Andrew Smith is the executive editor of The Family Gamers, and co-host of The Family Gamers Podcast.
Explore the reviews and podcasts he has contributed to.
Your goal in Flip 7 is to be the first player to score 200 points. But you cannot do that in a single round. Each round, you’ll score points based on the cards in front of you. But you’ll bust and get zero points for the round if you have two cards with the same number.
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I suspect almost every game-loving parent has had experiences similar to mine. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends…
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I think this is a great step up from traditional memory matching games. The storytelling aspect is a nice twist, and when everyone feels invested in the stories, it actually makes it easier to remember what item was placed where.
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It’s convention time again! We found braille dice, an augmented-reality drawing tool, and lots of fun board game stuff at PAX East.
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Another Man’s Treasure is a great option for a game to take out if your family only plays games with regular playing cards and you just want to mix it up. And if you’re playing with multiple generations, I suspect you’ll run into more than a few situations when you throw down grandma’s canner and have your own story to tell about your own family’s weird kitchen gadgets.
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We’ve been reviewing board games for almost ten years. And sometimes, we run across ones that REALLY surprise us. Let’s talk about a few this week.
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Looney Labs did some fun and clever things with how they want you to put your words together for success in this game.
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Do you know what a “eurogame” is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn’t played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players?
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“The dual nature of the cards forced me to keep swapping back and forth and think of both aspects of every card – how it could be used for its scoring condition, and how it could contribute to the goals I’d already set out.”
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Little Alchemists is a “room to grow” game all by itself, starting at a very low level and slowly adding more complexity. You can stop at any time on a level you feel comfortable with and just play that for a while, or even move back a level if you or your kids aren’t ready to move up.
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I had picked up this game because I heard great things about it – and the new version fixes some small issues with the first edition. Is it worth it?
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I’d recommend Mezen to two distinct audiences: Families who want a jumping off point to study more about folk art, especially in Russia or Scandanavia – and gamers who want a puzzley game with no player interference and challenges that never feel punitive.
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It’s been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let’s do a deep dive into asymmetric games and auction games.
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Who knew the floral market was so competitive? Floristry is quick and cozy for two players.
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After a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let’s talk about games with flowers and plants that make us think spring.
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Runemasters is a tower defense game where every character’s abilities will add to the success (or failure) of the group.
There’s a lot of randomness in the setup and the gameplay, so it can be surprisingly hard.
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Cooperative games encourage players to work together. Here are three to bring your family from beginner to advanced.
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It took a game or two to get our heads around all of the different mechanics and scoring strategies in Flower Fields but once we did it tasted sweeter than honey. Don’t let these little issues affect your run through the wildflowers though, because Flower Fields comes up smelling like roses.
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