Hey Anne,
It has been a busy summer. We now have built-in game board shelving in our game room as I call it. It looks so nice! Previously they were stored in an armoire that my mother gave us. It was too heavy to take it upstairs; so we put it in the sitting room (aka the game room) and it was useful for games until there wasn't enough room. Anyway, congratulations on your library science degree. I joke that if I went back to school that degree is what I would go back for. I hope you guys had a great summer!
Here are some game suggestions:
You laugh, You're Out by DDS games- My sister in law purchased this at Target and brought it camping with us. We had so much fun with this game. It is truly a delight. It has a simple goal: be the person with the most laugh tokens. Once someone is out of laugh tokens (you start with six), the game is over and you count to see who has the most. As the "joker" you can laugh but others can't; when you are the "joker" you pull a card, do the action and collect any tokens if anybody laughs. It's that simple. However, the task you draw might be more difficult than anticipated. For example, one card is "roll around flat on the floor and repeatedly yell 'I'm a hot dog' ". I got this while camping and adapted it so I wouldn't be rolling around on the ground. The difficulty with this game is the reading aspect for some ages as well as the lack of knowledge and/or the inappropriate task for certain ages. If you look through the cards beforehand and pull the "inappropriate" ones, you should be fine. My sister in law has tested this game in other group settings with kids and it has been a hit. There is little take that element to it; however, you do need to say "lets be honest. If you laugh even a little bit, you have to give up a token." When we were camping, the statement "I was just smiling" was said a couple of times to prevent losing a token. Also, if you don't like your personal space being invaded, this is not the game if you. There are a good percentage of cards that will require you to get close to people and touch/move them (one was "you are a pig herder and need to herd the pigs that got out (the other players) back into the pen). We did institute a house rule that if you didn't like the first card you drew then you could draw a max of 3 cards. If you didn't like your first or second card, you had to play your third card. That made it less luck based as far as card draw went. Overall, it is a great game for you if the conditions I mentioned are not a deal breaker. Here is the link on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/DSS-Games-You-Laugh-Youre/dp/B0BQ5PFMF3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1Z663XOD6IW9Q&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LOpLAB5b3aL6thMQyx6lpXEJvSt9CYE9dt3iyO_LBGrUFFIoW0mdJHsWMQQ5RZ4ZfvnJNRd1CNez9FtEP6Key8FjOeeW2rQEQhH8Q3jaPzA_MkZ3TsaLFWipeZQCj699wce-sfNL-gmwY99ViZ4_7fbR9OE2KmtEBhFQRPHVz1GWH3o5U9WBNuHaU2C2IoqewhhTdXbTXPLhvyvrb1wmspuvxJIKLuHJUAUAUAk8lRA3FgCU9r2U4bB0Olh_NH00kAj8V-8Pcp6W-PRl6ZYCQM1uEZNlbaQTtlYRuDaU0vc.7hBo5wAEnSHv7BgTfUgzamXXbT_vxiOlag-cjr1m1Ys&dib_tag=se&keywords=you+laugh+you%27re+out+game&qid=1714089438&sprefix=you+l%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-2. Youtube has shorts of this game; I was unable to find a video review.
return of the headless horseman by funko pop- I was reminded of Quirky Circuits with this game mainly because you have to play your cards upside down. It is not one of Vincent's preferred games but he did like the cooperative nature of the game. This youtube video is a good how to play and review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7NCtQfKjxU. It wasn't available on amazon at this time.
