The Family Gamers Podcast

329 Fact! Another double whammy, this time it’s naked heads and naked feet. Sponsor – We learn about Sequence of Return risk, and how it can affect your retirement savings. Regardless of whether you’re trying to figure out how to start saving for your future, or trying to decide if you can still afford to retire, First Move can help you. To set up either a 15 minute phone call or a 90 minute meeting go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. What We’ve Been Playing CrokinoleStar Trek: Super Skill Pinball (note: it’s actually species 8472 that can beat the Borg…)Scribbly Gum (surprisingly engaging, from Joey Games!)HamsterrolleWildtails: A Pirate LegacyFantasy RealmsMonsDRAWsityTattoo StoriesFlamecraft – feels mostly the same at solo SNAP Review – Kabuto Sumo Sumo wrestling beetles? We’re in! Try to push your opponent off the board – and don’t run out of pieces – in this unique dexterity game. Watch the video or read the transcript for Kabuto Sumo. Chad Elkins tells us about 25th Century Games Chad was working at a mobile game company (who made the Robots Love Ice Cream mobile game) around 2016, and he came up with a card game concept based on the mobile game. But then he needed a company name! Where did 25th Century come from? Chad has always been a sci-fi & space fan. “25th century” comes up a lot (Buck Rogers, Star Trek, Looney Tunes, etc). The name just feels futuristic. Is 25th Century Games your full-time job? Nope! He has a day job too. How does he possibly do it all? He has a lot of help: “It’s not just me, I’m like a mission control.” What’s coming this year from 25th Century? Gasha – new to the USA. Based on Japanese toy dispenser machines. Ghosts Love Candy Too (our review) – cute and approachable Halloween game. Velonimo – ladder climbing game themed on a crazy animal bicycle race. Blazon – coming to retail this month. Medieval heraldry is a very unusual theme – fill out a large shield board! Motor City – the newest roll and write from Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle (French Quarter will be coming to Kickstarter this year) 3 new tile-laying games will be coming to Kickstarter this year: Agueda (Portugal), Color Field, and Donut Shop. And then even more: Ra, Resist, Fika, expansions to Space Explorers and Prehistories Find 25th Century Games Online: 25thcenturygames.comPlus an email newsletter and all the social media. 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 329 – 25th Century Games with Chad Elkins appeared first on The Family Gamers.

So you love dungeon crawl games like Gloomhaven, but aren’t sure where to start in introducing the genre? We’ve got three (or four) dungeon crawl games that are great for kids. Each one introduces a bit more complexity than the one before. 328 Fact! According to SeaWorld, there are 328 different species of parrots. Sponsored by First Move Financial, who reminds you that you should regularly check your credit at AnnualCreditReport.com. Find more tips from First Move about how to read your credit report. And you can set up a free 15-minute phone call at FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers today! What We’ve Been Playing Turing MachineLacrimosa (review coming soon)Featherlight (review coming soon)Detecteam Family: One Egg Too Many – a mystery that’s completely family friendly! Reminds us of the Decktective series.Unmatched: Houdini vs. The Genie – can’t wait to review this one!Flamecraft (review soon)Chronicles of Avel (more below) SNAP Review – Mada Mada from Helvetiq is a pretty simple press-your-luck game. Look around the table as you ladder up to high-scoring cards – but don’t press your luck too much or you’ll end up busting, and everyone else gets points instead. Watch the video or read the transcript for Mada. Welcome New Members Welcome to the Family Gamers Facebook community! Stop in and say hi. Room to Grow: Dungeon Crawls In the Room to Grow series, our goal is to help you bring your kids through a series of games with the same main mechanic, starting at a very basic level, then increasing in complexity and building on each other. All of these games are suitable for a family context (so… no Gloomhaven, sorry!) What is a dungeon crawl game? Players explore a space (a “dungeon”) that is mostly hidden and gets revealed as they explore. Within that space you find treasure to keep and monsters to fight. The concept came from tabletop roleplaying games (like Dungeons & Dragons), which usually include both plot elements as well as a place to go that involved beating enemies, solving puzzles, and getting