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.
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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Strato is a solo card game with ten different puzzling scenarios, designed by Sophia Wagner and published by Helvetiq. The box says it’s best for ages 8 and up and plays in about 15 minutes.
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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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This Fluxx game was really crafted with a love for Winnie the Pooh and it references all our favorite moments from these 100 year old stories.
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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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“For me this game varied wildly from very easy to very hard depending on the map tile that we happened to use.”
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It’s my favorite time of year – time to make terrible puns based on some of our most-enjoyed board games.
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This was a really hard puzzle – and that’s not a bad thing! Just allow plenty of time to work on it.
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This week, we’re talking about cooperative games – what they are, what makes them a good fit for families, and we explore the breadth of games that can be considered “cooperative”.
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Combo is a great unique game for the family! It’s kind of cooperative, in the sense that you can’t create a full combo on your own. You have to work with people at least a little bit if you’re going to score any points. But it’s not REALLY cooperative, because you still want to get the most points, and win.
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Shift obelisk dice around the circle, banishing opponent’s dice and re-forming your own. Can you attain supremacy by blocking out your opponent entirely?
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Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, we find games that disconnect us from the stresses and worries of every day life. Andrew and Anitra discover that they have different ideas of what helps them step away from the real world – but there’s some overlap, too. 0:00 Fact for 389 When diving (“stooping”), the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of 389kph.
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In one of the most stressful times of my life, A Nice Cuppa is exactly what I need to slow my racing thoughts and spend a few minutes on something that is just for me.
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It’s the first podcast of 2025, so we’re going to go back over our favorite games from 2024.
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We’d recommend Streamer Standoff for teens and young adults who are REALLY into streaming culture. Otherwise, save your subs for something less standoff-ish.
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This small dexterity game surprised us. We recommend it for family fun when you’re in a constrained space.
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