It’s the first podcast of 2025, so we’re going to go back over our favorite games from 2024.

0:00:00 Fact for 388

The National Guard observed its 388th birthday on December 13th, continuing a tradition that began long before the nation’s founding in 1776.

Sponsor Message

First Move doesn’t sell insurance, but they can help point you in the right direction and help you interpret the policies you currently have. To schedule a call with First Move, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers.

0:05:06 What We’ve Been Playing

Combo (review coming soon)
Video Game Champion
Landmarks
Mezen
River Valley Glassworks
Run Run Run!
A Nice Cuppa (review coming soon)
Calico

0:25:00 Monthly Report and Year in Review

December:

Andrew: 18 unique games, 29 total plays.
H-index: 3. Most played: Obelus, Combo, Landmarks

Anitra: 62 plays of 29 unique games. A ton during PAX and on NYE, not much otherwise
H-index: 5. Most played: Combo, Landmarks, A Nice Cuppa, Obelus, Ultimatch.

2024:
Anitra: 529 plays of 178 unique games. Not as good as last year. But a better H-index: 10! Number one game: Trio.
Andrew: 130 unique games, 302 plays. 87 “new” games. H-index: 6. Number one game: Trio.

0:31:00 Community Welcome and Backtalk

We’re so glad you’ve joined us on Facebook! Stop in and say hi.

Backtalk

Listeners tell us about their favorite gifts. See responses on Discord and Facebook.

0:37:30 SNAP Review – Tasso Banana

See how this banana-stacking game surprised us. Watch the video or read the transcript of our Tasso Banana review.

0:41:45 Top Ten Games of 2024

We used the same system as last year: we each had 10 points to spend on as many (or as few) games as we wanted. And somehow we still ended up with a combined top ten!

One point each, numbers 6-10:

Ultimatch (our review)
Cosmoctopus (our review)
Tir na Nog
Smug Owls (our review)
Flashback: Lucy (our review)

At two points each, numbers 4 & 5:

Santa’s Workshop Second Edition (our review)
Captain Flip (our review)

At a hefty three points, number 3:

Compile (our review)

Even better at four points:

Hamster Roll (our review)

Our Top Game of 2024:

Trio (our review)

I don’t think we’ve been this excited to show people a game since Drop It.

We also have two honorable mentions: Harmonies from Andrew (even though we only played once!) and Circus Flohcati from Anitra.

1:01:50 New Backtalk Question

What was your favorite game of 2024?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! :
The Family Gamers
60 Auburn St. #528
Auburn, MA 01501

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 388 – Top Ten Games of 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:0:00 This week: our PAX Unplugged 2024 highlights and interviews.

Fact for 387

The 387 Houses of Peter Fritz – so many tiny model houses! https://www.amusingplanet.com/2019/04/the-387-houses-of-peter-fritz.html

Sponsor Message

If you want to ask First Move your questions, schedule a free meeting with them by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers.

0:06:20 What We’ve Been Playing

Obelus from Phase Shift Games

Circus Flohcati – check the SNAP review!

0:08:20 PAX Unplugged Highlights

Butterfly Garden – Capstone
Tightrope & Ziggurat – Mindware
Chip Theory games for kids!
card game coming from Thunderworks Games
A Place for All My Books – Smirk & Dagger
The Gang and more – KOSMOS
Played games with the Slaiby family! (Downforce mostly)
Backstories: Alone Under the Ice

PAX Unplugged 2024 Interviews

0:20:30 Ryan Laukat, Red Raven Games

0:24:50 Risa, Lucky Duck Games

0:32:10 Steve Finn, Dr. Finn’s Games

0:42:35 Whitney, Hachette Games

0:50:40 Katzer’s Creations

0:52:25 Chris, Asmadi Games

0:55:30 Jason Miceli, Phase Shift Games

1:00:15 Anthony, Slay the Spire board game

1:01:30 Jay, Bezier Games

1:06:10 Quinn Washburn, designer of Valiant Wars

1:10:00 Tim Eisner, Weird City Games

1:14:05 Mike, 3WS

1:20:55 Backtalk!