treasures. Video games and board games quickly arose that stripped out a lot of the plot and put a big boss somewhere in the “dungeon” that players would need to beat. Dungeon crawls may have a central plot… or not. There are also fast-moving games inspired by dungeon crawls: Dungeon Academy, Deadly Doodles. Dungeon Crawl for Beginners: Quest Kids Players use the same board layout every time. Instead of “finding a path” through the dungeon, you’re either looking for specific items (in the campaign) or clearing out all the monsters. On your turn, move to a space, and flip over the card in that space. There’s almost no reading required (except in the campaign, which can be read by a single person in the group), and limited numeracy. There’s no die rolling or other randomness in whether or not you beat a monster – instead, you examine whether or not you have enough resources, and you can ask for help from the other players! Quest Kids is rated for ages 5+ and we think that’s exactly right. It’s best for pre-reading kids. It can be played completely cooperatively, or as “co-op-etition”: working together to beat monsters, but tracking who scored better at the end of the game. Thinking about Quest Kids for your family? Read our review. More Freedom, More Luck: Karak Unlike Quest Kids, Karak is a tile-placement game. Players dynamically generate the dungeon as they explore. You must fight monsters to get/upgrade equipment; the game ends when someone defeats the dragon, which requires at least some equipment (and a lot of luck) to beat. There is a lot of luck in Karak – you roll dice for combat, but also pull new monster tiles randomly from a bag. You never know what you’re going to get. Unfortunately, that means it can also drag (if you start the game pulling hard-to-beat monsters, or roll poorly several times in a row). Like Quest Kids, there’s very little reading required, and we’ve played it successfully with pre-reading kids. Karak introduces asymmetric player powers and inventory management. There’s more numeracy required – reading numbers, comparing dice, adding numbers together, and an introduction to probability. Art-wise, the enemies are still cartoony, but scarier than in Quest Kids. Thinking about Karak as a good fit for simple dungeon crawls? Read our review. More Enemies, More Dungeon: Chronicles of Avel Chronicles of Avel has a rich world, drawing players into the game. It feels like there’s a real reason why you’re fighting the big boss. Chronicles of Avel introduces enemy spawn points (new monsters will keep showing up on the board), along with traps & blockers. There’s also inventory management (including the ability to swap out weapons/helms/shields as needed). Fights are still

We’ve been looking back at 2022, but this week we look ahead to 2023, with Family Gamer extraordinaire, Nick Martinelli! 327 fact Supernatural TV Show – 327 episodes Loopin Louie – is game 327 on Board Game Geek Sponsor message It’s almost Tax Season! Did you know most people pay down debt, pay for mid-sized goals, or save their tax refunds? If you want to talk to First Move abou habits you can build to take that next step toward your goals, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a call. What We’ve Been Playing Horrified and Horrified: American MonstersJekyll vs. HydeThree SistersTuring MachineImhotepZombie Kidz EvolutionChronicles of AvelStar Trek: Super-Skill Pinball – Trouble with Tribbles has more player interactionMada – review coming this week.Gizmos – great but too many icons SNAP Review – Head Spin Head Spin is a fast-moving puzzle game for two players. There are ten different kinds of puzzles to solve – can you do them faster than your opponent? Watch the video or read the transcript of our Head Spin review. Games Coming in 2023 What are we really hyped for this year? Andrew picked three categories of games: ones we know are coming and are excited for, games we’ve been anticipating for a while, and games that we “want to want” but might not work for us. Flashback: Zombie Kidz (Scorpion Masque / Hachette) – our kids are going to love it. Entirely different than the other Zombie Kidz games, but set in the same universe with the same characters. Available NOW! Fit to Print (Peter McPherson & Flatout Games) – use tiles to layout a newspaper front page. Thunder Road: Vendetta (Restoration Games) – Mad Max road carnage. Nick is looking forward to his Kickstarter arriving. Qawale (Gigamic / Hachette) – Another gorgeous Gigamic abstract; Mancala meets Tic-Tac-Toe. Steam Up: A Feast of Dim Sum (Hot Banana Games) – we first saw a prototype in 2020. The final