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
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What We’ve Been Playing
Daybreak – A cooperative game where you try to reverse global warming. Ken also calls it “Terraforming Earth”
First in Flight – review coming soon from Anitra
Explosion in the Laboratory – 27-card game about mixing “vials” in progressively more dangerous environment. An interesting take on push-your-luck with no dice and limited card draws.
Tir na Nog – You’re sending storytellers into fairyland to get experiences to turn into a saga. (Claim cards and try to arrange them.) Scoop: Ken is designing an 18-card escape game based on this one! There will also be mini-escape rooms based on Roll Camera and The Artemis Odyssey.
Anitra: 30 unique games 48 times. H-index 3, with ArcheOlogic, Redwood, Unmatched, At the Helm, Skyrockets, and Pocket Paragons having at least 3 plays.
Outrace your buddies so they get bitten by the shark and you don’t! This new version of Get Bit! works with 2-7 players, but is still best at 4 or more.
What kicked off the design for a Flash Point legacy game?
Indie Boards & Cards had talking about it for a long time, but pushed to the back burner.
But in 2021, Ken found this out, and asked Chris and Kevin – “do you want to make a legacy version of Flash Point?” “YES, of course!”
Figured out the outline of the first third within a week, then pitched it to Indie Boards & Cards and signed a contract.
Then spent three years meeting virtually every week “and we played the snot out of it”.
Each designer brings their own strengths.
Kevin has a gift for narrative design. He wrote the “screenplay” of the campaign.
Chris is an incredible rulebook editor, and a gift for spotting what brings fun and what drains fun.
Ken put his prototyping skills to work and was spreadsheet master, mapping out the different paths the campaign could take.
The game was pretty much done after 14 months of solid work.
There’s a ton of expansions already for Flash Point. How does that work with the legacy game?
There are already so many expansions, you can’t play with all of them together. It just doesn’t work.
They looked at what elements in the expansions make sense for a story where cadet firefighters are going through their careers. So some expansion elements carried over to the legacy game, and some pieces are new. For example, they pulled the “Fire deck / event deck” from the Tragic Events expansion, replacing hot spots.
More about Flash Point: Legacy of Flame
You’ll be working through a sort of ensemble story, with many character arcs and events.
When you’re done with the campaign, you’ll have 12 new maps to play with any Flash Point module or expansion, and every character you’ve created can be used again.
Instead of making different terrain-styled boards, this game uses two spiral-bound books for the 12 maps.
Announcement: there will be a recharge pack, if you want to replay the campaign fresh.
When characters are knocked down, you are incentivized to sit them out and end up using all the characters.
Instead of using tons of envelopes, they’re using scratch-off elements in many places.
You don’t need anything extra, and you don’t even need to have played Flash Point before!
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 367 – Mr. Smith Goes to GAMA Expo
Mar 11, 2024
Andrew is back home from GAMA Expo! GAMA was kind enough to select The Family Gamers as Hosted Media for this year’s Expo, and we thank them for their support! GAMA is a growing and changing organization and we commend them for their hard work!
To schedule a time to talk to First Move about other ways to take control of your finances, head over to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up an initial 15 minute call.
What We’ve Been Playing
Compile – “like a cross between Smash Up and Hanamikoji“. Draft decks of cards, then
This compact deduction game will have you guessing about the pixie’s complicated palette. We think it’s best for kids and adults who already like deduction.
Mind Up – Draft cards and play them into your sets. But you’ll have to play cards from your hand to “bid” and win the cards you want.
Knarr – Recruit Vikings into your band, activating groups by color.
Courtisans – Play cards to different places around the Queen’s table. Win points depending on each families’ status at the end of the game. A lot of take-that in a fast game.
Faraway – Have a great journey! Cards are scored in the reverse order from which they are played.
Boxtop Pinball – Flick dice down the board. Oops! We didn’t get a picture of this one.
0:42:45 Fireside Games with Justin
Ultimatch – Cooperate to make matches to clear cards out of a pyramid, but use addition or subtraction to make mathematical or color matches as well. Or use two cards to make an exact match – color and number! That lets you draw two cards – one for your hand and one towards a common pool for all players.
