The Family Gamers Podcast

Escape rooms let your family cooperate in new and interesting ways. But do you prefer a physical, in-person escape room, a video game, or a board game experience? 0:00:00 Fact for 418 HTTP code 418: “I’m a teapot” Sponsor Message If you want help planning for your kid’s college education, set up a time for a free 15-minute call by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:05:00 What We’ve Been Playing Embers (our review)Lands of AmazementAspensVerdant Arizona 0:12:50 The Family Gamers Community We’re so happy to welcome new members! You can join the community on Facebook too. 0:13:30 #Backtalk You shared your purging regrets on Facebook and the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:19:25 Escape Rooms Physical escape rooms – we’ve done a few. Very cool but can feel high pressure. They’re great to do in a group, letting everybody work on different things. Doing it as a family is expensive! Video games are a much cheaper way to capture this style really well: Portal, The Room, Escape Academy Board Game “Escape Rooms” These range in size and playtime. Some are more puzzley, some are more narrative-driven. But any of them can be a great family experience. And we have reviewed a bunch of them – we’ll talk about six series here: EXIT series – Fairly immersive, with a plot and setting that hangs together. Everything you need is in the box. Wide variety of puzzles to write on, manipulate, cut, etc. But comes with a downside – that wide variety means you almost always run into a puzzle in the game that is not figure-out-able (for us). They come in a huge range of difficulty, including several that are appropriate to do with younger kids who are just barely reading. Unlike the other games in this list, we think they’re best with more than 2 players. There are also EXIT Kids games now! (Check out the EXIT games we’ve reviewed.) Unlock series – These require an app. Other than the app, completely card-based and re-settable to pass on to a friend to try. These also have a juvenile line now – Unlock Kids. Our experience has been really uneven. Some really great (Wizard of Oz, Star Wars). Others are just really weird, with puzzles don’t make sense. We generally recommend these, but use caution. Holiday Hijinks – probably our favorite compact escape-room type game. Packs a ton of puzzles into 18 cards and a web app. Full of puns, trivia, and holiday cultural references. Still best for very small groups, since there’s such a small space to work in. Family friendly, although younger kids will probably be frustrated that they don’t have the trivia knowledge to contribute unless they’re very knowledgeable about the holiday. (Check out our reviews and interviews about Holiday Hijinks.) Deckscape – feels like a “choose your own adventure” narrative. Mostly a deck of cards, but with a few accessories that made it more immersive. Puzzles could not be attempted more than once, which made the choices feel high-stakes. Best with 2-3 players, because you’re only looking at a few cards at a time – unless you’re willing to take your time and pass them around the table. (We reviewed Deckscape: The Mystery of El Dorado.) Backstories – not really an escape room, more of a narrative adventure. Work through decisions one at a time as a group. But not only re-settable, it’s replayable, with branching paths and different endings depending on the decisions made! Not exactly family-friendly. Lots of violence and some death. (Check out our Backstories reviews.) Star Trek: Cryptic – as Trek fans we really loved this one. Work through three different “chapters” in a Starfleet officer’s life, with very thematic puzzles. Pretty much re-settable, but you’ll get great value out of this one even if you only play it once – it takes 3-4 hours to do the whole thing, split into several sessions. Coded Chronicles (we reviewed Scooby Doo & The Goonies games) – also very narrative driven. But spreads out the responsibility to progress the narrative to all the players! There are multiple books to read in different character “voices”, even though the team is making decisions together. Also re-settable. Very family-friendly, even for kids who are unfamiliar with Scooby Doo or The Goonies. 0:42:00 New Backtalk Question Have you ever done an in-person escape room? If so, what did you think of it? If not, why not – cost, family-friendliness, or something else? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thef

How do you know when you’re done with a game? Your kids have aged out of it – are you sure? 0:00:00 Fact for 417 Solfeggio frequency 417 hz. Sponsor Message If you want to talk about more ways to teach your children to manage their personal finances, set up a time to talk by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:05:00 What We’ve Been Playing Flip 7 (our review)Cabanga! (our review)Circus Flohcati (our review)Trio (our review)Floristry (our review)Slay the Spire (over 3 separate days)Draftosaurus (our review back in 2019)Embers solo game (review coming soon)Unmatched Adventures: TMNTIliad (review coming soon) 0:21:55 Monthly Report Andrew: 14 (15?) plays of 10 unique games. H-index: 2 (Trio, Iliad) Anitra: 22 plays of 12 unique games. H-index: 3 (Trio, Slay the Spire, Embers) 0:24:00 The Family Gamers Community Hello to all our new members! You can join the community on Facebook too. 0:24:45 #Backtalk You shared your super powers, your special abilities! With a slight digression to Winter Olympics sports. Andrew wonders what the difference is between different ice-skating jumps. You responded on Facebook and the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:34:55 How Do You Know When You’re Done? There’s no easy formula here, sorry! It depends what’s going on with your own life, and also your family and friends. It’s easy to “move on” from kids games when you have other kids in your life, younger than your own kids. Harder if your own kids are really nostalgic. You may regret moving on from some games! That’s normal and okay. Board games are a consumer product, and you can probably replace it if you look hard enough (eBay is amazing). Your family situation will change over time: whether that’s “aging out” of a game, or a change in interests & priorities. We grieve a little bit over losing who our children *used to be* while still enjoying the people they are *right now*. Nostalgia ALONE is not a reason to keep a game! You may be able to find it in another place, or just keep your fond memories. But if nostalgia regularly drives you back to *wanting* to play the game, maybe it makes sense to keep. Andrew suggests “dimensionally constraining” nostalgic / kids items (a box, shelf, or other limited space) to help you focus your collection. Examine your reasons to want to keep a game, if it’s not being played. Examine your reasons to want to get rid of a game. Determine if a game can be played at multiple age & skill levels (aka with B-mods, or games like Kingdomino) Pare down regularly – we recommend 1-2 times a year, and it will get easier with time! Know that it’s hard to sell or trade-in kids’ games. Plan to donate them to friends or schools. 0:56:00 New Backtalk Question Have you purged a game that you later regretted? Or one that you knew was the right choice, but you still feel sad about it? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 417 – The Purge: How Do You Know You’re Done? appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We’re going to talk about what it’s like to grow up in a gaming family! 0:00:00 Fact for 416 The largest chocolate bar by area measured 416.34 square meters, achieved on 2 December 2024. Sponsor Message What do you do with your tax refund? Do you get a refund at all? If you want to talk to First Move about habits you can build to take the next step toward your goals, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a call. 0:04:05 What We’ve Been Playing Floristry (our review) – looking forward to trying the update!Flip 7 (our review)Trio (our review)IliadFight 5Animal Rescue TeamDice Throne: Marvel X-men – review coming soon 0:25:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest members! You can join the community on Facebook. 0:25:30 #Backtalk We asked about more topics… and your silliest #boardgamevalentine (see our TFG valentines). You responded on the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:29:00 Growing as a Family with Board Games We started The Family Gamers Podcast when we had three kids, age 7 and under. Back then, we were really just playing with the oldest and trying to find ways to include the preschooler. We started playing very simple games with our oldest when she was probably 3 years old. We did play some CandyLand, but we mostly played simple “family” games rather than kids’ games. We were often trying to rule-shift or play games that were very simple (like Zombie Dice, which we mention back in episode 1!), in part because our oldest started reading at a very young age. So we didn’t need games that avoided reading. She also really enjoyed the adult attention she got from doing “adult” things. And then our middle child got old enough to want to join in the games. Unfortunately, we discovered many “family games” don’t work well with multiple children when at least one can’t read yet. That is when we first realized that when gaming with very young children, games need to be short, with very simple decisions, no reading, and limited symbols & counting. We were barely aware of HABA games and other games geared towards very young children, but we learned! (Episode 36) Teaming Up: Playing with Multiple Children We also would “team up” a parent with a kid. The job of the parent was to present and explain the available decisions, without forcing the kid into any specific option. We recommend using house rules or variants, as long as everyone agrees how to play! It’s OK if small children just want to use the game pieces to play “let’s pretend”. If that bothers other children playing (or you as the parent), you need to clarify this with the kid – it’s not right or wrong, just have a plan for how to handle it. Maybe it means finishing this game and coming back later to play with the kid-generated rules. “You want to say ‘yes’ as much as possible.” – Andrew As the kids got a little older, we noticed that our younger children were trying to emulate their older sibling(s). (This is still an issue with teenagers, by the way.) This made it even more important to emphasize being a gracious winner and avoid being a sore loser. But it also means that you have to find ways to include the younger sibling(s) even as the older children want to graduate away from “kids games”. We looked for ways to handicap games, but also looked for games that would play to our younger children’s strengths, so they would not ALWAYS lose. It’s Different Now In 2026, we would recommend BoardGamesForAllAges.com. Tom has created “B-mods” which are handicapping rules to allow players of different levels to really be able to play TOGETHER. The structure encourages kids to keep leveling up, with fewer and fewer handicaps. We are also now in a phase of life where board gaming as a family looks very different: our kids are all in middle & high school now. And their interactions with games are different. It’s no longer about leveling the playing field, it’s about honoring the ways that each of them want to interact with board gaming. Our oldest loves conventions, but it’s not about playing games; it’s about being with people. Our middle child loves playing and teaching games and will try almost anything, anytime. Our youngest needs a theme that really grabs him. Now that they are older, their gaming is no longer driven by their ability. Now it’s all about their interests and their free time. It’s OK if board gaming is not the best choice for your family activities right now! 1:00:10 New Backtalk Question People train their whole lives and put it all on display in their specific sport once every four years at the Olympics and we all marvel at it. So, what’s your superpower? What is the weird talent that you have? Just know that we’ll talk about it on the show if you share it.

Looking for some card games for your family to grow into? We’ve got you covered. 0:00:00 Fact for 415 The racing tall ship Amerigo Vespucci holds the record for the largest maximum crew complement: 415 sailors. Sponsor Message If you’d like to talk about other ideas to help pass on your financial values to your children, schedule a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:04:25 What We’ve Been Playing Compile: Main 2 (very much like Compile: Main 1)Logic & Lore – review coming soon. Check out the Kickstarter!IchorIliadCarnutaDice Throne: Marvel X-menTidal Blades 2: Rise of the UnfoldersVerdant ArizonaDice ClashEmbersTag Team 0:29:00 January Monthly Report Anitra: 42 plays, 23 unique games. H-index: 3. Most played: Trio Andrew: 23 plays of 14 unique games. H-index: 2. Most played: Trio & Verdant Arizona 0:31:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest members! You can join the community on Facebook. We also cover some “for science” emails from listener Mallory. Would you be interested in hearing us try recipes “for science”? 0:35:15 #Backtalk We asked about your New Year resolutions: any that have to do with board games? You responded on the Facebook group and on the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:41:30 Room to Grow: Card Games Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly. What is a card game? For the purposes of this podcast, we’re defining it as: A game that uses only cards (plus maybe a few tokens or a scoresheet) Can be played with more than 2 players Rewards paying attention to what is going on around the table (not just your own hand/tableau) Beginner: Flip 7 There are several games we could pick as a really easy starting point. But this one is the most like conventional card games, so we think it feels the most approachable. Young kids can play this and enjoy it as long as they have basic numeracy. They might not get the statistics, but they can understand that there’s only one 1 and a lot of 12s, and they don’t want repeats. See our review of Flip 7. Intermediate: Fantasy Realms or Marvel Remix This is pretty much the same game with two themes: Fantasy Realms is medieval-ish fantasy, and Marvel Remix is obviously Marvel super-heroes and villains. Turns out, there’s a third one called Star Trek: Missions! Build a hand of cards that combo well together to get the most points. Each turn, you will add a card to your hand and discard a card from your hand, trying to get a little better each time. All cards get discarded to a central area, which also becomes the pool to draw cards from (in addition to the deck). The rules do get a little more complicated with two players, but it’s still do-able. Advanced: Res Arcana or Race for the Galaxy or San Juan Another set of three games with very similar mechanics – probably because the same guy (Tom Lehmann) designed two and had a heavy hand in the development of the third. Res Arcana is fantasy themed, Race for the Galaxy is sci-fi, and San Juan is loosely themed around colonizing the Americas. In San Juan, you build buildings from the cards in your hands, paying other cards from your hand as the cost. Each turn, the current player chooses a “role” – everyone gets to do an action based on that role, while the chooser gets a bonus. Race for the Galaxy is somewhat more complicated. Everyone secretly selects an action, then simultaneously reveals. All of the actions that were picked will be performed in a round. You’re still paying out cards to play other cards, which interact in all kinds of ways in the different phases. This one has victory point & power chips to help you track values as the game goes along. Res Arcana is along the same lines: collect “essences” to be able to claim abilities & cards. Work towards ten victory points to win the game. This was a Kennerspiel Recommended game in 2020: A hobby game, but not overly complicated. 0:54:30 New Backtalk Question What should we talk about next? Is there some board game topic you are curious about? Or… what boardgame would you write a valentine to? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

This week, we examine our Amazon Affiliate statistics. What games are the most popular buys among our listeners? Then, we compare our own lists of favorite games of the year. 0:00:00 Fact for 414 The 414s – a group of teenage computer hackers from Milwaukee (the 414 area code) in the early 1980s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_414s Sponsor Message To schedule a time to talk to First Move about other ways to take control of your finances, head over to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up a free initial 15 minute call. 0:05:30 What We’ve Been Playing Animal Rescue Team3 ChaptersShadow Ninjas (w/4 players)Cabanga! (our review – still great)GuildlandsThat’s Not a HatMetro X (our review – still great)Cozy Stickerville demoPaleoVerdant ArizonaLogic & Lore 0:32:00 Monthly and Yearly Reports In December, Andrew played 15 unique games 23 times. H-index: 2. Most played: Leaders, Jungo. In December, Anitra played 18 unique games 46 times. H-index: 4. Most played: Leaders, Tag Team, Lands of Amazement, Jungo. Nearly all of our games were played at home, and at just two players. In 2025, Andrew played 111 unique games, 299 times. H-index: 8.16 games played 5+ times, 4 games played 10+ times. Trio is his most played, followed by My City, Floristry, and Lorcana. In 2025, Anitra played 162 unique games, 507 times. H-index: 10.More and more of her games are played with Andrew – this year, she played with Andrew far more than with any other person. 0:38:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest members! You can join the community on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about what game was the highlight of your holidays. You responded on the Facebook group and on the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:46:30 Our Top Ten Amazon Links These games were ordered the most through our affiliate links this year. Links are to reviews/recommendations we wrote for each game. My First Castle Panic Outfoxed Monza Dragon’s Breath Doomlings Green Team Wins Dragomino Zombie Kidz Evolution Happy Salmon (tied) Sushi Go (tied) 1:01:00 Our Top Five? Ten? Thirteen? of 2025 We each picked the seven games we enjoyed the most this year. We thought we would overlap to about ten games total. We were wrong. Our top game of 2025: Floristry Floristry (the only game we both chose!) Leaders Creature Comforts Chit Chat Duel for Cardia Odin Ink Person Do Thing Logic & Lore Obelus Flower Fields Lorcana Gateway Paint the Roses 1:20:20 New Backtalk Question Do you have a New Year’s Resolution that is board game related? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 414 – Top Games of 2025 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We’re going to talk about games that are just plain fun, no matter the group. 0:00:00 Fact for 413 La Roue – a silent movie, with a full run time of 413 minutes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Roue Sponsor Message For expert help applying some of the same principles that help you take down your friends in Agricola, head over to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today to schedule a call. 0:04:45 What We’ve Been Playing Update – from the really cool Asmodee demo room at PAX Unplugged this year:First Giants – looks heavier than it is. Great for families! (coming in May)Carnuta – coming Februarydnup – like Scout or Jungo, with card-flipping as you pick up cards you beat. coming May/JuneSplendor Kids – uses a board instead of cards to buy. Already out! Spring – similar to WinterTag Team – deck-programming duel with the SmashUp approach to the source deckShadow NinjasLeaders – there are a few errata to deal with. But this is a fun duel full of asymmetric powers.Enthrone – more on this one soon.FloristryUnmatched – we used Moon Knight & ShakespeareDice Throne: X-Men – we used Cyclops & RogueLands of Amazement 0:38:30 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about your favorite kind(s) of video games. You responded on the Facebook group and on the #backtalk channel of the Discord. 0:45:45 Just Plain Fun In no particular order, we picked five different kinds of games that always bring the fun. Trio (from Happy Camper) You never thought a memory-and-deduction game could be so much fun! This hits the table super quickly, as long as you have at least three players. The set-collection element is part of what keeps everyone engaged, along with the revealing of information to deduce where certain sets of cards are. It’s our family’s favorite game. Check out our review of Trio. Cabanga! (from Amigo / Hasbro) Now available as Snailed It! from Hasbro, this game always gets our table yelling as we cause players to take penalty cards. Play a card into a color area, and try to minimize the gap between that number and the other number in that color… or other players could throw out cards that fit in that gap and cause you to take penalties! Read our review of Cabanga! Super Mega Lucky Box (from Gamewright) This is the “most complicated” game on the list… but it’s basically bingo plus bonus combos that add some strategy. Fits well in either high-energy or low-energy situations. But always fun, and works at any player count, including solo. Check out our review of Super Mega Lucky Box. Green Team Wins (25th Century Games) Even people who don’t normally play games will (usually) enjoy this game. Ask a question; everyone tries to pick an answer to match with the most people around the table. Green Team Wins is unusual among party games. It works great among friends & family, but just as well with strangers as an icebreaker – or even combined groups where some people know each other well and others do not. It is our favorite party game. Watch our review of Green Team Wins – and the Green Team Wins: Holiday Party expansion. Spaceteam (from Stellar Factory) A high-energy “yell-y” game. We don’t play often, but it’s great if you’re ready for stress, a timer, and yelling. Cooperate to “fix your spaceship” by passing tool cards around the table to each player that needs them for specific tasks. As you fulfill tasks, discard them and find the spaceship parts. There are more cards in the mix that break expectations. And it feels so great when you can win! Find out more at PlaySpaceteam.com. Bonus: Red Letter, Yellow Letter (also from 25th Century Games) Another great party game, but a little lower energy than Green Team Wins. And since this is a game of “be the first to shout out an answer”, you can join mid-game. We find that it starts slowly, but then slowly warms up as people get used to the slowly-changing letters and “things”. And it always leaves us appreciating other players’ cool answers. Read our review of Red Letter, Yellow Letter. 0:58:30 New Backtalk Question We had a lot of games we played in the holiday week: what was YOUR board game of the week? This could be a gift you received for Chanukah or Christmas or whatever you celebrate, or it could have been something you got off the shelf of opportunity because you had some downtime. When I ask what your board game of the week is, what is it and why? Our son’s highlights are Hercules and The 12 Labors, and Slay the Spire (the boardgame). Anitra hopes that Paleo can finally get off the shelf of opportunity. Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwit

Our yearly show with Engaged Family Gaming, where we talk about what video games might be on your kids’ wishlists. 00:00 Fact for 412 412 is the area code for Pittsburgh (and they seem really proud of it). The most people washing dishes simultaneously is 412 and was achieved by Henkel (Algeria) and Pril-Isis, in Algiers, Algeria, on 16 June 2017. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/112306-most-people-washing-dishes-simultaneously Sponsor Message If you want some help finding solid footing underneath you, or help finding the right step to leap to the next level, head to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a quick phone call and see how First Move can help. 0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing – with November Monthly Report! Anitra: 54 plays of 28 unique games. H-index: 4 (Chit Chat, Trio, INK, Leaders, Odin) – and Andrew is the most played-with person by a huge margin! Andrew: 40 plays of 18 unique games. H-index 4 (Chit Chat, Leaders, Odin, Trio). 35 games together with Anitra! Pretty much everything was 2 players or 5 players. Check out our recent reviews for INK and Odin.LeadersJungo (check out our review!)Logic & LoreS’mores Galore Roast & WriteFor Sale 0:10:40 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members on Facebook! In these darkest days of the year, let’s share some light with each other. Stop in and say hello. #Backtalk We asked what you like to do with your family that ISN’T boardgames. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on the Discord and in our Facebook community. 0:19:00 Video Games with Engaged Family Gaming Stephen Duetzmann helps us with the best video games to give this year, via the Engaged Family Gaming holiday list. But first we talk about videogames we’ve been playing: Dogpile (on Steam)Metroid Prime 4Dredge (more info)Hollow Knight: Silksong (which Andrew just finished – more info) 0:36:00 Consoles PS5 or Xbox Series X – They are very expensive and not focused on family-friendly titles. Not recommended unless you really want it for games you can’t get elsewhere. 0:37:15 Multi-platform Games Civilization VII – the rough edges have been sanded off. Pick a leader, but jump to different civilizations in each age. Plays pretty well on any console and on PC, but if you have a Switch 2, buy it for that system, so you can use the mouse controller. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown – turn based tactical game that still forces you to move forward like a typical side-scrolling brawler. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar – cozy “farm and town” game with engine-building. Has a week cycle as well as a day cycle. Sonic Racing: Crossworlds – good if you don’t have Mario Kart. Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted 0:45:00 Playstation Exclusives “Playstation didn’t put out anything that didn’t involve mass-murder.” Ghost of Yotei – only for grownups, but gorgeous. nothing else really new, but Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII, and Spider-man 2 are still great choices. 0:46:50 Xbox Exclusives Also not much new that isn’t “headshot-central”. But Star Wars Outlaws is updated and even better than it was last year. 0:47:45 Nintendo Switch / Switch 2 Both consoles are good choices: Switch 2 is very cool. Original Switch is the value choice, and those games will still work if you decide to upgrade later to the Switch 2. Mario Kart World Donkey Kong Bananza Also recommended: Metroid Prime 4 – if you liked Metroid Primeand Kirby Air Riders “If you get a Switch 2, don’t limit yourself to just Switch 2 games” – get older original Switch games, too. A lot of them have been updated for the better graphics of the Switch 2, and they’ll be great! 0:53:00 Online Play and Online Sales You need to do the math and decide if these are worth it for your family. Good alternative to buying a single game if you don’t know what game your recipient would want. Nintendo Switch Online – $80 for up to 8 users (don’t all have to be in the same location), even cheaper if you only need one user. This is absolutely necessary to play online AND gives you access to a bunch of older games. XBox Game Pass – probably not worth it JUST for kids. Worth it for Andrew & Anitra, where we have many people all taking advantage. PS Plus – again, needed for online play. Minimum $80/year for the Essentials plan. As always: If you’re buying a console for a holiday present, do NOT leave it in the box! Don’t forget to set it up before Christmas! (Plug in, connect to the internet, download updates, install a game or two. You might need to update the firmware on the controller.) It’s a much more effective surprise if it’s ready to play on Christmas morning. And don’t forget about free to play games like Fortnite or Disney Speed Storm! Those are good to add ahe

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – PAX Unplugged is when we get to catch up with friends in the boardgame industry, see new games, and meet some of YOU! 00:00 Fact for 411 If you’re a Millenial, you know that 411 was (is) a phone number to call for general information. Did you know there are other X11 codes? https://www.networkworld.com/article/956606/beyond-911-other-n-1-1-codes-you-should-know.html Sponsor Message How do you know if you’re ready to retire? There’s the financial aspect, but don’t forget about the emotional and physical as well. If you want help reviewing the financial part of preparing for retirement, set up a time to talk to First Move for free by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:05:10 What We’ve Been Playing INK – review out today of this race to place all your ink bottles.Odin – review coming next week. Best at 3-4 players.Chit Chat – had our best game ever at 9 points! Check out the review.Stroop – still breaks our brain, but fun.Bouba/Kiki – a cooperative party game about matching shapes with nonsense words.(We talk at length about Stroop and Bouba/Kiki in episode 370.)Tropichaos – a fruit-selling push-your-luck game from Oink Games.Person Do Thing – a simple word party game. Try it yourself at PersonDoThing.comLeaders – we will talk a lot about this later. 0:18:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members on Facebook! Stop in and say hello. #Backtalk We asked what your favorite thing to do at a convention – if you’ve ever been to one. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on the Discord and in our Facebook community. PAX Unplugged 2025 Interviews 0:25:35 SnapShips Tactics with Micah “X-wing crossed with Galaxy Trucker, and you’re trying to kill each other.” Make your ship look like you want, and make it play like you want. Starter set for two players is about $65. www.snapshipstactics.com 0:29:00 Kess with Court A game based on OnePiece! www.kessentertainment.co 0:32:30 Outset Media with David Guildlands – “if Carcassonne met Root“ Karak – a favorite for kids, with lots of upgrades over the version we reviewed years ago. And Karak II for a more challenging game! Shadow Ninjas – cats sneaking into the dojo to eat the koi, and one dog trying to eliminate them all. outsetmedia.com 0:36:10 Fight in a Box with Seppy Yoon Puppies or Poop – build a doggie land-mine field under the leaves. Try to survive without poop on your shoes! A cute and more memorable re-implementation of Squirrel or Die. Kaiser Cucumber – evil geniuses trying to out-steal each other. A sort of sequel to Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber. www.fightinabox.com 0:40:15 SRG Universe with Steve Supershow – a wrestling card game – and Super Lucha which is a crossover with luchadors. Rummy Gummies – a set-playing card game. “Rummy with Uno-like effects” supershowthegame.com 0:45:00 Envy Born Games with Matthew Sirens – 1-2 player tiny game. Draft cards to make a song and lure sailors. Hercules and the 12 Labors – solo game. Battle your way through Hercules’s famous 12 labors and choose rewards to help you with future labors. envyborngames.com 0:48:20 Kids Table Board Gaming / Burnt Island Games with Sean River Market – now available!Sea Shells – set collection by Bruno Faiduitti, coming summer 2026Pack & Paddle – Kickstarter in 2026Treeline – recover the landscape. Also coming summer 2026. Fans of Diced Veggies and Endeavor: Deep Sea. www.kidstablebg.com and www.burntislandgames.com 0:52:50 Jason Anarchy Games Trombone Champ – yes, like the video game. Full of hotdogs, baboons, and silly fake trombone facts. 0:55:00 Wonderful World Board Games with Ariel Dragonarium – go check out the Kickstarter before December 11! Last Lantern – coop polyomino game. Silently build a path across the board. www.wonderfulworldbg.com 1:00:25 Bezier Games with Jay Zombie Princess – a sequel to Rebel Princess. “Save” the zombies by chopping off their heads. Trick-taking game that’s best with partners. Haunted Mouse – a ladder-climbing/shedding card game that lets you use your opponents’ cards. Game Makers – heavier game with a rondel. You step into the role of a game publisher – very meta. Recommendations for this holiday: Seers Catalog and Xylotar (we reviewed the expansion) beziergames.com Bonus: Jay is also @CardboardEast – he reviews games from Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, etc. Check out his Youtube channel! 1:04:50 Play to Z Games with Zev Animal Rescue Team – with Matt Leacock Twisted Trumpets – route-building, sort of. You’re building out very weird, twisty trumpet pipes. Soothsayers – engine-building card game using traditional tarot. www.playtozgames.com 1:0

It’s that time again – we recommend games for everyone on your gift list. 00:00 Fact for 410 10-4 is one of many ten-codes, used for clarity and brevity in Morse code & voice communications. 10-4 means “received” or “acknowledged”. Sponsor Message We talk about the sunk cost fallacy. Just because you’ve already invested resources into something doesn’t tell us if it’s worth that next bit of resources to see it through. If you need a sounding board for your life’s financial decisions, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers and set up a time today to talk to First Move Financial – for free! 0:04:00 What We’ve Been Playing INK – review coming soon of this race to place all your ink bottles.Red Letter, Yellow Letter – our reviewOdin – review coming soon. Best at 3-4 players.Obelus – gorgeous. Our review. We are excited to see more from this publisher!Chit Chat – review coming soon for this trivia party game.Jekyll & Hyde vs. Scotland Yard – a really hard cooperative trick-taking game, but we’re getting better at it 0:18:15 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community on Facebook. Stop by and say hello! #Backtalk We asked what YOU think makes a good gift when you’re given a board game. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on the Discord and in our Facebook community. … and yes, we did review Box of Rocks, a silly game. Anyone interested in sharing some recipes for us to try out? 0:18:15 The Family Gamers Holiday Gift Guide We race through all the games on our 2025 gift guide. A friendly reminder to our listeners: many of the games on the list we received at no cost, and we do earn a (tiny) commission from the Amazon links. But every single game on that list, we have played, enjoyed, and would buy and give (or have already bought & given) to our friends and family. 1:18:20 New Backtalk Question We’re heading to PAX Unplugged this week. We’ll be teaching Castle Panic on Sunday morning (11/23)! What is your favorite thing to do at conventions? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 410 – Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let’s talk about card games! 00:00 Fact for 409 A little about Formula 409®. Sponsor Message How do you maintain your budget during the holiday season, with gift giving, big family meals, decorations, increased travel, seasonal activities? If you want to talk through other ideas to take some of the stress out of the holidays set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing Finished My City – ultimate winner: Anitra, but it was really close at the end!HiFi – full review coming soonOdin – with 6 players, it was less fun. Too easy to get stuck unable to play cards.5 TowersJekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard 0:15:30 What We’ve Been Playing – October Andrew: 14 unique games 25 times, H-index 2 (My City, Chit Chat, Ink, Duel for Cardia, Odin) Anitra: 16 unique games 36 times, H-index 3 (My City, Duel for Cardia, Bomb Busters, Chit Chat) Almost all of our games we played with each other, much more than usual. 0:18:30 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community on Facebook. Welcome Post! #Backtalk We asked about your seasonal gaming traditions. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on the Discord, and that’s about it! 0:23:00 Our Top 5 Card Games… For Now Sometimes you want something small, and fast (and cheap!). What you want is a card game. Here are five of our favorites: Trick taking: Skull King If you like trick-taking games but wish they were wackier, or you want to include more than four players, Skull King has you covered. Up to eight players can join in – make a bid for how many tricks you’ll win, but beware of cards like the pirates, mermaids, the pirate king, and the white whale. Traditional (ish) card game: Flip 7 (our review) This is another game that supports a LOT of players (up to 18?!?) It feels a bit like Blackjack, but with a lot more flexibility. Try to get the most points you can each round, but if you ever flip a number you already have, you’ll get nothing. Party game: Anomia It’s sort of a trivia game, but it’s just about shouting out something in the given category. Everyone stays involved, because you always need to be looking for a symbol that matches your own. We’ve reviewed the Pop Culture set and Anomia Kids, but we love the original and its sibling Duple! Start playing right away: Circus Flohcati (our review) Flip cards out from the deck until you decide to stop and take one. You’ll spend more time explaining the scoring than how to play. Just plain good: Trio (our review) This game combines memory and deduction. While it’s very easy to learn, we find that people mess up the “only highest or lowest card” rule, which can be frustrating. You could get all five of these games together for under $75 – another reason card games are great! 0:35:50 Runners-up: More Card Games We Love Cabanga! – we absolutely love this tiny game, but it’s kind of hard to get, and going to get harder until Amigo can partner with a new US distributor.Similo – another great party game. Remember to have guessers talk out their reasoning!Combo – we love this semi-cooperative game, but it can be hard to teach.Abandon All Artichokes – a wonderful early deck-building game. Cute and charming.Tussie Mussie – a tiny split-and-choose game, at just 18 cards!Get the MacGuffin – a goofy game about being the last player standing.Sushi Go – an approachable set-collection “pick and pass” game. Even a very young kid could probably play this. 0:46:15 Follow Up A few people asked for the Butter Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe. So, would you like to hear about more family recipes? Maybe in a little more detail? We also asked last week about a BGG guild for The Family Gamers. If you’re avoiding social media, we’re happy to do a guild, but so far we’ve only heard from one person on this! 0:48:10 New Backtalk Question What’s the perfect kind of game to receive as a holiday gift? Is it about the games you like to play, or the environment to play them in? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it