version looks fantastic! Sauscharf (Wolfgang Kramer & AMIGO) – make sets and trade them in to make hot sauce! Miller Zoo (Randolph / Hachette) – based on a real zoo in Quebec. Cooperatively take care of the animals in the zoo! Appropriate for ages 8+ but with some depth – only 30 minutes and up to 6 players. Stampfarm (DV Games) – a roll-and-write for little kids! Instead of “writing”, you’ll use stamps based on what you rolled. Unmatched: Teen Spirit and Unmatched: King and Country (Restoration Games) – Andrew and Anitra want this BAD. We think the various Marvel-themed sets would be a good place to start playing Unmatched with a kid. Bonsai (DV Games) – build out a bonsai tree with hex tiles. We “want to want” these two games: My Island – another legacy game, sucessor to My City. My City: Roll and Build – another successor, sounds like not a legacy game. Honorable mention: Camel Up card game What games are you looking forward to in 2023? 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, email us! [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]. Check our our T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs at thefamilygamers.com/merch And don’t forget to subscribe to the show and leave us a review! It helps a lot. 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 327 – Top Anticipated Games for 2023 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We’re celebrating Anitra’s birthday this week! What games does she really want to play? 326 Fact The fastest speed in a wingsuit (male, FAI-approved) is 326.8 km/h (203 mph), achieved by Chris Geiler (USA, b. Australia) at the 2021 USPA National Championships of Wingsuit Flying in Eloy, Arizona, USA, on 26 October 2021. Sponsor Sponsor message – How do you teach your kids about finances? It’s always good to have open honest discussions with your kids, especially if there are lessons you want them to learn. But in addition to that, your kids need the opportunity to practice your lessons while it’s still safe to fail… 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. What We’ve Been Playing Fluff (an implementation of Liar’s Dice that we reviewed)SantoriniFlashback: Zombie Kidz (A short demo – you can try it too)MicroMacro Crime CityHedgehog Hop (by Seppy Yoon / Fight in a Box)Star Trek Super Skill Pinball (Lower Decks board might be kind of broken.)Fyfe Giveaway Winners! The winners of our December giveaways have all received their games – some are even posting on the Facebook community about them! SNAP Review – Anomia Pop Culture We really enjoyed this sequel to one of our favorite party games. What’s “anomia”? Well its, uh… I knew it… it was right on the tip of my tongue! Watch the video or read the transcript for this review. Welcome new members Stop in and say hi! And if you live anywhere near North Carolina, you could come see us at Tantrum Con next month! Five Games Anitra Wants to Play Right Now Imhotep – Anitra loves the tactile experience of physically building with blocks. Every player is working towards building Egyptian monuments – but you want to do the best. There’s a little bit of meanness in moving “boats” to bring your opponents’ blocks to places that are not what they planned. We reviewed Imhotep: The Duel, which is a great game, but Anitra still prefers the full game. Jekyll vs. Hyde (our review) – Two player, adversarial trick-taking, and fast! Three Sisters – It’s very odd that Andrew likes Fleet: The Dice Game better and Anitra prefers this one. Anitra says “I want to explore it more.” Turing Machine – “I can’t get enough.” We’ve talked about it a lot in recent episodes. Endangered (our review) – It’s been a minute since our review. This is the only cooperative game on Anitra’s list, with an interesting dice-worker-placement mechanic, while balancing habitat loss, animal breeding, influencing ambassadors, and making improvements. This isn’t a “hero” game, instead it’s definitely a teamwork game modeled after what people really do. We have all the expansions which leaves us with so much to try! 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 weird foods “For Science”! to: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 326 – Anitra Birthday Edition appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Our topic this week is board game trends – for good and bad. We’ll talk about why during the second half of the show. So who better for this kind of conversation than Ross Thompson, who has held positions all across the board game industry. Ross is an incredible ambassador for gaming and we’re delighted to have him on the show. 325 Fact The Fury 325 is a very tall steel roller coaster with a 6,602 foot long track. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fury_325 Sponsor Message Did you know that you can talk to our sponsor First Move Financial for free? First Move is a fee-only firm, which means that until you sign on as a client you’re not paying to talk to them. If you’re curious what it would cost to get help from First Move you can 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. Games We’ve Been Playing Gloomhaven: Jaws of the LionTwilight ImperiumWarhammer 40KCartouchePoint SaladThe Great SplitFlamecraftTigris & EuphratesQuartoDeities… some game about stars (sorry!)…Labyrinth RPGboopAbandon All ArtichokesEpic ResortHead Spin SNAP Review – Quarto Quarto is an abstract game that’s been winning awards for over 30 years. Why? Because while it is simple to understand, it has several twists that make it challenging to win. Watch the video or read the transcript of our review. Board Game Trends This is a topic that has been top of mind for us lately because our boys were actually interviewed by a writer for the New York Times and they were in the paper on Christmas day, which is pretty amazing. So Ross, we talked earlier about how you’ve been all over the gaming industry, so we’ll start with that. What’s new with you? Ross just started working for Cephalofair Games (best known for Gloomhaven) as their marketing and crowdfunding manager. What are some board game trends you’re currently into? “Butts in seats” – more people are getting into board games than ever before. Marketing that is geared towards a wider audience. Example: the new Clue. Asmodee is including an insert in the box of many of their games with a “if you like this, try this” for new gamers. Licensed games that are targeted and really intentional designs. (eg. A Goofy Movie game, Quests of Yore, Sorcerer’s Arena) Also lots of nostalgia (Clue, HeroQuest, Magic The Gathering /Warhammer crossover etc.) and in reverse – more gamer culture is getting made into movies! “I want to see a lot of old games reprinted.” We’d like to see more games that support more than four players! Especially in short games (under an hour) that aren’t party games. Ross mentions Snow Tails. What is one trend you would like to see die? Gatekeeping. Stop saying “you don’t belong here, this game isn’t for you.” Elliot said “board game covers with art that don’t represent the game inside.” Good job, Elliot! Wife jokes (about hiding your purchases). This exists in a lot of “collecting” cultures (both male & female dominated). Freaking out about games being in perfect condition. You can be a board game collector, but that’s different than being someone who PLAYS board games. “When you see a board game [on a person’s shelf] that is beat to crap, what’s the adjective that comes to mind? It’s a well-loved game.” What’s a game you’re excited for in 2023? Gloomhaven RPG that will be on BackerKit in April. Relicblade (a miniatures skirmish game) is adding a solo dungeon-crawl mode. Find Ross Online: Tabletop Games Jobs group (Facebook) @almostkirk on Twitter, Hive, and Instagram, Also on Facebook, LinkedIn. Find Cephalofair games: On Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 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 weird foods “For Science”! to: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

This week, we’ll talk about our top games of 2022. Ones that were new to us this year; our favorites and games that really surprised us. And we ask each of the kids for their favorite game of the year, too. 324 Fact The highest earning Super Smash Brothers competitor in the world has earned about 324 thousand dollars playing that game. Don’t tell our kids! Sponsored by First Move Financial The best time to start planning for your holiday spending is right now! 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 an initial 15 minute call. What We’ve Been Playing Framework (our review – thanks Dave!)Skull Canyon Ski Fest – we have opinions on this one.Mada – very casual and best at 4-5 players. Review coming soon.Anomia: Pop Culture – hilarious with our mix of teens & adults.Flamecraft – super cute, but there’s a lot of game there.FyfeStarship CaptainsQuacks of QuedlinburgDrop It – a perennial favorite (our review)Once Upon a Line – better than our previous play. Coming to Kickstarter soon!Beer & Bread – a great 2 player game with multi-use cards and lots of different mechanics that all fit together well.Turing MachineGarden Nation – review coming soon.On Tour: Paris and New York (our review)QuartoMonopoly Deal The Monthly Report – December Anitra: 42 unique games, 71 plays. H-index 4. Most played: Quarto, Turing Machine, Star Trek: Super-Skill Pinball, Splitter. Andrew: 38 total plays. H-index 2. Most played: Anomia: Pop Culture and Turing Machine, along with Garden Nation, Drop It, Unmatched, Mada, Quarto. The Yearly Report – 2022! We did NOT complete our family 10×10 challenge. Only four of the games got played 10 times, but every game got played at least 4 times. Next year, we’ll either do a 10×5 or possibly a 20×5. It was really hard to pick games that were easy to get to the table! But we did discover that having a goal like that motivates our kids (Zombie Kidz Evolution and Zombie Teenz Evolution both got a LOT of play for that reason.) Anitra: 196 unique games, 544 plays. H-index 8. Most played: Santorini at 20 plays (surprising absolutely no one). Then, Unmatched, A Gentle Rain, Royal Visit, The Key: Theft at Cliffrock Villa, Under Falling Skies, Maul Peak, Railroad Ink Challenge Andrew: 182 unique games, 337 plays. H-index 6. Most played: Royal Visit at 12 plays. Then, Jekyll vs. Hyde, So Clover, Green Team Wins, Laniakea, Drop It, Unmatched, Quacks of Quedlinburg, Barenpark. New Community Members Stop into the community and say hi! Did you play any games to ring in the New Year? SNAP Review – The Root Beer Float Challenge We highly recommend watching our video about this silly family party game. Play fast challenges using physical components of “the root beer float” to collect ingredients. We guarantee it will get you up and moving! The Family Gamers’ Top Games in 2022 Each kid picked one. Elliot: Castle Panic Big Box (review coming in 2023) – because of new art and including all the expansions. Asher: Santorini (to no one’s surprise) – “a lot of replayability with all the different god powers…” Claire: Flamecraft (review coming soon) – because of cute dragons and also that they are “working dragons”. Everyone has jobs! Of all the dragon-themed games we’ve played, this gives us the most stuff to do. Also she loves her stuffed dragon “Steak Tips” who is a meat dragon from the game. Anitra’s top three: A Gentle Rain – published in 2021, but I first played in February.Magic Mountain – we immediately loved this after first seeing it in March.Jekyll vs. Hyde – SO surprised at this game. I love the way it all ties together with theme and the trick-taking mechanics. runners up: Three SistersPapagenoAldabas Andrew’s top three five: 5. Juicy Fruits – the sliding mechanic and “modules” make this really cool.4. First Rat – incredibly intuitive and simple for what it is: a Euro game that’s approachable for kids!3. Gutenberg – so smooth!2. Suspects: Claire Harper Takes the Stage – although the mysteries were very hard to solve, it’s surprisingly great for a family!1. Turing Machine – as computer scientists, we love this game and are really impressed by how it’s put together. 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

323 Fact! There are 323 international land boundaries in the world (in 2022). Sponsored by First Move Financial. 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. What We’ve Been Playing Splendor DuelLacrimosaBlock and KeyOnce Upon a Line (prototype)FurnaceGift of TulipsHEAT: Pedal to the MetalTuring Machine SNAP Review – Winter Winter (the season) is here in the northern hemisphere. Recreate the freeze-thaw-refreeze cycle with Winter (the game) from Devir. Read a transcript or watch the whole video of our review of Winter. Play the Game – the child of Kidsplaining We talked about Kidsplaining, back in episode 203. But Allison and Daniel have moved to doing a lot more of the videos themselves, and also changed the name of the channel to Play the Game HQ. The goal of everything they do is to help families play more games without feeling intimidated. Series on the channel: Play The Game: “Tabletop without the famous people” – entertaining playthroughs. Kidsplaining / How to Play videos 1/3/5 reviews: thoughts after 1, 3, and 5 plays. Unboxings Holiday season Play Alongs! – Like having a friend teach you & your family how to play, while you play. Wednesday 12/21 – Rail Road Ink (Blue)Friday 12/23 – CartographersMonday 12/26 – Deadly DoodlesWednesday 12/28 – On TourFriday 12/30 – Rail Road Ink Challenge (Green) Find the Burrells and Play The Game HQ Online: Youtube: @PlayTheGameHQ Instagram: @PlayTheGameHQTikTok: @PlayTheGameHQTwitter: @PlayTheGameHQFacebook: @PlayTheGameHQand Facebook Community Play the Game 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 323 – Play the Game with Daniel and Allison Burrell appeared first on The Family Gamers.