slide quest by blue orange- They adapted a video game to a physical game. It is surprisingly harder than it looks. However, not so hard that it is not enjoyable. This review from dice tower sums it up nicely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSrAdm3IvNc. Here is the link on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Orange-Games-Slide-Quest/dp/B07Q11QMYH/ref=sr_1_2?crid=5GGQ7F5J3SN2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZGGzIZB3o1KHtxzPDi7K0ZIp9gOUAKuE-Lh-vhqY7squskRWnamvUf2uBf4WIwVH4SA6AJvWTdn16Uz0QILsZog258hXnzZbsb-F1kYvaceD3TS_fWXF9PiFuBRUcknoCKjBDqrN9Gms8Bc3EVWvtcuF5jQMwhHju7NdMl9rmaAAhft0-GvaATXzueQICHBpQtqGQ6IlyVVcrs28wtkOSvFOH15q-LgxNjl6TTkadHpDHHo4hgjx5t8Pwnvu2lXQ-v3J5i02Ju24wAj9rQN7uMRmPfI5DrihvqHXz6TMXrk.ZhABk76tB2RiBRfzJLYyotR0bFUZ9f_gCJlIGQkaS60&dib_tag=se&keywords=slide+quest+game&qid=1722299523&sprefix=slide+quest+game%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-2
catapult feud by iello- This is a game of last person standing. Your objective is to knock down all your opponent's troops. Once you or your team has built a castle and placed your troops, let the shooting begin! It says 30 minutes on the box but we had very quick games and had a lot of fun. We did it in teams where we would take turns shooting. However, you can play however you want, some people play tournament style. I highly recommend this one. However, it would be wrong not to mention that this is one of those games that can feel like a toy at times. One of the criticisms for this game is that if you take the cards away, this becomes just a toy. Even with this criticism, it was fun for all involved and is considered a dexterity game in our collection. Here is the amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/IELLO-51798-Catapult-Feud/dp/B08TCJPSS4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3G6TO6LSV0784&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9JvzQm1T7zTv2vnLqS1smZxGHTpWR2FgS5BC8idWplL1CDZ5sF1flDPXf1J48z-yHWuKx0Uv_2MyrBx6FpM-e4jJtwSuqNodvUgVnDi4hHOExhL3_f3sgBkUeyT-S5DV2vr4n07MSPUOeg_3khzEZcJzQv2KSvvDEaEEhQYz0prVoff9v1F_nbXW8vyRnhbyOifTzTbM5cqlvx-nk5oeHCYruZ68_rO3BDNW62gSC36fWG7WXEVEUnv0HSrn4fu5IXDVECOOaBFb7oFiIzmDPVSogy_awSpHVzg6nsija-E.r9mhwn8ZQbRcEtANzlK30lhpRGzFgBUxtRFaSD8iJ5c&dib_tag=se&keywords=catapult+feud+game&qid=1722298670&sprefix=catapult+feud+game%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1. Here is a YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tul8oOjNF18.
uno quatro- This is Uno meets connect four. It is simple and quick. I picked it at Walmart but amazon has it on sale (at the time of this writing). It is color-blind friendly. No reading required so good for younger ages. You may have to deal with kids wanting to prove "I can move the tray without help" statements. There could be a little "take that" element to this game but it doesn't feel mean spirited. Sometimes the action you have to do, may help you out in the long haul. Time wise this is not a long game. One of our games was 5 minutes or less. I got really lucky on that I guess. For people familiar with Uno, this is a good introduction to other games with that familiar "I know this game" feel. Here is the amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/Quatro-Family-Adult-Party-Players/dp/B0BBSTD699/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1G7DALTWOF9TP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EyKIAU9Ixpho-mzyhYnQeJLVsFb6XsoCiQEm4QQOWrC9ie3vSwwijQO9esz1KXCRP3nBjGQ6_lNTyCCp-JIPqdvtn-qTf3snCUPIEHzIpi-kDPqlgTvQlYSvRmghU95FLA7gDfB70BwHSGmLf8fpGC-JAPUkXhUQl5U1BNhOblTY9ixtZ2wi0VqSkZIWHq6CML9yLHJHVEwnN4X0GLmNDGQbHWyqD6_DABcQ5foL4HIXLQxI8V8hOlAPlZai41daPyAAA8n7WhJfli_UlVWGqdJiub1n2OKpYaK8ujf3LPQ.C6y_G8wM9n7f8qJT_ab-n4aSMt3iOiQN4EKZ3Zah-Ag&dib_tag=se&keywords=uno+quatro+game&qid=1722297845&sprefix=uno+quatro+game%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-5. Here is a youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKDsaN2r5Ic.