We asked: what’s your favorite memory of gaming on vacation?

Facebook and Discord responded.

1:24:30 New Backtalk Question

What’s the best board gaming gift you’ve ever received, and why?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 387 – PAX Unplugged 2024 appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome!

This week we’re going to spend the second half of the show with some wonderful people running a wonderfully magical place over in North Carolina. It is, of course, The Tabletop Inn, run by Grace Kendall and Mike Belsole.

Fact for 386

Moana 2 pulled in 386 million dollars on its opening weekend – the new record for the top opening weekend for an animated film. (It beats out Super Mario Brothers at $377m and Frozen II at $358m.)

Sponsor Message

If you need to talk about other ideas to get started budgeting, set up a call with First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

0:03:15 What We’ve Been Playing

Little Alchemists
Santa’s Workshop (simple side and complicated side are BOTH great)
Circus Flohcati
Green Team Wins: Holiday Party
Flower Fields
Bottle Imp (review soon!)

0:20:00 November Monthly Report!

Andrew: 23 plays of 15 unique games. Interesting: 52% were with 4 players!
H-index: 3. Most played: Little Alchemists, Cabanga!, Circus Flohcati

Anitra: 35 plays of 22 games. Far more with Andrew than anyone else.
H-index: 3. Most played: boop the Halls, Tasso Banana, Little Alchemists, Cabanga!, Circus Flohcati

We talk a bit more about Tasso Banana and how it surprised us.

0:26:40 Welcome Facebook Community Members

Welcome, newbies! We’re glad you’re here! Feel free to share some numbers if you’re statistics nerds like us.

0:27:40 Backtalk

Listeners tell us about their favorite video games. See responses on Discord and Facebook.

0:36:00 SNAP Review – boop the Halls

Mischievous kittens are dressed for the holiday, and now they’re not only booping each other, but knocking ornaments off the tree, too!

We love this holiday sequel to boop. Read the transcript or watch the video of our review.

0:41:00 The Tabletop Inn!

The Tabletop Inn is a full bed and breakfast with a board game theme and an awesome view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What is a traditional bed and breakfast? (It’s not the same as AirBNB.) Mike & Grace have opened their home to offer travelers a warm bed and a hot breakfast; it’s a place you spend some time, not just in-and-out.

“There are pockets of fun hidden throughout the B&B that we hope guests can find and be delighted by.”

“Every room has games in it”… even the hall bathroom.

But if Mike and Grace sound familiar, it’s because they are also the creators of Smug Owls, a party card game we love.

They tell us about the four different themed rooms, each of which has a recommended game pairing.

Board games as wallpaper Yes, real game boards on the wall. Board games in the dining room Tic Tac Toe in the bathroom The Creativity Closet – for all guests Full of crafting supplies Game room Game room Need help finding the right game? A gorgeous view

“The ideal guest is someone who appreciates the mountain-escape aspect of the place as much as the games…” without being terribly far from civilization. It’s just a mile from downtown Marion, NC – a cute little city.

Find out more at www.tabletopinn.com

0:57:00 New Backtalk Question

What’s is your best vacation board gaming memory?

Andrew: when we took a 48 hour tiny-house getaway to just be alone together and play board games in 2021.
Anitra: learning Tzolk’in on a company trip with Andrew and his coworkers.

1:01:30 Holiday Contest Winners!

ArcheOLogic – Annette
Patrician: Towers of Influence – Nick
Avant Carde – Mikhail

There are two more winners (Mutton Bustin, Holiday Hijinks bundle) we haven’t been able to confirm as of recording time – check your email!

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 386 – The Tabletop Inn! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’ve invited video game hype man Stephen Duetzmann (from Engaged Family Gaming) to go over his video game holiday gift guide.

Fact for 385

The largest gathering of people dressed as elephants is 385, achieved by 2 Wish Upon A Star (UK), in Cardiff, UK, on 13 August 2016.

