Episode 399 – Room to Grow: Modern Abstract Games
Jun 16, 2025
We talked about older games last week like checkers and chess. This week we’re moving on to modern abstract games (within the last 20 years). We recommend three that grow in complexity – and add a few of our other favorites.
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0:04:30 What We’ve Been Playing
The Castles of Burgundy Marvel Dice Throne: X-Men (Rogue and Gambit this time) Jekyll vs. Hyde – one of our favorites (our review) Compile – we also love this one (our review) Ultimatch – hardest at two players! (our review) Cabanga Belratti (review below) Grove (our preview/review from its Kickstarter) – we’re working on a review for Hutan which feels similar but more involved. Mojo (our review)
Last time, we asked about your favorite classic abstract games. People answered on Facebook and on Discord.
Giveaway
We’re almost at episode 400! Enter the giveaway for Avant Carde & Avatar The Last Airbender: Aang’s Destiny.
0:17:55 SNAP Review – Belratti
Can you pick cards that will fit one of two themes? Can you figure out the cards that your teammates picked, and avoid the “forgeries” (random cards) put in by Belratti?
We try both the Grape and Strawberry versions (pictured).
If you like fruity candy and also like Reeses, you might like this combination.
0:30:20 Room to Grow: Modern Abstract Games
Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with this style, and all are family-friendly.
We discuss again what makes an “abstract strategy game” and decide that some luck is fine but “player choices matter more than luck”.
Beginner: Drop It
This has been a favorite since we first saw it in 2018 (our review then).
There is definitely NO theme – just shapes and colors. It’s a sort of dexterity game, but not exactly.
We like this because the idea of how it works is really simple: you only get points if your shape, when it lands, is not touching the same shape and not touching the same color. Even if they struggle with adding the scores, most 4 & 5 year olds can understand the binary of “did I get points this turn, or not?”
There’s not a deep strategy here and no story or other baggage. Pick a shape from your pile, drop it, and hope it lands where you want it to. But that’s what makes it fun for anyone to play!
Intermediate: Azul
Is there a story here? Maybe. If you want one.
Azul is bright and colorful, based on the Portuguese tiling called “azulejo” (Andrew was right).
The strategy CAN get complex as players get used to the game.
Draft tiles from a central area, and put them on your board. Different parts of your board require different numbers of identical tiles to “fill them up” and move a single tile to your scoring area.
The choices are simple: pick your tile group, and decide where to put them on your board.
This game introduces several modern elements: set collection, open drafting, and sacrificing to become first player.
And the beauty of the game will draw more people to want to play it.
Azul
Advanced: Shobu
We think this game is gorgeous: four wooden boards and polished stones in two colors.
Every turn, you move a piece on one of your two “home” boards. And then you have to move one of your pieces the same way on an opposite-color board. Try to knock off all your opponent’s pieces from any one of the four boards.
This is a nakedly aggressive game and the large decision space (looking at up to 16 different pieces and setting up the second half of your move) leads to brain-burning tactics, like you sometimes see in Go or Chess. This game has no luck at all, and the only hidden information is what’s in your opponent’s head.
And as beautiful as this game is, the simplicity of presentation is like the classic abstract games we talked about – you could put this together yourself with any pieces you have on hand. (But we recommend buying this lovely game from Smirk & Dagger!)
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
Episode 398 – Room to Grow: Classic Abstract Games
Jun 02, 2025
I bet you played checkers or chess with your relatives when you were a kid. We talk about newer games all the time on this podcast, but we think old games are great and you should play those, too! We recommend three that facilitate learning strategies.
0:00:00 Fact for 398
In the Dewey Decimal filing system, 398 is the category for folklore (and 398.2 is fairy tales!)
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0:05:30 What We’ve Been Playing
Azul Trio (our review) Flip 7 (review out this week! Keep listening) Disney Lorcana (Gateway review this week) Food Chain Island Toriki (review coming soon) – great for playing with kids Gruzzle: The City – very hard! But take a look: gruzzle.com 5er Finden (our review) HUTAN: Life in the Rainforest (review coming soon). So many trees! Adventure Party (our review)
0:25:00 May Monthly Report!
Anitra: 26 unique games, 51 plays. H-index: 3 – most played: Combo (7 times), Lorcana Gateway (6 times), Flip 7 (4 times), plus Patchwork and Food Chain Island. 37% of plays for the month were during the two days at PAX East.
Andrew: 13 unique games, 26 plays. H-index: 3 – most played: Lorcana, Toriki, Flip 7. 42% at 4 players!
Last time, we asked about your favorite convention memory. We got a couple of answers on Discord.
0:29:55 SNAP Review – Flip 7
A tiny card game that works with up to 18 people and you can learn in under a minute? Flip 7 does exactly what it sets out to do: provide fast moving fun for families or groups of any size.
We enjoy abstract strategy games, but often find ourselves only talking about ones that are NEW (even if we compare them to older games). So this week is devoted to older, classic games. You probably know how to play these timeless games already, and have some of them relegated to the back corner of your shelves or your closet.
Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly.