Zoomies – dog-walkers with domino tiles. Stay tuned!
0:48:00 Lucky Duck Games with Devon
Kiri-ai: The Duel – a 16-card dueling game. Hit your opponent twice (but always from the front, to be honorable) to win. Available now at LuckyDuckGames.com.
Toriki: the Castaway Island – Survive the island and leave on your own terms! Explore, gather knowledge, and complete your mission.
0:55:15 Skybound Tabletop with Matt
Invincible: Escape from Mars – Social deduction game based on the Amazon show / comic series. But the roles change every round!
Sheep in Disguise – You want to collect flocks of cute sheep (three of a kind).
ContraBanter – A word-smuggling party game. Answer the other team’s question with a story, inserting your secret words. But if you sneak your words well enough, you’ll have to sneak them into the next round’s story as well!
1:02:00 Thunderworks with Jess
Stonespine Architects – a pick-and-pass card drafting game in the Roll Player universe. Available end of April.
Citizens of the Spark – Use unique animal citizens with their own powers in each game. Mostly simultaneous play.
Metrorunner – a sci-fi game with a rondel representing the metro you’re riding around the board. Collect resources, hack the network, and/or finish job assignments.
1:11:30 Pink Hawk Games with Emily
Pirates of the High Teas – Make sets of dishes to serve your captain! Coming to Kickstarter in September.
Good Kitties – Cooperative game of plotting world domination, while avoiding the dog. Probably next year.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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.
For expert help applying some of the same principles that help you take down your friends in Agricola, head over to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today to schedule a call.
We review the latest addition to the Unmatched series.
This one is based on real people from Japanese history, and we think they’re fascinating. Watch the video or read the transcript on our website.
FOR SCIENCE!
We try Oreo Space Dunk – an Oreo with brilliant pink and blue “marshmallow flavor” filling… and pop rocks?
Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! : The Family Gamers 60 Auburn St. #528 Auburn, MA 01501
Top Five Dragon Games
We talked about dragon games all the way back in episode 169 with Claire. But that’s not what we’re doing this time! This is our top five dragon games for families… in no particular order.
Dragonkeepers
By Michael Menzel, published by KOSMOS; brand new in 2024. You’re drawing cards from a “book”, and then playing dragon cards when you can play the exact quantity and kind specified by the book. There are ways to adjust the book, but there are also more constraints for which types you can play. We’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Dragon’s Breath
A wonderful kids’ game from HABA by Gunter and Lena Burkhart. Remove rings from the “ice tower” to drop gems – and “bet” on which color gems will drop the most.
A lovely family game from Calliope of creating a maze and trying NOT to get to the end of your path. It looks very “adult” but is approachable for kids with a bit of patience.
Block Ness
We love Block Ness, but Anitra argues this doesn’t fit. They’re not dragons!
Dragonwood (and Dragonrealm)
Dragonwood by Darren Kisgen is a fantasy-themed game for kids. Turn in sets of cards (matching numbers, matching colors, or runs in order) to roll dice and beat monsters. Different monsters are vulnerable to different kinds of attacks (sets of cards)! This game reinforces a lot of important math skills for kids in a fun way! Dragonwood from Gamewright was one of the first games we ever reviewed.
The most complex game in our list due to reading and lots of choices. But still very approachable for older kids (10+). This is our teenage daughter’s favorite. We reviewed it last year.
Anitra loves these dragons the most – cute dragons with jobs! There’s nothing combative or violent in the theme here.
Flamecraft is published by Cardboard Alchemy and Lucky Duck Games.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 365 – Tantrum Con with Jeremy Pike
Feb 12, 2024
Welcome to Jeremy Pike, staff writer! We’ll talk about how he joined our team, and what he did at Tantrum Con 2024.
365 fact
Why is a year 365 days? Because that’s how many times the Earth spins on its axis while making a complete trip around the sun. And, of course, it’s not exactly 365 either. It’s closer to 365.25, which is why we have an extra day every four years. But it’s a smidgeon less than 365.25, so we skip the leap year every century, except we have one every multiple of 400 years as another slight correction.