honk!- It is like Splendor by goose-themed. The best way to describe this game is it is one of those gems you find on random amazon search rabbit holes. It has such simple action choices (either you grab food or you feed a goose) but at the same time there is strategy. You can score points in different ways and having the most points is the goal of the game. You can score points for feeding a goose you don't have already (1 point aka 1 egg), feeding a goose that you have some of already (1 point plus however many of that goose you have), and taking golden eggs that you undercover when feeding a goose. But wait, you can ONLY feed uncovered geese; so if you really need a specific type of goose, do you wait for it to be uncovered or go for some other type of goose? In addition, you can only have 7 cards (aka food) in your hand. There is a little bit more to the game but that is the nutshell. This is a great game to pick up on sale. It's a cute theme for kids (especially if they have played the Untitled Goose Game on the Nintendo switch or on the computer). turns can be quick as long as you don't have analysis paralysis. My nephew (he is 11) said "this looks silly" when I brought it out. Ten minutes later, he had changed his tune and you could see him thinking it out. We probably won't buy Splendor for a while; so this is an awesome game that has a very similar feel that Vincent can play. Plus we have Splendor duel for Andrew and me. Here is the amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/Sinister-Fish-Games-HONK-Game/dp/B0B57SKFTB/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1IX0GS379SXHG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UD0ul8x_1eJ_EjDsgeXpkhZLQQiDT0N2EsGNRT2_X29YS9aOKZ4GkOfMaEWKGTOLQzUUcuSZ2E07ig4pjoP-V6RnRK3WJwpNd0KXt2es96P_PdsXG1fx-OmlBvcdpVMMtg7QB2v-aCfq-UbZPB-kBkQpBpTHp3Z5_m4IaT6EeAoTV3qFKeuiWQihLxQh7maSiUUG3_Bt0TAbnQk1LYzXr2fdr0mXHIlrlfjQlzOeD2Hs-P7sa2ySU1exMQSWUAhRiw1KUSIV8u-z5DFSXMAdk3sEQNf2rsTnldCWE6yQTTQ.I4r2m5nNYsQkqRINX8DfWn_CmEj2UB_itVD6p63Mivc&dib_tag=se&keywords=honk+game&qid=1722296973&sprefix=honk+game%2Caps%2C271&sr=8-2. Here are some youtube videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRsASIv-QWU. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3Jec32pi0.
Red rising by Stonemaier- Andrew likes science fiction books. One of his favorite series is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Well, Stonemaier made a game out of it that follows the plot line pretty well without giving away any spoilers. We bought the deluxe edition because it looked nicer. However the basic edition is not terribly expensive for a Stonemaier game. At the time of writing this email, it is on sale for $14.95 on amazon; normally it is $25. The game mechanisms are hand management, set collection, and variable player powers. You start with a hand of 5 cards, and on your turn, deploy 1 of those cards to a location on the board, activating that card’s deploy benefit. Gain the top card from another location or the deck, gaining that location's benefit and adding the card to your hand as you enhance your end-game point total. I hope that wasn't confusing. It is a fun game; Vincent isn't ready for it yet but possibly a 10-12 year old with a good grasp of strategy could play it. Andrew told one of his co-workers about it and within the hour, the co-worker had ordered the game. Here is a link to amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Stonemaier-Games-Management-Combo-Building-Players/dp/B08XZNGH9Y/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5WRNWL1JPV7W&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KTr0LXvItMLWeVVEoQC0DVAVmYW1UKvjkLQEqG9RIQeSSXL7OwcUvaio5FlEEvUBL7DXO4K2lKU4FYcht8_km95NWVq2Rvhnwt8dzynGhkJKhMi_RkMaYAe6gTLOWQgbLgvUsXPZfRETxm9Q09JpElbhs_O70TzgpXaBNFLAf0T6jrr0m5DQvD6SCbz7Krcx74BymsTX8EpBhMRnMKjnNcN36MmP_lJBGFvHd24qYuQ0Dq6M_bUOwm3KG4o2_nM6-RiX9TLhNHKFauqDNoNNJP8Hp192hy3o9eGrVQBFp60.TVEMMBFk7cLE1g1HAmFEcgk45oeGutdHWLxPpWmHoy8&dib_tag=se&keywords=red+rising+game&qid=1722296404&sprefix=red+rising+g%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1#customerReviews. Here is a youtube how to play video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqfSYn0-_00. Once you know the rules, the gameplay time should be under 30 minutes.
sky team- I had a birthday recently and got a Barnes and noble gift card. Luckily, the B&N by me has a good selection of board games that I don't see at Target or the friendly local game store. I wasn't looking for this one but when I saw it I thought "Why not?" When I played this with Andrew, we lost the first game due to learning the rules and gameplay. The second game we lost because I thought I was putting the correct dice down not realizing it was 2 less than needed. The game play felt quick once we learned the rules. There are lots of reviews about this game on youtube. Here are two videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWYKqNSl0pw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDUQhmQzchs. I can't find this game on Amazon. I am sure it could be found at other sources.