Weather’s getting colder, time for something cozy! 00:00 Fact for 408 The Haslam All-Sky Radio Continuum Survey used the 408 MHz radio spectrum to map the galactic sky around 1985. This map is still used today. It gets super technical, but if you’re interested in astronomy, check this out. Basically any time scientists want to measure anything outside the Milky Way, they use the Haslam survey to remove foreground distortion. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2009/22/aa12161-09/aa12161-09.html Sponsor Message First Move reminds us that we can think about our money like little workers in the worker placement game of life. If you need help figuring out where to place your dollar workers, reach out to First Move Financial. You can find them at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk today. 0:06:00 What We’ve Been Playing INK (review coming soon) – makes us think of Framework and Donut Shop with how well it’s put together. Here it is on BGA!Duel for Cardia (review next week)Bomb BustersChit Chat (review coming soon)Zitternix – out of print. so happy to have a copy again!Unmatched (Houdini vs. Sherlock Holmes / Bruce Lee vs. The Genie) – inspired by this episode of the First Player Token podcastOdin60 Second CityJekyll & Hyde vs Scotland YardMy City (our review)Creature Comforts 0:30:20 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community on Facebook. Welcome Post! #Backtalk We asked about your heaviest games. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community. What do YOU think about having a Family Gamers guild on BoardGameGeek? 0:44:30 Ten Favorite Cozy Games The weather gets cooler, and it’s the perfect time to snuggle up with a hot beverage and a cozy game. Calico (Flatout Games / AEG) – cozy, but challenging.boop. (Smirk & Dagger) – mean but still cozy. Check our review – or boop the Halls !Creature Comforts (Kids Table Board Gaming)Arch Ravels (XYZ Game Labs)Chai (Steeped Games) – our reviewFlamecraft (Cardboard Alchemy / Lucky Duck Games) – our reviewMy Shelfie: The Dice Game (Cranio Creations / Lucky Duck Games) – our reviewLeaf (Weird City Games) – our reviewS’mores Galore (Mighty Acorn Games) – “exactly what I wanted in a smores-themed game”Smug Owls (Runaway Parade) – a quiet and thoughtful party game. – our review 1:08:00 Cozy Food – Not Quite “For Science” Butter chicken mac and cheese! We make this in the crockpot and pack it up for lunches. Would you make this? Tell us what you think – and for the recipe, check out the Discord server. 1:10:00 New Backtalk Question We started talking about cozy games because it’s getting to be that time of the year in New England that we traditionally play cozy games. Do you have a board game tradition related to a certain time of the year? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 408 – Top 10 Cozy Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We’ve been looking forward to making this episode for a little while. Sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to play games – so let’s talk about our family favorites that play in 15 minutes or less. 00:00 Fact for 407 This one is for Zach. on 15 November 2012 a new world record was set. The most people flapping simultaneously is 407, achieved by Saint Joseph’s University (USA), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Sponsor Message A successful financial life isn’t complex, but it does require discipline. The basics: create a budget; build an emergency fund; pay off high-interest debt; invest wisely; and educate yourself. Remember, small steps today lead to big financial gains tomorrow. If you want to talk about the finer points of any of these, or if you need help getting unstuck in your situation, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up a time to talk today. 03:45 What We’ve Been Playing My City (our review)Hamster Roll (our review)Drop It (our review)Trio (our review)Red Letter Yellow Letter (review next week!)SpaceteamQuacks of QuedlinburgINK (review coming soon)Duel for CardiaBomb BustersJekyll v. Hyde (our review)Ham Helsing 15:40 September Monthly Report Andrew: 13 unique games, played 32 times. Most played: My City (9 times!) and H-index of 3. Didn’t record anything he played at CuseCon though. Anitra: 21 unique games, played 43 times. H-index: 4 (My City, Mr. Postmouse’s Picnic, Duel for Cardia, Trio). Over half played at 2 players (unusually high for Anitra). 18:30 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community too, on Facebook.https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4172992196323572/ #Backtalk We asked about your favorite game(s) in 2025. You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community. And check out Nick’s review of My Shelfie: The Dice Game! 26:15 Our Top Ten(ish) 15 Minute Games Sometimes you just don’t have a lot of time to play. But if you have a little bit of time, you can still play! Our top choices to end a game night or get the kids together quickly to play. Great with 3-5 players, or even more: TrioCircus FlohcatiGet the MacGuffinStrike (recommended in our “Top 10 Games for Teens”)Similo – literally anyone can play.Just One (if you play just a few rounds) Only for 2 players: Duel for Cardia (review coming soon – in the meantime, try it on BGA)Jekyll vs. HydeFloristryQuarto Solo: A Gentle Rain 39:00 New Backtalk Question I’d love to learn a little more about our community. What is the heaviest game you own? If you went on Board Game Geek and looked at the game weight, what do you think your heaviest game is? We found our heaviest is Keyflower, a 3.34 weight according to BGG. Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 407 – Our Favorite 15-Minute Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Andrew just had a birthday! Let’s talk about his favorite games from this year. 0:00:00 Fact for 406 Ted Williams had the best season batting average of anyone in the MLB: .406 in the 1941 season. Listen for the story of how he got there. Sponsor Message If you want to see if working with a financial advisor can help your situation set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:05:00 What We’ve Been Playing Mr. Postmouse’s Picnic (so much losing!)My City (our review) – and a lesson on studying your kids’ preferences.Tesla vs. Edison: DuelDuel for Cardia (review coming soon) – try it on BGARun Run Run! (more losing!)HiFi – we are divided on this one. 0:37:45 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community too, on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about themes that resonate with your family. You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community. Sounds like for most people and most games, theme is a general push towards or away from a game. 0:46:00 FOR SCIENCE! – Reese’s / Oreo collaboration We tried both. The Reeses-flavored Oreos were fine, but nothing special. Get peanut butter Oreos instead. Oreo-flavored Reeses cups, however… really good. Although we disagree about how much “Oreo” is present. 0:50:30 Andrew’s Favorites in 2025 This past week was Andrew’s birthday week. He did two crazy things for it. He drove to and from Syracuse for just ONE DAY of friends and gaming at CuseCon. And he also went to see Eric Clapton live in concert! Let’s talk about what games Andrew liked the most this year from what he played. Small/Medium Group Game: Trio (our review)Two Player Game: Floristry (our review)Party Game: Caution Signs (our review)Co-operative Game: Paint the Roses (we talked about this in episodes 402 & 403)Heavier Game: Tesla vs. Edison (see our old Valentine pun) Most Looking Forward to: Compile: Main 2 (check out our review of Compile: Main 1) 1:08:55 New Backtalk Question What’s your favorite game that you played this year? The cream of the cardboard crop, whether it’s new or not? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 406 – Andrew’s Favorites in 2025! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Is game theme important? Is theme more than just the art? 0:00:00 Fact for 405 I-405 in California, heavily traveled by both commuters and freight haulers along its entire length, is the busiest and most congested freeway in the United States. Sponsor Message We learn about “spear phishing”. If you’d like to talk to someone about how you can protect your financial assets, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:04:20 What We’ve Been Playing Spots [Editor’s note: “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” book was published in 1956. Still within copyright.]Red Letter Yellow LetterCabanga! (our review)Floristry (our review)Duel for CardiaMerchants of Magick (our review) – a lesson on what to do when pieces are missing.Get Bit! (our review)OasisCircus Flohcati (our review)INKTrio (our review)Junk Drawer solo (our review)Mr Postmouse’s PicnicEndangered (our review) Check out the Kickstarter for Endangered: Australia! 0:33:30 August Monthly Report Anitra: 52 plays of 31 unique games. H-index 3: Trio, Unmatched, Cabanga! (plus Backstories, Flip 7, Duel for Cardia, A Gentle Rain) Andrew: 31 plays of 18 unique games. H-index 3: also Trio, Unmatched, Cabanga! 0:35:10 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community too, on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about video games you like to play together. You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community. 0:45:45 Is Theme Important? Theme vs. Mechanics – why not both? Is theme important? Sometimes! For lovers of abstract games, theme can get in the way of a clean, enjoyable game. Anitra has changed her opinion. Because a well-done theme can shape the mechanics of a game in a way that helps players join the “magic circle” and really get into the game. This is especially true for “adult” games that can be approachable for kids. (Flashpoint, Mountains). But not all themes are created equal! We mentioned playing Endangered. It’s great to save endangered animals… but this game does it in the way people do it in the real world: a lot of interaction with government bureaucracy and fundraising! Not super interesting for our kids. Know what themes your kids like! Talk to them and be aware that their tastes change. We’ve mentioned HiFi, a game about mixing musical tracks and uses a record player as a way to choose actions. We have another kid who loves D&D and can’t wait to sink into Horrified: Dungeons & Dragons. There’s a reason we have done episodes focusing on just a specific theme (food, dragons, etc.) and why our lists for older kids and teens are organized around theme. The right theme is not a cure-all, but it has the power to make a game feel EASIER as well as more immersive. (Maybe *because* it’s more immersive, and the game progression feels like it makes sense.) Example: Lacrimosa really works for Anitra, even though it’s a harder game than she’d usually choose to play. We mention Megaland (yes, it’s still in print) as a great way to pull in a videogame feel to a kid-appropriate board game, or more complex game themes, like Worms, Halo: Flashpoint, or Call of Duty: The Boardgame. And check out our review of Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels! 1:02:00 New Backtalk Question Where are you on the theme bandwagon? Do you care more about theme or mechanics? What is YOUR favorite theme? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 405 – Theme appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We talk a lot about playing games with your kids. But boardgames aren’t the only way to connect – and they aren’t always the BEST way, either. 0:00:00 Fact for 404 404 BC: Sparta finally defeated Athens, ending the second Peloponnesian War.404 AD: The last gladiatorial games are held in Rome. Sponsor Message The most popular scam right now is any variation of the authority scam. No bank, police officer, or any other legitimate entity will ever ask for your private data when they call you on the phone. If you’d like to talk to someone about how you can protect your financial assets, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:05:15 What We’ve Been Playing A Gentle Rain (our review)HiFiUnmatched: Battle of Legends volume 3 (our review)FruitionRed Letter, Yellow Letter – we played it in the car!Backstories: Emerald Wedding Anniversary (review coming soon)Tesla vs. Edison: War of CurrentsJuicy FruitsDinosaur Tea Party (our review)Prisma Arena (our review)Obelus (our review)Quarto (our review) 0:32:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! You can join the community too, on Facebook. #Backtalk We asked about “low-key” games. You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this post in the Facebook community. Shout out to The Joyful Jedi for his humorous answer for Loki games instead. 0:37:45 Connecting through Gaming Inspired by Kendra’s comments on Facebook. We’ve talked before about WHY to play games with your kids. But a reason that’s easy to skip over is connection: spending time working together on something – or lightly competing – can build memories and emphasize commonalities between people. And the important part is the CONNECTION, not the method you use. Forcing your kids to the table does not really foster connection. (Bartering could work, though.) Instead of always bringing them into the things you enjoy, bring yourself to something they enjoy. Videogame recommendations: Free-for-all fighting games likeSuper Smash Bros (any version)Ultimate Chicken HorseGang Beasts Objective-based games:OvercookedMoving OutTotally Reliable Delivery Service Minecraft, of course. “Like playing with LEGO ‘together’.” Two-player cooperative games that have a plot:It Takes Two (content warning: divorce, language – best for teens)Split Fiction (we haven’t played this yet)Unravel Two Death Squared (abstract strategy puzzles for 2-4 players)Jackbox (get teens using their phones to play TOGETHER)Rock Band (or Guitar Hero, etc.) “It simulates the experience of making music together, while removing barriers” Takeaway: Meet your kid on their terms to better connect with them! 1:05:45 New Backtalk Question What video games are you playing with other people LOCALLY? We’re talking couch co-op and local multiplayer. Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 404 – Connecting Through Gaming appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We love the board game community, but it can lead to pressure to play MORE or HARDER games, to keep up with the newest games. What can we do to dial it back down and make games FUN again? 0:00:00 Fact for 403 403 is the code on the internet for NO. If you want to go to a website, but you don’t have access, 403. Technically the word is “FORBIDDEN”, but really it means no. Here’s actual standards document. But it’s really, really boring. https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7235 Sponsor Message First Move would like to make us all more aware of some of the newer scams out there. Be very careful clicking links, even ones that look legitimate! If you’d like to talk to someone about how you can protect your financial assets, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:04:45 What We’ve Been Playing more Paint the Roses, with 4 players this time. Much harder!Charcuterie (our review)HUTAN (our review)StewHorrified: World of Monsters / Greek Monsters mashup (review coming soon)Goblin Vaults (off the shelf of opportunity!)SagradaThe Magnificent While camping:Flip 7 (our review)Cabanga! (our review)Trio (our review)Sushi Go Party!Order Overload: CafeSabobatageAltiplano – a big miss for us. 0:24:30 July Monthly Report Anitra: 49 plays of 27 unique games. H-index 3, with a lot of plays of Trio & HUTAN, but also at least 3 times with: Paint the Roses, Fight for Olympus, Canvas Critters, Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard, Quarto. Andrew: 29 plays of 17 unique games. H-index 3. Lots of The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Paint the Roses, Trio, plus Jekyll & Hyde v. Scotland Yard, HUTAN. 0:26:35 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! #Backtalk We asked about board game mechanics you dislike, and what you do about them. You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this Backtalk post in the Facebook community. 0:36:00 Too Much Pressure? This hobby of board gaming lends itself to always chasing the hot new thing or trying to do MORE. Probably true of a lot of hobbies, since it’s so easy to find a community online where people brag on the cool things they’re doing. Do you feel pressure to go to every convention, or keep up with the latest hot new thing? Pressure to get your kids to play “real” games with you? Pressure to finish a game you don’t like, or pull games off your “shelf of shame”? First: when you feel that pressure, realize that YOU are the one putting pressure on yourself; no one else can do that to you without your consent. 0:38:40 The Shelf of Shame We prefer to call this the “shelf of opportunity”, but it still means games that are sitting unplayed. What are some strategies to deal with this without feeling guilty? Set limits on bringing in new games – YOU set this limit, not someone else. Set a deadline on PLAYING a specific game that’s been sitting on your shelf. If you can’t manage to play it, purge it without feeling guilty. (More on purging) Recognize that you can move on from a game – that doesn’t mean it’s a “bad” game. Instead, it means someone else will get to try it and enjoy it! Getting rid of a game doesn’t get rid of the good memories you have associated with it. “Why do I want to keep this game so much?” If a game needs JUST the right set of circumstances to play it – be honest with yourself. Will that exact set of circumstances actually happen? And even if they do, is there another game that will be easier to get to the table? 0:48:00 Getting Your Kids to Play Games If you’re listening to this podcast, you want your kids to play games with you. You may also be feeling pressure from your friends (or other parent gamers) if your kids don’t want to play games! The point of games with our kids is to have fun – with your kids. If they’re not having fun, it’s not serving that purpose. Forcing someone to do something they don’t want to do is likely to breed resentment instead of fun. But it is okay to apply a little bit of pressure, without it being overwhelming. Examples: “Please play one round, then you can walk away if you don’t like it.” Gentle bribery with a special snack (“I’m trying to meet you halfway, and we’re doing this as a family”) Recognize that kids often don’t have the words to explain WHY they don’t like a game or an experience. Have a conversation with them to try to understand! Meet kids where they are: letting them walk away, or playing pretend instead of following the rules. 0:53:30 To Finish? Or Not to Finish? Even when we aren’t enjoying a game we often feel like “we started it, we have to finish it!” But we don’t need to finish. Yes, we want to teach our kids not to be quitters, but we also don&#8217

00:00 Fact for 402 “The Kids from Room 402” – a kids’ TV show from 1999-2001. So our fact this week is a direct callout to basically anybody in their mid to late thirties who grew up in the US or Canada. In the late 90’s and early aughts, there was a kids’ TV show that came out called “The Kids from Room 402”. Do you remember that Anitra?This was an animated show based on the book “Gracie Graves and the Kids from Room 402”. It was basically a sitcom with all sorts of goofy school-based adventures the kids were going through. Animation wise it reminds me of Doug, but less polished. Do you remember Doug?Anyway, you can find full episodes of The Kids from Room 402 on YouTube and remember what it was like being 14 years old and having plenty of time to waste watching TV. And that’s my fact! Sponsor Message We talk about the “planning fallacy” and look at average in-state tuition for public college (we’ll be sending a kid to college soon). But wait! In-state tuition for schools in our own state of Massachusetts is a little different. With a better estimate of the cost we can do a better job of making a realistic plan of how to get to that goal. If you’d like to talk to someone about your goals, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 04:00 What We’ve Been Playing Paint the Roses – after 5+ years. First saw at PAX Unplugged 2019.Jekyll & Hyde vs. Scotland Yard – great, but we don’t like it as much as Jekyll vs. Hyde.Toriki – new review!HUTAN – review coming soon. Try it on BGA!StewSkulls of SedlecCake Stack – a homemade game.Trio – our review. 22:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members! https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4104499843172808 #Backtalk We asked for your family’s evergreen game(s). You answered on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this Backtalk post in the Facebook community. 27:10 Grow into Deck Building Games What is deck building? We defined it this way all the way back in episode 64: “play cards, to accumulate currency, to buy better cards that will allow you to do more things.” Room to Grow Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly. Deck building was a little challenging because even among “pure” deck-building games, some of their foundational mechanics are different – how you add new cards to your hand, how many cards you can add, how you get rid of cards you don’t want (if you can get rid of them at all!), and even what the PURPOSE of the deck building is. Nevertheless, we came up with three we’d recommend to learn this style of game more thoroughly. Beginner: Star Realms Academy The subtitle to Star Realms Academy (our review) is “my first deck building game” and that seems about right! Compared to other deckbuilding games, you have a very small hand size (3 cards).There is very minimal reading, and only a few icons.Like many deckbuilding games, you gain coins to use to buy better cards – but in this game, you can SAVE some of your coins from turn to turn. And the purpose of the game is easy for kids to understand: attack your opponent and protect your own health. You can, of course, move on to Star Realms from here, but we’d recommend… Intermediate: Dominion This is the game that started it all – the very first deck building game, and sets a foundation to learn this mechanic. Play card(s) from your hand, then use currency from what you played to buy ONE new card. Then everything goes into your discard pile and you draw a new hand. As you build your deck, you get opportunities to buy more cards, set cards aside, or trash cards (aka “culling”). When enough piles run out, count victory points on the cards in your deck & in your hand. Some of the features we don’t love in Dominon (card market is static, little player interaction) also make it easier to learn. And Dominion can have its own “room to grow” moment by adding expansions. Advanced: Co-op deckbuilding games from The Op A trio of games: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle [we mistakenly called this “Hogwarts Legacy”] Toy Story: Obstacles & Adventures (our review) Avatar The Last Airbender: Aang’s Destiny (our review) What makes any of these games special: The starting decks are not identical! You’re playing a specific character in the story It’s a cooperative game. You’re all trying to help each other meet the group’s goals. They’