Sponsor Message

If you want to talk through financial ideas to take some of the stress out of the holidays, set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing

Stephen – Empire of the Ants (PS5) and Mario and Luigi: Brothership (Nintendo Switch)

Anitra – boop the Halls (review coming soon), and Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch)

Andrew – Paris, City of Lights and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (on Steam/Xbox/PS)

0:17:45 Backtalk

OK, so what’s your favorite beverage for board game night? See responses on Discord and Facebook.

Stephen says mostly water, maybe a diet energy drink.

Anitra’s is hot coffee in the morning, or herbal tea in the evening.

0:25:20 SNAP Review – Hamster Roll

Elliot helps us explain this rolling dexterity game.

We highly recommend Hamster Roll and have put it on our Hall of Fame.

Watch the video or read the transcript of our Hamster Roll review.

0:30:50 Video Game Gift Guide for the Holidays

Stephen Duetzmann helps us with the best video games to give this year, via the Engaged Family Gaming holiday list.

“Should we buy a Switch this year?” Still yes. Even if a new Nintendo console comes out, Switch games are not going away any time soon, and the new console will be backwards-compatible.

What kind of Switch to buy? Depends on how it’s going to be used. If you only want a handheld, not to use the TV (like an old-style Gameboy), get the cheaper Switch Lite.

Andrew asks about controllers.

Playstation or Xbox? It doesn’t matter – for KIDS – unless you need Spiderman (only available PS5)

0:39:10 Playstation Recommendations

Astro Bot – “must play, for just about everybody”
EA Sports College Football ’25 (available on Xbox too)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (rated T)
Spider-man 2 (rated T) – very very good!
Cat Quest III (available on Switch and Xbox too)

0:43:40 Xbox Recommendations

Metaphor: Refantazio (rated T – available on Windows and PS5 too)
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (rated T – also on PS5 and Switch)
Balatro (on literally everything, including Apple Arcade)
Star Wars: Outlaws (rated T – also on PS5)

0:50:00 Nintendo Switch Recommendations

Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Mario and Luigi: Brothership
Super Mario Party Jamboree “the GOAT” – including a mode that eliminates some of the randomness that most Mario Party games have had!
Princess Peach Showtime – Anitra agrees. “Very definitively NOT a Mario game.” Perfect if your kids loved the Mario movie.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (remake of Gamecube game) – “the funniest game I’ve ever played”
Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition – show your kids your OG Nintendo skills.

1:02:00 Miscellaneous

Andrew complains there’s no Spyro on Xbox Gamepass… but there is! Look for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

More kid-friendly stuff should be coming next year.

Don’t forget, the subscription services also make a great gift (Xbox Game Pass, Playstation Plus) especially if they’re going to be playing games against others online.

Playstation Plus has multiple levels and they can get expensive. But it’s necessary to play online games.

If you’re buying a console for a holiday present, do not leave it in the box!

Don’t forget to set it up before Christmas! (Plug in, connect to the internet, download updates, install a game or two. You might need to update the firmware on the controller.) It’s a much more effective surprise if it’s ready to play on Christmas morning.

And don’t forget about The Family Gamers holiday gift guide, too!

1:09:00 Holiday Contests

Reminder: We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in, because there are a few days left!

ArcheOLogic
Patrician: Towers of Influence
Mutton Bustin
Avant Carde
Holiday Hijinks! (Kickstarter is done)

1:11:15 New Backtalk Question

What’s your favorite video game of the year? What’s your favorite of all time?

Stephen: Astro Bot for 2024, and World of Warcraft / Final Fantasy X for all time.

Andrew: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for the year – and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for all time.

Anitra: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and Katamari Damacy (or any variation) is her favorite to play any time.

Find Stephen Online:

EngagedFamilyGaming.com
Facebook: @EngagedFamilyGaming
or the Engaged Family Gaming Community

(You can find Stephen in The Family Gamers community as well.)

