# Little Board Gamers


## Posts

- [Who Did it?](https://littleboardgamers.com/who-did-it/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 27 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Who did it?” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). “Who did it?” Is a simple card game that isn’t what it first seems. Each player has an identical deck of 6 pets. The game starts by a player saying “i think someone’s (insert animal) did it”. The other player must then put their matching animal down as fast as possible. They then get to say “my animal didnt do […]
- [Next Station London](https://littleboardgamers.com/next-station-london/): Jack(7) and I had some alone time today so decided to play a “roll and write”. I am a big fan of the genre as is Jack but because Toby(4) still struggles to use a pencil they are difficult to do with him. Therefore game 26 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Next Station London” “Next Station London” is an interesting “roll and write” where you are essentially creating your version of the London Underground Tube Map. You start the game with a coloured pencil. That colour represents the line you are drawing (I would 100% recommend […]
- [Feed Me!](https://littleboardgamers.com/feed-me/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. game 25 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is going to be a solo game which is unusual as they are not that plentiful in the Bailey household. That game is “Feed Me” played by Toby(4). “Feed Me” is a solo puzzle game where you play through levels where there are a number of set-out slopes and your job is to put in more slopes (as per the card) so that when the balls drop they end up […]
- [Catch the Moon](https://littleboardgamers.com/catch-the-moon/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. “Catch the Moon” is a simple dexterity game which starts with a cloud and 3 ladders. You roll the dice and place a new ladder based on your dice roll… You can get… Only touching 1 ladder Touching 2 ladders The new highest point You place the ladder and if anything touches the floor or the cloud you get a raindrop. Once all 7 raindrops have gone least raindrops wins. We love “Catch the Moon” in our house and it’s def […]
- [The Fuzzies](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-fuzzies/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. A quick entry today as there is not a massive amount to say but for game 23 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” we will be looking at “The Fuzzies” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). The Fuzzies is a simple dexterity game that I can very quickly describe as Jenga with pompoms You put the pompom-type “fuzzies” into the cup and then lay them out. you then draw cards giving you colours and you then have […]
- [Wonder Book](https://littleboardgamers.com/wonder-book/): We haven’t had any story-driven games for a while so for the next 2 days we will be looking at 2 story-driven games that are both fairly similar in certain aspects of the execution but also quite different. So for game 21 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” we will be looking at “Wonder Book” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). “Wonder Book” is a story-driven adventure game for 1 – 4 players that sees a group of kids sucked into a magical book and trying to save the land of Oniria from an invasion of the […]
- [What Next?](https://littleboardgamers.com/what-next/): Another story-driven game that is very similar to yesterday’s game. So for game 22 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” we will be looking at “What Next?” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). What Next is a deck-driven story based choose your own adventure style game (try saying that fast after a double JD and coke). The game comes with 3 unrelated stories. We played “Drums of Koala Cave.” You play through the decks and do as it says. Each time you turn a card you rotate the daytime counter. If it ends up at night you […]
- [Pokémon TCG Battle Academy](https://littleboardgamers.com/pokemon-tcg-battle-academy/): For game 20 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” I thought it fitting to not pick just a board game but a juggernaut that has swept the Bailey household over the last few months and that is the “Pokemon Trading Card Game.” Now I am going to be coming at this in a couple of different perspectives. Specifically, I am going to be talking about the “Battle Academy” as well as the game as a whole. Now firstly some background on me. I have dabbled over the last 25 years or so in Magic the Gathering the arbiter […]
- [What's the Smell?](https://littleboardgamers.com/whats-the-smell/): We’ve had a lot of strong games in the last few days so now its time for one that is less so (not that i was necessarily expecting it to be) and that is game 18 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza “What’s that smell” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). “What’s that smell” is a party game where you take turn smelling cards (think 90s “smellovision” and “scratch and sniff”) and trying to guess as close to the smell as possible. The closer you get the better the score you acheive. Its a simple concept and […]
- [In a Flash Firefighters](https://littleboardgamers.com/in-a-flash-firefighters/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Time for something kiddie with game 19 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza “In a Flash Firefighters” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). “In a Flash Firefighters” is a simple “race to get the hose pieces as quickly as possible” game for children. Essentially you simply have to find all of the matching hose pieces so that you can reach the hose to the fire as quickly as possible. Quickest wins. What is nice is that there […]
- [Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy](https://littleboardgamers.com/yummy-yummy-monster-tummy/): In keeping with the pattern i seem to have accidentally started today we are looking at a kid’s game. Now having been “obsessed” (wife’s words not mine) with board games for about 10 years now I have seen most mechanics but today’s game is something I have never seen before and that is game 17 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” which is “Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). Now on the face of it “Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy” looks like a game for young children (the massive 6+ on the box being […]
- [7 Wonders Architects](https://littleboardgamers.com/7-wonders-architects/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Having been left out of most games recently (largely because they often occur when Henry(1) is being put down for a nap Mummy/Katie was very pleased today to join us all for game 16 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” which is “7 Wonders Architects” joined by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). For those of you familiar with the original or duels this is basically a simpler motr party game version of 7 wonders that scales really well up […]
- [Draftosaurus](https://littleboardgamers.com/draftosaurus/): What do you call a dinosaur with one eye?… Do-you-think-he-saurus What do you call a dinosaur with cracks under its doors?… Draft-o-saurus… Anyway having had it on my wishlist for ages (it constantly being out of stock everywhere) and not wanting to crack and get a version with spicy language my FLGS finally came up trumps and as of about a week ago I own a copy of Draftosaurus and today was the first time Jack(7) and I played it as game 15 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza.” Draftosaurus is a drafting game where you place Dinosaur […]
