tile-laying Archives - The Board Game Family

World Wonders board game review

Earlier this year, I had my first chance to play World Wonders – a fun new tile-laying board game published by Arcane Wonders in 2023.

I played it at one of the Hot Games tables at SaltCon Spring 2024 and immediately wanted to play it again.

I couldn’t get it out of my mind and was still thinking about it a month later.

That’s when you know you’ve found another great family board game.

Even though I’d categorize World Wonders as a tile-laying game, it’s packed with much more than that. The game also includes economic, turn-order, and resource elements that keep players considering many choices throughout the whole game.

August 3, 2024August 8, 2024 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, Arcane Wonders, luck, solo, strategy, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Cascadia board game review

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!

February 18, 2024 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, animal, Flatout Games, luck, strategy, theme, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Founders of Teotihuacan board game review

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.

June 19, 2022 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Board&Dice, solo, strategy, tile-laying, tiles

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Downtown Farmers Market

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.

May 25, 2022 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Blue Orange Games, puzzle, strategy, tile-laying

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SaltCon 2022 Recap – 22 Games Played

I had a fantastic first weekend of March because I was hanging out and playing tons of games with my friends at SaltCon Spring 2022!

I look forward to this 4-day gaming event with much anticipation every year. And it was especially great this year because the air was finally clearing around the Covid pandemic. Which means we could see the smiling faces of the 1,700 or so people who came out to play all sorts of games.

This year I was able to attend 3 full days of the event and played 22 different board games, card games, and dice games!

It was a lot of fun and I’m ready to share my thoughts on each of the games I played.

(Consider it like a bunch of mini-reviews.)

March 20, 2022March 30, 2022 Trent 0 Comments auction, board game, card game, dice game, drafting, luck, SaltCon, strategy, theme, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Neoville Board Game Review

Frank Lloyd Wright has been my favorite architect as long as I can remember. His modern organic architecture has been an inspiration to many of today’s prominent architects. Falling Water, a house designed by Frank in 1935, exemplifies his philosophy of organic architecture with the harmonious union of art and nature.

Blue Orange Games new release, Neoville, picks right up on this theme of bio-architecture as players take on the role of an architect creating a new kind of city where the buildings conform to their surrounding and nature is the star.

Create giant stone edifices, fluid water buildings, tall tree towers or mighty clay high-rises bringing harmony to your city and prestige to you.

March 3, 2022April 24, 2022 Dane Trimble 6 Comments 2-player, 3-players, 4 players, Blue Orange Games, city buidling, theme, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

3 Azul Board Games Compared

5 years ago, Next Move Games published a unique tile-laying game that made huge waves in the board game industry – Azul.

The game includes colorful and chunky tiles made of bakelite and it quickly jumped to the top of Hot Games lists all over the world. Because of its immediate success, it was very hard to find a copy of the game for months.

Due to the game’s popularity, it was quickly followed by 2 additional Azul games in 2018 and 2019–each delivering familiar elements mixed with novelty. And today we’re reviewing and comparing each of these sequel games:

* Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra
* Azul: Summer Pavilion

February 25, 2022 Trent 1 Comment 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Azul, colorful, luck, Next Move Games, strategy, tile-laying, tiles

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Galaxy Trucker 2022 board game review

We had a CB radio in our van when I was a kid and I remember talking to long-haul truckers via that radio during long trips with our family. Chatting over the radio while riding was a fun way to get a very small glimpse inside the cab of truckers.

I can only imagine the stories we’d get if we were to tap into truckers in space.

Because if they’re anything like what happens during a game of Galaxy Trucker, then we’d be in for quite the tale!

In the game, players frantically build their ships and then take them on a flight to gather goods, face space pirates, encounter meteor swarms, and more.

Strap in and check it out!

January 16, 2022 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Czech Games Edition, luck, space, theme, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Way Back In Time – Kingdomino Origins

Before the dragons came… Before the great duel took place… Before the age of giants began… Before her imperial majesty took her reign… And before the kingdom itself came: The Origin.

In Kingdomino Origins, from Blue Orange Games, players are prehistoric tribal leaders advancing their civilizations and creating the most powerful kingdom in the land. They do this by adding terrain dominos to their kingdom to earn them the most points.

Since the namesake is Kingdomino, players familiar with the original Kingdomino game will find a lot of similarities. Yet in Kingdomino Origins, there are 3 different modes of play!

December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Blue Orange Games, domino, luck, strategy, tile-laying

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Land vs Sea Board Game Review

“In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.”

So starts the poem used to teach about Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas.

It’s hard not to think about sailing and searching out lands when you’re playing the clever tile-laying, puzzle game Land vs. Sea by designer Jon-Paul Jacques and publisher Good Games Publishing.

Players work to create completed land masses or completed seas depending on the roles they’ve taken. The player or team who does this the best by the time the final tile is played will be the winner!

October 11, 2021October 11, 2021 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, Good Games Publishing, luck, strategy, theme, tile-laying

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