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 385 – Video Game Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:0:00 Hello and welcome! This week we’ll be going over our holiday gift list of board games.

Fact for 384

384 is the sum of six consecutive primes (53 + 59 + 61 + 67 + 71 + 73)

Sponsor Message

If you need help figuring out how to get your engine started, First Move Financial might be able to help. Head over to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to see how First Move Financial can kick start your financial engine today.

0:02:15 What We’ve Been Playing

Just two this week, that we’ll be reviewing soon.

Santa’s Workshop
Super Snipers

0:13:00 SNAP Review – Nekojima

Why are we building such a shoddy electrical grid, and why are cats hanging all over it? We don’t know, but it makes for a fun game!

Watch or read our review of Nekojima – the cat island full of power poles!

0:18:40 Board Game Gift Guide for the Holidays

Let’s walk through our whole list – these are games we recommend giving as gifts.

0:21:20 Very Young Children
0:27:10 Early Elementary (Age 6-9)
0:34:30 Older Kids (Age 10+)
0:41:40 Teens & Adults
0:48:15 Games for the Whole Family
0:58:00 Games for Two Players
1:03:55 Solo Games & Puzzles
1:07:30 Cooperative Games
1:11:00 Stocking Stuffers

1:20:00 Holiday Contests

Reminder: We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in:

ArcheOLogic
Patrician: Towers of Influence
Mutton Bustin
Avant Carde
Holiday Hijinks! (Kickstarter is done)

New (Old) Backtalk Question

Inspired by an up and coming SPONSORED For Science, we’re going to restate last week’s backtalk question to encourage you to keep weighing in: What’s your favorite beverage to have with a board game? Or do you forbid drinks from being anywhere near your games?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 384 – Board Game Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome!

Our holiday list is not ready, so we will be doing another podcast NEXT WEEK! Today’s podcast is just a smorgasbord of stuff.

Fact for 383

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/75367-most-strikeouts-in-a-major-league-baseball-season

Sponsor Message

Have you ever heard the term “it takes money to make money”?

Well, it’s not the only way to make money, but it is a true statement. Income, however it looks, is like an engine. It can start slow, but as you build your resource pool, it often becomes easier to make more.

If this sounds a little like the last time you played Wingspan or Terraforming Mars, it’s because there’s a lot of similarities between engine building in board gams and financial engine building in real life.

If you need help figuring out how to get that engine started, First Move Financial might be able to help. Head over to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers to see how First Move Financial can kick start your financial engine today.

04:00 What We’ve Been Playing

Bottle Imp (review coming soon)
Donut Shop (review coming soon)
Cabanga! – we will be teaching this at PAX Unplugged
Dodo – a great kids’ memory game with a cool slow-rolling ball as the timer. (review coming soon)
Runemasters (review coming soon)
Turns out beautiful games Deblockle (our review) and Quarto (our review) are also great for calm times or “sick” days.
Dirty Pig (our review – no longer in print)
Campaign Trail (one of the very first games featured on TheFamilyGamers.com)

26:00 October Monthly Report!

Andrew: 26 plays of 17 games. Primarily at 3 players! H-index: 2. Most played: Hamster Roll, Football Feud

Anitra: 44 plays of 24 games. H-index: 3. Most played: Hamster Roll, Circus Flohcati, Football Feud, Dodo

28:20 Welcome Facebook Community Members

Welcome, newbies! We’re thankful you’re here! Feel free to share some numbers if you’re statistics nerds like us.

29:00 Backtalk

Listeners tell us about their spookiest games. See responses on Discord and Facebook.

34:00 SNAP Review – Railroad Ink: Archipelago

Anitra reviews this expansion board that works with any version of Railroad Ink.

If you’re unsatisfied with how short a normal game of Railroad Ink is – this is the expansion for you.

Watch the video to see the Archipelago boards in action!

40:30 For Science!

We try Coca-Cola flavored Oreos, and Oreo flavored Coke Zero.

We’re not big fans. But Andrew dislikes this two-for-one taste experiment MORE than Anitra does!

