Anitra Smith is the managing editor of The Family Gamers, and co-host of The Family Gamers Podcast.
Explore the reviews and podcasts she has contributed to.
Looney Labs did some fun and clever things with how they want you to put your words together for success in this game.
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Do you know what a “eurogame” is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn’t played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players?
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“The dual nature of the cards forced me to keep swapping back and forth and think of both aspects of every card – how it could be used for its scoring condition, and how it could contribute to the goals I’d already set out.”
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With so few points in play, you’ll quickly realize that every single point matters. But all of the combos and non-point bonuses fill the gap to keep every turn satisfying.
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Little Alchemists is a “room to grow” game all by itself, starting at a very low level and slowly adding more complexity. You can stop at any time on a level you feel comfortable with and just play that for a while, or even move back a level if you or your kids aren’t ready to move up.
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I had picked up this game because I heard great things about it – and the new version fixes some small issues with the first edition. Is it worth it?
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I’d recommend Mezen to two distinct audiences: Families who want a jumping off point to study more about folk art, especially in Russia or Scandanavia – and gamers who want a puzzley game with no player interference and challenges that never feel punitive.
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It’s been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let’s do a deep dive into asymmetric games and auction games.
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Who knew the floral market was so competitive? Floristry is quick and cozy for two players.
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Strato is a solo card game with ten different puzzling scenarios, designed by Sophia Wagner and published by Helvetiq. The box says it’s best for ages 8 and up and plays in about 15 minutes.
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After a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let’s talk about games with flowers and plants that make us think spring.
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This Fluxx game was really crafted with a love for Winnie the Pooh and it references all our favorite moments from these 100 year old stories.
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Runemasters is a tower defense game where every character’s abilities will add to the success (or failure) of the group.
There’s a lot of randomness in the setup and the gameplay, so it can be surprisingly hard.
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Cooperative games encourage players to work together. Here are three to bring your family from beginner to advanced.
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“For me this game varied wildly from very easy to very hard depending on the map tile that we happened to use.”
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It’s my favorite time of year – time to make terrible puns based on some of our most-enjoyed board games.
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This was a really hard puzzle – and that’s not a bad thing! Just allow plenty of time to work on it.
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This week, we’re talking about cooperative games – what they are, what makes them a good fit for families, and we explore the breadth of games that can be considered “cooperative”.
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Combo is a great unique game for the family! It’s kind of cooperative, in the sense that you can’t create a full combo on your own. You have to work with people at least a little bit if you’re going to score any points. But it’s not REALLY cooperative, because you still want to get the most points, and win.
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