- [A game about counting cats, shapes & colours, that keeps getting trickier](https://littleboardgamers.com/a-game-about-counting-cats-shapes-colours-that-keeps-getting-trickier/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. A fairly quick one this time. game 14 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “A game about counting cats, shapes & colours, that keeps getting trickier” played by myself and Jack(7) & Toby(4). From the same traditionally long titles series as “A game about WEE WHIMSICAL CREATURES and trying to identify them after someone makes noises”, “A game about counting cats’ shapes and colours, that keeps getting trickier” is a fast easy to carry around “budget bag” […]
- [Akropolis](https://littleboardgamers.com/akropolis/): Here in the Bailey family, we love tile-laying games and while Katie(35) says we own enough, for game 13 I couldn’t help myself with the recently released Akropolis played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby (4). Toby is not pictured as he decided he wanted to play the game “just in boxer pants”. Jack is also wearing his Xmas PJs but whatever it’s the summer holidays… Not to be confused with “Agropolis” which I reviewed a few months ago, “Akropolis” is a tile drafting game that I can best describe as the shop system of Century, with laying tiles similar to Calico […]
- [Super Farmer](https://littleboardgamers.com/super-farmer/): In a vague pattern of switching between a kid-orientated game and not, having showcased Warhammer yesterday, game 12 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Super Farmer” played by myself and Toby(4). Unlike most of the games, we feature here, Super Farmer is a classic drafting/engine-building game that originated in Poland during the Nazi occupation in the Second World War. (Matt keep it light I hear you say). Originally called “Hodowla zwierzątek” (“Animal husbandry”) the general concept is each player takes the role of the owner of the animal farm. The main goal is to breed, exchange and […]
- [Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks](https://littleboardgamers.com/space-marine-adventures-rise-of-the-orks/): The boys fancied something a bit more grown-up today so we decided to play a game we haven’t played for a while, so, therefore, game 11 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Space Marine Adventures: Rise of the Orks” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby (4). My usual post like this disclaimer: My kids have grown up playing board games and therefore are very capable. Your mileage may vary and this is largely to document my experience playing this with a 4 and 7-year-old. The Box states 10+. I have also decided to start posting prices and […]
- [Coral Islands (Coral)](https://littleboardgamers.com/coral-islands-coral/): Just Jack(7) and I for today’s game so without further ado game 10 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Coral Islands”… Well actually no it’s “Coral”… let me explain. Coral Islands is a weird box. Essentially there are 2 games in here (“Coral” and “Islands”, by 2 different designers that use mostly the same components. So here we are playing “Coral” (we have yet to play “islands”). The concept of the game sees you drafting dice and then laying them on a grid. you can only lay dice where the face-up number is higher than the one […]
- [Wobble King](https://littleboardgamers.com/wobble-king/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Unlike many of the games I play, today we are actually playing a game designed for kids (crazy times). Therefore game 9 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Wobble King” played by myself and Toby (4). In short Wobble King is dead simple, quite good fun, an unusual take on a dexterity game and can be bought usually for fairly cheap (it’s one of those Haba games in that tell-tale box size that always goes around the […]
- [Coinhole](https://littleboardgamers.com/coinhole/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Having enjoyed some dexterity action yesterday game 7 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Coinhole” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Now let me be honest. I bought Coinhole for 2.99 on MEGA-REDUCTION and I totally understand why. Alarm bells rang when the box broke the first time i opened it. Essentially the game is 2 bits of wood and some plastic coins and you have to bounce the coins into the hole faster than your opponenet… […]
- [Flick of Faith](https://littleboardgamers.com/flick-of-faith/): Game 4 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Flick of Faith” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Flick of Faith is an area control dexterity game where you play the part of a God trying to control the land by flicking wooden disks over a play mat. When you start the phase you all choose a God (that each have special powers) and a match set of discs (I say matching more on that later). The first phase sees you draw a law which adds extra rules or restrictions to the round. These help keep the game […]
- [A Game of Cat and Mouth](https://littleboardgamers.com/a-game-of-cat-and-mouth/): Now that my boys have well and truly fallen back down the “Coraquest” rabbit hole we went for something a bit different today that has been sat unused for ages with Jack having received it for his birthday a few months ago. To be honest I have done a few days of mostly positive reviews and in my mind, this was going to be middling to a negative review (hence it being sat on the shelf for months). Oh, how wrong I was… Game 6 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “A Game of Cat & Mouth” […]
- [Karak](https://littleboardgamers.com/karak/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 3 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Karak” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Karak is a simple family friendly dungeon crawler where as adventurers you set of into the dungeon to defeat the dragon and win the treasure. Unusually for this type of game it is not coop and sees player trying to win gaining the most treasure. You choose a character each with special abilities and then move by laying tiles carcasonne style and […]
- [Key to the Kingdom (2022)](https://littleboardgamers.com/key-to-the-kingdom-2022/): Game 2 of the “Bailey Family Sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Key to the Kingdom” from restoration games played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Now Key to the Kingdom was an old game from the 90s released in the UK at least by Waddingtons a name that screamed family board game in those old-style long boxes in the early 90s. For fun, I have included some comparison shots of the new and old versions as we have both. In Key to the Kingdom, you play adventurers attempting to find pieces of the Key (to the Kingdom) and use them to […]
- [Moonlight Castle](https://littleboardgamers.com/moonlight-castle/): Moonlight Castle has been out for about a year or so in Germany as “Mondschein Helden” but has recently been released in English (well it’s pretty much language independent so it’s been released with Moonlight Castle written on the box and English first in the rulebook). Moonlight Castle is quite an unusual game that reminds me of something such as Splendor or Century Spice Roads crossed with a bit of Dice Forge. Thematically you play as an adorable woodland creature trying to save the gems from being stolen by the evil wizard (I was shocked to see this time around Haba […]
- [Creatures & Cupcakes](https://littleboardgamers.com/creatures-cupcakes/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. “Creatures and Cupcakes” can best be described as a cross between “Quacks of Quedlinburg” and “Zombie Dice” but for kids with more cupcakes. Played by myself and Jack(7) on our recent trip to our local board game cafe “Creatures and Cupcakes” is a push-your-luck game where you each have an animal on all 4 tracks of the board with the goal of getting 2 of your 4 to the middle. You draw cupcakes out of the bag aiming to get as […]