Which one would you rather try?

45:00 Holiday Contests

We have five giveaways – enter the ones you’re interested in:

ArcheOLogic
Patrician: Towers of Influence
Mutton Bustin
Avant Carde
Holiday Hijinks! (check out the Kickstarter or check out one of our old reviews)

Enter the giveaways!

50:00 New Backtalk Question

What’s your favorite beverage to have with a board game? Or do you forbid drinks from being anywhere near your games?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 383 – Smorgasbord and Holiday Contests appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 It’s the end of October, which means it’s time for Halloween-themed games!

382 Fact

Patent class 382 is the generic class for the automated analysis of an image or recognition of a pattern.

(What is this? All that AI that Google brags about with identifying people, or things to then shop for, all of that falls under patent class 382).

Find out more: https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc382/defs382.htm

Sponsor Message

If you want to talk to someone about your money history or personality then 15 minutes will just scratch the surface, but First Move can give you some resources to point you in the right direction. Set up a time to talk with them at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

5:08 What We’ve Been Playing

Football Feud (watch our SNAP review!)
Harmonies
Hamster Roll (review coming soon)
Ghosts Love Candy Too (more in the second half)
Circus Flohcati (review coming soon)
Felix: The Cat in the Sack – picked this bidding game up on a whim and had a pleasant time!
Tether

Welcome Community Members

Say hi to all the new Facebook group members! Welcome!

20:50 Backtalk

Listeners tell us about their favorite beautiful games on Discord.

Some other good content in the community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/3817897471833048/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/3826331294322999/

27:35 SNAP Review – Mojo

Do you have the mojo? We do, in this snappy card game.

Watch the video or read the transcript.

32:30 Our Top Spooky Games for Families at Halloween

We’re not big into horror or being scared. But we do love these gently spooky games for Halloween play.

1. Ghosts Love Candy Too – you’re ghosts scaring kids in costume to try to get them to drop their candy. Scare the kids TOO much, and you’ll have to take responsibility (usually negative points). Only nine rounds, with a ton of variability due to the kids who appear and what candy each player values most. Read or watch our review.

2. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters – we LOVED this game when our kids were younger. Cooperatively retrieve the treasures from a haunted house before too many ghosts and “hauntings” appear. It looks like the anniversary edition now includes rules for a player to control the ghosts, which means up to five people can play!

3. Studies in Sorcery – the darkest game on our list. Dig up graves for spell components to complete your degree in the dark arts in this card drafting / set building game. Read our review.

4. Zombie Dice – we’ve been playing this with our kids from very young ages. Pull three dice out, roll them. Brains are good, shotgun blasts are bad. Want to keep going? Gather any footsteps and add more dice to get back to three. Roll them and see if you are satisfied… or if you have three shotgun blasts, wiping out your brains this turn. (Find it on Amazon)

5. Horrified – There are four of these now! Classic, American Monsters, Greek Monsters, World of Monsters. Our favorite is Greek Monsters, but all are good. Cooperate to move “victims” away from the monsters and work towards defeating the monsters for good!

Bonus Games!

Unmatched: Cobble & Fog (Dracula, Invisible Man, Jekyll & Hyde) , Unmatched: Buffy

Some longer and more “adult” games: Fury of Dracula, Letters from Whitechapel, Arkham Horror, The Shining (Coded Chronicles).

And how about Scooby Doo: Escape from the Haunted Mansion (Coded Chronicles)?

Looking for more? Halloween isn’t really our thing. But the guys at One Board Family love Halloween and creepy games!

New Backtalk Question

What are your favorite spooky games for the family?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 382 – Top 5 Spooky Games for Halloween appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00 Hello and welcome! This week, we’re talking about beautiful games – ones you would leave out on a coffee table – that are great for families to play.

Fact for 381

We’re back to the Guinness Book of World Records, friends.

The largest hand-held video game console party was on 12 October 2007, at the Parramatta mall in Sydney Australia, where 381 people gathered together, each one brandishing their own Nintendo DS.