What’s an abstract (or abstract strategy) game?
No theme, or a theme that only exists in the player’s heads. They don’t require any kind of fancy art to pull you in.
Perfect information – no hidden cards or secret advantages.
Little or no luck – you’re not going to depend on dice or shuffled cards. (Can’t Stop and Backgammon are fantastic games, but don’t quite fit here.)
Why play old games?
Lots of people know them. Rules tend to be simple, even if the strategy is not. Old abstract games can be played with the equipment you have at hand. You don’t need to go out and buy a fancy board or pieces (although those are nice!)
Beginner: Tic-Tac-Toe
Also known as “naughts and crosses”, this is a very basic abstract game with easy rules and a simple goal: get three of your pieces in a row.
Tic-Tac-Toe is basically a “solved” game, and with just 8-9 moves, most adults know whether they can win by their second turn. Because of this, parents get tired of it quickly. But it is an excellent introduction! Since it’s so simple and games are so short (usually over in just 8 moves), kids can really master it with just a little bit of practice.
(And move on to variations like Hollywood Squares, Ultimate Tic Tac Toe, 3D Tic Tac Toe, larger boards, or Connect 4)
Intermediate: Checkers
This one is also known as Draughts.
Checkers is still a simple ruleset, but games are longer and present more options.
Double-check that you know the true rules before you start! Handicapping and house rules are OK, but do them intentionally and clearly.
Since there are still relatively few options, Checkers encourages kids to start looking ahead to future moves, without presenting so many options that it’s overwhelming.
Getting bored of the regular rules? There are dozens of games you can play with a standard American checkerboard and some or all of the pieces.
Advanced: Chess
Chess requires a significant jump in skill. It’s a harder game to learn, because there are lots of kinds of pieces and they move in lots of ways. You end up with a lot to keep track of, especially when you’re learning.
But it’s been popular for over a thousand years – and for good reason! It’s rewarding to learn and to see the different ways you can outmaneuver your opponent.
Ways to dial back the difficulty, especially for learning:
No Stress Chess Chess.com has both lessons and puzzles Play with fewer pieces and fewer kinds of pieces!
Other Highly Recommended Classic Abstracts
Go (the quintessential “easy to learn, hard to master” game) Othello Backgammon isn’t quite an abstract strategy game, because there’s too much luck involved, and there are a lot of edge cases in the rules. Nine Men’s Morris is another one that’s very easy to learn, and you could probably play it on a checkerboard.
We just highly recommend the Klutz Book of Classic Board Games (edited by Sid Sackson) if you can find it. And maybe also the Games of Art book from Sid Sackson and Eagle-Gryphon Games (which is admittedly much more modern).
0:59:15 New Backtalk Question
What’s your favorite classic abstract game?
(Anitra’s favorite: Mancala, Andrew’s favorite: Chess or Chinese Checkers)
We almost forgot – we are giving away two games for our 400th episode: Avant Carde & Avatar The Last Airbender: Aang’s Destiny. Enter the giveaway here!
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
Welcome to The Family Gamers podcast! Last week, we attended PAX East 2025, a huge convention that’s practically in our backyard. What are the coolest things we saw there?
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What We’ve Been Playing
Flip 7 (review coming soon) Smug Owls (our review) Caution Signs (review coming soon) Disney Lorcana Gateway (review coming soon) Another Man’s Treasure (review linked below) Combo (our review) Patchwork The Gang Jungo – coming later this year from Happy Camper Cantankerous Cats (review coming eventually) Ultimatch (our review) – still fun even when we lose.
0:14:25 SNAP Review – Another Man’s Treasure
Everyone’s had family members try to foist off their “treasures” on them. In this game, collect the junk and make it into specific rummy-like groups to get it OUT of your hand.
Anitra went for two days, Andrew and Asher went for one day. Although it’s very videogame-heavy, there’s plenty of boardgame/tabletop stuff as well.
Anitra recommends Ultimate Sheep Racoon (coming soon) if your kids like wacky video games.
Andrew is excited by Ludocene – “Tinder for videogames”, which is on Kickstarter now. It’s possible that they’ll make a boardgame version as well!
The coolest thing we both saw was Pencil! (aka Pencil XR)
The other coolest thing Anitra saw was mass-produced dice with Braille for the numbers.
Anitra highly recommends trying the boardgame tournaments, which are surprisingly low-impact and low-stress. She got her start with “Thursday Night Throwdown” and “Friday Night Frenzy!” – tournaments where no one knows what the games will be until the tournament starts.
At a tournament this year, she learned: Schrodingers Cats, Lumberjacks with Rocket Launchers, Frozen Shinies, Mountain Goats.
This year, she got the courage to play in a Patchwork tournament and a 7 Blunders tournament. (The newer version of 7 Wonders is much easier to play with!)
Asher ended up doing Trio demos for an hour for Happy Camper. We’re so proud of him.
Andrew describes Caution Signs.
And Anitra was excited to finally see Bioshop Infinite (a barbershop quartet) perform on stage.