- [Dragon Rapid Fire: The fire crystals](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragon-rapid-fire-the-fire-crystals/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Toby(4) was off sick today so what was going to be a rare term-time day at home for me turned into entertaining a sick (but not that sick) child all day. So off to get some fresh air we went and back we came with “Dragon Rapid Fire the fire crystals”… an odd title that doesn’t really make sense but go with it. Now this game is almost the same as “Unicorn Glitterluck: Cloud Crystals” and comes from a time when […]
- [Hammer Time](https://littleboardgamers.com/hammer-time/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Tonight before bed we decided to play “Hammer Time” for the first time. Both Jack(7) and Toby(4) played but Toby decided he was only going to wear pants and due to obviously safeguarding reasons I have not taken any photos of him… hence lots of closeups of Jack. When you first open the game it holds a small resemblance to a game that should be in the Dragon’s Breath series also produced by Haba. The first thing you do is peel […]
- [Gobblet Gobblers](https://littleboardgamers.com/gobblet-gobblers/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. So it’s been quite a while since I did any reviews and as usual, I get on a roll and start posting stuff, then life happens and suddenly a month has occurred as if from nowhere. Both boys have levelled up (Jack(7) & Toby(4)) and with a handful of games in my sight at the UK Games Expo this weekend time to go through some other stuff we have been playing. First is Gobblet Gobblers a game that is essentially naughts […]
- [Sprawlopolis](https://littleboardgamers.com/sprawlopolis/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 5 of “Games that we have played kinda recently that I should have shared on here but didn’t get round to it because none of my kids ever sleep” is a wallet card game from Button Shy Games “Sprawlopolis” My usual disclaimer: My boys (Jack(6) and Toby(3)) have both been brought up playing games and as such can play games usually beyond their years. The game is reasonably simple and most kids should be able to play even if the […]
- [Great Plains](https://littleboardgamers.com/great-plains/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 3 of “Games that we have played kinda recently that I should have shared on here but didn’t get round to it because none of my kids ever sleep” is 2 player strategy game Great Plains played with Jack (6) as Toby had a doctors appointment and was taken by mummy leaving the two of us with some rare one on one time. My usual disclaimer: My boys (Jack(6) and Toby(3)) have both been brought up playing games and as […]
- [Escape the Curse of the Temple](https://littleboardgamers.com/escape-the-curse-of-the-temple/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. So the concept of Escape the Curse of the Temple sees each player start in the middle of the temple with 2 other rooms and 5 dice each. The general game revolves almost entirely around rolling dice (which my boys love). to move from room to room you have to roll the symbols on the tiles. to lay a new tile you have to roll to walking symbols. As you go through the tiles you will eventually draw the exit tile. […]
- [Pandemic Hot Zone Europe](https://littleboardgamers.com/pandemic-hot-zone-europe/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. if you have played Pandemic then you know what’s going on here. ?The Hot Zone series are essentially smaller and shorter versions of the main game designed to take about 30 mins as opposed to 60-90 as the regular game. This also works extremely well with kids. you randomly choose via cards where the infection starts (represented by cubes) and it becomes a race against time to eliminate the virus before it spreads out of control. you do this by moving […]
- [Junk Art](https://littleboardgamers.com/junk-art/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 3 of the “Bailey family Valentines Halfterm Board game mini-marathon!” is “Junk Art” played by myself Jack(6) and Toby(3) Junk Art is a dexterity stacking game where you have to build sculptures out of 3D shapes to try and meet certain conditions. The game starts with you randomly picking 3 cities for your art exhibition. Each city gives the round a certain rule to meet. Examples of this could be “build the tallest sculpture” or “keep adding until you drop […]
- [Kabuto Sumo](https://littleboardgamers.com/kabuto-sumo/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Another end to another term of schooling for the boys and teaching for me. But that means it’s half term and it’s time to join Jack(6) and Toby(3) for the “Bailey family Valentines Halfterm Board game mini-marathon!” try saying that after a few drinks… Game 1 for this little trip is Kabuto Sumo. The best way to describe the game is a competitive coin pusher with powers. The game can be played in simple or experienced rules (which is great for […]
- [Minecraft: Builders & Biomes](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-builders-biomes/): The last 2 games we played have one thing in common and that is they were way better than I was expecting them to be and both have rocketed up the “Bailey Boardgame Tier Lists of Playdom.” The first of these and Game 13 of the Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition).” is “Minecraft: Builders & Biomes” (a game I had little expectations of but turns out is excellent) played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and myself. My usual disclaimer: My boys have both been brought up playing games and as such can play games usually beyond their years. “Minecraft: Builders & […]
- [Dragon Tower](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragon-tower/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. So we have easily kept up the game playing but it seems Daddy is letting the side down keeping up the “posting on Facebook admin side of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition).” Game 12 is Drachen Turm (Dragon Tower) played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and myself. Drache Turm is a memory matching, tower building, race against the time dexterity game. The game is broken up into 2 phases. You start with the dragon and his rock nearest the building […]
- [Roll for It!](https://littleboardgamers.com/roll-for-it/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Having spent all day in the car driving into central London to buy a new large dining table (I joked with the salesmen to fit the new 15th Anniversary Ticket to Ride On… he wasn’t impressed) we came home and decided to play 2 games on our old table. Therefore Games 13 & 14 of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition)” played by Jack(6), Toby(3), Katie acting as the Ringer for Henry and myself are “Roll for It” and […]
- [Carcassonne](https://littleboardgamers.com/carcasonne/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 11 of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition)” played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and I is actually a game that my wife Katie gave me for xmas and that is Carcassonne. This is the 20th Anniversary edition which I asked for because my 10th Anniversary copy is showing its age. In Carcassonne, you draw a tile and then play it by putting it on the board in a place that matches sides with another tile. You can then lay […]
- [River Dragons](https://littleboardgamers.com/river-dragons/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 7 of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition)” played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and myself as it is one of the biggest disappointments I have had in a long time and that is playing the game “River Dragons”. The first issue is the rule sheet is terrible as we will discuss. The idea is you pick a colour (which if there are 3 of you is forced to red, pink and blue which is insane as the default pink […]
