Trent, Author at The Board Game Family

Gorilla Marketing party game review

My day job is in marketing.

That means 25 years in marketing.

As such, I’ve heard many times about “guerilla marketing”.

So when I saw the game Gorilla Marketing, designed by Adam Wyse and published by Roxley Games, I couldn’t wait to give it a try!

I was especially excited to play with my Marketing team at work. But as luck would have it, the game arrived the very day we all started working from home because of COVID. Major bummer – no more lunch break games of any sort at the office.

But that wouldn’t deter me from giving it a shot with my family. And I’m so glad I did — because it’s been an absolute hoot!

We have yet to play a game without busting a gut laughing. And we have yet to stop playing after just one game. There’s just too much fun to be had!

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, judging, party, Roxley Games

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Let’s get Trekking the National Parks!

Zion National Park is like a second home to me.

It was my mom’s backyard growing up. So naturally, as a family, we spent a lot of time enjoying its beauty from grandma and grandpa’s farm. My most memorable summer growing up was the summer I spent living with my grandparents and working in the park.

And heading north, Yellowstone National Park is another one of my favorite places to visit.

And when we play Trekking the National Parks the board game, I get the itch to visit a lot more of the US National Parks.

July 30, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, luck, route, strategy, theme, Underdog Games

Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game board game

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

All aboard the Disney Jungle Cruise!

“This secluded elephant pool has never before been seen by civilized man. And looking at everyone on this boat, it still hasn’t.”

“Bamboo can grow to be six stories tall…although this bamboo looks about seven stories tall. But that’s a whole other story.”

These jokes probably sound very familiar if you’ve spent time aboard the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland or Disney World. And playing Disney Jungle Cruise Adventure Game, you’ll get to tell a whole bunch more!

But telling jokes isn’t the crux of the game, it’s just a by-product. Instead, the game pits players against each other racing along the river, collecting cargo, and keeping their passengers safe.

Ready to captain your boat to victory?

July 23, 2020July 26, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, Disney, luck, Ravensburger, theme

Card Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Time isn’t your friend in Math Rush

How good are you at math?
Will it make a difference if you’re calculating over and over with a timer ticking away?

In Math Rush by Genius Games, you and your fellow players race against time to cooperatively play your cards to accomplish various goals.

It may sound simple, but when the timer’s ticking away, you’ll quickly find there’s more to think about during the game than just addition and subtraction.

We know because the challenge of this simple-sounding game caught us by surprise.

How well will your family do?

July 17, 2020 Trent 1 Comment 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, Genius Games, kids, math, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Let’s get us some Rune Stones!

Do you like deck-building games like Dominion, Clank!, Legendary, and Thudersone Quest?
What about resource-collecting/converting games like Century: Golem?

How would you like a game that mixes those game mechanisms together?

Well, that’s what you get with Rune Stones by Queen Games!

At SaltCon 2020, I was able to get in a demo game of Rune Stones with some friends and we all enjoyed it.

And now that I’ve played it a number of times since then, it’s time to share my thoughts on this family board game.

July 7, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, card, deck-building, Queen Games, strategy

Articles

Some Exciting News – and Free Games!

With the COVID-19 pandemic still rolling along, interest in family board games continues strong.

More people are looking for games to play with their families while they’re mostly spending time at home. With so many activities canceled (like sports, travel, concerts, etc.), families have more evening time for hanging out together. And once the binge-watching runs its course, there’s more time for games!

And we think that’s great news!

We get a number of family board game-related news items on a daily basis. Yet we usually don’t share them through our site so we can keep focused on reviewing great family games instead. However, there have been a couple of game-related news items over the last month we think you’ll be interested in.

Check these out!

July 1, 2020December 5, 2020 Trent 0 Comments Asmodee, family, Thames and Kosmos

Card Games Game Reviews Party Games

Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?! game review

“There are few certainties in life. One of them is everybody’s relatives are crazy. You can let them make you nuts too, or you can learn to laugh about it. I prefer laughter every time.” — Jeff Foxworthy

And when you get a game with Jeff Foxworthy’s name emblazoned on it, you can expect laughter.

That’s definitely the case with Relative Insanity: See What I Mean?! by PlayMonster.

June 24, 2020 Trent 0 Comments cards, choose, party, photos, PlayMonster

Articles Board Games Card Games Family Games

Are you BOOKSMART?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

“Call me Ishmael.”

“All children, except one, grow up.”

Can you name which famous books these are opening lines for?

Or better yet, if you heard the title of a book, would you be able to come up with the opening line?

That’s the premise of a new game just launched on Kickstarter that sounds really intriguing to us – BOOKSMART.

Do you consider yourself BOOKSMART? Let’s find out…

June 18, 2020 Trent 7 Comments book, Stampede Ventures Games

Back to the Future: Back in Time board game

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Back to the Future: Back in Time cooperative game review

I was a teenager when the first Back to the Future movie hit the big screen in 1985. And I remember absolutely loving the movie!

The premise was a lot of fun and I laughed the whole time.

That first movie became a cultural iconic film that’s still fun to revisit to this day. That also explains why a bunch of Back to the Future games have been made since. Unfortunately, the few I’ve played over the years haven’t been very good games.

That is, until now!

Back to the Future: Back in Time, by Funko, breaks that mold. As a cooperative board game, it delivers the right type of gameplay for the theme — making a fun game!

June 16, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, Funko, luck, strategy, theme

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews

Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising game review

Are you ready to defeat Lord Voldemort and thwart his rise to power?

Wait…

Have we talked about this already, because it feels very familiar?

Well, we’ve got yet another new Harry Potter-themed game for you to check out from The Op — Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising!

Over the 11 years we’ve been reviewing family board games, we’ve reviewed a bunch of Harry Potter games. Yet, we still don’t get tired of playing them.

That’s because each game has a totally different feel to it.

June 7, 2020June 7, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, cooperative, dice, Harry Potter, luck, strategy, The OP, theme