322 Fact! What to Skull and Bones, ancient German secret societies, and the Georgia Guidestones have in common? March 22. Sponsor: Start making plans now to keep your holiday budget under control for next year. Maybe you can do a Secret Santa gift exchange or only give gifts to the children in the family… 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 Financial by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. What We’ve Been Playing QuartoStar Trek: Super-Skill PinballSplitterRoot Beer Float ChallengeboopFeatherlight (yes, the Potoo bird really does look that weird.) Welcome New Members Stop into the Family Gamers Community and say hi! Top Ten Small Games (Two Top Five Lists) Games that fit in a pocket (well, sort of) make it easy to play games anywhere. They’re also generally cheap, and so that makes them great to give as small gifts. Anitra’s favorites: Sprawlopolis (from Button Shy Games)A Gentle Rain (from Mondo Games)Deep Sea Adventure (from Oink Games – find it on Amazon)Get the MacGuffin (from Looney Labs – our review) – great for a big group!Tussie Mussie (also from Button Shy Games) Andrew’s favorites: Palm Island (from Portal Dragon Games – our review)Holiday Hijinks series (from Grand Gamers Guild – our reviews)Mr. Jack Pocket (from Hurrican – find it on Amazon)Similo (from Horrible Guild – our review)Duple (from Anomia Press) Giveaway And don’t forget about our four giveaways! 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? Use the promo code GIFTS to get 10% off your Family Gamers merchandise! 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 322 – Top Ten Small Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Anitra went to PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia last week. What’s the latest and greatest we can expect to see in the coming year? Fact: 321 makes us think of the old educational TV show 3-2-1 Contact! Sponsor: 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. What We’ve Been Playing SprawlopolisGreen Team Wins (our review) – fun even when we “broke” the game with more playersJoan of Arc: Orleans Draw and Write – fun but hard on the eyesReady Set Bet!Kabuto Sumo – expansion changes it but doesn’t speed it up muchWinterMada – a little better with 3 players.Oh What Fun – review linked below.Head SpinStar Trek: Super-Skill PinballCastle Panic (new Big Box)Garden NationTuring Machine Giveaways! We have four giveaways starting today and running through Dec 24. Enter to win any of:The Quest Kids (w/expansion)AldabasFyfeTurtle Splash SNAP Review – Oh What Fun! Do you like Christmas? Do you like trivia and puzzles? Then you’ll have fun with Oh What Fun! A Christmas-themed party game from Project Genius. Watch the video or read the transcript for the whole review. PAX Unplugged Interviews Resonym with Mary Flanagan Phantom Ink – seance-themed party game. Can your team guess the secret object with clues from the spirits? Available now. Retrograde – “Yahtzee dice chaos” with a Space-Invaders theme. Roll doubles to blast invaders and also get special target cards to expand your abilities. Fulfilling to Kickstarter backers now, available in stores soon. Find out more at Resonym.com. Find them on Twitter @resonym and on Facebook @resonym. Dolphin Hat Games with Dave Campbell Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Gimme That! – a hot potato game of speedy dice rolling and speedy writing. Both are available now. Find out more at DolphinHat.com or on Twitter @DolphinHatGames and Facebook @DolphinHatGames. Smirk & Laughter Games / Smirk & Dagger Games with Curt Covert boop is adorable and surprisingly challenging! You might have to wait for the next printing though – it’s sold out almost everywhere. Find out more at SmirkAndLaughter.com or on Twitter @SmirkAndDagger and Facebook @SmirkAndDagger. Randall Hampton, The Little Game Master The Little Game Master is “Dr. Seuss meets Dungeons & Dragons.” A series of illustrated storybooks to introduce kids to tabletop roleplaying. He’s also working on a game system – a set of rules for roleplaying intended for kids age 4-9. Coming to Kickstarter early 2023! Find out more at RandallHamptonArt.com or on Twitter @randall_hampton and Instagram @randallhampton and even Twitch @randall_hampton . Last Night Games with Jake Jenne The Finest Fish – tile placement on a goldfish! Make patterns and clusters of scales on your personal goldfish – available soon. Life of a Chameleon – move a chameleon around the board to eat bugs that match your color, in a certain order to complete objective cards. Of course, you’ll need to change your color to eat the right bugs! Available now. Find out more at LastNightGames.com. Or on Twitter @lastnightgames and Instagram @lastnightgames. Restoration Games with Matt Key to the Kingdom – the original game came out in 1990. Roll dice, move around the board… But the board opens up with big flaps to give you new areas to explore! Find out more at RestorationGames.com. Flagbearer Games with Collyn Messier Nations & Cannons is a campaign setting for D&D. This lets you play a completely