167 – Boards & Brews Cafe – The Family Gamers Podcast
Our guest on the podcast is Keating Tufts, owner of Boards & Brews, a board gaming cafe in Manchester NH. What is a board game cafe, and what does it look like in operation?
» Read moreOur guest on the podcast is Keating Tufts, owner of Boards & Brews, a board gaming cafe in Manchester NH. What is a board game cafe, and what does it look like in operation?
» Read moreWelcome to the world of Evolution, where every turn is a fight for survival—quite literally. In this colorful and competitive strategy game, each player takes control of one or more animal species. Every turn means survival or extinction as players compete to collect limited food resources.
» Read moreBoard games are amazing for teaching our kids strategy and critical thinking, supporting their growing reading skills and comprehension. But board games also offer something that’s not talked about as much…
» Read moreIn Spy Club, take on the role of kid detectives, solving crimes by collecting clue cards. A mosaic campaign adds tons of replayability, changing up the way each case resolves.
» Read moreBig toy companies have the right idea when they promote Family Game Night. Playing games together with our kids provides myriad benefits. Why Have a Game Night? We all know that games can help your kids learn and practice skills in a fun, low-pressure environment. Math, reading, writing, even history and science can all get a boost from playing tabletop
» Read moreWe have a great time this week, talking to Brandt from The Portal Gaming Podcast… and our old friend from college. Math, games, and friends. What could be better?
» Read moreCompete with tribes of Cave People to shove mammoths off cliffs… or trick each other into careening off the edge! Survive prehistoric pitfalls and collect Mammoth Meat to feed your tribe.
» Read moreMuch like last year, we went camping and then did Gen Can’t, while Nick and Izzy were able to attend Gen Con. So, instead of having a special guest, we’ve got some of the interviews that Nick recorded.
» Read moreDice Throne is an easy game to pick up and learn. The core of the game is manipulating your dice to get the best result, leading some people to call it “battle Yahtzee”. However, the wide variety present in the cards and characters keeps games feeling fresh and allows for many different overall strategies.
» Read moreWe are finally back into the normal routine (more or less) after a month of con-related craziness. We’ll talk about highlights from Anitra’s trip to Origins and Andrew’s trip to Dice Tower Con.
» Read moreNick joins us for episode 150, where we cover some recent favorite games, and discuss THEME. Each of the three of us has a different take on theme and its role in board games.
» Read moreWhen the teacher’s away, the penguins will play! Each player will take a turn being the hall monitor (or Catcher) while the other penguins (Runners) try to collect fish hanging over the doors. IceCOOL 2 is a sequel and/or expansion that we prefer slightly over the original IceCOOL.
» Read moreThis week we’re happy to welcome Isaac Villa. He runs a site similar to ours, called Gaming with Sidekicks. We first met at PAX Unplugged, and we’re always happy to talk with other family-focused gamers. Gaming with Sidekicks branched off from a different website; the founders met while playing Dice Masters competitively. At one point, they had four different podcasts!
» Read moreWho doesn’t like food? There are tons of great food games, and we can’t play them all. We rank our top 5, from preschooler-friendly to adults-only.
Play along as we try a food-themed round of Order of Invention. You’ll be surprised which food innovation came first!
» Read moreWe’ve got a top 10 today – yes, actually 10! Inspired by some filler games we recently received in the mail, and looking forward to hanging out with One Board Family (because we talked filler games when we had them on the podcast), we decided we’d talk about our favorite filler games today. First we thank Breaking Games, whose game
» Read moreAn alien ship has crash-landed in the forest outside of town. Agents have been tracking the craft and rush to the scene, hoping to dissect the Visitor and seize its craft. But a local Kid has also ridden her bike out to the wreck to save the Visitor. Who will make it through the ship’s force field first?
If you’re up for an unusual deduction game with asymmetric roles that accommodate many skill levels, we highly recommend Visitor in Blackwood Grove.
» Read moreAbstract strategy (or abstract puzzle) games are Anitra’s favorite! Let’s talk about what makes these games great for family game night.
» Read moreOn 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.
» Read moreKids love the candy theme and the fun characters. But Candy Land is too hard, too long, and uninteresting.
So, what can we do about that?
» Read more