Family evergreen games? Evergreen family games? Let’s discuss. 00:00 Fact for 401 The term “401(k)” comes from the section of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code that established this retirement savings plan. Sponsor Message Did you know, that if your child is working they can be saving money into a Roth IRA? If you need help finding some unique ways to look at income and saving, visit firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk to First Move – for free! 05:10 What We’ve Been Playing Santa’s Workshop (our review)Trio (our review)Smug Owls (our review)Canvas Critters (check out the Kickstarter)SabobatageThe Crew: Mission Deep SeaCaution Signs (our review)Donald Duck in Happy Camper (next written review)Unmatched: Battle of Legends vol 3 (review coming soon)Marvel X-Men Dice ThroneFight for Olympus (old school! our review)Quarto (our review) – great when you’ve only got a few minutesSuspend – just fun.For SaleDoomlings (our review)Floristry (our review)Food Chain Island – great to play with just one hand 22:35 June Monthly Report! We both have ALREADY (as of July 12) played more games in July than we did in June. Andrew: 11 plays, 10 unique games, H-index: 1. Most played: Ultimatch (2x) Anitra: 20 plays, 16 unique games. H-index: 2 (Dice Throne, Micro Macro Kids, Ultimatch, Grove) 24:24 The Family Gamers Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4090537511235708 #Backtalk We asked for your feedback on the podcast in general. You answered, with a lot of encouraging comments on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, and in this Backtalk post in the Facebook community. We discuss Happy Camper’s next release: Jungo (here’s the trailer video) 29:35 Evergreen Games… for Families What’s an evergreen game? Just like an evergreen plant that doesn’t die, this is a game that stays popular in stores year after year. The games that get pulled out and played over and over again. (Games like Wingspan that have staying power.) We thought it would be easy to find a list on BGG of “evergreen” games… but it’s a lot harder to determine than we thought! Much thanks to BGG user Daniel_M, who compiled a list using data analysis to find the top 100 games that have stayed popular over time, back in 2023. Here are the top ten from his list: 10 Race for the Galaxy09 Agricola08 Power Grid07 Puerto Rico06 Ticket to Ride05 Pandemic04 Dominion03 7 Wonders02 CATAN01 Carcassonne Maybe three of these we’d consider “family” games: Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and Catan (although you could argue for others). “Family Evergreen” Games? A “family” evergreen game might be a little different – something that works at all – or most – stages for your family. By definition these are going to be simpler games, because #1 – Not everyone in the family is a board game nerd!#2 – The game has to support multiple age ranges: not too many rules, not a lot of reading required. So without further ado, here are our 10 games, in no particular order. Ticket to RideCATANCarcassonneCan’t StopJust OneKingdominoDrop It!AzulStrike (also available as Impact: Battle of Elements)Trio (also available outside the US as nana)` 50:30 New Backtalk Question What’s the game that, these days, your family is going back to over and over again? This doesn’t have to be your favorite game – but what’s spending the most time on your table? Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in this Backtalk post in the Facebook community. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 401 – Ten Top Evergreen Family Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Isn’t The Family Gamers Podcast always about families? Yes, but we’re doing a special focus on different ages this week, as a sort of retrospective over the last ten years. 00:00 Fact for 400 Factopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Factshttps://shop.merriam-webster.com/products/factopia Sponsor Message First Move has been our sponsor since episode 175! We really appreciate their partnering with us. If you need help finding some “bonus points” and seeing which areas of your personal finance you should be focusing on, visit firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk to First Move – for free! 03:45 What We’ve Been Playing Canvas Critters (coming to crowdfunding soon – from 3WS and Katia Howatson)Unmatched: Battle of Legends volume 3 (Blackbeard vs. Loki)Micro Macro Kids: Crazy City Park (review linked below)Royal Visit – making it work in a small space, as we imagined all the way back in episode 278.Toriki: The Castaway IslandFloristry (our review) “the perfect date game”Hutan: Life in the Rainforest – played solo. But now also available on Board Game Arena! 18:10 The Family Gamers Community We just passed 1000 members in the community. Thanks for sticking with us! Giveaway Winners: Seth (Avant Carde) and Candice (Avatar the Last Airbender: Aang’s Destiny) Backtalk: Room to Grow We asked what you’d like to see in a future Room to Grow series. Thanks for the responses on Discord! 24:00 SNAP Review – Micro Macro Kids: Crazy City Park We review the newest entry in the Micro Macro series. This one is 100% appropriate for kids, and adds some tools that will help ANYONE who wants to play this seek-and-find game. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. 30:20 FOR SCIENCE We drink a pickle juice electrolyte drink: JUCE from TruPickles. Why? Because they’re also a partner with friend-of-the-show Andy Geremia for a pickleball dice game. 34:00 The Family Gamers and Families In August, The Family Gamers Podcast turns ten years old! Playing games with kids looks a lot different for us now than it did in 2015. Let’s talk about what family gaming looks like at different ages. Babies & Toddlers Do you have to just wait to play games? Kind of, but not exactly. Toddlers want to be a part of what you’re doing: so let them sit with you and play with some of the (larger/non-chewable) pieces. We also recommend playing with them with big chunky foam dice or “My Very First” games. This is when kids begin to learn about taking turns or causality (“if I do this, then this happens”). More: Ep 236 – Babies & Boardgames (bringing kids in at any age) Preschoolers At this age, kids want play the same very short games over and over and over… as frustrating as this can be, it’s really important. Playing repetitively works on building rule-following, turn-taking, and pattern-matching. This is the right time to start teaching about being a graceful winner or loser and also to start building emotional intelligence. Yes, even with CandyLand. Grade School The most important thing at this age is to know your kids’ skill level. Too hard and they’ll be discouraged. That doesn’t mean letting them win! But you could set up a handicap so the adult is playing at a disadvantage. And you can talk through your strategy (and theirs) out loud to help them learn. To avoid the stigma of playing a “baby” game or a “kids” game, be ready to pull out some VERY easy games that anyone can play like Roll for It or Zombie Dice. At this age, use games to build skills gradually for reading (including skills that don’t look like reading!), math, science, and more. Middle & High School Shift your focus from skills to your kids’ interests and preferences. Play the games they want to play! This is also when you, as the parent, decide if you want games to be a priority for your family. That means setting aside time for family games (also episode 292 of the podcast). Adults If you’ve already built a culture of family gaming, it can continue even when kids leave home! At this point, it should be pretty much the same as playing games with your friends. Don’t forget, you don’t always have to be in person to play games together. We hope to use Board Game Arena and other online gaming tools to keep the gaming going at a distance. More Resources Why Play Games with Your Kids (Chrissy W.)The Power of Learning – through Play (Chrissy W.)Why I Hate CandyLand (and What to Play Instead) (Anitra)Talk, Read, Sing, Write, Play (about ELL learning at any age, from Annabelle B.) 48:20 New Backtalk Question Tell us what you like about the show, what you don’t like about the show, what segments you’d like us to do more, or less. Should we free Anitra from Andrew’s weird food eating obsession? Should we do more Room to Gr

We talked about older games last week like checkers and chess. This week we’re moving on to modern abstract games (within the last 20 years). We recommend three that grow in complexity – and add a few of our other favorites. 0:00:00 Fact for 399 www.399film.com Sponsor Message First Move Financial is not a credit counseling company, but they’d be happy to spend a few minutes talking to you to help you find a reputable credit counselor. Go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up a quick chat and start taking steps to dig out of debt. 0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing The Castles of BurgundyMarvel Dice Throne: X-Men (Rogue and Gambit this time)Jekyll vs. Hyde – one of our favorites (our review)Compile – we also love this one (our review)Ultimatch – hardest at two players! (our review)CabangaBelratti (review below)Grove (our preview/review from its Kickstarter) – we’re working on a review for Hutan which feels similar but more involved.Mojo (our review) 0:13:45 Community Welcome to our newest Facebook community members! #Backtalk Last time, we asked about your favorite classic abstract games. People answered on Facebook and on Discord. Giveaway We’re almost at episode 400! Enter the giveaway for Avant Carde & Avatar The Last Airbender: Aang’s Destiny. 0:17:55 SNAP Review – Belratti Can you pick cards that will fit one of two themes? Can you figure out the cards that your teammates picked, and avoid the “forgeries” (random cards) put in by Belratti? Watch the video or read the transcript of our Belratti review. 0:25:30 FOR SCIENCE! Reese’s PB&J Big Cup We try both the Grape and Strawberry versions (pictured). If you like fruity candy and also like Reeses, you might like this combination. 0:30:20 Room to Grow: Modern Abstract Games Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with this style, and all are family-friendly. This is part two – in part one we talked about classic abstract strategy games (Tic Tac Toe, Checkers, and Chess). This time, we’re recommending modern games, which are less well-known. We discuss again what makes an “abstract strategy game” and decide that some luck is fine but “player choices matter more than luck”. Beginner: Drop It This has been a favorite since we first saw it in 2018 (our review then). There is definitely NO theme – just shapes and colors. It’s a sort of dexterity game, but not exactly. We like this because the idea of how it works is really simple: you only get points if your shape, when it lands, is not touching the same shape and not touching the same color. Even if they struggle with adding the scores, most 4 & 5 year olds can understand the binary of “did I get points this turn, or not?” There’s not a deep strategy here and no story or other baggage. Pick a shape from your pile, drop it, and hope it lands where you want it to. But that’s what makes it fun for anyone to play! Intermediate: Azul Is there a story here? Maybe. If you want one. Azul is bright and colorful, based on the Portuguese tiling called “azulejo” (Andrew was right). The strategy CAN get complex as players get used to the game. Draft tiles from a central area, and put them on your board. Different parts of your board require different numbers of identical tiles to “fill them up” and move a single tile to your scoring area. The choices are simple: pick your tile group, and decide where to put them on your board. This game introduces several modern elements: set collection, open drafting, and sacrificing to become first player. And the beauty of the game will draw more people to want to play it. Azul Advanced: Shobu We think this game is gorgeous: four wooden boards and polished stones in two colors. Every turn, you move a piece on one of your two “home” boards. And then you have to move one of your pieces the same way on an opposite-color board. Try to knock off all your opponent’s pieces from any one of the four boards. This is a nakedly aggressive game and the large decision space (looking at up to 16 different pieces and setting up the second half of your move) leads to brain-burning tactics, like you sometimes see in Go or Chess. This game has no luck at all, and the only hidden information is what’s in your opponent’s head. And as beautiful as this game is, the simplicity of presentation is like the classic abstract games we talked about – you could put this together yourself with any pieces you have on hand. (But we recommend buying this lovely game from Smirk & Dagger!) We gave Shobu a nearly-perfect score when we r

I bet you played checkers or chess with your relatives when you were a kid. We talk about newer games all the time on this podcast, but we think old games are great and you should play those, too! We recommend three that facilitate learning strategies. 0:00:00 Fact for 398 In the Dewey Decimal filing system, 398 is the category for folklore (and 398.2 is fairy tales!) Sponsor Message Have you heard of the fun ratio? This idea comes from The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber. If you want to talk about other ways to equip your children for their future, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk to First Move today for free. 0:05:30 What We’ve Been Playing AzulTrio (our review)Flip 7 (review out this week! Keep listening)Disney Lorcana (Gateway review this week)Food Chain IslandToriki (review coming soon) – great for playing with kidsGruzzle: The City – very hard! But take a look: gruzzle.com5er Finden (our review)HUTAN: Life in the Rainforest (review coming soon). So many trees!Adventure Party (our review) 0:25:00 May Monthly Report! Anitra: 26 unique games, 51 plays. H-index: 3 – most played: Combo (7 times), Lorcana Gateway (6 times), Flip 7 (4 times), plus Patchwork and Food Chain Island.37% of plays for the month were during the two days at PAX East. Andrew: 13 unique games, 26 plays. H-index: 3 – most played: Lorcana, Toriki, Flip 7.42% at 4 players! 0:27:00 Community Welcome to our newest Facebook community members! #Backtalk Last time, we asked about your favorite convention memory. We got a couple of answers on Discord. 0:29:55 SNAP Review – Flip 7 A tiny card game that works with up to 18 people and you can learn in under a minute? Flip 7 does exactly what it sets out to do: provide fast moving fun for families or groups of any size. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. 0:37:15 Room to Grow: Classic Abstract Games We enjoy abstract strategy games, but often find ourselves only talking about ones that are NEW (even if we compare them to older games). So this week is devoted to older, classic games. You probably know how to play these timeless games already, and have some of them relegated to the back corner of your shelves or your closet. Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly. What’s an abstract (or abstract strategy) game? No theme, or a theme that only exists in the player’s heads. They don’t require any kind of fancy art to pull you in. Perfect information – no hidden cards or secret advantages. Little or no luck – you’re not going to depend on dice or shuffled cards. (Can’t Stop and Backgammon are fantastic games, but don’t quite fit here.) Why play old games? Lots of people know them.Rules tend to be simple, even if the strategy is not.Old abstract games can be played with the equipment you have at hand. You don’t need to go out and buy a fancy board or pieces (although those are nice!) Beginner: Tic-Tac-Toe Also known as “naughts and crosses”, this is a very basic abstract game with easy rules and a simple goal: get three of your pieces in a row. Tic-Tac-Toe is basically a “solved” game, and with just 8-9 moves, most adults know whether they can win by their second turn. Because of this, parents get tired of it quickly. But it is an excellent introduction! Since it’s so simple and games are so short (usually over in just 8 moves), kids can really master it with just a little bit of practice. (And move on to variations like Hollywood Squares, Ultimate Tic Tac Toe, 3D Tic Tac Toe, larger boards, or Connect 4) Intermediate: Checkers This one is also known as Draughts. Checkers is still a simple ruleset, but games are longer and present more options. Double-check that you know the true rules before you start! Handicapping and house rules are OK, but do them intentionally and clearly. Since there are still relatively few options, Checkers encourages kids to start looking ahead to future moves, without presenting so many options that it’s overwhelming. Getting bored of the regular rules? There are dozens of games you can play with a standard American checkerboard and some or all of the pieces. Advanced: Chess Chess requires a significant jump in skill. It’s a harder game to learn, because there are lots of kinds of pieces and they move in lots of ways. You end up with a lot to keep track of, especially when you’re learning. But it’s been popular for over a thousand years – and for good reason! It’s rewarding to learn and to see the different ways you can outmaneuver your opponent. Ways to dial back the

Welcome to The Family Gamers podcast! Last week, we attended PAX East 2025, a huge convention that’s practically in our backyard. What are the coolest things we saw there? 0:00:00 Fact for 397 https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/11/theres-not-many-downsides-man-with-the-worlds-longest-tongue-727048 Sponsor Message If you’d like to have a free conversation to help you understand how to do some due diligence on a charity before making a donation, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers and schedule a 15 minute phone call. What We’ve Been Playing Flip 7 (review coming soon)Smug Owls (our review)Caution Signs (review coming soon)Disney Lorcana Gateway (review coming soon)Another Man’s Treasure (review linked below)Combo (our review)PatchworkThe GangJungo – coming later this year from Happy CamperCantankerous Cats (review coming eventually)Ultimatch (our review) – still fun even when we lose. 0:14:25 SNAP Review – Another Man’s Treasure Everyone’s had family members try to foist off their “treasures” on them. In this game, collect the junk and make it into specific rummy-like groups to get it OUT of your hand. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. 0:20:45 PAX East 2025 Recap Anitra went for two days, Andrew and Asher went for one day. Although it’s very videogame-heavy, there’s plenty of boardgame/tabletop stuff as well. Anitra recommends Ultimate Sheep Racoon (coming soon) if your kids like wacky video games. Andrew is excited by Ludocene – “Tinder for videogames”, which is on Kickstarter now. It’s possible that they’ll make a boardgame version as well! The coolest thing we both saw was Pencil! (aka Pencil XR) The other coolest thing Anitra saw was mass-produced dice with Braille for the numbers. Anitra highly recommends trying the boardgame tournaments, which are surprisingly low-impact and low-stress. She got her start with “Thursday Night Throwdown” and “Friday Night Frenzy!” – tournaments where no one knows what the games will be until the tournament starts. At a tournament this year, she learned: Schrodingers Cats, Lumberjacks with Rocket Launchers, Frozen Shinies, Mountain Goats. This year, she got the courage to play in a Patchwork tournament and a 7 Blunders tournament. (The newer version of 7 Wonders is much easier to play with!) Asher ended up doing Trio demos for an hour for Happy Camper. We’re so proud of him. Andrew describes Caution Signs. And Anitra was excited to finally see Bioshop Infinite (a barbershop quartet) perform on stage. PAX East Interviews 0:38:00 Choose Co Choose Your Own Adventure books are BACK! The first book (The Cave of Time) is finally back after 25 years out of print, and the company has dozens of other books – some classics, some new. Find out more at cyoa.com. 0:39:55 Sage Stones TNT Laser Works makes beautiful wooden boards that are both an art piece and a functional board game, based on a game Ted played in his childhood. There’s also a more portable version that is a leather scroll. (Check out our Youtube channel for a quick how-to-play video.) See all the available boards at TNTLaserWorks.com and look for them at Origins, National Gaming Expo, GenCon, PAX Unplugged, and NOVA Open. 0:44:00 DOTS RPG Project Braille dice – mass produced or print-your-own with a 3D printer! See them at dotsRPG.org 0:45:20 Modern Meeple We love the Gamey Susan, Player One board, dice vaults, and the rest of the modular Modern Meeple products. See more and sign up for their email list at ModernMeeple.com. 0:47:15 Pencil! An augmented reality VR app that gives drawing lessons, starting with tracing but moving on to 3D models, shading, and more. Both lessons and non-lesson tools to help you draw better with a real pencil and paper. Available on the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S. May be available on more VR headsets in the future. Find out more at Pencil-XR.com. 0:55:00 Family Gamers Community Welcome new members – we’re glad you’re here! Backtalk Our community shares their biggest board game surprises – on Facebook and Discord. Most of the surprises were good ones, but we also learn a lesson about calling games “simple” that have a large decision space (e.g. Splendor). If you go to conventions, what’s your favorite convention memory? Or what is your favorite convention? If you don’t go to conventions, why not? Is there something a convention could offer you that would make you interested in going to one? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamily

We’ve been reviewing board games for almost ten years. And sometimes, we run across ones that REALLY surprise us. Let’s talk about a few this week. 0:00:00 Fact for 396 This week we’ve got an “at the same time” trend going. The most people showering simultaneously is 396, achieved by Irish Springs (USA) in Dover, Delaware, USA, on 15 June 2018. The most people making sand sculptures simultaneously is 396, and was achieved at an event organised by Sculpture Westende and Philippe Bourleau (both Belgium) in Middelkerke, Belgium, on 23 August 2019. The largest simultaneous launch of canoes/kayaks is 396 and was achieved by the New Hampshire Lakes Association (USA) at Endicott Rock Park, Laconia, New Hampshire, USA, on 3 August 2014. Sponsor Message Did you know that risk when it comes to investing is anything happening other than what is expected? (So, any kind of surprise, good or bad!) Most people are loss averse, not risk averse. The amount of loss aversion you have should influence how you invest, how much insurance you own, and how much you have in your emergency fund. Knowing more about ourselves and how we instinctively react will help us make better financial decisions in the future. If you want to talk to someone about your natural money instinct reach out to First Move Financial by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk for free! 0:05:20 What We’ve Been Playing lots of games on vacation!Games of Art (a dry-erase book compiled/designed by Sid Sackson, each game is based on 20th century abstract artists)Flip 7 (review coming soon) – Here’s a video talking about why three different box sizes exist.Combo (our review)Trio (our review)Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels (review coming soon) – now that we are playing correctly, the game is less frustratingly difficult.Micro Macro Kids: Crazy City Park (review coming soon – we highly recommend!)Adventure Party (review coming soon)Merchants of Magick (our review) and also:Toriki: The Castaway Island (review coming soon) – like Chronicles of Crime or Kids Chronicles, but somewhere in between.Belratti (review coming soon)Word Fluxx (review below)So Clover (our review)Floristry (our review) 0:34:15 April Monthly Report! Anitra: 36 plays of 23 unique games. H-index 2 (Lorcana Gateway, Games of Art, Flip 7, Word Fluxx, Floristry, Fruition, Trio)42% of games played were on that 5-day vacation. Andrew: 26 plays of 18 unique games. H-index: 2 (Lorcana Gateway, Obelus, Toriki, Word Fluxx, Floristry)46% on the vacation trip! 0:35:55 SNAP Review – Word Fluxx Yes, this is another Fluxx game, but it does a surprisingly good job ALSO feeling like a classic word game. Some goals are still “collect this set of letters” but most goals have you make a WORD that meets specific restrictions. We recommend using the “meta rule” that keeps the game going while players collect completed goals. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. 0:42:25 The Family Gamers Facebook Community Welcome new members! Mickey says hello. #Backtalk Last time, we asked about your favorite Disney movie(s). And you stepped up to let us know – on Facebook and on Discord. 0:53:00 Five Games that Really Surprised Us On our SNAP reviews we use the GAMES acronym – and we end with surprise. But what games REALLY surprised us? It might be the kids’ reaction, it might be something we didn’t expect when we opened the box. But here are five games that did something we didn’t expect, or didn’t do something we DID expect. Adventure Party (review coming soon) – It’s a deduction game! Magic Mountain – Looks like a kids game but it’s not just a kids game! It grabs EVERYONE. Back Stories – The mechanics are simple, but put together unlike anything we’ve seen before! The card-back actions and the way your options change are just so much better than what we’ve seen in most other “escape room” card games. Kingdomino – This is a solid game, which is not a surprise. But everything fits together SO WELL that even a 4 or 5 year old can understand the basics of how to play. That’s why I recommend it at the bottom of our list of games for 4-year-olds. Pan Am – Our number one surprising game. The way this game feels SO DIFFERENT at different player counts is wild. 1:04:30 New Backtalk Question What’s the greatest surprise you ever had in gaming? Is there a game that shocked you? Or maybe a surprise that happened WHILE gaming. Or maybe a type of game you never thought you would enjoy? Tell us on Facebook or on Discord! And check out our review of kids’ game Octo Grabbo – which surprised us how much all kids <12 liked it! Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBlues

Do you know what a “eurogame” is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn’t played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players? 0:00 Fact for 395 We talk about our local Interstate 395, and the much more beautiful Route 395 in California. https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/cant-miss-stops-along-californias-highway-395/ Sponsor Message If you want help looking at your 401(k)s to make sure you’re not overpaying go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up a time to chat, for free! 04:00 What We’ve Been Playing Order Overload: Cafe – I can’t believe we were ready to give this game away!Trio (our review)Circus Flohcati (our review) – I love how easy it is to get started playing this one: shuffle the deck and go!Anomia – always a fun party game.Green Team Wins (our review)Landmarks (our review) – the surprising stand-out hit of the business/fun trip weekend.Alpina (review linked below)Floristry (our review)FarkleIn the Footsteps of Marie Curie (our review)Disney Lorcana: Gateway – Learn Lorcana in a structured way! Review coming soonEscape from the Starline Express (“Professor Puzzle Presents…”) – like the easier EXIT boxes, and more-or-less re-giftable. 18:30 March Monthly Report Andrew: 23 plays of 17 unique games. H-index: 2. Trio (3 plays), then Anomia, Project L, Order Overload: Cafe, Obelus (2 plays) 39% at home, 39% on the work trip. Anitra: 48 plays of 28 unique games. H-index: 4. Trio (6 plays), plus Mezen, Landmarks, and Circus Flohcati at 4 times each.46% of plays were on the work trip (because Anitra doesn’t have to work on that trip!) 21:00 The Family Gamers Facebook Community Welcome new members! This cute goat says hi, and so do we! 22:10 FOR SCIENCE! Marc Specter (of Grand Gamers Guild) sent us an Australian candy bar called Violet Crumble. Is it true that “it’s the way it shatters that matters” ? Anitra’s verdict: “sugar and air, wrapped in chocolate”. 25:15 SNAP Review – Alpina Create a grid of alpine habitats and animals, while choosing which objectives you want to score. There are a lot of symbols to learn and a lot of options to juggle in Alpina. Watch the video of our Alpina review or read the transcript. 32:30 Eurogames, Ameritrash, and other Jargon The responses to our Backtalk question last month kicked off a lively discussion of boardgamer jargon on Discord. Are there any obscure or brand-new terms we could cover? There are some portmanteau / combinations of terms that we didn’t see until recently, like “co-opetition”, “deck breeding”, or “deck wrecking” (Abandon All Artichokes). What is a “euro game”? Wikipedia says it’s also called a “German style board game”. Euro games are notable for what they lack: player elimination, direct conflict, and luck. (If there’s some luck or randomness, it’s something that is revealed and then all players have to deal with it.) Most euro games have very little player interaction – mostly just competing for limited resources – and require more forethought and planning. Euro games usually emphasize elegant mechanics instead of theme. (Examples: Catan, Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Power Grid) We use the phrase “classic euro” because this definition has morphed over time. Modern euro games will tend to have better art and hew a little closer to their themes. “No player elimination” is an important feature that has been incorporated into a lot of newer games that we wouldn’t call euro games. How about Ameritrash? Euro games are usually contrasted with “American style” games (or sometimes “Ameritrash”) Ameritrash is a term that we heard a lot a decade ago and don’t hear very often any more, probably because it’s kind of derogatory. “American style” games that are heavy on theme and luck and often encourage direct conflict between players. Usually the theme informs the mechanics (not the kind of game where you could easily cut and paste a new theme). These are also the games most likely to have excessive amounts of minis. American-style games are informed by a culture that REALLY LOVES video games. It’s going to be a game with direct conflict (often combat), probably bright, saturated colors, a really strong theme, and lots of luck. These are still not your typical American “family” game like Scrabble, Monopoly, or checkers. We think of games like Mythalix, Cosmic Encounter, Imperial Assault, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, the Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels game we’ve been playing… What about Dice Throne and Unmatched? We guess they fit, too. These are loose definitions, but the there’s a definite contrast between the two styles. Both “euro” and “ameritra

0:00 We’re out of town this weekend. A perfect time to talk about our favorite party games. 394 fact Tony Gwynn is recognized as having the highest single season batting average in the modern era – He hit .394 for the San Diego Padres in 1994. If you’re not a sports person, here’s a dumb record for you. The most spins of a Guinness World Records book on the finger in one minute is 394, and was achieved by Arun Kumar Mahanta (India) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, on 11 August 2022. 03:11 Sponsor message Who is First Move Financial? Well, First Move Financial is a financial services firm started by Donnie Carpenter, and his focus is to help normal families work with their finances. This isn’t just investing, it can include investing, but also spending every dollar wisely, knowing when to transition from debt payments to making other important purchases. But mostly, intellegently navigating the money world. Donnie is a board gamer just like us, so he completely understands the shelf of shame. You can go to firstmovefinancial . com / familygamers to find out more. 04:15 What We’ve Been Playing Little Alchemists (review coming soon!)Mezen (solo mode)Donald Duck in Happy CamperIn the Footsteps of Marie CurieMedieval Academy (solo)Cabanga!Jekyll vs. Hyde 18:00 Backtalk We’re waiting another week for more deep dives into board game terms. But we had to share this Nidavellir pronunciation guide from Stephan. 19:20 SNAP Review – Mezen Mezen is a side-by-side puzzle game based on a traditional Russian/Nordic art form. How does it chalk up? Read the transcript or watch our Mezen review. 26:00 Top Party Games What do we mean by a party game? A party game works well at four or more players. It has simple rules – easy to teach, easy to learn. It’s something very casual and low-commitment. People can drop in or drop out (or a super fast playtime, which allows someone to join in next time). Party games are usually silly and based around guessing or giving clues (but not always). Most (but not all) party games are based on a deck or two of specialized cards. And while there is nothing wrong with a more “adult” game, all of our favorites are ones that you can play with kids in the mix. 30:00 Our Seven Favorite Party Games In alphabetical order: Anomia – A favorite for over a decade. Also available in an adults-only version, called Anomia X. See our reviews for Anomia Pop Culture and Anomia Kids. Green Team Wins – A game of friendly “religious arguments” for lots of players. See our review. Secret Identity – A game of guessing other players’ secret identities. But surprisingly strategic (you have a limited number of clues to use in the entire game) and family friendly (the eight possible secret identities are all known). See our review of this hidden gem. Similo – One clue giver, everyone else is trying to guess (an asymmetric cooperative game) the selected character by slowly whittling down the choices based on what the clue giver indicates. Incredibly easy to drop in, and even playable by just two people! There are a ton of different themed variations available. See our review of Similo. Smug Owls – This game of programmed riddles ends up sometimes silly, sometimes deep. You can feel clever, and also reward or recognize that cleverness in other people. There are new expansions available: Smut Owls, Pompous Owls, and Poseur Owls. See our review of Smug Owls. Trio – Neither a word game, nor a clueing game, but rather a game of memory and deduction. Our copy is almost worn out. Trio tops out at six players, but it’s very fast, so it’s easy to let a new player step in “next time”. Look for sets of three matching cards by asking for highest or lowest cards in players’ hands (or face-down on the table). See our review of Trio. Wavelength – The only game on this list we’ve never reviewed. One clue giver and everyone else tries to figure out if they’re “on the same wavelength.” The clue giver has a location on the wheel and a spectrum (example: cat name vs dog name), and must give a clue to try to get everyone else to position the marker at the proper location. Wavelength can be played in two teams or as a fully cooperative game. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

It’s been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let’s do that again! 0:00 Fact for 393 The TV show Star Trek: Voyager uses the phrase “some kind of” 393 times over the seven seasons. There’s a fan-made video that documents them ALL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwZiezIxCVU Sponsor Message If you want to talk to an expert about prioritizing your goals and saving for the future go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to set up a time FOR FREE to see if they can help you make your First Move. 04:00 What We’ve Been Playing Medieval Academy (both the 2014 version and the 2023 version)Power Plants – inspired to play after last episode!Royal VisitProject LMezen – review coming soonAnitra’s solo plays: Mezen, Strato, A Gentle Rain, A Nice Cuppa)more Floristry (our review) – Anitra predicts this will be TFG’s top game of 2025.Obelus (our review) – love the table presence on this tiny game.S’mores Galore – “exactly what I’ve been hoping for in a s’mores themed game” 17:00 The Family Gamers Community Even Alex Trebek is glad you’re here! Stop in and say hi. 18:20 SNAP Review – Strato Learn more about this solo or cooperative game of controlling the weather. Watch the video or read the transcript of our Strato review. What Does That Word Mean? 24:35 Asymmetric (and Asymmetric Player Powers) What’s asymmetry? Well, it’s the lack of symmetry, which would be when two halves (or two items) are identical. You’re probably played both symmetric and asymmetric games, without realizing it. Asymmetric games means that players DON’T have the same actions or the same goals. This goes beyond the luck of the draw or making different choices: in asymmetric games, players literally CANNOT do exactly the same things as other players. What’s good about them? They’re more interesting. It feels really powerful and special if you have a power that breaks the rules that everyone else has to follow. Can have better replayability. Because of different powers, playing it again can feel both familiar and new – exploring new ways that characters interact. And the bad? Asymmetric games are harder to TEACH (especially to kids) because everyone can do slightly different things. Can feel unfair (“why do you get to do that and I don’t?”) Some asymmetric games feel very unbalanced or require a specific character to be played to work at all. Let’s talk examples! Some of our favorites are 2 player asymmetric games like Skulk Hollow / Maul Peak, The Hunt, Watergate, Jekyll vs. Hyde One-vs-many games: one person has a very different role (like villain or clue-giver) and everyone else is working together (kind of). Examples: Scotland Yard, Pyramid of Pengqueen, Visitor in Blackwood Grove (three roles, two of which cooperate). We argue that most clue-giving games fit into the one-vs-many asymmetric style. You can make them feel more symmetrical by taking turns being the clue-giver. Hidden identity / hidden traitor games (Spyfall) fit into this idea as well. When we think of asymmetric games, we immediately think of these character-based options: Dice Throne, Unmatched, Pocket Paragons, or Disney Villainous. CCGs and constructed-deck games are obviously asymmetric – everyone has a different idea of what makes a “good” deck. Examples: Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Compile, Windup War) Asymmetric games are as old as board games themselves. Anitra thinks of Fox and Hounds or Fox and Geese (find out more), an old checkers-like game. Cosmic Encounter is often held up as one of the earliest many-player asymmetric games. Asymmetric player powers show up in our favorite coop games! (Pandemic, Endangered, Disney Animated. Even Sherlock Solitaire) 37:00 Auction Games (and/or Bidding) What is an auction game? An auction is a system where one or more players may offer up something in exchange for something else (basically purchasing it) Not the same as trading – you’re trying to outdo other players in this offer. Auctions always have “winning” AND “losing” bidders; sometimes the losing bidders may receive some kind of compensation Bidding does not necessarily mean an auction. (eg. in Wits & Wagers, you’re bidding, but not to win a specific thing in exchange) Auctions USUALLY offer players a chance to go back and forth There are so many different kinds of auction mechanics! Usually we’re talking about Blind bidding or sealed bidding – everyone comes up with an amount secretly, then they are all revealed. But there’s also open information auctions – you know how much other people are willing to pay, and make a decision to outbid them or not. In a closed economy auction, the money/resources spent in the auction are directly given to auction participants. In Ra, your resource is a disk

We’re currently having false spring here in New England. But after a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let’s talk about games with flowers and plants – games that make us think spring. 0:00 Fact for 392 It’s been a while since we’ve done a car fact: The SRT 392 is a high-performance version of the Dodge Charger and Challenger models. Sponsor Message Check the FTC’s website for information about credit counseling and debt management plans for anyone wanting to learn more. Remember, you can always schedule a short phone call by going to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers – and even if they aren’t the right fit to help you, they can point you in the right direction. 04:00 What We’ve Been Playing Horrified: World of Monsters – this time using Cthulu and the Krampus expansion monster.NidavellirShovel Knight: Dungeon DuelsLittle Alchemists (review coming soon)Strato (review coming Friday)Floristry (review coming soon – this game will be out later in March!) 13:25 Feb Monthly Report Andrew: 14 plays, 10 unique games, H-index: 2 (Floristry, Little Alchemists) 86% at home, 56% at two players. Anitra: 43 plays, 22 unique games, H-index 3 (Strato, Floristry, Octo Grabbo) 14:30 The Family Gamers Community We’re so glad for new members who joined us on Facebook. Hope you like pizza! 15:00 Backtalk Getting to know you! Listeners tell us about their favorite snack or candy. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 19:30 FOR SCIENCE! We try pink lemonade KitKats. 22:00 SNAP Review – Hundred Acre Wood Fluxx Elliot helps Anitra review this adorable version of Fluxx, crafted with a love for A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. And kids can include stuffies as players. Who doesn’t love that? Watch the video or read the transcript of our Hundred Acre Wood Fluxx review. 26:00 Ten Games that Make Us Think Spring Ten games with flowers and plants and growing things. Not a top ten! Just ten spring-like games we recommend. Floristry (review coming soon!) – A very fast, very compelling game for two players. Flower Fields (our review) – Celebrates the whole ecosystem of growing flowers. A little more complicated than Patchwork or Kingdomino. Playable solo or two players, but best at three or four players. Gift of Tulips (our review) – A game that rewards you for giving flowers away. Best for 3-6 players. Bonsai (our review) – Create bonsai trees bit by bit, using hex tiles to create surprisingly organic looking plants/trees. Tea Dragon Society Card Game (our review) – A super cute kids game, “my first deckbuilder” with no conflict. Power Plants – Area-majority tile game. Grow crazy magical plants. Not a friendly game, but rarely intentionally mean. Grove (our review) – Create a grove of citrus trees. Stack cards to get better fruit (tracked with dice). Quick and compact solo game that you can bring almost anywhere. Gnome Hollow (review coming soon) – Friendly gnomes make rings of mushrooms, collecting mushrooms and flowers for points. A Gentle Rain (our review) – Another solo game. This one should be completely stress-free: match tile edges and place flowers. Enjoy the art and the calming illustrations. Tussie Mussie – A fantastic split-and-choose game that is best at two players. Easy to learn, lots of layers of strategy, with bluffing and several kinds of set collection. 49:30 New Backtalk Question Do you have a favorite flower? Andrew’s favorite are dahlias, and Anitra’s are pansies. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 392 – Springtime Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Following on from last week’s topic, let’s talk about cooperative games that can you can play with your children as they grow! 0:00:00 Fact for 391 The deepest hand-dug well was 391m (1285 ft) deep. It took almost 6 years to hit water! Find out more: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/761162-deepest-hand-dug-well Sponsor Message If this primer on investments already has you overwhelmed, you may want to get help with managing your investments. First Move is here to help. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to set up a time FOR FREE to see if they can help you make your First Move with investing. 0:05:15 What We’ve Been Playing trio of Chip Theory Kids games: Bear in Mind, Octo Grabbo, Woodland Rush Flamecraft (our review)Hamster Roll (our review)Hundred Acre Wood Fluxx (review coming soon)Cabanga! (our review)Runemasters (review coming soon)Project LLet’s Go! To JapanFloristry (review coming soon)Splendor Duel 0:33:30 The Family Gamers Community We’re so glad for new members who joined us on Facebook. A sleepy puppy welcomes you! Backtalk Listeners tell us about their favorite cooperative games. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 0:43:40 SNAP Review – Landmarks Take a look at this unusual word game of clues and guesses, and navigate a path across the island! Read the transcript or watch the video of our review of Landmarks. 0:50:50 Room to Grow: Cooperative Games Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly (no Dead of Winter or Frosthaven, sorry). Why play cooperative games? We talked a lot about this last time in episode 390. Cooperative games encourage players to work together. And when you’re playing with very young children, there will often be an element of cooperation even if that is not how the game is intended to work. Cooperative games are also a great way to get everyone on the same team, winning or losing TOGETHER. Even then, kids will have to wait their turn, and have opportunities to help each other! Beginner: My First Castle Panic This is a tower-defense game designed for 3-5 year old children. On your turn, you choose from one of two cards to try to match a monster spot on the path up to the castle. But you’re also allowed to ask other players for help! You have a chance to be the supporting character and help the hero. My First Castle Panic is the most popular game to be bought through our Amazon affiliate links – by FAR. Read our full review of My First Castle Panic. Intermediate: Zombie Kidz Evolution We talked about this when we talked about room to grow legacy games. Zombie Kidz Evolution forces players to think a few steps ahead. Try to help each other defeat the zombies and cooperate to lock the school gates. No matter how well you do, you always get at least one sticker to place in the rulebook (but if you win, you get more). While these legacy aspects keep kids interested, they also slowly ramp up the complexity. Unlock special powers – both for the player characters and for the zombies! Additional challenges will force kids to continue to improve their cooperation. Advanced: Disney Animated This game leans very hard into its theme: classic Disney animated movies. Each player has their own movie they’re working on, but there’s a group goal, which requires every player to meet their individual goal as well: finish all the movies and defeat all the villains. This means that sometimes you will use your whole turn to support other players in meeting their goals. Read our full review of Disney Animated. The game is still available on Amazon and in some big-box stores. Even More: The World of Cooperative Games From “big brother” Castle Panic to Pandemic, from Horrified to Unmatched Adventures, Marvel United, and Marvel Champions. Even The Loop and Endangered are wonderful cooperative games for your family to play. 1:07:00 New Backtalk Question We have asked a lot about cooperative games already. So it’s time to learn about you, our listener! What’s your favorite candy or snack? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also o