Sponsor Message

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02:43 What We’ve Been Playing

Nekojima – review coming soon. We love that it can be cooperative or competitive.
Mojo – review coming soon.
Mundus Novus
Captain Flip (our review)
Sky Team – we talked about playing this on Board Game Arena, but now we’ve played it in person. Looking forward to playing a lot more.
Dice Throne – as recommended in our Games for Teens. We don’t love king-of-the-hill with our boys.
Agueda: City of Umbrellas – review coming soon
Fire Tower
Football Feud! – very simple. Review coming soon.

18:20 September Monthly Report!

Andrew: 20 plays of 15 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek (3 times) & Mojo (3 times). Also Trio (2 times).

Anitra: 29 plays of 18 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek (6 times) & Mojo (4 times).

19:50 Welcome Facebook Community Members

Lots of new members this week! Stop in and tell us which animal pictured represents you.

21:30 Backtalk

Listeners tell us about games they wish they still had. See responses on Discord and Facebook.

26:25 SNAP Review – Super Kawaii Pets

This super-cute game is great for pet lovers. It’s really simple and light, best for kids or very light family play.

Watch the video to see our grumpy cat Romeo “help” with this one.

31:00 Top 5(ish) Beautiful Games

This is a very subjective topic. And we have a ton of games which we love for their art. But we’re thinking about coffee table games or “eye candy” games – not games with good art, but games that you could leave set up and would look good in and of themselves. Maybe one you could expect to see in the background in a design magazine. Usually this means abstract games made with natural materials.

• Shobu
• Deblockle
• The Gigamic abstract series: our favorite is Quarto, but there’s also Quoridor, Qawale, Pylos, Quixo, Squadro, and Quantik.
• Catch the Moon
• Suspend (or Suspend Junior) – this reminds us of the bead maze toys that used to be in the pediatrician’s waiting room.
• Azul

Shobu Deblockle Qawale Quarto Suspend Junior Catch the Moon Azul

49:40 New Backtalk Question

What are your favorite looking games? What games are absolutely gorgeous to you – and do you think they’d work in this coffee table kind of setting?

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 381 – Top 5(ish) Beautiful Family Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

0:00:00 Intro – We usually talk about kids on this show. But our children aren’t little children anymore – so what about games for teenagers?

380 Fact

The Ukraine country code for international calling is: 380.

Sponsor Message

To set up either a 15 minute phone call or a 90 minute meeting, go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers.

0:04:45 What We’ve Been Playing

Clash of Magic Schools (review coming soon)
Trio (our review)
Skull King (review from One Board Family)
Little Alchemists
Floating Floors (review coming soon)

0:18:30 Welcome Community Members

Join in and welcome!
Don’t forget, you can also join our Board Game Arena community!

0:19:30 Backtalk

Speaking of our community, let’s talk about our backtalk. We got a lot this week! Lots of people playing games online I guess.

See responses on Discord and Facebook.

0:29:00 We explain H-index to answer a listener’s question.

0:32:30 SNAP Review – Charcuterie

This delicious game is great for mixed-age groups, or as a short appetizer before a longer game.

Watch the video and see how yummy this game is!

0:37:00 Top 10 Games for Teenagers

A follow on to our Games for Every Age series. Find the full list at TheFamilyGamers.com/top-10-games-teens/

0:56:00 New Backtalk Question

Is there a game from your past that you wish you could bring back, because you’re in a different season of life and you think it would fit better now?

For Andrew, it’s the videogame Rock Band. We used to play it in college and as young professionals with our friends, but it went away as we had kids and our video game consoles got older. Now that our kids are old enough to play with us, he misses it, and wishes he could bring it back to play with them!

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 380 – Top Ten Games for Teens appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let’s talk about playing board games online!