PAX East Interviews
0:38:00 Choose Co
Choose Your Own Adventure books are BACK! The first book (The Cave of Time) is finally back after 25 years out of print, and the company has dozens of other books – some classics, some new.
TNT Laser Works makes beautiful wooden boards that are both an art piece and a functional board game, based on a game Ted played in his childhood. There’s also a more portable version that is a leather scroll.
An augmented reality VR app that gives drawing lessons, starting with tracing but moving on to 3D models, shading, and more. Both lessons and non-lesson tools to help you draw better with a real pencil and paper.
Available on the Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest 3S. May be available on more VR headsets in the future.
Our community shares their biggest board game surprises – on Facebook and Discord.
Most of the surprises were good ones, but we also learn a lesson about calling games “simple” that have a large decision space (e.g. Splendor).
If you go to conventions, what’s your favorite convention memory? Or what is your favorite convention? If you don’t go to conventions, why not? Is there something a convention could offer you that would make you interested in going to one?
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
We’ve been reviewing board games for almost ten years. And sometimes, we run across ones that REALLY surprise us. Let’s talk about a few this week.
0:00:00 Fact for 396
This week we’ve got an “at the same time” trend going.
The most people showering simultaneously is 396, achieved by Irish Springs (USA) in Dover, Delaware, USA, on 15 June 2018.
The most people making sand sculptures simultaneously is 396, and was achieved at an event organised by Sculpture Westende and Philippe Bourleau (both Belgium) in Middelkerke, Belgium, on 23 August 2019.
The largest simultaneous launch of canoes/kayaks is 396 and was achieved by the New Hampshire Lakes Association (USA) at Endicott Rock Park, Laconia, New Hampshire, USA, on 3 August 2014.
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0:05:20 What We’ve Been Playing
lots of games on vacation! Games of Art (a dry-erase book compiled/designed by Sid Sackson, each game is based on 20th century abstract artists) Flip 7 (review coming soon) – Here’s a video talking about why three different box sizes exist. Combo (our review) Trio (our review) Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels (review coming soon) – now that we are playing correctly, the game is less frustratingly difficult. Micro Macro Kids: Crazy City Park (review coming soon – we highly recommend!) Adventure Party (review coming soon) Merchants of Magick (our review)
and also: Toriki: The Castaway Island (review coming soon) – like Chronicles of Crime or Kids Chronicles, but somewhere in between. Belratti (review coming soon) Word Fluxx (review below) So Clover (our review) Floristry (our review)
0:34:15 April Monthly Report!
Anitra: 36 plays of 23 unique games. H-index 2 (Lorcana Gateway, Games of Art, Flip 7, Word Fluxx, Floristry, Fruition, Trio) 42% of games played were on that 5-day vacation.
Andrew: 26 plays of 18 unique games. H-index: 2 (Lorcana Gateway, Obelus, Toriki, Word Fluxx, Floristry) 46% on the vacation trip!
0:35:55 SNAP Review – Word Fluxx
Yes, this is another Fluxx game, but it does a surprisingly good job ALSO feeling like a classic word game. Some goals are still “collect this set of letters” but most goals have you make a WORD that meets specific restrictions. We recommend using the “meta rule” that keeps the game going while players collect completed goals.
Last time, we asked about your favorite Disney movie(s). And you stepped up to let us know – on Facebook and on Discord.
0:53:00 Five Games that Really Surprised Us
On our SNAP reviews we use the GAMES acronym – and we end with surprise. But what games REALLY surprised us? It might be the kids’ reaction, it might be something we didn’t expect when we opened the box. But here are five games that did something we didn’t expect, or didn’t do something we DID expect.
Adventure Party (review coming soon) – It’s a deduction game!
Magic Mountain – Looks like a kids game but it’s not just a kids game! It grabs EVERYONE.
Back Stories – The mechanics are simple, but put together unlike anything we’ve seen before! The card-back actions and the way your options change are just so much better than what we’ve seen in most other “escape room” card games.
Kingdomino – This is a solid game, which is not a surprise. But everything fits together SO WELL that even a 4 or 5 year old can understand the basics of how to play. That’s why I recommend it at the bottom of our list of games for 4-year-olds.
Pan Am – Our number one surprising game. The way this game feels SO DIFFERENT at different player counts is wild.
1:04:30 New Backtalk Question
What’s the greatest surprise you ever had in gaming? Is there a game that shocked you? Or maybe a surprise that happened WHILE gaming. Or maybe a type of game you never thought you would enjoy?
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
Episode 395 – Euro, Ameritrash, and Other Boardgamer Jargon
Apr 14, 2025
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?
0:00 Fact for 395
We talk about our local Interstate 395, and the much more beautiful Route 395 in California.
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04:00 What We’ve Been Playing
Order Overload: Cafe – I can’t believe we were ready to give this game away! Trio (our review) Circus Flohcati (our review) – I love how easy it is to get started playing this one: shuffle the deck and go! Anomia – always a fun party game. Green Team Wins (our review) Landmarks (our review) – the surprising stand-out hit of the business/fun trip weekend. Alpina (review linked below) Floristry (our review) Farkle In the Footsteps of Marie Curie (our review) Disney Lorcana: Gateway – Learn Lorcana in a structured way! Review coming soon Escape from the Starline Express (“Professor Puzzle Presents…”) – like the easier EXIT boxes, and more-or-less re-giftable.