Sponsor message
Whether you’re worried about what’s happening or you are lucky to find yourself in a strong financial position and want some help in making the right tactical move, First Move Financial can help. If you want some help finding solid footing underneath you, or help finding the right step to leap to the next level, head to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a quick phone call and see how First Move can help.
What We’ve Been Playing
Echidna Shuffle Get Bit! – The new bath-toy theme is cute. Andrew suggests we play this using gingerbread men for the swimmers. ArcheOlogic Ecosystem: Savanna (our review) First in Flight Mycelia (don’t mistake this for any other mushroom-themed games! It’s pink and adorable. Listen to the interview from PAX Unplugged.) Chicken! Redwood – “if Tang Garden and Photosynthesis had a baby, and gave it a photography theme” Picky Pixie – a competitive clue-giving game from Elizabeth Hargrave & Button Shy. Reminds us a little of Visitor in Blackwood Grove. D&D Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Waterdeep (review coming soon!) Holiday Hijinks: The Turkey Trial – the most approachable Holiday Hijinks yet, in our opinion. (The Birthday Burglary is also very good with kids.) Unmatched: Sun’s Origins
Monthly Report – January
Andrew: 20 plays of 11 unique games. H-index 2 – Pocket Paragons (5 plays), Trio (4 plays)
Anitra: 49 plays of 20 unique games. H-index 4 – Pocket Paragons (10 plays), Calypso (9 times), At the Helm, Trio
SNAP Review – Pocket Paragons
Elliot and Anitra talk about this very quick two player duel. We think it’s a great choice for a portable and fast game.
How did Jeremy get involved with The Family Gamers?
Jeremy found TFG because of his son, Zach, Family Gamers super-fan. From helping Zach write an email to receiving a T-shirt to Tantrum Con 2023, to writer!
What about Tantrum Con?
Tantrum Con is the yearly convention thrown by Tantrum House. And it’s the most kid-friendly convention we’ve ever seen. With a larger location, they stepped up everything this year, including the kids section! They hired a group called “Living Rooms and Lizards” to run D&D style storytelling games for kids.
Everything was bigger – Exhibitor hall, Demo area for pre-release games, etc.
New game highlights at Tantrum Con
Run Run Run! – and the rest of the “2024 Import collection” from 25th Century. (look at that Kickstarter!)
Corps of Discovery: A Game Set in the World of Manifest Destiny – “Lewis & Clark and monsters”
Gems of Iridescia
What else is special about Tantrum Con?
Table-flipping face-offs
Tournameals – learn a game while having a meal together (plus giveaways)
VIP gaming area – for content creators and/or designers to teach games
Play to Win – a lot of cons have this, but it’s always great. There’s a huge variety of games in Play to Win at Tantrum Con.
And the people who are there playing games are just very kind and nice.
You get a goodie bag when you arrive – and kids get kid games in their bag! We love how much respect is shown towards kids, that they can be gamers too.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 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?
Have you heard of the fun ratio? This idea comes from The Opposite of Spoiled by Ron Lieber, if you want to talk about other ways to equip your children for their future, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to schedule a time to talk to First Move today.
What We’ve Been Playing
Calypso – because it’s so fast, Andrew accuses Anitra of using it to boost her game playing stats. Villainous – Anitra compares this to Disney: Animated because of the way it siloes each movie universe. Royal Visit Dice Cards Maul Peak Suspend – a dexterity game we recommend. (Get the Jr version for kids under 10.) 10 Days in the USA Monopoly Deal
FOR SCIENCE!
Is this cheating? There’s no possibility that this is gross: our options are “delicious” or “really delicious”.
Send us more weird food FOR SCIENCE! : The Family Gamers 60 Auburn St. #528 Auburn, MA 01501
SNAP Review – Smug Owls
Stretch your brain by answering riddles. The catch? These riddles are generated by decks of cards.
We were really excited for a lot of games at the beginning of 2023, and we talked about them in episode 327.
