The Family Gamers

The Mansky Caper: An Offer You Can’t Defuse!

November 12, 2018 Updated: November 24th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

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,

Viral: Sick Fun

October 29, 2018 Updated: December 29th, 2021 Andrew Smith Reviews

Viral by MESAboardgames and Arcane Wonders

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.

Chronicles of Crime: Investigating Game Changing Brilliance

October 22, 2018 Updated: March 6th, 2019 Andrew Smith Reviews

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.

Evolution: The Beginning – Stunted Growth

October 1, 2018 Updated: February 12th, 2020 Andrew Smith Reviews

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.

SNAP Review – Bob Ross: Happy Little Accidents Party Game

September 14, 2018 Updated: February 2nd, 2021 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

Bob Ross Happy Little Accidents game box

Turn random scribbles into “happy accidents” in this fast paced sketching game.

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5 players, 6 players, Andrew, Anitra, audio, Big G Creative, Bob Ross, drawing

SNAP Review – Shaky Manor

September 7, 2018 Updated: February 24th, 2021 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

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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Andrew, animals, Anitra, Blue Orange Games, dexterity games, ghost, treasure

Crosstalk: Signal to Noise Ratio

September 3, 2018 Andrew Smith Reviews

CrossTalk: The Party Game of Subtle Conversation

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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Andrew, CrossTalk, Nauvoo, party game, word games

SNAP Review – Card Caddy and Accessories

August 24, 2018 Updated: August 20th, 2019 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

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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accessory, Andrew, Anitra, Card Caddy, Card Game, card games

SNAP Review – POW!: Comic Equality

August 17, 2018 Updated: July 19th, 2024 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

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

SNAP Review – Think ‘N Sync

August 13, 2018 Updated: April 24th, 2021 Anitra Smith SNAP Reviews

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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3 players, 4 players, 5 players, 6 players, 7 players, 8 players, Andrew, Anitra, audio, Gamewright, party game, trivia

Super Mario Level Up!: Climb All of the Levels!

July 9, 2018 Updated: October 29th, 2018 Andrew Smith Reviews

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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5 players, 6 players, Andrew, deduction, Nintendo, Super Mario, The OP, vote

Funky Chicken: Dance Like No One is Watching

July 2, 2018 Updated: February 13th, 2023 Andrew Smith Reviews

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?

Rage of the Trolls: A Gruff Look at More Fearsome Fiends

March 12, 2018 Updated: May 28th, 2018 Andrew Smith Reviews

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.

Gruff: Gobbling Up some Weird Mechanics

February 26, 2018 Updated: April 27th, 2021 Andrew Smith Reviews

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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2 players, Andrew, battle, Card Game, card games, Gruff, living card game, monster, Studio Woe

Sticky Chameleons: More Sticky or More Karma?

February 19, 2018 Updated: January 2nd, 2023 Andrew Smith Reviews

In episode 80, The Family Gamers explored games that are pure fun. Not necessarily the “best” or “most mechanically sound” game, but games that are just plain fun to play. This week we have a game that absolutely fits that mold. We will look at a new game designed by Théo Riviére and published by Iello, Sticky Chameleons.

Onitama: An Elegant Exploration of Strategy

December 19, 2017 Updated: April 24th, 2021 Andrew Smith Reviews

Onitama replaces complexity with elegance and layers with simplicity. With a ruleset that could literally fit on an index card, Onitama delivers a quick, compact strategy game experience that allows its players plenty of room to breathe and ruminate on their next moves.

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2 players, abstract, Andrew, Arcane Wonders, Board Games, strategy

Voodoo: Should You Do the Voodoo Too?

October 30, 2017 Updated: April 6th, 2021 Andrew Smith Reviews

Voodoo - a crazy magic game for 3 to 6 players

What does the word “Voodoo” make you think about? Is it a doll with pins? Is it an African religion? Most likely, you don’t think about the game Voodoo, a crazy magic game from Mayday Games. This week we take a stab at this game to find out if it casts a spell on us.

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3 players, 4 players, 5 players, 6 players, Andrew, Dice Rolling, Mayday Games, Tabletop

Super Hack Override: Proxy Swap Your Way to Supreme Victory!

October 16, 2017 Updated: August 20th, 2019 Andrew Smith Reviews

“There’s a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it’s not about who’s got the most bullets. It’s about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think… it’s all about the information!” – Sneakers, 1992 For some of us, it’s quotes like these that are about as close to hacking as

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Andrew, card games, take that, Weird Giraffe

Qwingo: Rank, Roll, Rejoice!

September 25, 2017 Updated: August 7th, 2023 Andrew Smith Reviews

Masters of the approachable family game, Gamewright delivers another multi-age filler game in Qwingo, a roll & write game designed by Heinz Meister. Read on to find out if we think Qwingo ranks highly, or if it makes us roll our eyes!

Bärenpark: A Koala-ity Family Experience

September 12, 2017 Updated: September 19th, 2022 Andrew Smith Hall of Fame Reviews, Reviews

It’s time to bear down and start building! This week we take a look at one of the hottest games to come out of Origin this year, the tile-laying game Bärenpark from Lookout Spiele and Mayfair. We’ll tell you whether it’s a universally koality* experience, or if we think it’s a bit more polar-izing.

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