18:30 March Monthly Report
Andrew: 23 plays of 17 unique games. H-index: 2. Trio (3 plays), then Anomia, Project L, Order Overload: Cafe, Obelus (2 plays) 39% at home, 39% on the work trip.
Anitra: 48 plays of 28 unique games. H-index: 4. Trio (6 plays), plus Mezen, Landmarks, and Circus Flohcati at 4 times each. 46% of plays were on the work trip (because Anitra doesn’t have to work on that trip!)
Marc Specter (of Grand Gamers Guild) sent us an Australian candy bar called Violet Crumble.
Is it true that “it’s the way it shatters that matters” ?
Anitra’s verdict: “sugar and air, wrapped in chocolate”.
25:15 SNAP Review – Alpina
Create a grid of alpine habitats and animals, while choosing which objectives you want to score. There are a lot of symbols to learn and a lot of options to juggle in Alpina.
Are there any obscure or brand-new terms we could cover? There are some portmanteau / combinations of terms that we didn’t see until recently, like “co-opetition”, “deck breeding”, or “deck wrecking” (Abandon All Artichokes).
What is a “euro game”?
Wikipedia says it’s also called a “German style board game”. Euro games are notable for what they lack: player elimination, direct conflict, and luck. (If there’s some luck or randomness, it’s something that is revealed and then all players have to deal with it.)
Most euro games have very little player interaction – mostly just competing for limited resources – and require more forethought and planning. Euro games usually emphasize elegant mechanics instead of theme. (Examples: Catan, Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Power Grid)
We use the phrase “classic euro” because this definition has morphed over time. Modern euro games will tend to have better art and hew a little closer to their themes.
“No player elimination” is an important feature that has been incorporated into a lot of newer games that we wouldn’t call euro games.
How about Ameritrash?
Euro games are usually contrasted with “American style” games (or sometimes “Ameritrash”)
Ameritrash is a term that we heard a lot a decade ago and don’t hear very often any more, probably because it’s kind of derogatory.
“American style” games that are heavy on theme and luck and often encourage direct conflict between players. Usually the theme informs the mechanics (not the kind of game where you could easily cut and paste a new theme).
These are also the games most likely to have excessive amounts of minis.
American-style games are informed by a culture that REALLY LOVES video games. It’s going to be a game with direct conflict (often combat), probably bright, saturated colors, a really strong theme, and lots of luck.
These are still not your typical American “family” game like Scrabble, Monopoly, or checkers.
We think of games like Mythalix, Cosmic Encounter, Imperial Assault, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, the Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels game we’ve been playing…
These are loose definitions, but the there’s a definite contrast between the two styles.
Both “euro” and “ameritrash” are problematic terms for people new to board gaming – because even with the definitions we just talked about, there’s a ton of disagreement over whether any particular game fits one of these definitions!
More Jargon – Straightforward, Overlapping Mechanics
JP suggests that “straightforward” has entered gamer jargon. But if we call a game “straightforward” and then someone else struggles with the game, it can make them feel “less than” or kind of dumb.
I think when we say straightforward what we really mean is “this game was easy for me to learn and makes sense to ME.”
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
0:00 We’re out of town this weekend. A perfect time to talk about our favorite party games.
394 fact
Tony Gwynn is recognized as having the highest single season batting average in the modern era – He hit .394 for the San Diego Padres in 1994.
If you’re not a sports person, here’s a dumb record for you.
The most spins of a Guinness World Records book on the finger in one minute is 394, and was achieved by Arun Kumar Mahanta (India) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, on 11 August 2022.
03:11 Sponsor message
Who is First Move Financial? Well, First Move Financial is a financial services firm started by Donnie Carpenter, and his focus is to help normal families work with their finances. This isn’t just investing, it can include investing, but also spending every dollar wisely, knowing when to transition from debt payments to making other important purchases.
But mostly, intellegently navigating the money world. Donnie is a board gamer just like us, so he completely understands the shelf of shame. You can go to firstmovefinancial . com / familygamers to find out more.
04:15 What We’ve Been Playing
Little Alchemists (review coming soon!) Mezen (solo mode) Donald Duck in Happy Camper In the Footsteps of Marie Curie Medieval Academy (solo) Cabanga! Jekyll vs. Hyde
18:00 Backtalk
We’re waiting another week for more deep dives into board game terms. But we had to share this Nidavellir pronunciation guide from Stephan.
19:20 SNAP Review – Mezen
Mezen is a side-by-side puzzle game based on a traditional Russian/Nordic art form. How does it chalk up?
It has simple rules – easy to teach, easy to learn.
It’s something very casual and low-commitment. People can drop in or drop out (or a super fast playtime, which allows someone to join in next time).
Party games are usually silly and based around guessing or giving clues (but not always).
Most (but not all) party games are based on a deck or two of specialized cards.
