Trent, Author at The Board Game Family

Educational Board Games in the Classroom

Educational board games have received a bad rap over the years. And rightly so–they tend to be nothing more than review questions or flash cards without much thought to creativity, originality, or real engagement.

Roll the dice, answer the questions, be the first to get to the end, and you win the game.

Creating a really good educational board game can be tricky. A delicate balance exists between ensuring the game’s educational component is solid and maintaining the entertainment value of the game so students don’t tune out!

September 3, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 1 Comment

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Treasure Chest for your game loot

A couple weeks ago we heard about a game accessory that looks very cool. It’s a sweet looking Fantasy Treasure Chest to hold your gaming loot!

The first thing I’m sure we all think about when seeing a treasure chest is gold. What a perfect place to keep all our gold!

Of course, we don’t have any gold to store in it. But we do have a lot of board games that include money as either game currency or victory points (or both). And having a stash of game coins in this treasure chest could be pretty fun.

August 31, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 0 Comments

Adventure Time Fluxx game review

When we first got copy copies of both Batman Fluxx and Adventure Time Fluxx, I thought for sure our boys would flock to Batman over Adventure Time Fluxx. But I was wrong.

I was quite surprised when they said Adventure Time Fluxx was the version they liked the most.

Maybe it was because the Adventure Time version put them in a silly mood. And being in a silly mood goes well with playing a Fluxx game.

August 29, 2015November 8, 2016 Trent 0 Comments

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Time away from board games

As much as we enjoy playing board games as a family, we also enjoy doing a lot of other things

August 23, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 0 Comments

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

Can You Name These 25 Games?

How well do you know your games?

Can you identify tabletop games by sight?

Take this short 25-question photo quiz to see how your recognition of board games, card games, dice games, and party games stacks up.

Hint: All of the correct answers are games that we’ve reviewed.

Go ahead and see how well you do.

August 14, 2015September 9, 2017 Trent 2 Comments

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

92 Games Played So Far This Year

As we’re looking back on the fun times we’ve shared as a family this summer, I’ve also taken time to look back on my year in games. For the last few years, I’ve posted a mid-year report on the many board games and card games I’ve played. And while I may be a bit behind on my past trend, it’s better now than never.

So it’s time for a mid-year review of the games I’ve played – with highlights of the ones I’ve enjoyed the most.

August 9, 2015November 9, 2016 Trent 1 Comment

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Batman Fluxx game review

With the humongous rise in Superhero movies over the last number of years, we could probably dub this the Superhero Decade. Or knowing that even more will be flooding the movies screens in the coming years, the Superhero Century!

But even though we may not like the extreme glut of superhero movies on the horizons, we have to admit that we’re still suckers for superheroes!

My personal favorite is Spiderman. Just because I think climbing on walls and swinging all over the place would be totally awesome!
Coming in at a close second would be Batman (thanks to Batman Begins).

So with a Batman Fluxx card game staring at me, of course I’m going to dive in!

August 6, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 1 Comment

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Is Tsuro of the Seas better than Tsuro?

Tsuro is one of our favorite family board games.

It’s simple to play, good for all ages, plays in under 15 minutes, has fantastic components, and can handle up to 8 players.

So when we heard a few years ago that Calliope Games had published Tsuro of the Seas, we were anxious to play it.

Well, now that we’ve played it a few times, we’re ready to answer the all important question, “Is Tsuro of the Seas better than Tsuro?

August 2, 2015November 8, 2016 Trent 3 Comments

Board Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

King of New York – Monster Mayhem Fun

King of New York is a game about playing “king of the hill” in the boroughs of New York City. It’s a followup game to the very successful and super fun monster battle: King of Tokyo.

But in King of New York, players don’t just battle each other for supremacy. Now they also get to destroy buildings and fight back against the military onslaught.

July 26, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 1 Comment

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

New York 1901 board game review

New York 1901 is a fantastic family board game. It hits on all cylinders with engaging play, great components, and the right mix of luck and strategy for a family game.

Blue Orange Games has been creating great kids games for many years (Spot It, Doodle Quest, Brave Rats, Yamslam, Battle Sheep, Gobblet). And now they’ve created a fantastic light strategy game that the whole family can enjoy together.

We highly recommend New York 1901 for families all over the world.

July 22, 2015March 30, 2016 Trent 0 Comments