379 Fact

The Peterbilt 379, in production from 1992-2007, is still popular. And it was the model used for Optimus Prime in the Transformers movies.

https://blog.ritchiebros.com/the-classic-peterbilt-379-a-semi-truck-that-carries-its-value

Sponsor Message

Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/FamilyGamers. There, you can set up a quick, free phone call to see if First Move is a good fit for you.

What We’ve Been Playing

Star Trek: Chrono-Trek – Every time we set it up, we play it a bunch of times in a row.
Super Kawaii Pets
Mojo (try it on Board Game Arena)
Cosmoctopus

All of the games above are ones we are preparing to review.

We also learned Sky Team and played it together on Board Game Arena!
We recommend this video from Monique at Before You Play

August Monthly Report

Anitra: 42 plays of 25 games. H-index: 3. Most played: Chrono-Trek, Trio, Grove, Jinxx, and Donuts.

Andrew: 21 plays of 15 games. H-index: 2. Most played: Chrono-Trek, Trio. (also Secret Identity and Roll to the Top)

Welcome Community Members

Just a few this week. Stop in and say hi!

P.S. We will officially be at PAX Unplugged – with FOUR writers (and family members)! We will be running a Learn-and-Play on Sunday of that weekend.

Backtalk

Listeners tell us their favorite date-game stories.

See responses on Discord and Facebook.

SNAP Review – Secret Identity

Give clues and guess each other’s identities in this feel-good guessing game. There’s only shared success, which makes it a great family game, with a little bit of silliness. Just watch out for very small text and symbols!

Watch the video or read the transcript for our Secret Identity review.

Board Game Arena

So this week we’re going to 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?

• Play with anyone (friends or strangers) all around the world.
• Asynchronous play
  • We can play against each other without trying to leave a game set up (which our cats would destroy)
  • Take five minutes to “solve the puzzle” of a single turn, in the middle of your day.
• Bookkeeping – allows play of fiddly or complex games that we might not otherwise play. (example: Seasons)
• You can try a game (or expansion) for free before you buy it.
• Tutorials – yet another way to learn a new game. Or you can try playing here before you play it with your family.
• Hundreds of games available.

Our Five Favorite Games to Play on Board Game Arena

7 Wonders Duel – we like this in person, but having BGA handle the bookkeeping is amazing.
7 Wonders – Bookkeeping again, plus this game is a table hog in person.
Happy City – we love this simple tableau-building game (our review) – but the cards can get a little fiddly.
Roll to the Top – because each turn is so simple; a great way to take a minute to drop in and take a quick break from your day. Love this one in person, too (our review)!
Space Base – huge numbers of cards. Gets really messy in person. And BGA lets you set up options to speed the game when it’s not your turn.

Some more games we play because they’re hard to get to the table at home:

For Sale – a double bidding game. Anitra prefers it in real-time.
Tzolk’in – a complex game, that Andrew loves and Anitra does not want to play.
6 Nimmt! (AKA Take 5) – a quick numbers-on-cards games of predicting what others will play.
Lucky Numbers – we enjoy this game (our review) but no longer have this game at home. Another one that’s great to drop in and make one simple decision.

Some games are NOT as good on Board Game Arena! For example, Turing Machine or any game that requires “judging” (like Similo).

Other Apps

Through the Ages and Railroad Ink are both available on BGA, but are much better in their custom mobile apps.

Codenames app is in beta – Andrew says it’s awesome.

New Backtalk Question

Do you play board games online? What’s your favorite on Board Game Arena – or anywhere else? Tell us about your online board gaming experience!

And you should join our Board Game Arena group – let’s see if we can get some more games going there.

Find Us Online:

Facebook: @familygamersaa and thefamilygamers.com/community
Twitter (X): @familygamersaa
Instagram: @familygamersaa
TikTok: @familygamersaa
Youtube: TheFamilyGamers

or join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord! thefamilygamers.com/discord

Or, for the most direct method, email us! [email protected] and [email protected].

Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.

PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.

You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)

The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.

The post Episode 379 – 5 Board Game Arena Favorites appeared first on The Family Gamers.

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!

The post Episode 378 – Top 6 Date Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.