And while there is nothing wrong with a more “adult” game, all of our favorites are ones that you can play with kids in the mix.
30:00 Our Seven Favorite Party Games
In alphabetical order:
Anomia – A favorite for over a decade. Also available in an adults-only version, called Anomia X. See our reviews for Anomia Pop Culture and Anomia Kids.
Green Team Wins – A game of friendly “religious arguments” for lots of players. See our review.
Secret Identity – A game of guessing other players’ secret identities. But surprisingly strategic (you have a limited number of clues to use in the entire game) and family friendly (the eight possible secret identities are all known). See our review of this hidden gem.
Similo – One clue giver, everyone else is trying to guess (an asymmetric cooperative game) the selected character by slowly whittling down the choices based on what the clue giver indicates. Incredibly easy to drop in, and even playable by just two people! There are a ton of different themed variations available. See our review of Similo.
Smug Owls – This game of programmed riddles ends up sometimes silly, sometimes deep. You can feel clever, and also reward or recognize that cleverness in other people. There are new expansions available: Smut Owls, Pompous Owls, and Poseur Owls. See our review of Smug Owls.
Trio – Neither a word game, nor a clueing game, but rather a game of memory and deduction. Our copy is almost worn out. Trio tops out at six players, but it’s very fast, so it’s easy to let a new player step in “next time”. Look for sets of three matching cards by asking for highest or lowest cards in players’ hands (or face-down on the table). See our review of Trio.
Wavelength – The only game on this list we’ve never reviewed. One clue giver and everyone else tries to figure out if they’re “on the same wavelength.” The clue giver has a location on the wheel and a spectrum (example: cat name vs dog name), and must give a clue to try to get everyone else to position the marker at the proper location. Wavelength can be played in two teams or as a fully cooperative game.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
Episode 393 – Board Game Terms: Asymmetric, Auction, Bidding
Mar 17, 2025
It’s been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let’s do that again!
0:00 Fact for 393
The TV show Star Trek: Voyager uses the phrase “some kind of” 393 times over the seven seasons. There’s a fan-made video that documents them ALL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwZiezIxCVU
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04:00 What We’ve Been Playing
Medieval Academy (both the 2014 version and the 2023 version) Power Plants – inspired to play after last episode! Royal Visit Project L Mezen – review coming soon Anitra’s solo plays: Mezen, Strato, A Gentle Rain, A Nice Cuppa) more Floristry (our review) – Anitra predicts this will be TFG’s top game of 2025. Obelus (our review) – love the table presence on this tiny game. S’mores Galore – “exactly what I’ve been hoping for in a s’mores themed game”
What’s asymmetry? Well, it’s the lack of symmetry, which would be when two halves (or two items) are identical. You’re probably played both symmetric and asymmetric games, without realizing it.
Asymmetric games means that players DON’T have the same actions or the same goals. This goes beyond the luck of the draw or making different choices: in asymmetric games, players literally CANNOT do exactly the same things as other players.
What’s good about them?
They’re more interesting. It feels really powerful and special if you have a power that breaks the rules that everyone else has to follow.
Can have better replayability. Because of different powers, playing it again can feel both familiar and new – exploring new ways that characters interact.
And the bad?
Asymmetric games are harder to TEACH (especially to kids) because everyone can do slightly different things.
Can feel unfair (“why do you get to do that and I don’t?”)
Some asymmetric games feel very unbalanced or require a specific character to be played to work at all.
One-vs-many games: one person has a very different role (like villain or clue-giver) and everyone else is working together (kind of). Examples: Scotland Yard, Pyramid of Pengqueen, Visitor in Blackwood Grove (three roles, two of which cooperate). We argue that most clue-giving games fit into the one-vs-many asymmetric style. You can make them feel more symmetrical by taking turns being the clue-giver. Hidden identity / hidden traitor games (Spyfall) fit into this idea as well.
CCGs and constructed-deck games are obviously asymmetric – everyone has a different idea of what makes a “good” deck. Examples: Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Compile, Windup War)
Asymmetric games are as old as board games themselves. Anitra thinks of Fox and Hounds or Fox and Geese (find out more), an old checkers-like game.
Cosmic Encounter is often held up as one of the earliest many-player asymmetric games.
An auction is a system where one or more players may offer up something in exchange for something else (basically purchasing it)
Not the same as trading – you’re trying to outdo other players in this offer.
Auctions always have “winning” AND “losing” bidders; sometimes the losing bidders may receive some kind of compensation
Bidding does not necessarily mean an auction. (eg. in Wits & Wagers, you’re bidding, but not to win a specific thing in exchange)
Auctions USUALLY offer players a chance to go back and forth
There are so many different kinds of auction mechanics!
Usually we’re talking about Blind bidding or sealed bidding – everyone comes up with an amount secretly, then they are all revealed. But there’s also open information auctions – you know how much other people are willing to pay, and make a decision to outbid them or not.
In a closed economy auction, the money/resources spent in the auction are directly given to auction participants. In Ra, your resource is a disk with a number on it, and you trade it to the person you “won” the turn from. Big Top is a mostly-closed economy: the money goes to the “auctioneer” – unless THEY win the auction, in which case the money goes to the bank.