Flashback: Zombie Kidz – Mildly disappointing. Pretty good, but not quite what we were hoping for. Our review. (Turbo Kidz was a surprise in the other direction – so much better than we expected!)
Fit to Print – Still haven’t played. Anitra has warmed to it, hopefully we’ll play it sometime this year.
Thunder Road: Vendetta – We haven’t played it, but Nick (who put it on the list) has been very happy with it. “The game is exactly what it said it was going to be.”
Qawale – Gorgeous abstract game from Gigamic. We reviewed this one too. Anitra: likes it a lot, but not as much as she thought she would.
Steam Up – Haven’t played it in 2023, but we’re excited to see it on store shelves.
Sauscharf – In the US, it was renamed Pick-a-Pepper. We got a chance to play this in February and really liked it. We will look for it again!
Stampfarm – Exactly what it wants to be. A roll-and-write for very young children that uses stamps instead of writing. See more in our review.
Marvel Unmatched sets – We played (and reviewed) Unmatched: Teen Spirit, and loved it. We did not get to try Unmatched: For King and Country.
Bonsai – This game was in high demand, and we totally understand why. Anitra was surprised by this one, and how it kept a strategic tension (there are more things you want to do) while staying pretty calm. See more in our review.
What surprised us in 2023?
Junk Drawer! “Blindsided me in the best possible way.” Anitra was not interested in this game and found out she loves it! See our review.
Seikatsu: A Pet’s Life – exciting to FIND this re-theme of Seikatsu that has been out of print for a few years. (We are also excited for the re-print / new version that will be coming from Grand Gamers Guild.)
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 363 – Happy Camper Games with Jason Schneider
Jan 15, 2024
Episode 363 Happy Camper Games with Jason Schneider
This week, we are joined by the “Head Camper” at Happy Camper Games – Jason Schneider!
363 Fact
Do you like Wingspan? The largest wingspan for a bird species is 3.63 meters, measured on a Wandering Albatross.
Sponsor message
How do you know if you’re ready to retire?
If you want help reviewing the financial part of preparing for retirement set up a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.
Jason has been working in the board game industry for a long time. Trio is the debut game for his new company, Happy Camper.
Trio’s US debut was at PAX Unplugged, and Jason almost ran out of the game!
Why “Happy Camper”?
Summer camp played a critical role in Jason’s life, and the idea kept coming back over and over.
Jason wants to publish games FOR FAMILIES, should make you think back to summer camp experiences. Trio exemplifies this – it’s easy to learn and plays fast. “Let’s play again!” and reminds us of the kinds of traditional card games we played as kids.
Jason feels strongly about the role camp can have in a kid’s life: some of the proceeds from Happy Camper games will go to fund summer camp scholarships.
We reminisce about summer camp and camping in general. “All you need to do is put up a hammock…” “… and you’ve got to have s’mores.” So what IS doing the real work in a s’more? Andrew and Jason agree it’s the marshmallow. No gatekeeping on what makes a s’more though!
Back to Happy Camper – Jason decided to stick with the name, but keep the branding very simple, no campfire or tent or specific camping item. “Camping is a very personal thing.”
We are thrilled with Happy Camper’s success so far with Trio and hope they’ll keep doing just as well. They’ll be at PAX East, so you will be able to check them out there!
What’s the next game from Happy Camper? “Like Trio, it will have a certain familiarity to it… and it’s a great group game.” And it has a “frenemy” nature to it. That’s all he can tell us, except it will be out before the end of 2024.
Triois back in stock as of this episode’s date.
Find Happy Camper Games Online:
HappyCamper.games – also a great place to find a local retailer where you could buy Trio!
In person, find them at PAX Unplugged, PAX East, and Gen Con.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 362 – Our Top Ten Games of 2023
Jan 02, 2024
362 Fact
According to WikiFanona, there are currently 362 episodes of the incredibly popular television show NCIS. (But it’s still in production, so there will be more.)
Sponsor Message
Learn about the sunk cost fallacy with our sponsor, First Move Financial. If you need a sounding board for your life’s financial decisions, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers and set up a time to talk to First Move Financial.
