Episode 352 – Top 5 Simultaneous Play Games
We are NOT at GenCon this week. Instead, let’s talk about simultaneous play. What are our favorite games where everyone plays at the same time?
352 fact
“Citizen scientists” discovered two planets around a star that is 352 light-years away from earth.
Sponsor Message
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What We’ve Been Playing
Bonsai (our review)
Fika
Nerd Words: Science
Star Trek Cryptic – we asked YOU which game from a Funko shipment we should try first. Trekkies unite!
Big Top
Century Golem – it’s great to see how our kids create different strategies and how they react when their plans are disrupted.
Something Wild (also from the Funko shipment)
Monthly Report – July
Anitra: 24 unique games, 43 total plays. H-index 3. Most played: River Wild (12 times!), Miller Zoo, Fika.
Andrew 13 unique games for 20 plays. H-index 2. Most played (besides Andrew’s game prototype): Fika, Mandala, Skulls of Sedlec.
SNAP Review – River Wild
Build the best protected lands for mythical creatures in this solo card game by Steve Aramini.
Watch the video or read the transcript of Anitra’s review.
Welcome new community members!
Top 5 Games for Simultaneous Play (no turns!)
(Timestamp 33:05)
What is a simultaneous play game? It’s a game where everyone plays at the same time!
Why this type of game? Because you don’t have to wait for your turn. These games are great for larger numbers of players, and some are also a good fit for younger kids, whose attention spans are still short.
There are a lot of different kinds of games where everyone plays simultaneously.
Categories
- Games with a timer or “real-time” games. These can be cooperative (Miller Zoo) or competitive (5er Finden). We also like Fuse, Flatline, 5 Minute Dungeon, and Magic Maze.
- Closed drafting games (aka “pick and pass”) like Sushi Go.
- Closed bidding or “voting” games like Go Nuts for Donuts (oops! Anitra mentions For Sale, but that is turn-based bidding. A better choice is 6 Nimmt/Take 5).
- Many roll-and-write games, such as Merchants of Magick, Welcome To.., and Color It!. Even games with a fast open draft like Three Sisters and StampFarm are mostly simultaneous.
- Matching games like Spot It, Happy Salmon, Funky Chicken, and Throw Throw Burrito.
- Most word-guessing games are mostly simultaneous, although many have a “clue-ing” turn and a “guessing” turn. (Just One, Nerd Words, Similo, So Clover, Apples to Apples, Blob Party, Haiclue) Everyone is reacting to a common catalyst and doing their own thinking independently without having to wait for other people.
- Some tile-laying games have everyone play the same tile at the same time, such as My City, Scarabya, Karuba, and Tiny Towns.
The Family Gamers Top 5 Simultaneous Play Games:
Fleet: the Dice Game – technically not quite as simultaneous as Merchants of Magick, but we love the simultaneous planning, combos, etc.
Quacks of Quedlinburg – this is a favorite with our family, in part because five people can play all at the same time (with the Herb Witches expansion).
Draftosaurus – this is our favorite drafting game, with cute dino meeples, almost no reading, and scoring that isn’t hard to figure out. In this game, the restrictions make decisions easier, which is great for playing with kids.
Space Team – a real-time cooperative game. Pass “tool” cards around the table to fix problems in front of each player – usually with a lot of frantic yelling.
Very silly and lends itself to sensory overload.
Illiterati – another real-time cooperative game, Illiterati has everyone work to build words and fulfill goals. But because it’s cooperative, everyone can help each other figure out what to make with the letters they have.
We were concerned at first that this made our top five because we played it so recently, but it really is very good.
GIVEAWAY!
Leave us a review on the Apple podcast directory, Google Play (maybe?), or anywhere else you’re able to listen and leave a review, then email us and let us know.
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