This week, we’re talking about cooperative games – what they are, what makes them a good fit for families, and we explore the breadth of games that can be considered “cooperative”. 0:00:00 Fact for 390 While the exact number fluctuates, there are around 390 known species of sharks in the world, from tiny lantern sharks to massive whale sharks. The average weight of a full-grown jaguar can reach up to 390 pounds, making it the largest cat in the Americas. Sponsor Message If you want to talk through your specific situation and how to achieve your goals set up a time to talk FOR FREE at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:04:15 What We’ve Been Playing Combo (review linked below)Flower Fields (review coming soon)Holiday Hijinks: The Marriage Mix-up – two thumbs up!In Vino Morte (our review) RivagesLandmarksTrio (our review) StratoMicroMacro Funfair Jigsaw (review coming, but you can find more from Hachette) 0:20:45 Monthly Report – January Anitra: 29 plays of 19 unique games. H-index 2 (A Nice Cuppa played 6 times) Andrew: 18 plays of 14 unique games. H-index 2 (In Vino Morte, Video Game Champion, Flower Fields) The Family Gamers Community We’re so glad for new members who joined us on Facebook. Cookie Monster says hi – and you should too!. 0:23:00 Backtalk Listeners tell us about what game(s) they’d play to de-stress. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 0:32:00 SNAP Review – Combo Do you combo? We review this semi-cooperative game of making the best card combo across all players. Watch the video or read the transcript, and check out Combo for yourself. 0:38:20 Cooperative Games The last time we talked specifically about cooperative games was all the way back in episode 108! (Top Cooperative Games With Kids). We’ve played a lot of other cooperative games in the last 6 ½ years. Where are good places and times to play cooperative games? Coop games can be a great way to bring younger kids into gaming. Any perfect information game can work for this, but in a cooperative game, your littlest can easily be part of the team. Also good for preventing sore losers – or sore winners! Categories of Cooperative Games Anitra decides there are three basic categories: you either work together to solve a puzzle, work together to tell a story, or one person is giving clues to everyone else to guess. A lot of the puzzle-type cooperative games have players take turns and then “bad stuff happens”. But not all! Ultimatch charges players to solve a problem without a separate “bad stuff” turn. The Crew has a little more story and does something similar. The Adventures of Robin Hood is a “story” game. The best of these have multiple ways to “solve” the puzzles involved. Some escape room games do this really well; some just present puzzles you have to solve a specific way. Most clue-giving games are word-guessing games, but not all. Similo is a great example of one that is NOT a word game. All Kinds of Mechanics It seems like every game mechanic has had some kind of take on how to do it cooperatively: Trick-taking: The CrewWorker placement: EndangeredWord games: Illiterati (NOT a guessing game!)Deck building: Harry Potter Hogwarts BattleLadder climbing: The MindDungeon crawl: CoraQuestSet collection: TesseractPress your luck: Mickey’s Christmas CarolAbstract: UltimatchHeavily themed: Disney AnimatedDeduction: Purrrlock Holmes And don’t forget about the whole genre of timed cooperative games! This can be pure puzzle solving like Kites or Skyrockets, or a memory game like Panic Island. TFG Favorite Cooperative Games SimiloShadows over CamelotIlliteratiThe GrizzledSkyTeam 1:00:00 New Backtalk Question Question: What is your favorite cooperative game? Why is it your favorite? Would you like us to break this out more and dive into specific genres of cooperative games? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 390

Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, we find games that disconnect us from the stresses and worries of every day life. Andrew and Anitra discover that they have different ideas of what helps them step away from the real world – but there’s some overlap, too. 0:00 Fact for 389 When diving (“stooping”), the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of 389kph. Sponsor Message Owning a home isn’t for everyone, but if you want help talking through whether it makes sense for you to buy or rent, set up a free phone call by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 03:18 What We’ve Been Playing Playing games is one of the ways we de-stress. A Nice Cuppa (Anitra’s review)Bite Your Tongue (read the transcript or watch the video)AzulVideo Game Champion (again)Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard – this builds off the ideas in Jekyll vs. Hyde and makes it a cooperative game. (And check out the Kickstarter campaign for more games like this that 25th Century is bringing to the USA) Little Alchemists (review coming soon)Maul Peak (haven’t played it in a while but we still love it) 11:30 Community Welcome and Backtalk We’re so glad you’ve joined us on Facebook! Say hello to our newest community members. Backtalk Listeners tell us about their favorite “new” game in 2024. See responses on Discord and Facebook. Check out Derek Bruff’s podcast episode about The Wolves. 21:40 SNAP Review – Bite Your Tongue A dumb game, but surprisingly fun, and very quick. Can you make yourself understood? Read the transcript or watch the video of this very short review. 24:45 Games to Disconnect Andrew and Anitra deal with stress differently. Andrew needs to “disconnect” and do different things when he has too much on his plate. Anitra needs an escape that has simple rules and not too many choices. We agree that word games are bad for this (although for different reasons). Andrew doesn’t mind a lot of rules, but needs it to be a familiar game because learning a new game is too connected to the real world. Really deeply thematic or narrative games are great for him. But strong competition is not. Anitra prefers gently competitive games (or solo) – the kind that leave her feeling accomplished, no matter how well she did compared to others. Andrew says deduction (figuring out what other players have) is also bad for this. No games with limited communication or any game that increases FRICTION. Little Alchemists (review coming soon) would be a great choice! It’s sort of co-operative, sort of competitive. Nothing grounded in “real life”, a limited set of decisions each turn, and you can’t plan very far ahead. Roll Player – Andrew (primarily as solo)A Gentle Rain – Anitra (our review)Escape room games that have continuity between puzzles (Holiday Hijinks, maybe some Unlocks, the easier EXITs)Abstract games with a limited decision space – like Quarto, Quoridor, Cinco Linko. We discuss whether Shobu or Tether work in this category.Tasso Banana (our review) – and other games where you simply react to what is on the table.Button Shy solo games – obviously A Nice Cuppa, but Anitra also loves ROVE and Sprawlopolis. Other themes might work better for other people. 44:40 New Backtalk Question What game do you play to disconnect and de-stress? What’s the “number one game in your tool-belt to step away from the stresses and busy-ness of the world”? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! :The Family Gamers60 Auburn St. #528Auburn, MA 01501 The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 389 – Games to Disconnect appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It’s the first podcast of 2025, so we’re going to go back over our favorite games from 2024. 0:00:00 Fact for 388 The National Guard observed its 388th birthday on December 13th, continuing a tradition that began long before the nation’s founding in 1776. Sponsor Message First Move doesn’t sell insurance, but they can help point you in the right direction and help you interpret the policies you currently have. To schedule a call with First Move, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:05:06 What We’ve Been Playing Combo (review coming soon)Video Game ChampionLandmarksMezenRiver Valley GlassworksRun Run Run!A Nice Cuppa (review coming soon)Calico 0:25:00 Monthly Report and Year in Review December: Andrew: 18 unique games, 29 total plays.H-index: 3. Most played: Obelus, Combo, Landmarks Anitra: 62 plays of 29 unique games. A ton during PAX and on NYE, not much otherwiseH-index: 5. Most played: Combo, Landmarks, A Nice Cuppa, Obelus, Ultimatch. 2024:Anitra: 529 plays of 178 unique games. Not as good as last year. But a better H-index: 10! Number one game: Trio.Andrew: 130 unique games, 302 plays. 87 “new” games. H-index: 6. Number one game: Trio. 0:31:00 Community Welcome and Backtalk We’re so glad you’ve joined us on Facebook! Stop in and say hi. Backtalk Listeners tell us about their favorite gifts. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 0:37:30 SNAP Review – Tasso Banana See how this banana-stacking game surprised us. Watch the video or read the transcript of our Tasso Banana review. 0:41:45 Top Ten Games of 2024 We used the same system as last year: we each had 10 points to spend on as many (or as few) games as we wanted. And somehow we still ended up with a combined top ten! One point each, numbers 6-10: Ultimatch (our review)Cosmoctopus (our review)Tir na NogSmug Owls (our review)Flashback: Lucy (our review) At two points each, numbers 4 & 5: Santa’s Workshop Second Edition (our review)Captain Flip (our review) At a hefty three points, number 3: Compile (our review) Even better at four points: Hamster Roll (our review) Our Top Game of 2024: Trio (our review) I don’t think we’ve been this excited to show people a game since Drop It. We also have two honorable mentions: Harmonies from Andrew (even though we only played once!) and Circus Flohcati from Anitra. 1:01:50 New Backtalk Question What was your favorite game of 2024? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! :The Family Gamers60 Auburn St. #528Auburn, MA 01501 The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 388 – Top Ten Games of 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:0:00 This week: our PAX Unplugged 2024 highlights and interviews. Fact for 387 The 387 Houses of Peter Fritz – so many tiny model houses! https://www.amusingplanet.com/2019/04/the-387-houses-of-peter-fritz.html Sponsor Message If you want to ask First Move your questions, schedule a free meeting with them by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers. 0:06:20 What We’ve Been Playing Obelus from Phase Shift Games Circus Flohcati – check the SNAP review! 0:08:20 PAX Unplugged Highlights Butterfly Garden – CapstoneTightrope & Ziggurat – MindwareChip Theory games for kids!card game coming from Thunderworks GamesA Place for All My Books – Smirk & DaggerThe Gang and more – KOSMOSPlayed games with the Slaiby family! (Downforce mostly)Backstories: Alone Under the Ice PAX Unplugged 2024 Interviews 0:20:30 Ryan Laukat, Red Raven Games 0:24:50 Risa, Lucky Duck Games 0:32:10 Steve Finn, Dr. Finn’s Games 0:42:35 Whitney, Hachette Games 0:50:40 Katzer’s Creations 0:52:25 Chris, Asmadi Games 0:55:30 Jason Miceli, Phase Shift Games 1:00:15 Anthony, Slay the Spire board game 1:01:30 Jay, Bezier Games 1:06:10 Quinn Washburn, designer of Valiant Wars 1:10:00 Tim Eisner, Weird City Games 1:14:05 Mike, 3WS 1:20:55 Backtalk! We asked: what’s your favorite memory of gaming on vacation? Facebook and Discord responded. 1:24:30 New Backtalk Question What’s the best board gaming gift you’ve ever received, and why? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 387 – PAX Unplugged 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’re going to spend the second half of the show with some wonderful people running a wonderfully magical place over in North Carolina. It is, of course, The Tabletop Inn, run by Grace Kendall and Mike Belsole. Fact for 386 Moana 2 pulled in 386 million dollars on its opening weekend – the new record for the top opening weekend for an animated film. (It beats out Super Mario Brothers at $377m and Frozen II at $358m.) Sponsor Message If you need to talk about other ideas to get started budgeting, set up a call with First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:03:15 What We’ve Been Playing Little AlchemistsSanta’s Workshop (simple side and complicated side are BOTH great)Circus FlohcatiGreen Team Wins: Holiday PartyFlower FieldsBottle Imp (review soon!) 0:20:00 November Monthly Report! Andrew: 23 plays of 15 unique games. Interesting: 52% were with 4 players!H-index: 3. Most played: Little Alchemists, Cabanga!, Circus Flohcati Anitra: 35 plays of 22 games. Far more with Andrew than anyone else.H-index: 3. Most played: boop the Halls, Tasso Banana, Little Alchemists, Cabanga!, Circus Flohcati We talk a bit more about Tasso Banana and how it surprised us. 0:26:40 Welcome Facebook Community Members Welcome, newbies! We’re glad you’re here! Feel free to share some numbers if you’re statistics nerds like us. 0:27:40 Backtalk Listeners tell us about their favorite video games. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 0:36:00 SNAP Review – boop the Halls Mischievous kittens are dressed for the holiday, and now they’re not only booping each other, but knocking ornaments off the tree, too! We love this holiday sequel to boop. Read the transcript or watch the video of our review. 0:41:00 The Tabletop Inn! The Tabletop Inn is a full bed and breakfast with a board game theme and an awesome view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. What is a traditional bed and breakfast? (It’s not the same as AirBNB.) Mike & Grace have opened their home to offer travelers a warm bed and a hot breakfast; it’s a place you spend some time, not just in-and-out. “There are pockets of fun hidden throughout the B&B that we hope guests can find and be delighted by.” “Every room has games in it”… even the hall bathroom. But if Mike and Grace sound familiar, it’s because they are also the creators of Smug Owls, a party card game we love. They tell us about the four different themed rooms, each of which has a recommended game pairing. Board games as wallpaper Yes, real game boards on the wall. Board games in the dining room Tic Tac Toe in the bathroom The Creativity Closet – for all guests Full of crafting supplies Game room Game room Need help finding the right game? A gorgeous view “The ideal guest is someone who appreciates the mountain-escape aspect of the place as much as the games…” without being terribly far from civilization. It’s just a mile from downtown Marion, NC – a cute little city. Find out more at www.tabletopinn.com 0:57:00 New Backtalk Question What’s is your best vacation board gaming memory? Andrew: when we took a 48 hour tiny-house getaway to just be alone together and play board games in 2021.Anitra: learning Tzolk’in on a company trip with Andrew and his coworkers. 1:01:30 Holiday Contest Winners! ArcheOLogic – AnnettePatrician: Towers of Influence – NickAvant Carde – Mikhail There are two more winners (Mutton Bustin, Holiday Hijinks bundle) we haven’t been able to confirm as of recording time – check your email! Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 386 – The Tabletop Inn! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’ve invited video game hype man Stephen Duetzmann (from Engaged Family Gaming) to go over his video game holiday gift guide. Fact for 385 The largest gathering of people dressed as elephants is 385, achieved by 2 Wish Upon A Star (UK), in Cardiff, UK, on 13 August 2016. Sponsor Message If you want to talk through financial ideas to take some of the stress out of the holidays, set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing Stephen – Empire of the Ants (PS5) and Mario and Luigi: Brothership (Nintendo Switch) Anitra – boop the Halls (review coming soon), and Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch) Andrew – Paris, City of Lights and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (on Steam/Xbox/PS) 0:17:45 Backtalk OK, so what’s your favorite beverage for board game night? See responses on Discord and Facebook. Stephen says mostly water, maybe a diet energy drink. Anitra’s is hot coffee in the morning, or herbal tea in the evening. 0:25:20 SNAP Review – Hamster Roll Elliot helps us explain this rolling dexterity game. We highly recommend Hamster Roll and have put it on our Hall of Fame. Watch the video or read the transcript of our Hamster Roll review. 0:30:50 Video Game Gift Guide for the Holidays Stephen Duetzmann helps us with the best video games to give this year, via the Engaged Family Gaming holiday list. “Should we buy a Switch this year?” Still yes. Even if a new Nintendo console comes out, Switch games are not going away any time soon, and the new console will be backwards-compatible. What kind of Switch to buy? Depends on how it’s going to be used. If you only want a handheld, not to use the TV (like an old-style Gameboy), get the cheaper Switch Lite. Andrew asks about controllers. Playstation or Xbox? It doesn’t matter – for KIDS – unless you need Spiderman (only available PS5) 0:39:10 Playstation Recommendations Astro Bot – “must play, for just about everybody”EA Sports College Football ’25 (available on Xbox too)Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (rated T)Spider-man 2 (rated T) – very very good!Cat Quest III (available on Switch and Xbox too) 0:43:40 Xbox Recommendations Metaphor: Refantazio (rated T – available on Windows and PS5 too)Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (rated T – also on PS5 and Switch)Balatro (on literally everything, including Apple Arcade)Star Wars: Outlaws (rated T – also on PS5) 0:50:00 Nintendo Switch Recommendations Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomMario and Luigi: BrothershipSuper Mario Party Jamboree “the GOAT” – including a mode that eliminates some of the randomness that most Mario Party games have had!Princess Peach Showtime – Anitra agrees. “Very definitively NOT a Mario game.” Perfect if your kids loved the Mario movie.Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (remake of Gamecube game) – “the funniest game I’ve ever played”Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition – show your kids your OG Nintendo skills. 1:02:00 Miscellaneous Andrew complains there’s no Spyro on Xbox Gamepass… but there is! Look for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. More kid-friendly stuff should be coming next year. Don’t forget, the subscription services also make a great gift (Xbox Game Pass, Playstation Plus) especially if they’re going to be playing games against others online. Playstation Plus has multiple levels and they can get expensive. But it’s necessary to play online games. If you’re buying a console for a holiday present, do not leave it in the box! Don’t forget to set it up before Christmas! (Plug in, connect to the internet, download updates, install a game or two. You might need to update the firmware on the controller.) It’s a much more effective surprise if it’s ready to play on Christmas morning. And don’t forget about The Family Gamers holiday gift guide, too! 1:09:00 Holiday Contests Reminder: We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in, because there are a few days left! ArcheOLogicPatrician: Towers of InfluenceMutton BustinAvant CardeHoliday Hijinks! (Kickstarter is done) 1:11:15 New Backtalk Question What’s your favorite video game of the year? What’s your favorite of all time? Stephen: Astro Bot for 2024, and World of Warcraft / Final Fantasy X for all time. Andrew: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for the year – and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for all time. Anitra: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Katamari Damacy (or any variation) is her favorite to play any time. Find Stephen Online: EngagedFamilyGaming.comFacebook: @EngagedFamilyGamingor the Engaged Family Gaming Community (You can find Stephen in The Family Gamers community as well.) Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefami

0:0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’ll be going over our holiday gift list of board games. Fact for 384 384 is the sum of six consecutive primes (53 + 59 + 61 + 67 + 71 + 73) Sponsor Message If you need help figuring out how to get your engine started, First Move Financial might be able to help. Head over to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to see how First Move Financial can kick start your financial engine today. 0:02:15 What We’ve Been Playing Just two this week, that we’ll be reviewing soon. Santa’s WorkshopSuper Snipers 0:13:00 SNAP Review – Nekojima Why are we building such a shoddy electrical grid, and why are cats hanging all over it? We don’t know, but it makes for a fun game! Watch or read our review of Nekojima – the cat island full of power poles! 0:18:40 Board Game Gift Guide for the Holidays Let’s walk through our whole list – these are games we recommend giving as gifts. 0:21:20 Very Young Children0:27:10 Early Elementary (Age 6-9)0:34:30 Older Kids (Age 10+)0:41:40 Teens & Adults0:48:15 Games for the Whole Family0:58:00 Games for Two Players1:03:55 Solo Games & Puzzles1:07:30 Cooperative Games1:11:00 Stocking Stuffers 1:20:00 Holiday Contests Reminder: We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in: ArcheOLogicPatrician: Towers of InfluenceMutton BustinAvant CardeHoliday Hijinks! (Kickstarter is done) New (Old) Backtalk Question Inspired by an up and coming SPONSORED For Science, we’re going to restate last week’s backtalk question to encourage you to keep weighing in: What’s your favorite beverage to have with a board game? Or do you forbid drinks from being anywhere near your games? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 384 – Board Game Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome! Our holiday list is not ready, so we will be doing another podcast NEXT WEEK! Today’s podcast is just a smorgasbord of stuff. Fact for 383 https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/75367-most-strikeouts-in-a-major-league-baseball-season Sponsor Message Have you ever heard the term “it takes money to make money”? Well, it’s not the only way to make money, but it is a true statement. Income, however it looks, is like an engine. It can start slow, but as you build your resource pool, it often becomes easier to make more. If this sounds a little like the last time you played Wingspan or Terraforming Mars, it’s because there’s a lot of similarities between engine building in board gams and financial engine building in real life. If you need help figuring out how to get that engine started, First Move Financial might be able to help. Head over to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to see how First Move Financial can kick start your financial engine today. 04:00 What We’ve Been Playing Bottle Imp (review coming soon)Donut Shop (review coming soon)Cabanga! – we will be teaching this at PAX UnpluggedDodo – a great kids’ memory game with a cool slow-rolling ball as the timer. (review coming soon)Runemasters (review coming soon)Turns out beautiful games Deblockle (our review) and Quarto (our review) are also great for calm times or “sick” days.Dirty Pig (our review – no longer in print)Campaign Trail (one of the very first games featured on TheFamilyGamers.com) 26:00 October Monthly Report! Andrew: 26 plays of 17 games. Primarily at 3 players! H-index: 2. Most played: Hamster Roll, Football Feud Anitra: 44 plays of 24 games. H-index: 3. Most played: Hamster Roll, Circus Flohcati, Football Feud, Dodo 28:20 Welcome Facebook Community Members Welcome, newbies! We’re thankful you’re here! Feel free to share some numbers if you’re statistics nerds like us. 29:00 Backtalk Listeners tell us about their spookiest games. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 34:00 SNAP Review – Railroad Ink: Archipelago Anitra reviews this expansion board that works with any version of Railroad Ink. If you’re unsatisfied with how short a normal game of Railroad Ink is – this is the expansion for you. Watch the video to see the Archipelago boards in action! 40:30 For Science! We try Coca-Cola flavored Oreos, and Oreo flavored Coke Zero. We’re not big fans. But Andrew dislikes this two-for-one taste experiment MORE than Anitra does! Which one would you rather try? 45:00 Holiday Contests We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in: ArcheOLogicPatrician: Towers of InfluenceMutton BustinAvant CardeHoliday Hijinks! (check out the Kickstarter or check out one of our old reviews) Enter the giveaways! 50:00 New Backtalk Question What’s your favorite beverage to have with a board game? Or do you forbid drinks from being anywhere near your games? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 383 – Smorgasbord and Holiday Contests appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 It’s the end of October, which means it’s time for Halloween-themed games! 382 Fact Patent class 382 is the generic class for the automated analysis of an image or recognition of a pattern. (What is this? All that AI that Google brags about with identifying people, or things to then shop for, all of that falls under patent class 382). Find out more: https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc382/defs382.htm Sponsor Message If you want to talk to someone about your money history or personality then 15 minutes will just scratch the surface, but First Move can give you some resources to point you in the right direction. Set up a time to talk with them at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 5:08 What We’ve Been Playing Football Feud (watch our SNAP review!)HarmoniesHamster Roll (review coming soon)Ghosts Love Candy Too (more in the second half)Circus Flohcati (review coming soon)Felix: The Cat in the Sack – picked this bidding game up on a whim and had a pleasant time!Tether Welcome Community Members Say hi to all the new Facebook group members! Welcome! 20:50 Backtalk Listeners tell us about their favorite beautiful games on Discord. Some other good content in the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/3817897471833048/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/3826331294322999/ 27:35 SNAP Review – Mojo Do you have the mojo? We do, in this snappy card game. Watch the video or read the transcript. 32:30 Our Top Spooky Games for Families at Halloween We’re not big into horror or being scared. But we do love these gently spooky games for Halloween play. 1. Ghosts Love Candy Too – you’re ghosts scaring kids in costume to try to get them to drop their candy. Scare the kids TOO much, and you’ll have to take responsibility (usually negative points). Only nine rounds, with a ton of variability due to the kids who appear and what candy each player values most. Read or watch our review. 2. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters – we LOVED this game when our kids were younger. Cooperatively retrieve the treasures from a haunted house before too many ghosts and “hauntings” appear. It looks like the anniversary edition now includes rules for a player to control the ghosts, which means up to five people can play! 3. Studies in Sorcery – the darkest game on our list. Dig up graves for spell components to complete your degree in the dark arts in this card drafting / set building game. Read our review. 4. Zombie Dice – we’ve been playing this with our kids from very young ages. Pull three dice out, roll them. Brains are good, shotgun blasts are bad. Want to keep going? Gather any footsteps and add more dice to get back to three. Roll them and see if you are satisfied… or if you have three shotgun blasts, wiping out your brains this turn. (Find it on Amazon) 5. Horrified – There are four of these now! Classic, American Monsters, Greek Monsters, World of Monsters. Our favorite is Greek Monsters, but all are good. Cooperate to move “victims” away from the monsters and work towards defeating the monsters for good! Bonus Games! Unmatched: Cobble & Fog (Dracula, Invisible Man, Jekyll & Hyde) , Unmatched: Buffy Some longer and more “adult” games: Fury of Dracula, Letters from Whitechapel, Arkham Horror, The Shining (Coded Chronicles). And how about Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion (Coded Chronicles)? Looking for more? Halloween isn’t really our thing. But the guys at One Board Family love Halloween and creepy games! New Backtalk Question What are your favorite spooky games for the family? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 382 – Top 5 Spooky Games for Halloween appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome! This week, we’re talking about beautiful games – ones you would leave out on a coffee table – that are great for families to play. Fact for 381 We’re back to the Guinness Book of World Records, friends.The largest hand-held video game console party was on 12 October 2007, at the Parramatta mall in Sydney Australia, where 381 people gathered together, each one brandishing their own Nintendo DS. Sponsor Message Did you know that according to a recent poll sponsored by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling only 18% of Americans feel very confident about their retirement? So if you aren’t sure about retirement, you’re not alone. If you want to talk to a professional to see if you are on track to achieve your goals, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to schedule a quick phone call and see if First Move is the right fit for you. 02:43 What We’ve Been Playing Nekojima – review coming soon. We love that it can be cooperative or competitive.Mojo – review coming soon.Mundus NovusCaptain Flip (our review)Sky Team – we talked about playing this on Board Game Arena, but now we’ve played it in person. Looking forward to playing a lot more.Dice Throne – as recommended in our Games for Teens. We don’t love king-of-the-hill with our boys.Agueda: City of Umbrellas – review coming soonFire TowerFootball Feud! – very simple. Review coming soon. 18:20 September Monthly Report! Andrew: 20 plays of 15 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek (3 times) & Mojo (3 times). Also Trio (2 times). Anitra: 29 plays of 18 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek (6 times) & Mojo (4 times). 19:50 Welcome Facebook Community Members Lots of new members this week! Stop in and tell us which animal pictured represents you. 21:30 Backtalk Listeners tell us about games they wish they still had. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 26:25 SNAP Review – Super Kawaii Pets This super-cute game is great for pet lovers. It’s really simple and light, best for kids or very light family play. Watch the video to see our grumpy cat Romeo “help” with this one. 31:00 Top 5(ish) Beautiful Games This is a very subjective topic. And we have a ton of games which we love for their art. But we’re thinking about coffee table games or “eye candy” games – not games with good art, but games that you could leave set up and would look good in and of themselves. Maybe one you could expect to see in the background in a design magazine. Usually this means abstract games made with natural materials. Shobu Deblockle The Gigamic abstract series: our favorite is Quarto, but there’s also Quoridor, Qawale, Pylos, Quixo, Squadro, and Quantik. Catch the Moon Suspend (or Suspend Junior) – this reminds us of the bead maze toys that used to be in the pediatrician’s waiting room. Azul Shobu Deblockle Qawale Quarto Suspend Junior Catch the Moon Azul 49:40 New Backtalk Question What are your favorite looking games? What games are absolutely gorgeous to you – and do you think they’d work in this coffee table kind of setting? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 381 – Top 5(ish) Beautiful Family Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00:00 Intro – We usually talk about kids on this show. But our children aren’t little children anymore – so what about games for teenagers? 380 Fact The Ukraine country code for international calling is: 380. Sponsor Message To set up either a 15 minute phone call or a 90 minute meeting, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. 0:04:45 What We’ve Been Playing Clash of Magic Schools (review coming soon)Trio (our review)Skull King (review from One Board Family)Little AlchemistsFloating Floors (review coming soon) 0:18:30 Welcome Community Members Join in and welcome!Don’t forget, you can also join our Board Game Arena community! 0:19:30 Backtalk Speaking of our community, let’s talk about our backtalk. We got a lot this week! Lots of people playing games online I guess. See responses on Discord and Facebook. 0:29:00 We explain H-index to answer a listener’s question. 0:32:30 SNAP Review – Charcuterie This delicious game is great for mixed-age groups, or as a short appetizer before a longer game. Watch the video and see how yummy this game is! 0:37:00 Top 10 Games for Teenagers A follow on to our Games for Every Age series. Find the full list at TheFamilyGamers.com/top-10-games-teens/ 0:56:00 New Backtalk Question Is there a game from your past that you wish you could bring back, because you’re in a different season of life and you think it would fit better now? For Andrew, it’s the videogame Rock Band. We used to play it in college and as young professionals with our friends, but it went away as we had kids and our video game consoles got older. Now that our kids are old enough to play with us, he misses it, and wishes he could bring it back to play with them! Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 380 – Top Ten Games for Teens appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let’s talk about playing board games online! 379 Fact The Peterbilt 379, in production from 1992-2007, is still popular. And it was the model used for Optimus Prime in the Transformers movies. https://blog.ritchiebros.com/the-classic-peterbilt-379-a-semi-truck-that-carries-its-value Sponsor Message Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. There, you can set up a quick, free phone call to see if First Move is a good fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Star Trek: Chrono-Trek – Every time we set it up, we play it a bunch of times in a row.Super Kawaii PetsMojo (try it on Board Game Arena)Cosmoctopus All of the games above are ones we are preparing to review. We also learned Sky Team and played it together on Board Game Arena!We recommend this video from Monique at Before You Play August Monthly Report Anitra: 42 plays of 25 games. H-index: 3. Most played: Chrono-Trek, Trio, Grove, Jinxx, and Donuts. Andrew: 21 plays of 15 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek, Trio. (also Secret Identity and Roll to the Top) Welcome Community Members Just a few this week. Stop in and say hi! P.S. We will officially be at PAX Unplugged – with FOUR writers (and family members)! We will be running a Learn-and-Play on Sunday of that weekend. Backtalk Listeners tell us their favorite date-game stories. See responses on Discord and Facebook. SNAP Review – Secret Identity Give clues and guess each other’s identities in this feel-good guessing game. There’s only shared success, which makes it a great family game, with a little bit of silliness. Just watch out for very small text and symbols! Watch the video or read the transcript for our Secret Identity review. Board Game Arena So this week we’re going to talk about Board Game Arena. It’s not the only way to play board games online, but for us, it’s probably the most valuable. Why? Play with anyone (friends or strangers) all around the world. Asynchronous play We can play against each other without trying to leave a game set up (which our cats would destroy) Take five minutes to “solve the puzzle” of a single turn, in the middle of your day. Bookkeeping – allows play of fiddly or complex games that we might not otherwise play. (example: Seasons) You can try a game (or expansion) for free before you buy it. Tutorials – yet another way to learn a new game. Or you can try playing here before you play it with your family. Hundreds of games available. Our Five Favorite Games to Play on Board Game Arena 7 Wonders Duel – we like this in person, but having BGA handle the bookkeeping is amazing.7 Wonders – Bookkeeping again, plus this game is a table hog in person.Happy City – we love this simple tableau-building game (our review) – but the cards can get a little fiddly.Roll to the Top – because each turn is so simple; a great way to take a minute to drop in and take a quick break from your day. Love this one in person, too (our review)!Space Base – huge numbers of cards. Gets really messy in person. And BGA lets you set up options to speed the game when it’s not your turn. Some more games we play because they’re hard to get to the table at home: For Sale – a double bidding game. Anitra prefers it in real-time.Tzolk’in – a complex game, that Andrew loves and Anitra does not want to play.6 Nimmt! (AKA Take 5) – a quick numbers-on-cards games of predicting what others will play.Lucky Numbers – we enjoy this game (our review) but no longer have this game at home. Another one that’s great to drop in and make one simple decision. Some games are NOT as good on Board Game Arena! For example, Turing Machine or any game that requires “judging” (like Similo). Other Apps Through the Ages and Railroad Ink are both available on BGA, but are much better in their custom mobile apps. Codenames app is in beta – Andrew says it’s awesome. New Backtalk Question Do you play board games online? What’s your favorite on Board Game Arena – or anywhere else? Tell us about your online board gaming experience! And you should join our Board Game Arena group – let’s see if we can get some more games going there. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a

