Episode 424 – Games for Grads

June 15, 2026 Andrew Smith Podcast Episodes, The Family Gamers Podcast

Our daughter just graduated from highschool, and that has us thinking about graduation parties and gifts. Would you give board games to a new graduate?

0:00:00 Fact for 424

Dances with Wolves grossed 424 million at the box office in 1991.

Sponsor Message

You can set up a totally free call by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

0:03:50 What We’ve Been Playing

VNTYPL8S *
Bullseye *
Unmatched: Stars & Stripes
Fight for Olympus (our review from 2017)
Got Five! (brand new review)
Spirits of the Wild: Awakening *

(*) first time mentioned on The Family Gamers Podcast

0:18:00 The Family Gamers Community

Welcome to our newest members!

#Backtalk

We asked about what “super-short” games your family plays.

Read the answers on Facebook or #backtalk channel of the Discord.

0:24:00 Support The Family Gamers

Support The Family Gamers on Patreon!
You can pledge “In Our Neighborhood”, “On the List”, “Extended Family”, or “Immediate Family”.
There’s also a free tier, just to stay up to date.
Thanks so much to the two listeners who have already put themselves “on the list”!

Or buy merch from our new store: store.thefamilygamers.com

0:28:45 Giving a Graduation Gift? Games We’d Pick

We have a new highschool graduate, going off to college in a few months. So we thought about what games might be a good choice to give to a new graduate heading off into the world.

Small box, easy-to-learn games:
Cabanga,
Circus Flohcati,
Similo

Solo game:
A Gentle Rain

Party games:
Anomia,
Green Team Wins,
Throw Throw Burrito

Games that play well on video chat (Zoom or Facetime):
Blank Slate,
Wavelength – we love it but requires a little bit of extra work.

… and obviously, a game that fits their special interest. For our daughter, that’s probably Flamecraft. For a friend’s kid headed to flight school, First in Flight.

0:42:20 New Backtalk Question

What’s one board game related thing you’re looking forward to doing this summer? Hopefully with your family? Is it a game you really want to get to the table? A convention you want to go to?

Tell us on the #backtalk channel on our Discord, or in our Facebook community.

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Bluesky: @familygamersaa
Threads: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.

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.