume the roles of doctors and hospital administrators attempting to bring prestige back to Healthy Heart after the previous administration left it a mess.
Prestige is earned by curing patients and expanding your hospital. If players are able to make it through the ambulance card deck, they win the game. If players go broke or run out of places to put dead patients, they lose.
Do you have what it takes to bring Health Heart back?
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No two cities are alike.
That’s as true in life as it is when playing My City by Thames & Kosmos.
That’s because players in My City will end up with a unique city every game. And there will be many games played!
And not just because My City is a “legacy” game, but because it’s so easy and fun to play you’ll want to play over and over.
At least, that’s how it is with us.
Let’s see if it’s a board game your family will enjoy too.
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“Four factions of warriors battle to survive on a doomed land that will be destroyed piece by piece, taking its occupants with it. You must strategize to survive—by fleeing, fighting or sacrificing your weakest members—whatever you must do to be the last one left standing when the land around you has been annihilated.”
Reign is a skirmish battle royale style board game, from PlayMonster, where 2 to 4 try to eliminate all the other players’ troops to be the last one standing.
Players not only have to watch out for each other but also the impending disasters which destroy different sections of the board and with it any troops and Power Stones that have the misfortune of being on that section.
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One of our family’s favorite party games is Telestrations. It’s a hoot every time we play it because things never turn out the way they start.
So when we heard about Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition by Big Potato Games, and that it sounded a lot like Telestrations, we were happy to give it a go.
I mean, why not take a crack at seeing how mixed up our Disney drawings could get?
And we’re happy to report we’ve had plenty of laughs with Sketchy Tales!
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