- [Hues and Cues](https://littleboardgamers.com/hues-and-cues/): Game 1 of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition)” played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and myself was Hues and Cues. After you get over the “misspelling” of the word colour throughout the game Hues and Cues is a fairly simple game where you have a massive colour grid in front of you (vaguely resembling the colour picker thing in photoshop) and a track to track your score. You turn over a card and have 4 choices in the card by grid reference. You then pick and colour and then have to try and get the other players to know what […]
- [Flyin' Goblin](https://littleboardgamers.com/flyin-goblin/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 6 of our half term shopping spree is Flyin Goblin. Flying Goblin is a surprisingly complex dexterity game from Iello (parent company of Loki who make group fave SOS Dino). I sat down with Jack(6) and Toby(3) to play this. The general concept is using a seesaw you have to fling your goblins at the castle to either land on platforms, land in rooms or knock over other players totems. You win the game by either being first player to […]
- [Dino World](https://littleboardgamers.com/dino-world/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 5 of my half term spending spree is a slightly smaller game than I have shown in recent days and that is Dino World that I played with Toby(3) during some increasingly rare “alone time with one child”. The rules are simple you each get an identical set of dinosaur cards (bigger Dinosaurs are bigger cards) and you then have to flick Dinosaur cards off the box and cover smaller Dinosaurs in a sort of dexterity top trumps. There is […]
- [Trek 12](https://littleboardgamers.com/trek-12/): Trek 12 is a roll and write based around the idea of climbing a mountain. You start with a mountain with a number of circles. You roll 2 dice and then get an option. You can take the lowest number, the highest number, the difference, the sum or the product. You can never use a number higher than 12 and you can only use each type a set amount of times. You write numbers on the grid and each one must be connected to one already laid. You gain points by linking runs ( eg 6-5-4-3-2-1-0) or making zones of the […]
- [Ghost Blitz](https://littleboardgamers.com/ghost-blitz/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Ghost Blitz is a game that has been out since 2010 in Germany but has only received a full UK version more recently (although its language independent) The concept is simple. There are 5 beautifully made wooden objects. The grey mouse, the white ghost, the blue book, the red chair and the green bottle. You turn over a card and you then have to do 1 of 2 things. If the correct colour and object (eg a red chair) appears on […]
- [My First Stone Age](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-first-stone-age/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. The first of my board game cafe reviews is essentially the game we went to the cafe to play. My First Stone Age has been on my hit list for a while but it is OOP and hard(expensive) to find on the secondary market. (Edit: the European language versions are more readily available). The other day on a walk through the Alleyway lovingly called Jeffrey’s Passage, I looked through the window of the board game café and saw they had it. […]
- [Last Defense!](https://littleboardgamers.com/last-defense/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. After a disappointing play of the the Creepy Cellar expansion for Ghost Fighting Treasure Hunters this evening we are playing the second game that came direct from American Amazon and that is Last Defense. The best way I can describe last defense is kinda “my first pandemic with a time limit”. You pick characters, set out some trapped scientists and hit go. Using an ipad with a 20 minute time limit you navigate the town trying to save scientist’s trapped under […]
- [Team 3](https://littleboardgamers.com/team-3/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Today following a long discussion we never answered the question that has plagued mankind since around 4 in the afternoon when I suggested we play “Team 3” as game 9 in our dexterity marathon and Jack(6) took Umbridge saying it wasn’t a dexterity game… Needless to say we had a lot of fun probably for not the right reasons. After some discussion and bewildering parenting we decided it counted and our game of Team 3 was afoot. Now the general premise […]
- [Blitzkrieg!](https://littleboardgamers.com/blitzkrieg/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. A slight break from the norm as Katie took Toby(3) out for the morning leaving Jack(6) and I to try an older game. My usual disclaimer: My boys have both been brought up playing games and as such can play games usually beyond their years. The game we decided to play was Blitzkrieg! A 2 player fairly abstract WW2 wargame best described at “world war 2 in 20 mins” The idea is this. On the board their are 5 tracks representing […]
- [Circus Puppy](https://littleboardgamers.com/circus-puppy/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Let me introduce Circus Puppy. The concept of Circus Puppy is simple… kinda… well… let me introduce the first problem… the rules are an absolute mess. They are only about the size of a folded piece of A4 but even after several reads I still think we “house ruled” some of it as it a mess. Anyway, I think you choose a set of 6 dogs and then a draw pile of random dogs you maybe draw from (not sure). You […]
- [Go Cuckoo](https://littleboardgamers.com/go-cuckoo/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. The 5th game in our dexterity marathon is Go Cuckoo (or Zum Kuckuck as our German version is named). The premise is simple. Like Tumble Tree you use the tin and spread out the sticks. You then pick up 1 – 3 sticks depending on the colours you draw and place them across the nest. You then have to place one of your eggs ontop. If you drop an egg you take one from another player. First person to lose their […]
- [Drop It](https://littleboardgamers.com/drop-it/): Today was the first day of our dexterity marathon pushing our family’s love/hate relationship with dexterity games. Jack(6) had a play date so it was just Toby(3) today. The game was Drop It! A game I had never played before. The general premise was you drop coloured shapes into a connect 4 style dropper and when they land you do not want matching colours or shapes. Scoring is then done by positioning and whether you touch special Scoring circles. Using the standard rules this game is not easy and I found it one of the hardest dexterity games I personally have […]
- [Tumble Tree](https://littleboardgamers.com/tumble-tree/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Part 2 of our dexterity marathon was the delightful Tumble Tree. A game that as an adult has most in common with messing around with beer mats in the pub. The rules are simple pick a “card” (for the case of this post I will refer to them as cards) and depending on what is on it you must place it on top of the tree in a specific way. Some involve placing half off the edge making the tree ever-larger, […]
- [Point Salad](https://littleboardgamers.com/point-salad/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form reviews in our Facebook Group. It is not up to the usual standard of our more recent reviews but I feel it is important to include it. So Jack(6) decided he didn’t want to go to bed tonight. In the end, I gave up and agreed we could play a quick game before bed. In an effort to fend off his suggestions of Nemesis or Gloomhaven I offered a quick game of Point Salad a game I had never played and had been sat on our […]