What We’ve Been Playing
Seven Bridges – a roll-and-write that feels different from any other. Tesseract (our review) Smug Owls (review coming soon) Unmatched: Sun’s Origin (Tomoe Gozen & Oda Nobunaga) Oh What Fun! (last year’s review) Motley (review coming) Trio (review coming – we recommend!)
Monthly Report and Year in Review!
Anitra’s December: 45 plays of 27 unique games. Learned Camel Up on New Year’s Eve! H-index 3: Trio, Skyrockets, Tesseract, Smug Owls.
Andrew’s 2023: 288 plays of 148 unique games. H-index: 4. Most played: “Unpublished Prototype”, Unmatched, Jekyll vs. Hyde, FORK. 64% of plays at home.
Anitra’s 2023: 564 plays of 210 unique games. H-index: 9 – Calypso, Unmatched, Numbsters, GROVE, Roll to the Top, River Wild, Forage, Wildtails, Turbo Kidz. 2 players is most often: 37% of the time. Next most common is 3 players and solo, which each get 18%. 67% of plays were at home.
Andrew came up with a way to rank our top games and allow for overlap: we each distributed 10 points among our top 6 games. It worked! We have a top ten.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 361 – PAX Unplugged 2023 – Days Two & Three
Dec 18, 2023
We’re back, with a bonus episode, featuring the rest of our PAX interviews.
361 Fact
Chinese submarine 361, nicknamed “The Great Wall”, is infamous for killing all members on board in 2003.
Sponsor Message
How do you help your kids understand that Christmas isn’t just a “get me more stuff” holiday? Listen to our sponsor message – and make sure you are modeling the behavior you want to be teaching your children. If you’d like to talk about other ideas to help pass on your values to your children schedule a time to talk to First Move by going to firstmovefinancial .com/familygamers today.
What We’ve Been Playing
Santa’s Workshop Skyrockets Tesseract Space Explorers: Age of Ambition (our review) Ecosystem: Savanna National Geographic: Secret Clue – Animals
This wasn’t quite the “chill, enjoy the journey” sequel to Tokaido that we expected. But it’s a great game for two players that avoids being confrontational and directly competitive.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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.
How do you dig out of debt? Well the honest answer is slowly and painfully. There is no quick magic solution, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something.
First Move Financial is not a credit counseling company, but they’d be happy to spend a few minutes talking to you to help you find a reputable credit counselor. Go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers to set up a quick chat and start taking steps to dig out of debt.
Monthly Report: November
Andrew: 23 plays of 13 unique games. H-index: 2 – most played: Purrfect Match, Star Wars: Unlock. Also “Maple” Andrew’s prototype game!, and Tokaido Duo, Turbo Kidz, The Hunt, The A.R.T. Project.
Anitra: 34 plays of 16 unique games. H-index: 3 – most played: Tokaido Duo, Star Wars: Unlock, Turbo Kidz, For Northwood!
What We’ve Been Playing
For Northwood! – a solo trick-taking game Space Explorers: Age of Ambition expansion (see our review of the base game) Turbo Kidz The A.R.T. Project
SNAP Review – Turbo Kidz
This silly, blindfolded racing game taught us a lot about better communication, which we did not expect!
Age of Wonders: Planetfall (up to 6 players, 45 minutes!) GAP Critters at War (Air, Land, and Sea with a new theme) Critters at War: Flies, Lies, and Supplies (expand the original or play on its own)
Alpujarras Fisheries of Gloucester Scribble Me This – with Pipnetic (“Pictionary with Riddles”) – coming to Kickstarter in February The Feds – coming to Kickstarter in December
“Bring Your Own Pencil” games. Print the game sheet, grab a pencil, and go.
Older games that we love: Biblios, Cosmic Run Regeneration, Cosmic Run: Rapid Fire.
Or, for the most direct method, email us! andrew@thefamilygamers.com and anitra@thefamilygamers.com.
Check out our new Family Gamers and Play Games with Your Kids merchandise – T-shirts, hoodies, and mugs – at thefamilygamers.com/merch.
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.
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 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?