really loud librarians by exploding kittens- We don't have a ton of word games since most of them require spelling and that is the last thing Vincent wants to do on Friday night. However, this game is the "name something that starts with the letter (insert letter here) and is a food you find in the grocery store" type of word game. When we play this as a three person family, Vincent is on both teams. However, we played it recently with my nephew and he loved it. He wanted to do the other themes suggested to see how many he could name when the game was over. There should be a how to play from the publishers on youtube. Here is the amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Kittens-Really-Loud-Librarians/dp/B0BP2QXCYR/ref=sr_1_36?crid=11X7MH05CNQED&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HXb1loZw_BPK0w1fU68MO5yWtFyjFVUhe0VeAd2xyELFB7NaZcmFjEmHiuuzDIFTtUi1pEHsk6U5_DnzLliROR-CYjaaYYjOFAk0Plu6yItnKoSn7LPBaGTtLNDJVMpjBWXfY0xeM41b3Nw9yMS_e7eqlzZFyO5mWVxPERN2t9akbu2T9hv3BwKdsqczx6hkj5qgAlwpg1FZQzScCplwKKiROJBBBUM6isRpF6i2ufs8ddYgzgqBrkg_T3jrXKYYmUtyRJUQmRaj961QAE_NUDvN58N9fmO1edJXWW9pSXY.757Dwn0cMWyk_fDYa9LHPWvw_WnKNliBjOIb-6kyEQo&dib_tag=se&keywords=exploding+kittens+card+game&qid=1722282117&sprefix=expl%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-36.
a gentle rain- I picked up the Bloom edition from Target after seeing positive reviews about it. It is a tile laying game with the goal of placing a lotus. To place a tile, the flowers must match the flowers they will be touching. If you can make a square (aka 4 tiles), then you can place a lotus of one of the flowers matched in the square. For example, if you have a square with the four flowers: orange, red, yellow, white, you can place one of those 4 lotus in the empty space of the square. If you place all the lotus, you win the game. Vincent likes this one, too. This game is typically called a cozy game but I think it depends on the attitude you bring to it. My mom has a determined energy about games and plays this more aggressively than Vincent or I do. I like to play this at night for a nice chill game. There are several reviews on youtube and I couldn't find it on amazon. You could find the bloom edition at Target which is the same gameplay just with 3d lotus. It is a very beautiful and calm game.
exploding kittens: good vs. evil- I have been waiting to see when Vincent was ready for this type of game. He liked the idea of exploding either of us. At first there were a couple of cards he didn't understand but after one explanation, he was able to play the game with no difficulty. There is a how to play video on youtube from the publishers. Here is the amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2R68W6T/ref=twister_B0D96KZ3KV?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
azul mini- Travel sized azul (the main game) that has all the game mechanisms and less tabletop space. A word of caution though based off a review I read on BGG- don't play outside where a tile can slip through the cracks on a porch. The guy had a funny story about how he got it out. Here is the link on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Azul-Mini-Board-Game-Tile-Placement/dp/B0C382GMPC/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3HLZ9G3ISYZY8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OOuQ_HOmk-z68V25trjHVMSNeOsuHtZGtWFzXqQPmCdJi2UoZ10tmQcpn1GiZ6lWvpIqZW6QEfox9AVCCV1oeNKrGN9Rp6uJm4IvO42MGcPSs9Iv7R8hnrxrZvSb96XT7dvjwm4Fo83XggF8m1gyO-k_kMFYVrGnF2xL20JF8TCHSeXFSmCROwLavh0Vpzfvq5kzuxvJf8E0kMdnTe1oQFVsSN--BSuItCYPO6rOFk6Llz9ndxn-TyX4RTUR8606-W8oU5GTMwrhKHBXp33_2e1fAzBXHjd8PZnGpP6LMjs.u2-DmYGu1-4ZZUacv2TTTR536CR1hvZ2MSTE4iG6SPQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=azul+board+game&qid=1722281094&sprefix=azu%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-3.
Pizza, pizza yum yum by buttonshy- This one is hard to describe. The best reviews I can find are on Board Game Geek in the comments section. Vincent didn't like this very much but I didn't explain the rules very well either.
guesswork by buttonshy- This is a review from BGG- It's like Wavelength, but tiny! Given the choice, I don't think I would pick this over a full-size party game very often, but the portability factor does a lot to bump up the rating because it means Guesswork can come with me to places where it wouldn't be practical to bring a full-size party game. And on its own merits, I think it really is a very solid game! If you know the rest of the group well, it adds an extra dimension to the gameplay, and if you don't, you'll get to know them better by the end!
That's all for now. I hope you guys have a great start to the new school year.
Sincerely,
Stephanie
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