- [Sagrada](https://littleboardgamers.com/sagrada/): After a few days of primarily playing child games, today, we played a favourite of mine that I had not tried with Toby(3) before (Jack(6) had played it once before a year or so ago). My Usual Disclaimer: My boys have grown up playing games and as such are usually capable of games beyond their years. Your mileage may vary based on your child’s ability to read, attention span and interest. That game is Sagrada. Sagrada is a dice drafting game based around the idea of making stain glass windows for the Sagrada Familia (my favourite building in the whole world […]
- [Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters](https://littleboardgamers.com/ghost-fightin-treasure-hunters/): Note this is a legacy review and not up to our modern levels of depth Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters (or Geister, Geister, Schatzsuchmeister! as my german version says) is a cooperative Ghost fighting game aimed at kids that works as a decent introduction to dungeon crawlers. I bought this game when I first got into board games many years ago when it won the 2014 Kinderspiel Des Jahres (2014 kids game of the year). At that time I didn’t have kids and vaguely remember playing it. Jack finally questioned why the side of the box was written in “gibberish” (we don’t […]
- [Ice Cool 2](https://littleboardgamers.com/ice-cool-2/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. With the knowledge dexterity games never go well I tentatively decided to give Ice Cool 2 a go having picked it up from a charity shop for £4. Ice Cool won the kinderspiel des jahres back in 2017 (kids game of the year) and it was one of the few I did not own. Ice Cool 2 is essentially the same game with a mirrored set of component so you can join them together to make bigger maps. You get few […]
- [Mariposas](https://littleboardgamers.com/mariposas/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form reviews in our Facebook Group. It is not up to the usual standard of our more recent reviews but I feel it is important to include it. This morning we decided to push ourselves and play a game of Mariposas a game created by award-winning designer Elizabeth Hargrave (maker of the critically acclaimed Wingspan) Let me preface this with the fact my kids have grown up playing games and therefore can usually manage beyond their years. Mariposas tells the true story of the monarch butterflies generationally […]
- [Gravity Superstar](https://littleboardgamers.com/gravity-superstar/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Gravity Superstar is a space themed movement game that I purchased a few years back when the kids were too small and kinda forgot about it. So finally Toby(3) and I decided to give it a go. You lay the board out a set number of tiles depending on player count (although you could happily do more to lengthen the game) and place stars on each of the star squares. You enter the game via a door and now the game […]
- [Socken Zocken](https://littleboardgamers.com/socken-zocken/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. We received Socken Zocken as a Xmas present from a friend who thought I would “enjoy” its gameplay. I have been putting off playing it basically since lockdown started but now the time has/had come. Socken Zocken is part of the Haba “Active Kids” range that aims to meld board games and exercise. The premise is this. You all take a stack of coloured “socks” place the laundry baskets around the room (or in our case the downstairs of our house) […]
- [Stuffed Fables](https://littleboardgamers.com/stuffed-fables/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Toby(3) fell asleep on the way back from the in-laws today so I agreed with Jack(6) that we could play an “older” board game while Toby has a nap (he officially stopped napping a year ago but manages to fall asleep for an hour or so most days). That game is Stuffed Fables a coop adventure game where you play toys of a little girl and your job is to protect her from “things that go bump in the night”. Tonally […]
- [Valley of the Vikings](https://littleboardgamers.com/valley-of-the-vikings/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Continuing our theme of playing games designed for children today we decided to play another 2 Kinderspiel des Jahres (kids board game of the year) winners. First was Valley of the Vikings that won in 2019. Valley of the Vikings involves you setting up barrels and hitting a ball to knock them over. Whichever ones barrel gets knocked over moves down the track and gains or steals coins. The strategy comes from trying to knock the barrels down to move the […]
- [Flamme Rouge](https://littleboardgamers.com/flamme-rouge/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form reviews in our Facebook Group. It is not up to the usual standard of our more recent reviews but I feel it is important to include it. Today we decided to play a game that is a fave of mine at work with my students (I also run a board game club for 13-year-olds). That game was Flamme Rouge (with the peloton expansion). Flamme Rouge is a cycling race game where each turn you choose a card from your deck to denote how many spaces to […]
- [Dragon's Breath](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragons-breath/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. For our pre-bedtime game, we decided to play something actually designed for children for a change. Dragon’s Breath won the “Kinderspiel des Jahres” (kids board game of the year) in 2018 and is a family fave. When you first open the game you think it will be a dexterity game but what it actually is is drafting help your luck game. The idea is there is a number of rings in the middle with all sorts of coloured gems. You all […]
- [Micro Macro: Crime City](https://littleboardgamers.com/4275-2/): Note: This is a short, really early legacy review before I started posting longer form reviews in our Facebook Group. Our second game of the afternoon was equally a quieter affair as we finally decided to sit down with Micro Macro Crime City the winner of this year’s Spiel des Jahres (board game of the year). Micro Macro Crime City is essentially Where’s Wally but with crime-solving and clues to follow. The massive fold-out map shows everything that has and will happen in the story so you can follow a crime from planning to evidence along the way. Jack(6) was totally […]
- [Legacy Reviews Round Up](https://littleboardgamers.com/legacy-reviews-round-up/): If you’ve made it this far, you’ll notice there are around two dozen “reviews” originally posted on the Facebook group that aren’t featured on the site. That’s because these were very short and barely qualified as reviews. However, I still wanted to acknowledge their existence. Here are the games I “reviewed” (and I use that term very loosely): It’s a big list, but those posts were more like quick thoughts than proper reviews! Carcassonne: Over Hill & Dale A slightly easier version of “Carcassonne” that introduces new, child-friendly mechanics like the wander mechanic while removing the farmer/field rules. Played with Toby […]
- [Tummy Ache](https://littleboardgamers.com/tummy-ache/): While returning from our camping trip (more camping games to come, just wanted to mix some good with the bad), we made a stop at the grandparents’ place and delved into their board game collection. After sifting through three copies of Monopoly and a Cluedo set older than me, we stumbled upon… Game 36 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Tummy Ache,” played by Jack (8.) and myself. Now, I’m aware that some people out there enjoy them, but I’m definitely not a fan of Orchard Toys games. They consistently lack substantial gameplay, and every single one […]
