Mapping a hidden city full of traps is the theme of ArcheOlogic, a new logic and deduction game from Ludonaute. ArcheOlogic is a deduction and polyomino placement game for 1-4 players ages 12 and up. A game should take a little under an hour. Setup In ArcheOlogic, players race to determine the correct placement of six buildings (represented by polyominos)
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In this polyomino shape placement game from Thinkfun, players ages 8 and up fill the belly of their goats with food, clothing, sports equipment, and school supplies. The player who most strategically arranges the shapes in their goat’s stomach after three rounds wins the game.
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Mind Space is a strategic brain-themed game. Draw shapes on your board based on dice rolls, trying to fit in friends, romance, self improvement, and more.
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A game about organizing my junk? I was skeptical. But Junk Drawer is easy to learn, while offering interesting decisions on every turn.
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When I originally reviewed Prehistories, I noted it was very family friendly and would appeal to folks who enjoy tile placement games. This is still true, but I enjoyed it even more with the addition of the Evolution modules!
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Prehistories is very family friendly and fun at all player counts (2-5). Send out hunting parties and paint your cave to celebrate your victories in this tile-laying game.
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I love puzzle games, and for some reason I like them even more when they’re abstract – fitting colors and numbers and shapes together just right.
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A legacy game with rules that gently ramp up over time – and NO conflict! We think it’s perfect for families.
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In Dream Runners, your goal is to banish nightmares and maintain your serenity so you can acquire dream points and get out of the dream world as fast as you can!
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5er Finden is an unusual roll-and-write search game designed by Jürgen Grunau. Up to four players can play, including a solo mode. Published by HABA, the recommended age range is 7-99 and it plays in about 20 minutes. Search for shapes on your personal board that contain all five colored shapes rolled on the five dice. Flip the timer if
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Add on to your bear park with monorails and grizzly bears in this un-bear-lievably great expansion to Barenpark.
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Building an amusement park immediately captures kids’ interest. Tiny Park from HABA teaches decoding, critical thinking, and encourages emotional intelligence and experimentation.
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Arraial is the closest analogue to Tetris we’ve seen yet, but with player interaction and the ability to choose your polyomino shape(s)! The goal of the game is to attract the most visitors to your festival in the form of meeples.
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Who doesn’t like shooting stars – and laid-back puzzley gameplay? That’s the premise behind The Stars Align from Breaking Games.
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It is up to you to find the most Scarab relics! From the desert to the rain forest, from the Bermuda Triangle to Antarctica, these golden beetles are scattered across the world. Set up camps and mark Excavation Areas. Can you find the most Scarabs and uncover the mystery of Scarabya?
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Essen Game Fair (Internationale Spieltage SPIEL) is the world’s largest boardgame trade show. No one could hope to cover everything (and we won’t try!) We brought Nick on to help us with our top picks from Essen Spiel, accumulated through BoardGameGeek and other media. Did you know that in Germany, 118 is the directory inquiry phone number? We’re going to
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Reviews – in a snap! Our inaugural SNAP review is Jetpack Joyride, from Halfbrick Studios and Lucky Duck Games. Jetpack Joyride, the board game, translates the frantic feel of the endless runner into a tile-laying puzzle. Speed puzzle: lay polyominoes (5-unit pieces) onto individual boards to build a path and be the first to “escape the lab”. Cover coins
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It’s time to bear down and start building! This week we take a look at one of the hottest games to come out of Origin this year, the tile-laying game Bärenpark from Lookout Spiele and Mayfair. We’ll tell you whether it’s a universally koality* experience, or if we think it’s a bit more polar-izing.
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