Auction games like Ra only go around once – you get one chance to make the high bid; other games (with open information) may go around many times until all but one bidder have given up.
One of our favorite types of bidding, that’s not exactly an auction, is bidding on turn order (Nidavellir, Gutenberg, ShipShape, and Filler)
The way that bidding works in ShipShape is specifically called sealed bid with cancellation. This is a type of blind auction that often has ties – highest non-duplicated bid wins.
Dutch auction is a waiting game, where the price of a resource goes down over time. Floristry does this through an app. But this is also related to a type of open drafting where items slide down a track & get cheaper (think Century: Spice Road). In the real world, Amazon uses a type of this to contract drivers for a specific route on a specific day.
47:20 Backtalk
Listeners share their favorite flowers. See responses on Discord and Facebook.
We like the name “Phlox Larkspur” for a D&D character – and those flowers smell lovely, too.
New Question
What are board game terms you’d like us to talk about? What terms should we explore next?
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
We’re currently having false spring here in New England. But after a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let’s talk about games with flowers and plants – games that make us think spring.
0:00 Fact for 392
It’s been a while since we’ve done a car fact: The SRT 392 is a high-performance version of the Dodge Charger and Challenger models.
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04:00 What We’ve Been Playing
Horrified: World of Monsters – this time using Cthulu and the Krampus expansion monster. Nidavellir Shovel Knight: Dungeon Duels Little Alchemists (review coming soon) Strato (review coming Friday) Floristry (review coming soon – this game will be out later in March!)
13:25 Feb Monthly Report
Andrew: 14 plays, 10 unique games, H-index: 2 (Floristry, Little Alchemists) 86% at home, 56% at two players.
Ten games with flowers and plants and growing things. Not a top ten! Just ten spring-like games we recommend.
Floristry (review coming soon!) – A very fast, very compelling game for two players.
Flower Fields (our review) – Celebrates the whole ecosystem of growing flowers. A little more complicated than Patchwork or Kingdomino. Playable solo or two players, but best at three or four players.
Gift of Tulips (our review) – A game that rewards you for giving flowers away. Best for 3-6 players.
Bonsai (our review) – Create bonsai trees bit by bit, using hex tiles to create surprisingly organic looking plants/trees.
Tea Dragon Society Card Game (our review) – A super cute kids game, “my first deckbuilder” with no conflict.
Power Plants – Area-majority tile game. Grow crazy magical plants. Not a friendly game, but rarely intentionally mean.
Grove (our review) – Create a grove of citrus trees. Stack cards to get better fruit (tracked with dice). Quick and compact solo game that you can bring almost anywhere.
Gnome Hollow (review coming soon) – Friendly gnomes make rings of mushrooms, collecting mushrooms and flowers for points.
A Gentle Rain (our review) – Another solo game. This one should be completely stress-free: match tile edges and place flowers. Enjoy the art and the calming illustrations.
Tussie Mussie – A fantastic split-and-choose game that is best at two players. Easy to learn, lots of layers of strategy, with bluffing and several kinds of set collection.
49:30 New Backtalk Question
Do you have a favorite flower?
Andrew’s favorite are dahlias, and Anitra’s are pansies.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
If this primer on investments already has you overwhelmed, you may want to get help with managing your investments. First Move is here to help. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to set up a time FOR FREE to see if they can help you make your First Move with investing.
0:05:15 What We’ve Been Playing
trio of Chip Theory Kids games: Bear in Mind, Octo Grabbo, Woodland Rush
Flamecraft (our review) Hamster Roll (our review) Hundred Acre Wood Fluxx (review coming soon) Cabanga! (our review) Runemasters (review coming soon) Project L Let’s Go! To Japan Floristry (review coming soon) Splendor Duel
Listeners tell us about their favorite cooperative games. See responses on Discord and Facebook.
0:43:40 SNAP Review – Landmarks
Take a look at this unusual word game of clues and guesses, and navigate a path across the island!
Read the transcript or watch the video of our review of Landmarks.
0:50:50 Room to Grow: Cooperative Games
Our goal with Room to Grow is to bring your kids – or your family – through a series of games that grow in complexity. Normally, we take a beginner game, an intermediate game, and an advanced game (and some honorable mentions). They offer a plan for growth for players to get comfortable with that mechanic, and all are family-friendly (no Dead of Winter or Frosthaven, sorry).
Why play cooperative games?
We talked a lot about this last time in episode 390.
Cooperative games encourage players to work together. And when you’re playing with very young children, there will often be an element of cooperation even if that is not how the game is intended to work.
Cooperative games are also a great way to get everyone on the same team, winning or losing TOGETHER. Even then, kids will have to wait their turn, and have opportunities to help each other!
Beginner: My First Castle Panic
This is a tower-defense game designed for 3-5 year old children. On your turn, you choose from one of two cards to try to match a monster spot on the path up to the castle.
But you’re also allowed to ask other players for help! You have a chance to be the supporting character and help the hero.