- [My First Adventure: Finding the Dragon](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-first-adventure-finding-the-dragon/): My 3yo twins’ most played and favorite “board game” by far is My First Adventure: Finding the Dragon. It’s a choose your own adventure beginner RPG storybook for kids where you get three choices at each page. The pages are cut into thirds so you turn the mini page that corresponds to your choice to read on what happens. There’s a simple item and damage system, and my kids have read it over and over again! I wanted more books in the series, but unfortunately they’re not available in the US. I decided to finally order them from the UK via […]
- [Zuuli](https://littleboardgamers.com/zuuli/): Just returned from camping and have a good number of games to talk about in the coming days, including some outstanding ones (and some bad ones). So, let’s kick things off with something very good… Game 35 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Zuuli,” played by Jack (8.) and myself, while Toby played Patchwork against the computer on the iPad (a highly recommended conversion), and mummy enjoyed a well-deserved nap. Thank you to Anna Shirley for reminding me I bought it when she reviewed it a week to so ago (link to her review at the bottom). […]
- [Dodo](https://littleboardgamers.com/dodo/): A short review of a previous fave this evening as I am not at a computer and having to do this on my phone. I have some big hitters coming up in the next few days though . Game 34 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Dodo” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), Grandad(71) and myself. DODO is basically a match tiles game made super “deluxified” and I am so torn by whether to recommend it or not The concept of DODO is simple. A ball slowly (more on that in a sec) moves down the side […]
- [Block Ness](https://littleboardgamers.com/block-ness/): Game 33 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Block Ness” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), fellow board game member Rebecca Louise and her son James(4). I reviewed “Block Ness” back on Christmas Day 2021 but as we have a lot of new members since then I thought it would be one worth mentioning and going through again as Block Ness is one Toby’s favourites and often one we bring out to show new people. That being said however my opinions of it are not quite as high as it was 18 months ago. “Block Ness” is […]
- [Screwball Scramble 1 & 2](https://littleboardgamers.com/screwball-scramble-1-2/): So the main issue today is I am looking at kinda 2 (potentially even sorta 3) games and I had a lot of internal discussion as to whether this was counted as 1 or multiple games. In the end, as I joined them together and the other we didn’t play a lot and I only got it out to take photos I decided this would be… Game 32 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” features “Screwball Scramble” and “Screwball Scramble Level 2,” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), and myself in a time trial manner. Today, we’re taking […]
- [Dice Fishing Roll and Catch!](https://littleboardgamers.com/dice-fishing-roll-and-catch/): “Dice Fishing Roll and Catch!” is a kind of betting dice-based, social deduction-like game… and it’s brilliant. The rules of the game are fairly simple. Essentially, you set out 10 fish cards face up in the centre of the table. These are the fish that you are all then going to try and catch. Each fish has its point value represented by hooks, a target number you need to reach to catch it, and any specific conditions you need to achieve to catch it, such as two fours. Each player takes all of one-colour dice, which are going to act as […]
- [My Gold Mine](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-gold-mine/): Game 30 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “My Gold Mine,” played by Toby (5) and myself. “My Gold Mine” is a travel-sized push-your-luck game, part of Kosmos’s “Open and Play” range (it already had me on the back foot when the “Open & Play” logo is bigger than the “My Gold Mine” logo on side of the box – a poor design decision). The idea is to try to steal as much treasure from the dragon’s lair. The game consists of three rounds where you are attempting to edge closer to the dragon’s lair to gain […]
- [Coraquest](https://littleboardgamers.com/coraquest/): “Cora Quest” has been mentioned quite a bit recently and often comes up when people ask for recommendations for either cooperative board games or introductory games into the world of dungeon crawlers or RPGs. I have recommended “Cora Quest” multiple times recently but realised that my review of it is over a year old now, and it’s probably worth revisiting as it’s mentioned so often. Therefore, Game 29 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Cora Quest,” played by Toby (5) and myself. “Cora Quest” is a cooperative story-driven tile-laying dungeon crawler created by Dan Hughes and his […]
- [Vegetable Stock](https://littleboardgamers.com/vegetable-stock/): Game 28 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Vegetable Stock,” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Vegetable Stock” (also called “Small Farmer” in some versions) is a fairly simple card game that is essentially a sort of card game version of “Harvest Dice.” You lay out the stock cards that display stock values of 0 to 5, and you randomly add each vegetable, assigning them values from 0 to 4. The game takes place over 6 rounds. In each round, you lay 1 more card than the number of players. Each card has 3 vegetables […]
- [Touch It](https://littleboardgamers.com/touch-it/): Game 27 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Touch It” played by Jack (8.), Toby(5) and myself. “Touch it” is a charming little game that I had to get as soon as I saw it mentioned. Essentially, the idea of the game is that each player is handed a card on which there are four animals drawn in a cartoon style. Without looking, you then have to feel the underside of the card where one of those animals is printed with a raised embossed outline. What you’re essentially trying to do is guess which of the four […]
- [Sink 'N' Sand](https://littleboardgamers.com/sink-n-sand/): Game 26 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is a group favourite that I decided to include, largely because Toby has a friend over for a playdate and really wanted to play it, and that is “Sink ‘N’ Sand” played by Toby(5), Toby’s friend (also 5), and myself. “Sink ‘N’ Sand” was a game that came out of nowhere last Christmas and became the absolute darling of the group. I know a lot of people on here own it, but I thought I would feature it again largely because we have probably gained about a thousand people since […]
- [Rocca Rails](https://littleboardgamers.com/rocca-rails/): Game 25 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Rocca Rails” played by Jack (8.) and myself. “Rocca Rails” is a game from the Japanese games publisher Rocker Spieler where all of the games come on tiny hexagon cards, most of which work using isometric as a means to play and overlap. The concept of “Rocca Rails” is essentially playing a game of Uno (which seems to be fairly common at the moment) where you can only lay pieces if the colour of the track is the right colour for you to be able to lay something in […]
- [ハーベスト (Harvest)](https://littleboardgamers.com/%e3%83%8f%e3%83%bc%e3%83%99%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88-harvest/): As we approach the original goal’s halfway mark and it’s looking quite likely that we will not only beat last year’s record but smash it, we continue the question no one had been asking, which was “What is the best game that I should order from East Asia that is language independent and caused Matt to go down a rabbit hole of Japanese import games?” Therefore, game 24 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “ハーベスト (Harvest)” played by Jack (8.) and myself. “Harvest” is a fairly old Japanese game from 1992 that I had actually heard about […]