historic setting using the D&D framework – or combine it with traditional D&D elements for a supernatural campaign. Nations & Cannons walks through the early Revolutionary War in the colonies, with roles such as Officer, Renegade, Pioneer, etc. and pulling in real characters from American history. Even the items, armor, spells (ie “gambits”), and enemies have been re-imagined to work in a 18th century historical setting. Keep an eye out for their coming Kickstarter in February for a campaign module covering the first half of the Revolution (seige of Boston through Valley Forge). Find out more: NationsAndCannons.com or Facebook: @NationsAndCannons or Twitter: @FlagbearerGames. One Day West Games with Bob & Ryan Craig Canosa – a two player abstract game. Sirens lure sailors (using “influence rings”) back to their islands. Find out more about Canosa and all their other games at OneDayWestGames.com, Twitter: @OneDayWestGames, Facebook: @OneDayWestGames, and Instagram: @OneDayWestGames. More PAX Unplugged with Anitra! Weird Giraffe Games is coming out with “macro games” (27 cards), most of which are tie-ins with their existing games. Explosion in the Laboratory is the first one. It just finished its Kickstarter and should be

Episode 320Room to Grow: Legacy Games Fact – This week on the show we talk about the A320 (the most popular aircraft family in the world). Sponsor – Visit FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a quick phone and see if First Move is the right fit for you. What We’ve Been Playing Mada (review coming soon)Fox in the Forest DuetFramework (Dave’s review)Winter (review soon)Kabuto Sumo (review soon)Sobek: 2 Players (review soon)On TourColorfulOh My Brain (review soon)Suspects: Claire Harper Takes the Stage (review soon)SantoriniKingdomino & Unmatched (working on that family 10×10!) The Monthly Report Andrew: 30 plays, H-index: 2 – Draftosaurus, Suspects Anitra: 49 plays (ish), H-index: 3, most played: Kabuto Sumo, Draftosaurus, Mickey’s Christmas Carol Welcome New Members Stop in to the community and say hi! SNAP Review – Disney Mickey’s Christmas Carol Game This puzzle-assembling game is sturdy and perfect for young kids to play with an adult, or older kids to play on their own. It’s simple but feels classic. Elliot helps us talk about how to play. Read the transcript or watch the video of this SNAP review. Room to Grow: Legacy Games Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids through a series of games that grow in complexity. We do our best to start with a game that shows a mechanic or play style very simply, and then move up to a game that is a little more complex, and then one even more complex. What is a legacy game? A legacy board game is one in which players make permanent changes to the game itself over the course of several play sessions. Pieces may be marked up or covered with stickers and then used again, components may be permanently trashed and new pieces added (or all of the above). (Listeners – If you’ve played a legacy game, what do you do with the components you’re told to “trash”?) Many legacy games bring the players through some sort of story (often called a “campaign”) over a set number of plays. A campaign brings you through some kind of a story. Not every legacy game is a campaign game, and vice-versa. For beginners: Zombie Kidz Evolution We’ve often called this “My First Legacy Game”. Zombie Kidz Evolution is a simple tower-defense style game. Every time you finish a game you make progress towards opening another envelope with new things to add to the game. You progress faster if you wing games, but you still get some reward just for playing, which makes it feel very forgiving. In addition to new pieces and new rules, you also put stickers in the rulebook and on some of the bad-guy zombies. There’s not really a story line here, but that’s OK. Our kids have loved this game and its sequel, Zombie Teenz Evolution. You can always dial back the difficulty and play an “earlier” (easier) style. Plus there is an achievement system that keeps the game feeling fresh, even if you’ve “finished” the game. A bit more: My City Unusual in legacy games, My City is not cooperative. Instead, up to four players will each keep a personal board and personal pieces. These will be changed both by the decisions you make, and by how well you do in each game (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place). My City is a simultaneous tile-laying, puzzley kind of game. Players who do well will be given additional challenges to make future plays harder, and players who finish poorly will be given advantages in future plays. Our biggest complaint is that the difficulty doesn’t adjust quickly enough for a family with wildly different levels of skill (like ours). We reviewed My City early in 2021. Play your heart out! Pandemic Legacy We would call this a “serious” legacy game. It’s not the first one, but it is the one that took off in popularity. If you know how to play Pandemic, you will be able to jump into Pandemic Legacy very easily. However, it’s a much harder game than the others we talked about here – and harder than the original Pandemic as well. As with My City, the difficulty level adjusts between plays. You have two chances to successfully complete each “month”; every time you lose, you get bonuses that will help you on the next play. But when you win, these bonuses are taken away. You must truly form a cooperative team, planning in sync, to do well in Pandemic Legacy. 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 po

