Andrew Smith is the executive editor of The Family Gamers, and co-host of The Family Gamers Podcast.
Explore the reviews and podcasts he has contributed to.
Building games! We’re taking a lot of liberty with this idea, but centering around creating a “structure” you can see throughout the game. What’s your favorite?
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Playing Castle Panic (a fantastic game) with my 4-year-old felt more like giving instructions to an unwilling robot. He wasn’t enjoying himself, and I wasn’t enjoying him not enjoying himself. Would My First Castle Panic be different?
My First Castle Panic is a cooperative tower (castle) defense game for 1-4 players ages 4+ that plays in just 20 minutes. Team up and protect the castle from monsters coming to knock it down! Throw the monsters in jail and save the castle!
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We talk about the use of time in boardgames. Time and time travel can make for an interesting theme, and some games use interesting time mechanics to add tension to the gameplay.
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In Shikoku, you learn that coming in first isn’t always the best. We try to tackle this game with rules that are easy to learn, but hard to explain, in about 8 minutes of audio.
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This episode is special! It’s our combined show with Flip Florey at Granite Game Summit, with special guests Gil Hova, Jason Lees, and “Your Moderator” Chris Michaud. We’re calling it the Super Saturday Family Gamers Super Showdown.
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You’re the most capable heroes in the land. Squash terrifying creatures, disintegrate their wills, and splinter their ranks. But how do you do it? With words, of course. Words like Bravery! Like Righteous! Like… Hamster? Spell Smashers, from Renegade Game Studios, supports 1-5 players, ages 12+, for 60 minutes of word-building (and world-building) fun.
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If your shelves are overflowing, it’s time to take a hard look at what you’ve got. How can you decide to get rid of boardgames? We share listener feedback and how we’re making these hard decisions.
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Get the MacGuffin from Looney Labs is a fast-playing game of player elimination. It’s silly and incredibly quick, even at the maximum of 11 players. Can we find the MacGuffin or were we disappointed?
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On this week’s episode, we are joined by Jon Mietling of Portal Dragon Games, to talk about the Kickstarter for his game Planetoid, his other games, and how games have helped him connect with his foster kids.
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Mostly a catching-up show this week, plus ten minutes talking about different approaches to gaming conventions. It should surprise no one that Andrew and Anitra get very different things out of the conventions we attend.
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The constant push and pull to acquire the right resources and rooms to ratchet up your victory point and gold total is a fascinating puzzle for me. If you enjoy the careful balance of tight resource management games you will enjoy Cave vs Cave.
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Deblockle is a beautiful and elegant game of abstract strategy that’s durable enough to keep on your coffee table – even with kids!
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We talk to Trevor Muller-Hegel about Split Perspective Studios. He’s creating variations of classic games (like chess and checkers), with new game designs coming out every month.
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“Those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Games are one of the best ways to get facts to stick. We recommend some games that teach history, and games with a historical setting that will get you and your kids talking.
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The Champion of the Wild is a voting and negotiation game for 3-8 players. Coach your animal(s) to victory in a series of competitive events. Listen to our thoughts in about 5 minutes.
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It is up to you to find the most Scarab relics! From the desert to the rain forest, from the Bermuda Triangle to Antarctica, these golden beetles are scattered across the world. Set up camps and mark Excavation Areas. Can you find the most Scarabs and uncover the mystery of Scarabya?
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We talk to Tom Clare about his game, The Champion of the Wild. If he could talk to animals, he’d put them into an elite sports competition!
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We look forward to 2019 and our most anticipated games, conventions, and Kickstarter fulfillments.
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Daniel Zayas is well-known in boardgaming circles, especially on Facebook. We talk to him about snow and football… but then get to the real reason we’re here: his new game! Tangled Timelines Tangled Timelines is a card game, on Kickstarter starting January 22nd. Tangled Timelines is a strongly thematic set-collection game. Start with a hand of 4 cards, representing different
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Mix potions faster than your opponent in this micro-game from Button Shy. Potions Class sits at a low simmer for us; with just a few changes, it could hit a rolling boil.
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