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.
We just returned from this year’s PAX Unplugged. We’re exhausted, but ready to share with you our favorite moments and interviews from the show!
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We really enjoyed Dragons & Chickens, even though most of us aren’t huge fans of speed games. It makes a great filler game for a group of 3-5 players.
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Untold is an episodic cooperative storytelling game. The premise is that you and up to three fellow players are characters in a TV show. Using a framework of “scenes” and Rory’s Story Cubes, you’ll work out a role-playing story together.
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In Catch! from Peaceable Kingdom, players work together to move 4 cats to surround a mouse and keep it from escaping the yard.
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Did you know the average family has 1.8 kids? What do you do with the extra .8? Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are upon us. Even if you normally play with 2 or 3 players, you’ll probably want to accommodate more family in your games!
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You want to be a master painter? In Pigment, from Copper Frog Games, you can be. Send your apprentices out to collect or trade “pigment” cubes (red, yellow, blue). Then spend them in the right combination to paint Renaissance masterpieces.
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It was a big night for our family – the night we finally showed the world we were deserving of respect. We were tired of Al Mansky (the richest mobster in the country) getting all the glory – and hogging all the loot. Al was out of town, and had left all his loot stashed in his mansion. No guards,
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Ever thought about the viruses and bacteria that get you sick? They’re fighting back against your body’s immune system to grow and reproduce.
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It isn’t often that a board game is released that changes game mechanics in a dramatic, noticeable way. These games are exciting, remarkable, and iconic. They often capture the essence of their predecessors but with unique twists that leave players wanting more. Chronicles of Crime is one of these games.
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There aren’t very many kids who don’t spend some section of their childhood absolutely fascinated by ancient creatures. Today we’ll look at the family-focused entrant into the Evolution series, Evolution: The Beginning.
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A unique dexterity game from Blue Orange Games. We’ll tell you about both modes of play for this speedy puzzle game
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I was sitting at my desk a few weeks after a work trip when my instant messenger dinged me. It was my colleague Steve. I thought of the perfect hint for that game! “That game” was CrossTalk, a party game I had brought on the trip. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to someone I played
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At its core, the Card Caddy is a hard-sided box to hold a deck of cards. Once open, you can re-attach the two sides to create a draw/discard tray. Useful and extremely durable. (You could probably run it over with a truck. We talked to Chris Nichols, the designer of the Card Caddy, on episode 55 of the podcast –
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POW! is a press-your luck game of comic book character drafting, from Reiner Knizia and Gigamic. Your goal: build a cast of characters for your comic book. Collect both superheroes and supervillians, to create a balanced comic. Listen to our SNAP review of POW! in 5 minutes, or read on below. Gameplay Setup by randomizing the superheroes (blue/teal) and supervillians
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Think ‘N Sync, a party game from Gamewright, is a icebreaker type game for a group. Can you and your teammate think in sync?
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There is not a more recognizable image of video games in America than the Mario Brothers. Today we’ll take a look at a licensed board game featuring this iconic duo: Super Mario Level Up!, a 2017 game from USAopoly.
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How do you write about a game that is all about the experience of playing? Funky Chicken isn’t much to look at, but it is amazingly silly fun. Can you make a fool of yourself to get rid of your cards first, or will you be too chicken?
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In our last review we looked at the game Gruff from Studio Woe. This week we’ll look at the recently published second expansion, Rage of the Trolls. Unlike their first expansion, Clash of the Battle Goats, (released in 2016) Rage of the Trolls includes a brand new play mode completely unlike anything before it.
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Gruff is a two-player tactical battle game. You play as a Shepherd, shepherding a flock of mutated monster goats called Gruffs. Your goal is to kill all of your opponent’s Gruffs OR to kill your opponent’s Shepherd.
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