Anitra Smith is the managing editor of The Family Gamers, and co-host of The Family Gamers Podcast.
Explore the reviews and podcasts she has contributed to.
Let’s talk about Board Game Arena. It’s not the only way to play board games online, but for us, it’s probably the most valuable. Why?
» Read more
I really like that this game is a net positive all the way around. There is only shared success in Secret Identity, which makes it a fantastic family game.
» Read more
“Take me down the Tangram City
Where the blocks are square
And balance is pretty…” In Tangram City, up to five players compete to build the largest city blocks, while keeping a balance between buildings and green space.
We’re hatching? Summoning? Herding? I don’t know what we’re doing to them, but it involves cute dragons!
» Read more
We talked about date night games in 2020 – which ones would we still recommend now? Our new top six list has FOUR games that weren’t even on the old list!
» Read more
Flip Circus is a sort of memory duel against another player. If you like memory and deduction, this is going to be a great fit for you.
» Read more
Two games in 5 minutes! Jinxx and Hijinks are Looney Pyramid games that feel like a classic 3-in-a-row with a few twists.
» Read more
We waited an extra week for this podcast so we could bring you all the GenCon goodies with Nick.
» Read more
Unmatched has been drawing from unusual characters since its early days. But no combination is so unexpected as what we find in Slings & Arrows: four fighter sets based on the works of William Shakespeare.
» Read more
Unboxed is a set of puzzles based on deciphering the rules to games. Each puzzle should take about 30 minutes to solve, for up to 4 players.
» Read more
Paper App Dungeon doesn’t look like any other dungeon crawl game. It’s this small notebook. Each page is a new floor of the dungeon, divided up into little squares with symbols representing enemies, treasure, traps, and more.
» Read more
Does your kid’s school have a board game club? How could you help support it as a parent?
» Read more
Randomly draw crew tiles from the bag, then decide to keep them or flip them. Craft the best crew organization to earn the most treasure and prove yourself the best captain!
» Read more
Welcome Stephanie Nye this week, to talk about the games we’ve been playing lately and the Origins Game Fair.
» Read more
I really enjoyed the tight, back-and-forth nature of this duel. Even with so few cards in your hand, you’ll have to work hard to predict what your opponent will do, and try to counter it, or try to surprise them.
» Read more
All paintings start as color and line. Color Field lets us play with matching up colors in an artistic framework.
» Read more
One of the calmest games I’ve ever played is A Gentle Rain, which I discovered in 2022, and is now back in print with a new publisher.
» Read more
If you have kids in school, you’ve probably heard of the “summer slide” or summer learning loss. The best way to keep your kids from losing math and reading skills is to use them! So let’s talk about five games that will give some practice.
» Read more
I’ve never thought a mushroom was *cute*. Then I played Mycelia.
It’s a lovely game with sentient mushroom “heroes”, who will help you remove the dewdrops from your forest.
