abstract Archives - The Board Game Family

Board Game Gift Guide 2023 – 45 Favorites!

We’ve posted a Board Game Gift Guide for the past 12 years. And each year we’ve recommended around 40 games to get your friends and family as gifts.

Which means that through our annual gift guides, we’ve shared close to 500 game ideas!

Well, rather than give another list of new games to check out, we’ve decide to roll back through our 12 years of game gift guides and pick out our very favorites to recommend for 2023.

So, without further ado, here’s our recommended favorites in each category.

November 8, 2023December 20, 2023 Trent 3 Comments 2-player, abstract, board game gifts, card, deduction, dice, family, game gift guide, luck, party, Star Wars, strategy, theme

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Gridopolis Game Review

Imagine if Checkers married a building system like Kenex or Tinker Toys, what would their baby look like?

Well, I might have found the answer to that, Gridopolis!

On the front of the rulebook it says Gridopolis is a “3D strategy game and system”. The system part of it comes in the form of a modular playing board called the Grid-Set. The Grid-Set can be built in any manner of ways before you start playing and may change throughout the course of the game making this a truly unique experience.

May 3, 2022 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, abstract, strategy

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Santorini in New York?

Santorini has been a favorite 2-player board game in our family ever since we first played the reimplemented game by Roxley Games 4 years ago.

It’s an abstract strategy game with variable player powers where each player tries to get one of their pawns (workers) to the 3rd level of a building. The game components are absolutely fantastic and look just like the recognizable, blue-topped buildings on the Greek isle of Santorini.

So we were quite surprised when Roxley Games published Santorini: New York in 2020.

I mean, what do Santorini and New York have to do with each other?

It was a real head-scratcher.

Of course, that also didn’t stop us in the slightest from wanting to play it right away!

If you’re just as curious about how the awesome Santorini could morph into a new game set in New York City as we were, then you’ve come to the right place—read on!

October 23, 2021 Trent 4 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, abstract, luck, Roxley Games, strategy, variable set up

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Board Game Gift Guide 2019!

Are you looking for fun board games as gifts for family and friends?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

Because for the 9th year running, we’ve got fantastic suggestions for you!

This year’s Board Game Gift Guide includes 43 great game ideas in various categories: children, family, dice, party, cooperative, abstract, and more!

November 10, 2019November 19, 2023 Trent 2 Comments abstract, card, cooperative, dice, family, game gift guide, luck, party, solo, strategy

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Record numbers at SaltCon 2019!

Another super fun weekend of board gaming at SaltCon is in the books!

I look forward to SaltCon with high anticipation every year and it never disappoints.

And that’s exactly how I’m feeling again looking back on last weekend of fun board gaming with friends and strangers.

SaltCon is our local board game convention that rolls around the first weekend of March. And like the previous years, it continues to hit record numbers.

For SaltCon 2019, more than 1,900 people came for the fun!

Here’s my quick run down on the 20+ games I played over the couple days I was there.

March 10, 2019August 1, 2019 Trent 3 Comments abstract, card, cooperative, dice, family game, luck, SaltCon, strategy

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Ubongo: Fun-Sized edition game review

Sharpen your speedy, Tetris-puzzle solving skills because it’s time to play Ubongo: Fun-Size edition.

It’s not exactly Tetris, but whenever we’re playing with polyomino pieces, we can’t help thinking of that addictive shape-placing game.

There have been various versions of Ubongo published over the years. And last year, Thames & Kosmos released the Ubongo: Fun-Size edition.

And the good news is that it’s just as fun.

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, abstract, spacial reasoning, Tetris, Thames and Kosmos

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Falling shapes are fun in Drop It

We recently added a puppy to our family and are working on training her. One of the commands we’re trying to teach her is “Drop It”.

Inevitably, she’ll grab something she’s not supposed and we’ll ask her to “drop it”. It’s hit or miss so far, but we’re working on it.

One thing that’s not as tough as training a puppy is a new game by Kosmos called Drop It. Instead, this kind of dropping it is a lot more fun.

In Drop It, players take turns dropping various shapes for points.

That’s right — drop some shapes and score points!

January 22, 2019 Trent 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, abstract, dexterity, Kosmos, luck

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Azul board game review

It’s hard for an abstract strategy game to make its way in this world. The masses clamor for board games dripping with theme. Like with movies and books, players are drawn to games that help them escape into a new realm.

So when an abstract board game comes along and wins the coveted Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award, people take notice.

Such is the case with Azul by Plan B Games and Next Move Games.