Episode 413 – Five(ish) Games That Are Just Plain Fun
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
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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 February
dnup – like Scout or Jungo, with card-flipping as you pick up cards you beat. coming May/June
Splendor Kids – uses a board instead of cards to buy. Already out!
Spring – similar to Winter
Tag Team – deck-programming duel with the SmashUp approach to the source deck
Shadow Ninjas
Leaders – there are a few errata to deal with. But this is a fun duel full of asymmetric powers.
Enthrone – more on this one soon.
Floristry
Unmatched – we used Moon Knight & Shakespeare
Dice Throne: X-Men – we used Cyclops & Rogue
Lands 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.
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!
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.
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