299 – Dani Effertz, Sovranti – The Family Gamers Podcast
Jun 27, 2022
Sovranti is a digital board game app allowing friends to play board games across the world. Dani is the community manager for Sovranti, and she's going to tell us more about it!
298 – Looking Forward to Summer – The Family Gamers Podcast
Jun 20, 2022
This week, we're looking forward to summer, with resources for playing games with kids, and a short discussion of what we're looking forward to playing with our extra time.
297 – Kevin & Melissa Delp, Tantrum House – The Family Gamers Podcast
Jun 13, 2022
Today on the podcast, we welcome Kevin and Melissa Delp, part of the team at Tantrum House. Fact – Clematis is a type of flowering plant – which currently has 297 species. What We’ve Been Playing Skyrise (Roxley)Under Falling Skies (CGE – our review)UNDO: Forbidden Knowledge (Pegasus Spiele – review coming soon)Space Station Phoenix (Rio Grande)Rear Window (Funko Games)Batman: Everybody
295 – with Little Big Thumbs, JP Decosse – The Family Gamers Podcast
May 30, 2022
This week we welcome JP Decosse, also known as “Big Papa Thumbs” from Little Big Thumbs. Fact(s) – We have 3 ridiculous Guinness World records this week: The longest jump on a unicycle (295 cm), the most handheld lasers lit simultaneously (295 lasers), and the most people filling in their eyebrows simultaneously (295 people, organized in the shape of two
291 – Beyond Board Games – Strong Songs – The Family Gamers Podcast
May 02, 2022
Our special guest this week is Kirk Hamilton, host of the podcast Strong Songs. What makes a song great? Is it the "thump, pop, and sizzle" of the drum groove, power chords, lush 7ths and 9ths? Kirk uses music theory, history, and isolates patterns to break down songs you've heard before and help you understand WHY they're great.
290 – PAX East 2022 – The Family Gamers Podcast
Apr 25, 2022
week we kick back and talk about what we saw at PAX East 2022! It's the first time the gaming convention is back in Boston after the pandemic cancelled the last two events and it was a ton of fun!
289 – Snowbright Studio with T – The Family Gamers Podcast
Apr 18, 2022
This week we are joined by T. Caires, who is now working with Snowbright Studio, on games like Teatime Adventures and Birds of a Feather: Western North America.
288 – Teaching Board Games – The Family Gamers Podcast
Apr 11, 2022
We get asked, "How do you get your kids to play games with you?" First you have to get them interested, but then you have to teach them the rules and how to play!
287 – Deon Mixon, Design Eye – The Family Gamers Podcast
Apr 04, 2022
This week, we welcome Deon Mixon, creator of a game called Design Eye, a graphic design education board game that is all about creativity - "for people with great ideas".
286 – Play This, Not That, Dexterity Games! – The Family Gamers Podcast
Mar 28, 2022
We answer a listener question about how we got started with reviewing family board games. Then we suggest a few dexterity games to spice up your building and flicking.
284 – Five Fantastic Family Filler Favorites – The Family Gamers Podcast
Mar 14, 2022
We talk about five of our favorite filler games for families - games that will make you think and help your kids learn, but play under 30 minutes and are fairly portable.
279 – Beyond Board Games: The Wood Whisperer – The Family Gamers Podcast
Feb 07, 2022
This week on the show we have Marc Spagnuolo, the Wood Whisperer - he is definitely a nerd as well as being a wood worker. We talk about what we've been playing and how to get kids involved in your hobbies.
272 – PAX Unplugged Recap – The Family Gamers Podcast
Dec 20, 2021
We’re joined by staff writer Corey this week. Andrew and Corey attended PAX Unplugged 2021 and they’re going to tell us about the games (and food!) they experienced there. 272 Fact! The tallest human in recorded history (according to the Guinness World Records), was Robert Wadlow, at 272cm (8ft 11.1in) tall. Thanks as always to First Move Financial for sponsoring
We're not following the regular podcast format this week, but we still have a few things to share: 4 giveaways, a FOR SCIENCE! and what to look for at PAX Unplugged.