Tumble Tree: Build a Baobab
A baobab tree has a thick trunk and flat, spreading branches. Why? Because the players have to build it that way! Can you build a spectacular canopy, or will your tree tumble?
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55 – The Family Gamers Podcast – Chris Nichols, Card Caddy Inventor
It’s an odd-numbered show, so that means we have a guest! This week, it is Chris Nichols, inventor of The Card Caddy. The Card Caddy was born of necessity; when Chris’s son was younger, he wanted to play Uno everywhere. The cards were always getting mangled by rubber bands, or slipping out of the crummy paperboard box to scatter everywhere.
» Read moreGiveaway! The Original Card Caddy
As we mentioned on our interview with Chris Nichols, we are giving away a Card Caddy (single decker) to six lucky winners! Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. What game would you keep in a Card Caddy? a Rafflecopter giveaway
» Read moreScuttle!: A Card Game of High Seas Pirate Adventure
Scuttle! by Jellybean Games is a card game full of pirate adventure, attacks, conquest, and fun, for 1-5 players. Manage the shifting seas of cards like an old salt, be the first to collect enough treasure, and you’ll win the title of master pirate captain.
» Read moreBarnyard Roundup: Fill Your Farm by Fibbing
Oh no! All the animals have escaped the barn and are hiding out. Can you fill your pen with the most valuable animals and avoid the sneaky crows? Barnyard Roundup is a simple bluffing game for 2-6 players designed by James Hudson and published by Druid City Games.
» Read moreClear for Takeoff: A Race Down the Runway
One of my recently adopted criteria for a good family game is total length – from setup, through play time, to teardown. In this, Clear for Takeoff excels. Designed by Hagen Temeryazev, an airline pilot, illustrated by Etienne Hebinger, and published by Blue Orange Games, Clear for Takeoff is a card game that has you racing to get all three of
» Read moreFight for Olympus: An Epic Battle!
Unbelievable tales of legend filled with debauchery, treachery, and heroism make the stories of the Greek gods fascinating to anyone who enjoys a good adventure. From the snakes of Medusa to the rippling muscles of Hercules, to the near invincibility of Achilles, every hero and villain captures our imagination with their epic tales of adventure, victory, and heartbreak. With virtually
» Read moreHoyle Play games: Catch’n Fish, Sharks are Wild, Piggy Bank
Hoyle, the familiar name in playing cards, is introducing its own line of original card games for kids, under the brand name Hoyle Play. Their motto is “fun with room for a lesson”. The Family Gamers were given three of these games to try. All three reinforce early math skills, but are they fun enough to keep playing?
» Read moreBattleGoats: Fun for All Ages!
Family Gamers, we think silliness is a great way to relate to your children, and with the game BattleGoats from CardLords, there is ample opportunity for less-than-serious play.
» Read moreMonsters in the Elevator: Cooperative Math Card Game
Monsters in the Elevator is a math-based card game from Yaya Play. Players work together to keep the elevator from overloading as monsters enter and exit. Reach the 20th floor without crashing to win!
» Read moreDragonwood: A Game of Dice and Daring
Dragonwood is a dice and card based game designed by Darren Kisgen and published by Gamewright Games. A “game of dice and daring” with a medieval fantasy theme, it is designed for two to four players age 8+, but any child who can read can play. With some minor rule shifting, Dragonwood was playable by our four-year-old.
» Read moreCardventures: Stowaway 52 and Jump Ship!
Stowaway 52 and Jump Ship! inaugurate the new Cardventures series from GameWright. Do these solitaire, choose-your-own-adventure story games live up to their promise? In Stowaway 52, you have stowed away on an alien spaceship. You’re trying to escape, but first will you spy on the aliens to discover their plans for earth, or sabotage their spaceship on your way out?
» Read moreGimme 5
Gimme 5 is a trivia party game that is designed to scale up to an arbitrarily large number of people. Seriously – The game is advertised to support 50 players.
» Read moreCrazier Eights: Camelot – How will it end? Good fun while you try to win or not lose!
Crazier Eights: Camelot is the sequel to Crazier Eights from creator James Gray, this time with a King Arthur theme. The basis of the game is Crazy Eights, but getting rid of your cards isn’t the only way to win; and anyone can lose if they aren’t paying attention. Between discarding to reduce your hand or playing action cards for power-ups and attacks like
» Read moreWindUp War: Cute Cards, Cataclysmic Combat!
Be the last toy faction standing; battle other toys by picking your five actions to attack and block – but you won’t be able to change the order once the round starts! An action-programming battle game for 3-6 players.
» Read more28 – The Family Gamers Podcast – Boston FIG Tabletop games
We saw more digital games aimed towards kids than kid-friendly tabletop games this year. Weird! But we still had quite a few favorites.
» Read moreWomen in Science
Women in Science is a card game celebrating women in science, naturally. We theorized that this game would be fun. But does Women in Science + The Family Gamers = FUN?
» Read more26 – The Family Gamers Podcast – Extended Play (Gotta Catch ‘Em All!)
The games that keep on giving! We’re talking about expansions, collectibles, toys-to-life, and other game add-ons.
» Read more24 – The Family Gamers Podcast – Micro games
This week, we discuss a few micro/tiny games. These are games that generally fit easily in your pocket or purse. A few cards, a few tokens, a few dice. They’re usually 15 minutes or less to play and easy to pick up.
» Read moreJunKing: Impish Fun with all the Interesting Junk you can Grab!
We recently got the chance to work with Junk Spirit Games to check out their new game, JunKing, a game where you play as an imp avatar picking through a massive junk pile to collect the most impressive trash heap ever! Does it make the cut or is it junk? Read more to find out!
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