- [Mind the Gap](https://littleboardgamers.com/mind-the-gap/): Game 23 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Mind the Gap” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Mind the Gap” is a fun TfL licensed card game that is essentially like Uno, but using UK tube stations instead of numbers and colours. Essentially, you have a hand of cards that you are trying to get rid of, and you do this by laying a matching colour tube line on the pile. You are supposed to say the name of the station as you lay it, which we obviously ignored for Toby as he only has […]
- [Hedgehog Haberdash](https://littleboardgamers.com/hedgehog-haberdash/): Game 21 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Hedgehog Haberdash” played by Henry (2) and myself. The concept is simple. You each take a coloured hedgehog and take turns rolling the dice. 1 leaf = take 1 leaf 2 leaves = take 2 leaves Wind symbol = steal 1 from another player. Each leaf has 2 coloured ends, and you can only take leaves of your colour or you must give them to another player. What, on the surface, seemed like a case of taking leaves out of the bag and putting them where they go, all […]
- [Little Orchard](https://littleboardgamers.com/little-orchard/): Game 20 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “The Little Orchard” played by Jack (8.) and myself. “The Little Orchard” is a fairly simple memory match game that, due to the quality of components, becomes a lot more than the sum of its parts, and Henry really enjoyed playing this. The idea is you lay out all of the flowers and then roll the dice to see which flower you are going to turn over. There are three of each, and on the back, there is either an apple, a crow, or a sleeping animal. If you […]
- [ゆらゆらペンギン (Yura Yura Penguin)](https://littleboardgamers.com/%e3%82%86%e3%82%89%e3%82%86%e3%82%89%e3%83%9a%e3%83%b3%e3%82%ae%e3%83%b3-yura-yura-penguin/): Game 22 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “ゆらゆらペンギン (Yura Yura Penguin)” played by Toby(5) and myself. “ゆらゆらペンギン” / “Yura Yura Penguin” (which roughly translates to Wobble or Swaying Penguin) is a card/dexterity game that can be described as a cross between Uno and Rhino Hero. In a two-player game, you start by making a sea out of all of the cards and then place an iceberg with the starting card (which is made of harder cardboard with a rough surface compared to the shiny thinness of the other cards) and then take 10 cards each from […]
- [Challengers!](https://littleboardgamers.com/challengers/): Game 19 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is the winner of this year’s “Kennerspiel des Jahres” (Connoisseur Board game of the year) – “Challengers!” played by Jack (8.) and myself. Before I start the review, I will say that even though I have only played “Challengers!” here with Jack, I have played it with a group of four, and I have also played it multiple times on “Board Game Arena” with eight players. I will obviously comment here on how the game went with, and how an eight-year-old understood it, but I’ll also draw on my experience […]
- [Monster Splat](https://littleboardgamers.com/monster-splat/): “Monster Splat” is a fairly unusual dexterity game where you are trying to collect monsters to move your player around the board. Essentially, each player gets a sticky monster hand made of a sticky polymer that can be flicked to try and catch monster tiles that are on the table. You spin the spinner, and whichever monster it lands on, all players have to be the first to grab the correct monster. First and foremost, using the flickers is quite good fun, and the boys had a laugh doing this, but the novelty wears out super quickly. The sticky hands get […]
- [Rome in a Day](https://littleboardgamers.com/rome-in-a-day/): Game 17 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Rome in a Day,” played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Rome in a Day” is a hex-based tile-laying game where during the course of the game, you lay coloured hexagonal tiles and place building meeples of matching colours, then score them using what I generally refer to as “Kingdomino” rules, where you multiply the number of coloured hexagons by the number of coloured meeples that are on those tiles or, in this case, on or next to those tiles. Now, that all seems fairly standard for a […]
- [Catstronauts](https://littleboardgamers.com/catstronauts/): Game 16 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Catstronauts” played by Jack (8.), Toby(5) and myself. “Catstronauts” is a new “mint tin” game from Alley Cat Games and is the sequel to “Kitten,” a fun little dexterity game where you have to build towers of kittens as quickly as possible. Another game that is part of this series is “Tinderblox,” a game that I am a big fan of and reviewed all the way back in September 2021, which is an equally small-sized dexterity game. Despite being the sequel to “Kitten,” “Catstronauts” is a little bit unusual […]
- [Zip City](https://littleboardgamers.com/zip-city/): Game 15 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Zip City,” played by Jack (8.). “Zip City” is a “Logi Quest” solo puzzle game where you have to lay pieces of a track onto a grid in order to get coloured marbles from the start to the allotted endpoints. The game is separated into multiple different puzzles, of which there are 40 included. Each puzzle gives you the starting point of the marbles, the required endpoint, and usually, one or two pieces already put in place. You then use a given set of other pieces to guide all […]
- [Kōhaku](https://littleboardgamers.com/kohaku/): Game 12 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Kōhaku,” played by myself and Jack (8.). “Kōhaku” is a tile-laying game where both players are trying to make a pond filled with koi carp and features, arranging them in a grid to score the most points. You start by shuffling the tiles and then distributing the koi and features on the three-by-four board in a checkerboard pattern so that koi are touching diagonally, and features are touching diagonally. When it is your turn, you then need to take both a koi and a feature that are adjacent to […]
- [Splash](https://littleboardgamers.com/splash/): In order to get to the magic “50” before the end of the Summer holidays we are going to need a few days with double posts so here is a quick extra one… Game 13 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Splash!” played by myself and Jack (8.). “Splash!” is a stacking dexterity game that kinda plays like a travel mini version of the game “Junk Art” one of my favourite “big box” dexterity games there is. It is also called “Stack Jack” and “Timber” both with a lumberjack theme rather than a water theme in different […]
- [Castle Climbing Frog](https://littleboardgamers.com/castle-climbing-frog/): Game 14 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Castle Climbing Frog,” played by myself and Jack (8.). “Castle Climbing Frog” is a unique match-two dexterity game that stands apart from anything else I can think of on the market. In this review, I’m going to do things a little differently and start with my recommendation. First and foremost, I don’t think you should rush out to purchase “Castle Climbing Frog.” It normally costs around £30 (although it has come down from the £40 odd it used to be), and the box is absolutely massive. However, I would […]
- [Wormholes](https://littleboardgamers.com/wormholes/): Having had an adventurous morning browsing Amazon.co.jp for unusual Japanese import games, Jack and I went to our local board game cafe, Unplug & Play (https://www.unplugandplay.cafe/), to enjoy a few games. The first one on our list was… Game 11 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Wormholes,” played by myself and Jack (8.). “Wormholes” is a kind of route management, real-time delivery game that plays something like a randomly generated “Ticket to Ride,” where you have to manually travel your routes to deliver passengers. The game starts with you laying out the board, and randomly placing tiles […]
