Take-that games are won by achieving a specific goal (usually of collecting or building something), but give players tools to sabotage each other’s progress.
Most children do not like take-that games because they can feel very unfair, tearing down what a child has worked hard to build.
Take-that is different than direct conflict, as in dueling or “attacking” games.
Sheep in Disguise is a light family game with just a little bit of take-that. We did have some hurt feelings when players would “expose” another player’s sheep, which meant they were abducted when an attack card was played – but the game is light and moves quickly enough that we could pretty much get past that.
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What if the iconic Western showdowns in the old movies had not just guns but also magical powers?
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In Time Division players take on the role of agents at two competing time agencies that don’t see eye to eye on how to best approach that mess.
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We jumped at the opportunity to review Disney Villainous and we weren’t disappointed. The mechanics of the gameplay are simple enough that it can be played by a ten-year-old, but there’s enough strategy here that experienced board gamers won’t just be moving pieces around and playing out the string.
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Purrfect Match is a tableau building game – your goal is to have at least two of each type of cat in your cafe, and there are six types of cat.
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In Raccoon Robbers, players control a band of raccoons who scale buildings and leap from great heights to score movement points for their boss raccoon.
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Roll dice and grab chickens from the coop to put in your bag. Cook the chickens for more points while stealing chickens from your fellow crafty foxes. Can you win the best chicken dinner?
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Dale of Merchants is my favorite deck-building game. Play cards to gain effects, or group them in sets to create your “merchant stalls” to win the game!
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Conspire to acquire punderful creatures in this take-that set collection game. Best at 6-8 players, you’ll be showing cards to fellow players, marveling at how so many puns can be crammed into such a small box.
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We talk about player interaction this week. What games will encourage your family to really connect or collaborate? Andrew (and Anitra) also try Mexican hawthorne pulp, “for science!”
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“In RobotLab, you’re a scientist racing to build your robot and win the coveted Devol Prize in Robotics! Along the way you’ll need to do some research, dig through the trash, deal with some faulty parts, and do your best to avoid the other scientists trying to stop you. Will you become the first to successfully complete your robot?” RobotLab
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A simple take-that game, 10 Essentials aims to to introduce kids to the standard “ten essential items” for backcountry hiking. Remedy dangers like dehydration or snow while playing similar dangers on the other players! What did Asher and Anitra think of this game? Listen to their review in 6 minutes, or read on below. 10 Essentials was designed by John
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Is resource management more than a business term? Do you take that? Or would you rather use worker placement to gain area control? We dissect some common terms from the board game world, and give examples of games that use these mechanics.
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Trash Pandas is a press-your-luck, dice-rolling game designed by Michael Esuke of Red Rook Games. Players become raccoons digging through trash.
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Robot waiters gather food and bring it to customers. But can you deliver the food combinations your customers need?
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As a city planner, you naturally want to make the most beautiful and crowd-pleasing city. But watch out! Other players may offload their problems to your beautiful city, even as you upgrade your buildings to become more useful. Will you flip for Flip City, or is it more of a flop?
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“There’s a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it’s not about who’s got the most bullets. It’s about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think… it’s all about the information!” – Sneakers, 1992 For some of us, it’s quotes like these that are about as close to hacking as
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