This week the kids go back to school. You know what that means? The return of Date Breakfast and “date night” games! 378 Fact Did you know about the London Overground? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_378 Sponsor Message If you’ve got questions about home ownership, investment, or any other financial question, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. There, you can set up a quick (free) phone call to see if First Move is a good fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Hero Kids (we interviewed the creator way back in episode 5!)NekojimaDragonkeepers – review coming soonUnmatchedTír na nÓg – you should check out the Kickstarter for the reprint!Railroad Ink Challenge (with new Archipelago boards)Project LStreamer StandoffChrono Trek – fun for Star Trek fans. Review coming soon. July Monthly Report Anitra: 37 plays of 18 games. H-index 3. Most played: Tether, Autumn, Merchants of Magick, Unboxed, Unmatched. Andrew: 29 plays of 15 games. H-index 3. Most played: Merchants of Magick, Clash of Magic Schools, Unboxed, Tether, Charcuterie. Welcome Community Members Say hi to all the new Facebook group members! Welcome! Backtalk Listeners tell us about games they’ve played based on locations. See responses on Discord and Facebook! SNAP Review – Flip Circus We flipped for Flip Circus – a challenging memory duel in a small pouch. Check out the transcript or watch the video for Flip Circus. Date Night Games So, Flip Circus is NOT a good date game. But what is? We talked about this way back in episode 180. We go through the old list we made (four years ago!) and say whether we’d still pick these for a date. What would we pick now? Listen to us narrow down a list in real time, until we can get to a top six. Our Top 6 Games for a Date Night (in 2024) Jekyll vs. Hyde (our review) – 2 player competitive trick-taking.Compile (our review) – card dueling.boop (our review) – be mean kittens and boop each other off the bed.Catch the Moon – a beautiful dexterity game, in a small space, and you can be as mean or as kind as you want to be.Tussie Mussie – I-split-you-choose for 2+ players. Secret messages in flower bouquets.Unmatched – Skirmishing game with lots of mix-and-match themes. The runners-up: Royal VisitLanaikeaTether (needs a large table)JaipurOnitamaShobuSherlock Solitaire – or Ultimatch – cooperative games are great! New Backtalk Question – Date Night Games What is your favorite game to play with your partner?Do you ever bring games on a date?Do you have any great stories about playing a game on a date? Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! :The Family Gamers60 Auburn St. #528Auburn, MA 01501 Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 378 – Top 6 Date Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We waited an extra week for this podcast so we could bring you all the Gen Con goodies with Nick. 377 Fact The most people wearing aviator sunglasses is 377, achieved by ProofPilot (USA) in Orlando, Florida, USA, on 7 February 2023. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/727771-most-people-wearing-aviator-sunglasses Sponsor Message If you’ve got questions about home ownership, debt, or any other financial question, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. There, you can set up a quick (free) phone call to see if First Move is a good fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Sausage SizzleRenatureGnome HollowXylotarSagradaFloating FloorsSecret Identity Welcome Community Members Whoa! A whole bunch of people have come to spend time in The Family Gamers Community over the last few weeks! Let’s gather ’round and say hi! Welcome! Backtalk Not many kid-friendly board game clubs among our listeners. Maybe you could help start one? Gen Con Adventures Nick tells us about his adventures at Gen Con. Picking up cheap older games at the used game consignment market and the auction, demoing others, escape rooms, meeting designers, and of course, being our roving reporter! Nick highly recommends Snatch It! from HeidelBAR Games. SNAP Review – Paper App Dungeon Looking for a portable game your kid can play all by themselves? Our boys highly recommend Paper App Dungeon. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. But seriously, watch the video! Gen Con 2024 Interviews Calliope Games with Chris Leder Brand new: Patrician: Towers of Influence Coming: Day of the Brambles – “a card-flicking throwdown” Coming: Legends of the Monster Academy Doing well: Four Corners and Hive Mind and a few we’ve reviewed in the past: Enchanted Plumes and Mass Transit Find more at CalliopeGames.com Amigo with Corey CloudShipPick-a-pen gamesCabanga! 30th anniversary of Take 5 / 6 nimmt!20th anniversary of Saboteur2?th anniversary of Bonanza (and check out Bonanza Dahlias !)26th anniversary of No Thanks! coming soon: 3 Chapters Find more at Amigo.games Perplext with Chris Handy Set 3 of Pack-O-Games, withWIN – distilled version of Long Shot the Dice GameBOG – 2 player card programming / hand-managementMAD – trick-taking Long Shot: The Dice Game Find them at PackOGame.com or Perplext.com Grandpa Beck’s Games with Brent Coming soon: 3-2-1 Countdown Out now: Toil & TroublezAnother Man’s Treasure Classics: Cover Your A$$etsSkull King GrandpaBecksGames.com or check the bottom of any of their boxes and find Brent’s phone numberFor a discount, use GET15 on their website for 15% off. Grand Gamers Guild with Marc Tir na Nog (sold out! There’s now a reprint campaign on Kickstarter)Endeavor: Deep Sea (with Burnt Island Games)La Familia Hort (review coming soon)Words of a Feather (our preview)Holiday Hijinks games (we love these! and more are coming soon)Endangered – Red Wolves expansion, and Endangered: Australia (coming 2025 – with koalas, toads, Great Barrier Reef) For more, check out GrandGamersGuild.com. Happy Camper Games with Jason Trio (we love it! – our review) coming soon: Combo Find more at HappyCamper.Games Envy Born Games with Mathue Tiny Games series Confusing Lands – expansions are in the works coming soon: Dragon Roost Kalahari (coming 2025 – not a tiny box) Find more at EnvyBornGames.com, or on social media. Mathue says “I spend a lot of time on TikTok”. New Backtalk Question! Anitra mentioned playing Sagrada after being at the Sagrada Familia. Have you ever played a game at a location it’s based on? Or has a trip ever motivated you to play a certain game? We know that we have to go visit the Greek town of Santorini because of how much Asher likes the game. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 377 – Gen Con 2024 with Nick appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Wow. We’re… Back? It’s been a very busy two weeks, and we’re already halfway through the summer. Let’s look forward to the start of school and talk about board game clubs! 376 Fact Space facts are always cool. Let’s talk about the HS-376 – a popular type of satellite, and the first launched by the Space Shuttle! Sponsor Message If you have (student) loans forgiven, the US counts that as taxable income. This has been specifically changed to not include student loans that are forgiven until the end of 2025, but if a client is in a forgiveness program and won’t be meeting their number of payments requirement in that time then they’ll want to have money saved up to pay the taxes on the forgiveness. A good thing to remember that is easily missed! If you’ve got questions about how to manage your student loans, or any other financial question, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. There, you can set up a quick (free) phone call to see if First Move is a good fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Clash of Magic SchoolsMerchants of Magick (our review)Paper App Dungeon (review coming soon)CharcuterieCanvas Critters (we think that’s the name? It’s in development)Autumn (bought from Gameria in Barcelona)Colt Express Welcome Community Members Whoa! A whole bunch of people have come to spend time in The Family Gamers Community over the last few weeks! Let’s gather ’round and say hi! Welcome! Backtalk We talk about hobbies in the Discord community and games we’d like to see based on those. Organs? Eurovision? Camping? For more on organs, check out episode 253 with our organist friend. For more on camping, read our review of Camp Pinetop. SNAP Review – Captain Flip Aye! We build our pirate crews in this bag-pulling, tile-flipping game. Captain Flip was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres, and it’s easy to see why. Watch the video or read the transcript of this review. For Science! We try a special Polar seltzer flavor – Jalapeno Citrus Margarita. Very different from other Polar seltzers we are familiar with. 5 Board Game Club Tips – For Parents We reached out to our friend Liz (a teacher who runs a board game club) for some help with these tips. 1. Is there a board game club at all? Help start one! Reach out to your children’s principal. Is there a board game club? Is there a similar club (like chess club) that could be expanded to include board games? You can also reach out to the Parent-Teacher organization to suggest a board game club as a new after school activity. 2. Help with Programming If there is a club, or if you’re helping to start it, help the club advisor with planning what to do each week! Be prepared to teach games, too. Teachers have full time jobs and do this extra. But if you’re listening to this podcast, you might know more about hobby board games than they do. 3. Figure out how to purchase games FOR the club You’ll be tempted to loan your own games, but you don’t want to do that. Kids will lose pieces and not treat the games with the same care you would. You’ll probably want multiple copies of some games too. So, approach the PTO with financing the purchase of those games. Your word will carry more than a teacher’s in this case. 4. Suggest and help organize a PARENT NIGHT The school can host an event where parents and kids play games together (hopefully with help from the PTO). Gamewright used to have a fundraiser program called the Gamewright Game Night. We don’t know if they do that any more, but that was a great community event. You can combine it with a bake sale or another school community event – and then also show that there would be support for an after-school club. 5. BE ON TIME The number one complaint from teachers who run clubs is that people don’t respect their time. They don’t show up on time to pick up their kids (or don’t show up on time as volunteers). Teachers are people too, often with their own kids they need to pick up from other places! What if My Kid Doesn’t Go to a Traditional School? Most of these tips still apply for a homeschool co-op, library, or community club. Ask what’s available, make suggestions of what YOU can do to help make this happen. Be willing to volunteer, and you don’t have to fund this all yourself! New Backtalk Question! We are talking about school board game groups. So tell us about yours! Do you have a board game group at your school? A D&D group? What’s it like? Share your best story from your school game group! Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct metho

Welcome Stephanie Nye this week, to talk about the games we’ve been playing lately and the Origins Game Fair. 375 Fact A fact about gold Sponsor Message First Move Financial gives us tips about repayment plans and student loan debt. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to set up a free call. What We’ve Been Playing In the Footsteps of Darwin – Spiel des Jahres nominee!Captain Flip – another nominee!Lords of Waterdeep – a classic worker placement game. Should we try Champions of Midgard?Sequoia – this doesn’t need to be as big on the table as the instructions say.Jinxx (and Hijinks) from Looney LabsFlip Circus June Monthly Report Anitra: 40 plays of 22 games (H-index:3, mostly Jinxx, Captain Flip and A Gentle Rain) Stephanie: 31 plays of 18 games. Most played: Deduckto. (H-index: 3, with Deduckto, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Sequoia, and High Risk) Andrew: 21 plays of 17 games. (H-index: 3 with Compile, Captain Flip, Kiri-ai The Duel, Ogre Under, and Unboxed.) Welcome New Members Stop in and say hi! Backtalk What game would make a good movie or TV show? Check out the Facebook discussion or the Discord. SNAP Review – A Gentle Rain Anitra shares the details about this new version of A Gentle Rain – a great, simple solo game. Watch the video to see the new art, or read the full transcript. Topic: Origins! Origins Game Fair is a medium-sized convention (“the smallest of the big conventions” says Anitra). It’s great for both seeing new games and for playing games. Stephanie and her husband always set aside time to play games from the Origins library. Exciting games from the convention: Café Baras – a must-buyTaco Cat Goat Cheese PizzaSuper Kawaii Pets (look for a review of this one in the future)boop. (Andrew & Anitra love this one!)Captain FlipNimaliaSkyteam (the other Spiel des Jahres nominee!)Romi RamiSanta’s Workshop Columbus Ohio is a great, family-friendly city to visit – and accommodations/food are a lot easier than some of the bigger conventions. The board gaming community is usually very welcoming, and Origins is a great example of that. New Backtalk Question! You may remember in the past Andrew talking about his hobby of bowling, and once he even mentioned a bowling board game that he played called Dragon Bowl. If you could pick a hobby YOU have that you would want a board game about, what would it be, and what would the game be called? Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 375 – Origins with Stephanie! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

What are some games we can play to keep our kids’ skills fresh over the summer? 374 Fact 374 years ago on June 9, 1650, the Harvard Corporation is established as the first legal corporation in the American colonies. Sponsor Message To get help moving towards your financial goals, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers and set up a free call with First Move today. What We’ve Been Playing Super SnipersDonutsCompile (our review)Tournament of Towers (our review)PyramidiceCaptain Flip – a nominee for Spiel des Jahres!Jinxx Welcome New Members Stop in and say hi! Backtalk Last episode, we asked about conventions. What’s your favorite convention? Do you bring your family? Derek Bruff loves Tennessee Game Days and lets his kids pick new games to try. JP has only been to small local cons with his kids (Gen Con and Fan Expo Toronto without them) and prefers the small local ones. They’re cheaper and you can drive home each night! SNAP Review – Mycelia Whether you think mushrooms are delicious or gross, you’ll love the cute mushrooms in Mycelia, a intro-level deck-builder with plenty of variation for more experienced players. Watch the video or read the transcript (with pictures) of our review. Beat the Summer Slide – with Board Games If you have kids in school, you’ve probably heard of the “summer slide” or summer learning loss. The best way to keep your kids from losing math and reading skills is to use them! So let’s talk about five games that will give some practice. 1. Math Rush “The most fun I have ever had with math flash cards!” Math Rush is truly all about reinforcing your math facts, but it does it in a fun way. Buy the version that makes the most sense for your kids: Addition/Subtraction, Multiplication/Exponents, or Fractions/Decimals/Percentages. And check out our review. 2. Kingdomino You are going to practice addition and multiplication over and over in this game. We really like the original game, but any of the variations and sequels will work well too. 3. 10 Days in the USA Keep your USA geography knowledge. Plan routes through the states. You don’t need to know already where each state is, but you’ll be referencing them on the map and relating them to each other as your build your route. And check out Gameschooler Podcast episode 175 about the newest version of the game from The Op. – Honorable mention: The Scrambled States of America Game 4. Unmatched This is our top recommendation for reading – especially for ages 10 and up. Not only will you have plenty to read on the cards, but they’ll also give insight into the stories, which might pique your kid’s interest to read more about these characters! Whether it’s ancient mythology, Marvel characters, or Jurassic Park, you’re sure to find something your kid will enjoy. 5. HerStory This is a great opportunity to get some more history into your summer – but even if none of these historical women grab your interest, you can force a little bit of reading here with the one-page biographies on each card. See our review for more. Runners Up Math: Anything with score keeping, especially if it involves multiplication (Mind Up!, Next Station, Splito, Metro X, etc.) Reading: Any game with a theme that hooks your kid and keeps them reading. (Horrified, Marvel anything, The Hunt for WWII naval history) Vocabulary and Spelling: Illiterati – since it’s cooperative, there’s lots of room for Mom & Dad to help. How about “Board Game Summer Camp”? The Tabletop Family came up with a new set of challenges for 2024: https://thetabletopfamily.com/board-game-summer-camp-merit-badges/ New Backtalk Question! There was a Battleship movie and a CLUE movie. Terraforming Mars is getting its chance for a TV series. If there was any board game you wanted to see a movie or TV series about, what would it be? Andrew’s would be Hero Quest. Anitra’s would be Tesseract. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team a

It’s June, kicking off “convention season” for a lot of people. So, we’re sharing our best tips for navigating conventions with your family. 373 Fact Apparently, 373 is a “sexy prime“. (It’s 6 away from another prime number.) Sponsor Message If you want to see an estimate of what your fee would be to work with First Move Financial, you can go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers: there’s a fee calculator on that page, as well as a way to set up a quick (free) phone call to see if they’re a good fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Ogre Under – off the shelf of opportunity!Cape May – also off the shelf of opportunity! It’s a nice game, but none of us loved it.Unboxed – solve mysteries involving “ancient” games. How on earth are we going to review this?Fleet: The Dice Game – an old favorite. May Monthly Report Anitra: 45 plays of 26 games. H-index: 3 with Ultimatch, Unmatched, King of Monster Island (enjoyed this MORE solo), and Mycelia. Andrew: 21 plays of 15 games (but probably missing a few, since Anitra sees 23 plays with Andrew but he only sees 19 with her). H-index: 2 with Unmatched, Roll through the Ages, Sheep in Disguise, Ultimatch, Kirai: The Duel, Welcome FB Community Members! Say hi to our newest friends! Backtalk Last time: What is a thing you do (or an item you use) to simplify or streamline your game time? Anwers on Facebook and Discord included: Good inserts. Chat GPT?!? How-to videos. Game topper (neoprene mat) – signifies “it’s game time”. Having all the special bits & organizers. Having convenient storage for the most-played games. Learning a game with a second player. SNAP Review – Compile Normally we stick with games that are already available, but Compile will be out in August. It’s gorgeous and amazingly replayable, with over a thousand different deck combinations. This might become one of our favorite two player games. Check it out! Top Convention Tips for Families tippy tip tiphttps://www.thefamilygamers.com/episode-70-cons-with-kids/ Choose the right kind of convention for your family. There are all different kinds: large, small, consumer-focused, game-playing-focused, and conventions where board games are only a small part. Even choosing how far away you’re ready to go and where you’re going to stay. Follow your kids’ interests. If they have social anxiety, stick with smaller conventions (if any). If they’re not big board gamers, find a convention that follows THEIR interests. (Our boys really enjoy smaller conventions that focus on playing games. But Claire wants to go to big pop-culture type conventions where she gets to show off her cosplay.) Make a plan so everyone gets to do at least one thing they really want to do (cosplay, role-playing games, meeting up with friends, meeting a celebrity, playing a specific game, etc.) This means… do research! We talked about this a lot way back in episode 148 about FOMO. If you research ahead of time, you’ll have a better idea of where you want to spend your time. Be prepared! Snacks, water, first aid kit, face masks if you’re inclined, hand sanitizer, vitamin C. etc. Notice places to sit, bathrooms, places to eat. Take breaks! Especially important with big overwhelming conventions. Could be as simple as getting outside for some fresh air and sunshine (maybe get food and eat it outside). But it could be going to see other sights in your destination city, or going back to the hotel and splashing around in the pool. Sleep and quiet time are also important. Backtalk Question: What’s your favorite convention? Do you bring your family? What’s your best convention win or best convention story? Tell us all about what YOU think or remember when you think about going to conventions! Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points. The post Episode 373 – Top Convention Tips for Families appear

We chose five games from 2023 (and the first half of 2024) that come in small boxes but pack a big punch! 372 Fact https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372/schotten-totten Sponsor Message Did you know that you can talk to our sponsor First Move Financial for free? If you’re curious what it would cost to get help, visit firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers and scroll down, there’s a calculator there where you enter your income and net worth and it will tell you your estimated monthly fee. What We’ve Been Playing OnitamaUnmatched: Slings & ArrowsMyceliaTangram CityKing of Monster IslandThurn and Taxis Welcome FB Community members Stop in and say hi! Backtalk Last time: If you could play ANY game, what game would you play with your family and why? This time: What is a thing you do (or an item you USE) to simplify or streamline your game time? SNAP Review – Time’s Up! Family Edition This party game is perfect for families of any size, as long as everyone can read. Check out our video review, or read the transcript. 5 Games in a Small Box that Pack a Lot of Fun We decided to limit it to only games that came out in 2023/2024. All of these games are super easy to throw in a pocket or a bag, but contain a lot of fun. Paper App Dungeon This is a solo dungeon crawl, but we’ve all been loving it (sharing the book and taking turns completing a dungeon). There are 44 dungeon levels in the notebook, and a special “P6” – a pencil with each side labeled with a number, so you can use it instead of a die! Ultimatch A cooperative (or solo) game that feels a bit like pyramid solitaire. Easy to learn, but with lots of layers of tactics and strategy. Everyone has cards in their hand that only they can know & play, so no single person can take charge. Check out our review – a rare perfect score! Compile A card game coming soon from Greater Than Games. A lane-dueling game (like Riftforce), in which you race to play enough value to a lane to “compile” it. Each player creates a deck from three “protocols” (card suits), and each protocol (out of 12) has a different play style. If you like this style of game, you can combine the decks in a ton of different ways. (We discuss how we use “roles” in BG Stats to help us track which “protocols” we’ve tried.) Trio If you’re not tired of us talking about Trio yet, you’re in luck! This small card game feels very classic, with a combination of memory and deduction. It’s the type of game we’ll play two or three times in a row, since it’s quick and setup is easy. You will need at least three players, though. Check out our review for Trio. Smug Owls A party game that lets you either feel clever, or appreciate other people being clever. There are so few games that are competitive but have you encourage and affirm other people’s cleverness! (Poetry Slam is another.) We love that vibe. It’s pretty close to an all-ages game, and it helps us appreciate our kids’ imagination. Check out our review for Smug Owls. More Small Box Games? Look for these Publishers Oink Games, which publishes Deep Sea Adventure, Scout, and plenty of others. They fit a ton of gameplay into tiny boxes. Button Shy only does 18-card games. They try a lot of things with these games, and you can find just about any theme or mechanic. We recommend Wildtails, their legacy/campaign game, as well as Tussie Mussie, Sprawlopolis, and more. Perplext is well known for their “Pack-O Games”, which are the size of a pack of gum. We reviewed BOO, years ago. Backtalk, part 2 What is a thing you do (or an item you USE) to simplify or streamline your game time? 1 – Player packs! If people get the same “starting equipment” every time you play the game, set that up ahead of time! 2 – Some kind of container for small pieces that get used by multiple players (coins, tokens, whatever). Silicone muffin cups are a cheap choice, and so are dollar-store lidded containers. Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/communityTwitter (X): @familygamersaaInstagram: @familygamersaaTikTok: @familygamersaaBluesky: @familygamersaaThreads: @familygamersaaYoutube: TheFamilyGamers or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected]. PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify. You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :) Music for The Family Gamers Podcast is provided with permission from You Bred Raptors? The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go t