Game Reviews Archives - The Board Game Family

Finspan board game review

In 2019, Wingspan took the world by storm.

Rookie game designer, Elizabeth Hargrave, hit a home run on her debut board game with a Kennerspiel des Jahres win. Board game lovers and bird lovers alike all flocked to it. It’s a card-driven, engine-building board game featuring 180 unique birds. Since its initial publication, Stonemaier Games has sold over 2 million copies of Wingspan!

Inspired by that success, Stonemaier Games published Wyrmspan in 2024. It’s a dragon-themed board game with similarities to Wingspan but with plenty of unique elements and an added level of complexity.

Which leads us to the release earlier this year of Finspan.

With 125 unique fish cards, Finspan has players diving into the oceans for aquatic life. They’ll grow their collection of fish, discover fresh eggs, hatch them into young, and nurture them into schools to gain the most points.

So the big question is, “Is Finspan just a quick spinoff without substance, or is it a good game of its own accord?”

June 3, 2025 Davin Perkins 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, card, luck, solo, Stonemaier Games, strategy, theme

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

The Search for Planet X deduction game review

I love logic puzzles.

In fact, a number of years ago, I bought a stack of back issues of Penny Dell Logic Puzzles so I could rattle through logic puzzles during flights on business trips.

As such, I also love good deduction board games.

I enjoy thinking through various logic conditions to figure out the solution in a deduction game before the other players. And modern deduction board games have come a long way from classic Clue.

So when I heard about The Search for Planet X, by Renegade Game Studios, it caught my attention.

I got a copy of the game at SaltCon Spring 2024, and was immediately hooked from my very first play. Since then, I’ve played it with family and friends – many of who have bought a copy of their own. Yep, it’s a good one.

May 20, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, deduction, logic, puzzle, Renegade Game Studios, solo, space, strategy

Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews

Twice As Clever dice game review

Five years ago we reviewed a fun dice game that has stayed a family favorite game ever since. The game is That’s Pretty Clever by Schmidt Spiele and Stronghold Games.

We rattled through the score pads so quickly that we laminated the last of them so we can use dry erase markers to track our games. And we still pull it out regularly to play around dinner time for some light family fun.

Since the original was published in 2018, Schmidt Spiele has published 3 more iterations of this dice game: Twice As Clever, Clever Cubed, Clever 4-Ever.

Today we’re reviewing the second in the set, Twice As Clever.

We’ll answer what’s added, what’s different, and if it’s just as fun.

May 2, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, dice, luck, solo, Stronghold Games

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Do You Even Know Me? party game review

Who hasn’t played a “get-to-know-you” game before?

They’re all over the place.

Whenever you find a newly formed group of people, you’ll find a “get to know each other” activity. We encounter them at school, at work, and at family reunions. Many such activities are merely spoken and don’t include any typical game-type components. There are also a slew of published party games that seek to achieve similar results.

So why are we reviewing Do You Even Know Me? – a similar game that’s new on the scene?

Because we appreciate the work of the person who created it!

(And we enjoy the game.)

April 5, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 11-player, 12-player, 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, group, party, social

Card Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games

Trio card game review

When you play a new game, and immediately everyone asks to play it again, you think you might have discovered something good.

When everyone wants to play it repeatedly again and again, you know you’ve got a family card-game hit!

That’s the way we discovered Trio from Happy Camper.

Likewise, that’s how a game shoots right to the top of our “to review” pile – bumping ahead of many other fun games in the queue.

So let’s talk about Trio!

March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, card, Happy Camper, memory

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games Top 10 Lists

17 Games Mini Reviews – Played at SaltCon Spring 2025

I had a great time last weekend playing a bunch of new games with friends at SaltCon Spring 2025.

This year I was able to get in a few games after work Thursday night, a bunch of games for a full Friday, followed by a handful of games for half a day on Saturday.

Most of the games I played were new to me. Some game were hits that I’d love to play again. While other games fell flat and I was happy to move on.

If you’d like to know more about the SaltCon event itself, check out my post from last month covering the many things that happen at SaltCon. This post will focus on mini-reviews of the 17 games I played – in the order in which I played them.

March 11, 2025March 11, 2025 Trent 0 Comments board game, card game, cooperative game, dice game, drafting, luck, SaltCon, strategy, tile-laying

Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

That’s Not a Hat party & memory game review

How good is your short-term memory?

I used to think my memory was superb…until I played That’s Not A Hat by Ravensburger.

It’s a simple party game to play but it can also pack a deceptive punch.

That is, a punch right to your pride in front of your friends and family when you can’t remember what’s on the card just passed to you (or that you just passed to someone).

I first heard about the game last summer and it sounded like a fun group game. So I bought a copy and have had fun playing it with family, friends, and co-workers on lunch breaks.

Will you be able to remember if you were just passed a hat?

February 14, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, memory, party, Ravensburger

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

SaltCon Spring 2025 one month away

It’s odd to think of Spring being in the air when we just rolled into February.

But I can’t help look forward to Spring when I think about the SaltCon Spring event coming up in one month!

Regular followers of our family board game reviews will be familiar with us sharing about the SaltCon game convention each year.

With the popularity of board games skyrocketing over the past decade, board game conventions have likewise grown in popularity. Chances are you can find one near you with a quick online search.

And SaltCon Spring is the board game convention I attend every year in Layton, UT. It’s local and it’s a lot of fun.

February 2, 2025 Trent 1 Comment SaltCon

Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews

Splitter dice game review

Sometimes you just want a quick and light dice-rolling game for a bit of fun.

No heavy strategy.

No belabored turns.

Just some quick choices as you roll away.

In Splitter, by Pandasaurus Games you really don’t have to wait for typical turns anyway because everyone is active with every roll of the dice.

We included Splitter in our 2024 Board Game Gift Guide in the dice game category because it’s such a simple game that anyone can join in the fun.

January 28, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 2 players, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, luck, Pandasaurus Games, solo

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Stack City board game preview

A friend of ours has designed a new family board game and we’re excited to tell you about it.

Stack City, by Quinn Biesinger, is a competitive city-planning game in which players construct a 3D city full of business, community, entertainment, and service buildings. It has what we look for in good family board games—a good balance of strategy and luck.

And regardless of the outcome, because of how you’ve stacked the city, it’s always fun to sit back after the game and admire how the city turned out.

He’s been working on it for years, and we were able to participate in some of the original play testing for the game last year. After many revisions, his prototype is ready to share with the world in anticipation of his upcoming crowdfunding campaign early 2025.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 3D, 4-player, city building, family, Kickstarter, luck, strategy

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