The Board Game Family

Break In: Alcatraz Game Review

It’s June 11, 1962, the day you’re going to break into Alcatraz.

Yes, you read that right. You’ll be breaking into the most secure prison in the world to break 4 inmates out. Months of planning has gone into this daring operation and now it’s time to act.

At least it will be if you’re playing Break In: Alcatraz!

From the publisher, Playmonster: “Throughout this collaborative experience, you must work together to follow a series of clues and solve puzzles to unfold multiple layers of the game and move deeper into the prison to help your friends escape! You’ll encounter many obstacles and characters along the way…this game provides the thrill and challenge of an escape room, combined with the experience and world-immersion of a movie”!

Do you have what it takes to break into Alcatraz?

December 12, 2020June 21, 2021 Dane Trimble 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, cooperative, deduction, escape room, PlayMonster, solo, strategy

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We’re on The Learning Life Podcast!

The board game hobby continues to smash through boundaries. And we’re excited to be a part of it!

Today we made another such breakthrough on a podcast targeted to business leaders — The Learning Life Podcast with Jon Tota.

As you might guess from the title, The Learning Life focuses on the learning industry. They have weekly guests sharing new insight, new stories, and best practices to help organizations take their learning to the next level.

But when Jon saw our 2020 Board Game Gift Guide, he thought it would be awesome to take a break from the weekly corporate learning talk and talk about something fun — board games!

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 Trent 0 Comments card, cooperative, couples, dice, family, family board games, luck, party, podcast, strategy

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Hues and Cues Board Game Review

If I gave you the clue “Barney”, would you be able to pick it out of a grid of 480 colors?

What about “Mustard”, “Ocean Spray”, or “Slime”?

That’s the premise in a new game by The Op called Hues and Cues. And it’s much tougher than we first imagined.cBut that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun game to play. The real question is will your family and friends enjoy playing it?

After all, that’s why we do these reviews — to give you a feel for a game and help you decide if it’s right for your group.

So let’s see where Hues and Cues may fall for you.

December 6, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 10-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, color, guessing, party, The OP

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

We’d love to be Trekking the World!

I think we all wish we could be out traveling the world right now. Traveling is the thing I’ve missed the most in 2020.

We’ve had to cancel two big vacations we’d been looking forward to for a long time. One of those would have been this week. We’re totally bummed that we couldn’t be seeing new sights in Asia right now.

But in the meantime, we can jet all around the world in our imagination while we play Trekking the World!

Trekking the World is the latest board game published by Underdog Games. It delivers a lot of the familiar game play from Trekking the National Parks while adding a few new elements we really enjoy.

December 1, 2020December 1, 2020 Trent 2 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, set collection, strategy, theme, Underdog Games

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Full of Thanksgiving

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States this week — so we’re thinking a bunch about what we’re thankful for.

And that revolves around family!

I’m extremely grateful for my family — both my immediate family and extended family. They bring joy to my life.

November 25, 2020December 1, 2020 Trent 4 Comments Thanksgiving

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Healthy Heart Hospital Board Game Review

In Healthy Heart Hospital players assume the roles of doctors and hospital administrators attempting to bring prestige back to Healthy Heart after the previous administration left it a mess.

Prestige is earned by curing patients and expanding your hospital. If players are able to make it through the ambulance card deck, they win the game. If players go broke or run out of places to put dead patients, they lose.

Do you have what it takes to bring Health Heart back?

November 19, 2020November 19, 2020 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, cooperative, luck, solo, them, Victory Point Games

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

Board Game Gift Guide 2020!

It’s that awesome time of year again when we look for great fun ideas for gifts for family and friends.

With this crazy year, we know many families have already been grabbing a lot more board games to pass the time together throughout the year.

But it’s always nice to get some ideas for fresh games to play too.

This marks our 10th annual Board Game Gift Guide and we love sharing great gift ideas!

November 14, 2020November 19, 2023 Trent 1 Comment children, cooperative, dice, family, game gift guide, kids, luck, party, strategy, theme, tile-laying, top 10

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews

Starting My Legacy in My City

No two cities are alike.

That’s as true in life as it is when playing My City by Thames & Kosmos.

That’s because players in My City will end up with a unique city every game. And there will be many games played!

And not just because My City is a “legacy” game, but because it’s so easy and fun to play you’ll want to play over and over.

At least, that’s how it is with us.

Let’s see if it’s a board game your family will enjoy too.

November 11, 2020 Trent 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, city building, luck, Thames and Kosmos, tile-laying, tiles

Reign: The Final Battle Royale board game

Board Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews

Reign: The Final Battle Royale Game Review

“Four factions of warriors battle to survive on a doomed land that will be destroyed piece by piece, taking its occupants with it. You must strategize to survive—by fleeing, fighting or sacrificing your weakest members—whatever you must do to be the last one left standing when the land around you has been annihilated.”

Reign is a skirmish battle royale style board game, from PlayMonster, where 2 to 4 try to eliminate all the other players’ troops to be the last one standing.

Players not only have to watch out for each other but also the impending disasters which destroy different sections of the board and with it any troops and Power Stones that have the misfortune of being on that section.

November 6, 2020 Dane Trimble 0 Comments 2-player, 3-player, 4-player, battle, dice, PlayMonster, skirmish

Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition party game

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition Game Review

One of our family’s favorite party games is Telestrations. It’s a hoot every time we play it because things never turn out the way they start.

So when we heard about Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition by Big Potato Games, and that it sounded a lot like Telestrations, we were happy to give it a go.

I mean, why not take a crack at seeing how mixed up our Disney drawings could get?

And we’re happy to report we’ve had plenty of laughs with Sketchy Tales!