This week’s guest is Diandra Asbaty, a professional bowler. 319 Fact: The world’s largest sweet potato pie! 319kg, 200cm (over 6ft) in diameter! https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/445565-largest-pie-sweet-potato 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 and schedule a call, today! Games We’ve Been Playing Green Team Wins (our review)Draftosaurus (our review)Super Mega Lucky Box (our review) – it was a little harder for Bingo-loving grandma than we expected.On Tour: ParisKingdomino (our review) Community Review – Tantrix Tantrix is an abstract tile laying game for one to four players. The game is played with hexagonal tiles that have three lines drawn on them (each line connects two sides of the hexagon) in three of four possible colors (red, yellow, blue, green). In the multiplayer game, each turn players draw one tile from a bag and try to make the longest line of their color. There are a few placement restrictions, like the line colors have to match. Loops don’t count as infinite points! Once the tiles run out, the game is over and longest line wins. In the solitaire version of the game, the player takes a set of tiles and makes a loop of a specific color. The tiles are numbered on the back and the number is the color for that solution (for example, on tile 3, the 3 is yellow so the player has to make a yellow loop). The first few puzzles are easy but with more tiles comes more difficulty. The game comes with about fifty tiles. I’ve only made it to the mid-twenties in the solitaire puzzles. The game is fun as multiplayer or single player. I prefer the single player. Young kids will have a challenge with planning ahead to make longer lines; also, if one player is prone to Analysis Paralysis, the game can drag. The tiles are sturdy bakelite and hold up well to many uses. They also look very good. My favorite way to play is the solitaire mode and I still have plenty of play left in my set. (more info at Tantrix.com) SNAP Review – Turtle Splash This dexterity and memory game from Lucky Duck Kids is adorable. It’s intended for young kids, but older kids and adults will enjoy it occasionally, too. Read the transcript or watch the video for Turtle Splash. Beyond Board Games with Diandra Asbaty Diandra is a bowler who has won many international medals and was on Team USA for fifteen years, is the official youth bowling spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), among many other accomplishments. She’s also a mom and a wife, and has her own brand: Beyond the Lanes – and is still winning tournaments now: this year with EJ Tackett. “I’m grateful to Grandma Betty for putting a bowling ball in my hand when I was five years old.” At a young age, Diandra decided she wanted to be the best in the world – starting with catching up to her big sister. It was hard work, with practicing every night. Sometimes very late at night, which meant that Diandra needed to take naps when getting home from school. Do your kids bowl too? “I have a boy that’s 12 and a girl that’s 8 – of course they bowl!” Diandra doesn’t push her kids to bowl, but they’ve always been around it. We love that bowling is a sport where everyone can play together, no matter their skill level. What are your favorite moments competing professionally? USBC Queens win (2012) – Diandra was figuring out how to be a mom and also still be a pro bowler. Winning was validation that she could pull back and be present for her children, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t still be a champion bowler. Advice for kids & teens who bowl? Bowling should always be fun. Make sure it’s fun, and enjoy it. Seek out people who know more than you, or find a coach. That’s how you get better! But if you’re not having fun, what’s the point? Just remember, “if this was easy, everyone would be great at it.” What is Beyond the Lanes? A way for Diandra to pass on lessons that she has learned through bowling. A curriculum centered around personal development. There is a free newsletter and blog, in addition to several structured courses at BeyondTheLanes.com And Board Games, of course! We talk about Pan Am (Andrew’s favorite)and Balderdash (Diandra’s favorite) … And then we try to find the perfect game for Diandra’s husband! We suggest the EXIT series and Unlock series of escape-room boxes. Anitra recommends BananagramsAndrew recommends Just Oneand Green Team Wins Find Diandra Online: BeyondTheLanes.com @diandraasbaty (instagram, Facebook, Twitter) Instagram: @diandraasbatyFacebook: @diandraasbatyTwitter: @diandraasbaty Find Us Online: Facebook: @familygamersaa and the