My First Castle Panic is the most popular game to be bought through our Amazon affiliate links – by FAR.
We talked about this when we talked about room to grow legacy games. Zombie Kidz Evolution forces players to think a few steps ahead. Try to help each other defeat the zombies and cooperate to lock the school gates.
No matter how well you do, you always get at least one sticker to place in the rulebook (but if you win, you get more).
While these legacy aspects keep kids interested, they also slowly ramp up the complexity. Unlock special powers – both for the player characters and for the zombies! Additional challenges will force kids to continue to improve their cooperation.
Advanced: Disney Animated
This game leans very hard into its theme: classic Disney animated movies.
Each player has their own movie they’re working on, but there’s a group goal, which requires every player to meet their individual goal as well: finish all the movies and defeat all the villains. This means that sometimes you will use your whole turn to support other players in meeting their goals.
From “big brother” Castle Panic to Pandemic, from Horrified to Unmatched Adventures, Marvel United, and Marvel Champions. Even The Loop and Endangered are wonderful cooperative games for your family to play.
1:07:00 New Backtalk Question
We have asked a lot about cooperative games already. So it’s time to learn about you, our listener! What’s your favorite candy or snack?
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
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”.
0:00:00 Fact for 390
While the exact number fluctuates, there are around 390 known species of sharks in the world, from tiny lantern sharks to massive whale sharks.
The average weight of a full-grown jaguar can reach up to 390 pounds, making it the largest cat in the Americas.
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0:04:15 What We’ve Been Playing
Combo (review linked below) Flower Fields (review coming soon) Holiday Hijinks: The Marriage Mix-up – two thumbs up! In Vino Morte (our review)
Where are good places and times to play cooperative games?
Coop games can be a great way to bring younger kids into gaming. Any perfect information game can work for this, but in a cooperative game, your littlest can easily be part of the team.
Also good for preventing sore losers – or sore winners!
Categories of Cooperative Games
Anitra decides there are three basic categories: you either work together to solve a puzzle, work together to tell a story, or one person is giving clues to everyone else to guess.
A lot of the puzzle-type cooperative games have players take turns and then “bad stuff happens”.
But not all! Ultimatch charges players to solve a problem without a separate “bad stuff” turn. The Crew has a little more story and does something similar.
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a “story” game. The best of these have multiple ways to “solve” the puzzles involved. Some escape room games do this really well; some just present puzzles you have to solve a specific way.
Most clue-giving games are word-guessing games, but not all. Similo is a great example of one that is NOT a word game.
All Kinds of Mechanics
It seems like every game mechanic has had some kind of take on how to do it cooperatively:
And don’t forget about the whole genre of timed cooperative games! This can be pure puzzle solving like Kites or Skyrockets, or a memory game like Panic Island.
TFG Favorite Cooperative Games
Similo Shadows over Camelot Illiterati The Grizzled SkyTeam
1:00:00 New Backtalk Question
Question: What is your favorite cooperative game? Why is it your favorite?
Would you like us to break this out more and dive into specific genres of cooperative games?
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
PLEASE don’t forget to subscribe to the show, tell your friends about the show, and leave us a review at Apple Podcast or whatever your podcast subscription source is. We’re also on Amazon Music, TuneIn, and Spotify.
You can also now find us on YouTube Music! So pull it up and give us a listen while you’re toiling away at work :)
The Family Gamers is sponsored by First Move Financial. Go to FirstMoveFinancial.com/familygamers to learn how the team at First Move Financial can help you pile up the victory points.
Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, we find games that disconnect us from the stresses and worries of every day life. Andrew and Anitra discover that they have different ideas of what helps them step away from the real world – but there’s some overlap, too. 0:00 Fact for 389 When diving (“stooping”), the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of 389kph.
Episode 381 – Top 5(ish) Beautiful Family Games
Oct 07, 2024
0:00 Hello and welcome! This week, we’re talking about beautiful games – ones you would leave out on a coffee table – that are great for families to play. Fact for 381 We’re back to the Guinness Book of World Records, friends. The largest hand-held video game console party was on 12 October 2007, at the Parramatta mall in Sydney
We talked about date night games in 2020 - which ones would we still recommend now? Our new top six list has FOUR games that weren't even on the old list!
Episode 374 – Top 5 Games to Beat the Summer Slide
Jun 24, 2024
If you have kids in school, you've probably heard of the "summer slide" or summer learning loss. The best way to keep your kids from losing math and reading skills is to use them! So let's talk about five games that will give some practice.
Episode 368 – Ken Franklin and Flash Point: Legacy Of Flame
Mar 25, 2024
We are no longer restricting our interviews to just odd-numbered episodes. We couldn’t wait any longer to have Ken Franklin on the show again! 368 Fact We learn about Studio 368, doing very cool stuff for creators and media (like Greta Gerwig, Lena Dunham, and the Safdie brothers). Sponsor Message Are you doing your taxes? Some states offer a tax
Episode 364 – Look Back: How Did 2023 Predictions Fare?
Jan 29, 2024
We often talk about new games. But let's look back a little bit. We were excited for a lot of new games at the beginning of 2023 - how did they fare? Were all of them as great as we hoped?
Episode 361 – PAX Unplugged 2023 – Days Two & Three
Dec 18, 2023
Find out more about The Tree Trimming Game, Sequitur, Jokkmokk, Marvel Remix, Unboxed, Crabs in a Bucket, Star Realms Academy, Caution Signs, Pack the Essentials, Maize Craze, and Mycelia !
Episode 357 – Spooky Games and Hidden Gems with Stephanie Nye
Oct 23, 2023
Today, we're talking with the newest writer to join The Family Gamers, Stephanie Nye! What are some of her favorite games for the "spooky season"? And what games are awesome that not enough people talk about?
Episode 356 – Top 10 Games for Kids 7-10
Oct 02, 2023
We took a break for a while from our age-segregated lists. But now we're back at it! Plus: CuseCon wrap-up, contest winner, and a new community announcement.
Episode 355 – Panic Time! With Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt
Sep 18, 2023
Castle Panic has been a part of our lives longer than The Family Gamers has existed, and this week we talk to its creators: Justin & Anne-Marie De Witt!
It's been a long time since we talked about US history and gameschooling. Now let's talk about games that are newer, and games that are less US-centric.
Episode 351 – SAHM Reviews with the Bradys
Jul 24, 2023
Nicole and Scott have been doing family-friendly review content since 2008 with their site SAHM Reviews. But they're tied into the board game industry in many other ways...
Episode 347 – Board Games with BoardGamingMama!
Jun 19, 2023
Welcome to Heather, the Board Gaming Mama! 347 Fact There’s evidence oil wells going back to 347 AD! Chinese drills made of bamboo got to over 200 meters deep. Sponsor One of the first concerns from prospective clients is whether they can afford to work with us. If you want to see an estimate of what your fee would be
Episode 346 – Room to Grow: Word Games Edition
Jun 12, 2023
If you want to play word games with your kids, you're going to have to wait a LONG time for them to be ready. We suggest a few games that can help your family work their way up to "adult" word games.
Episode 336 – Most Played Board Games
Mar 27, 2023
Let's talk about the most popular games played in the Smith household. These aren't necessarily our favorites. They just make it to the table the most often.
Episode 334 – Noisy Games: Extra Fun or Parents’ Nightmare?
Mar 13, 2023
Every parent has some LOUD game that their kids love. Do you buy into the fun factor of noisy games, or do they drive you crazy? There are more games in this category than we thought...
This week, it's all about YOUR questions! What's the best game for a deserted island? What kind of mystery games can we recommend for a 7 year old? What games can you play with a short attention span?
Episode 328 – Room to Grow: Dungeon Crawl Games
Jan 30, 2023
Love dungeon crawl games like Gloomhaven, but aren't sure where to start with kids? Three dungeon crawl games that build in complexity, perfect for playing as a family.
Episode 327 – Top Anticipated Games for 2023
Jan 23, 2023
We look ahead to games coming in 2023: ones we've been anticipating for a while, ones that are new and we're hyped for, and ones that we "want to want".
Episode 325 – Board Game Trends with Ross Thompson
Jan 09, 2023
Our topic this week is trends in board games. And who better for this kind of conversation than Ross Thompson? He has held positions all across the board game industry.
This week, we'll talk about our top games of the year. Ones that were new to us this year; our favorites and games that really surprised us. And we ask each of the kids for their favorite game of the year, too.
315 – The Video Game Holiday Gift Guide with Stephen Duetzmann
Oct 31, 2022
It's that time of year again. We are joined by the "unmitigated hype monster", Stephen Duetzmann, to learn about recommendations for (mostly) family-friendly video games this holiday season.
310 – Top-Rated Games – The Family Gamers Podcast
Sep 19, 2022
We've been reviewing games for a long time, and have rated about a dozen games as "perfect" and about twice as many as "almost perfect". Do those ratings hold up?
308 – Different Ways to Adventure with Board Games
Sep 05, 2022
This week, we're talking about adventure! What games make you feel like you're going on an adventure? There are more ways to accomplish this feeling than you might think.
307 – Jon Manker and Pax Viking – The Family Gamers Podcast
Aug 29, 2022
Jon is the co-founder of Ion Game Design, making board games "based on reality". Although most are quite complex (Pax Viking, Sammu-ramat), there are some family-oriented games just around the corner...
306 – Room to Grow: Dice Set Collection – The Family Gamers Podcast
Aug 22, 2022
What is dice set collection? Think Yahtzee. You're rolling dice, usually with some re-rolls allowed, trying to get a certain result spread out among many dice (a straight, two/three/four of a kind, etc.)
303 – Beyond Board Games: Open Roading
Jul 25, 2022
This podcast has almost nothing to do with board games! Four years ago Joe and Kalyn sold their house and bought an RV. It requires a lot of planning...
302 – How to Raise Little Gamers – The Family Gamers Podcast
Jul 18, 2022
"One of the best ways to get your kids excited about doing something is by being excited about doing something." Can you get your kids to love games the way you do?
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