- [My Lil' Everdell](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-lil-everdell/): Game 9 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “My Lil’ Everdell,” played by myself, Jack (8.), and Toby (5). Thanks to Nicola Asker who, following her play the other day, convinced me to give it a go. “My Lil’ Everdell” is a simplified and “younger” version of “Everdell,” a much-loved and highly-rated worker placement game where players try to build communities under the Evertree in the Valley of Everdell. In this version, you play as the kids of the main game characters, who are building an imaginary city, and you need to help by gathering resources. SUPER […]
- [Dobble (McDonald's Edition)](https://littleboardgamers.com/dobble-mcdonalds-edition/): So, after playing a few more complex games over the last few days, today we are going to simplify it down to the core. Therefore, Game 10 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Dobble,” also known as “Spot It” in other countries, played by myself, Jack (8.), and Toby (5). To be clear, my main interest here is actually in the free version of Dobble that the boys got at McDonald’s a few days ago. Every year, McDonald’s normally includes a mini-board game set in their Happy Meals, and in the past, they have done Jenga, Frustration, […]
- [Framework](https://littleboardgamers.com/framework/): Game 8 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Framework,” played by myself, Jack (8.), and Toby (5). “Framework” is an abstract tile-based board game by German designer Uwe Rosenberg. I am a particular fan of Uwe Rosenberg as he has created many tetromino and tile-laying games, a genre I particularly enjoy. One of his games that I have played and liked is called “Nova Luna.” Therefore, I was quite surprised when I opened “Framework,” read the rules, and discovered that it is essentially the same game as “Nova Luna,” with a few different scoring conditions and a […]
- [Nimalia](https://littleboardgamers.com/nimalia/): Game 7 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game Bonanza” is “Nimalia”, played by myself, Jack(8,) and Toby (5). “Nimalia” is a small box tile-laying game that challenges players to construct the best animal reserve on a 6×6 grid. The first task in the game is to establish the rules you will be playing by. Since this is a compact game, all the components, including the scoring system, are presented on cards of the same size. You select one card of each colour and arrange them on the grid as depicted in the picture. This ingenious system ensures that at […]
- [Snail Sprint](https://littleboardgamers.com/snail-sprint/): Game 6 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game Bonanza” is “Snail Sprint”, played by myself, Henry(2) and Toby (5). I posted about Snail Sprint before in 2021 with a 3-year-old Toby (pic below), but I thought it was due for a refresh. Firstly some pointers when trying to get a just-turned 2-year-old to play games… 1) A dice try is an absolute must2) for some reason Henry was happy for me to roll the dice but less keen for Toby to do it so sometimes Henry rolled Toby’s turn for him but Toby still decided which piece to move.3) […]
- [Subway Squeeze](https://littleboardgamers.com/subway-squeeze/): Game 5 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game Bonanza” is “Subway Squeeze”, played by myself, Jack (_8) and Toby (5). So Subway Squeeze is a Tetronimo tile laying game that has had a bit of attention recently largely because it has been ultra-reduced in lots of places. OFC I bought my copy at £15 a month or so ago but now it’s down to the price of 2 coffees. If you like “Isle of Cats” then there is a lot to like here and it’s actually got some good ideas that make it worth it even if you do […]
- [Peruke](https://littleboardgamers.com/peruke/): Game 4 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game Bonanza” is “Peruke”, played by myself, Jack (_8), Toby (5) and Dennis Bailey (my dad) (71). “Game A of the “Playing with a Grandparent subset.”” Firstly this was the first time we had invited any of the grandparents to a boardgame session. We also played “Dodo” and regular marathon heavy lifter “Isle of Cats” which I will cover as well later. Now I actually mentioned Peruke very briefly in my UKGE roundup a few weeks ago but here is a better more in-depth version of that review. Peruke is an enjoyable […]
- [Rollercoaster Rush](https://littleboardgamers.com/rollercoaster-rush/): Game 3 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game Bonanza” is “Roller Coaster Rush”, played by myself, Katie, Jack (_8), and Toby (5). After 2 solid games in a row, it was inevitable we were going to have one that doesn’t quite hit all (or any) of the right notes and sadly this is that game. So the general idea of the game is to build a rollercoaster and then roll your marble down it and try and get it as far around your roller coaster as possible. So you start the game by randomly getting 4-6 (depending on player […]
- [Stomp the Plank](https://littleboardgamers.com/stomp-the-plank/): Game 2 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game bonanza” is “Stomp the Plank”, played by myself, Katie, Jack (_8), and Toby (5). On the surface “Stomp the Plank” is a simple push-your-luck game but in reality, this is a mechanic I really like boiled down to its purest form and it’s brilliant. So essentially you set up the magnetic planks with the elephants and on your turn you have to steal treasure from the captain by turning over cards. For every treasure stolen a wooden disc goes on the end of every other player’s plank. The catch is that […]
- [My Shelfie](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-shelfie/): Game 1 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board game bonanza” is “My Shelfie,” played by myself, Jack (_8), and Toby (5). “My Shelfie” is a fairly simple game for 3-4 players where you have to arrange coloured items on your “Kallax” style bookshelf. At the beginning of the game, each player receives a card that reveals their designated colours for placement on their shelves. These colours must be arranged strategically to accumulate points. Additionally, there are shared objectives that grant extra points if completed before other players. Points can also be earned by having adjacent shelves with three or more […]
- [Pixel - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/pixel/): A fairly quick one today. Game 7 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “Pixel” (not to be confused by the sliding game released in 2007). Now pixel is essentially a deck of photocards used to generate stories or play other games similar to what you might do with “Rory’s Story Cubes” Apart from just using them to tell a story the “game” works by picking a word such as “cat” and then drawing 3 cards and then trying to think of words beginning with the letter of the word that matches the picture. That’s kinda […]
- [A Fistful of Daisies - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/a-fistful-of-daisies/): Game 6 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “A Fistful of Daisies” A Fistful of Daisies is a fairly simple game that surprisingly we actually really enjoyed. So firstly you construct the box by placing the fold-out board around the box itself which is super cool and a great use of components. you each select a cow and matching coloured components and you are good to go. The idea is to move around the board eating flowers of the square you land on or collecting clover that can be used to swap for flowers with […]
- [Rainbow Friends - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/rainbow-friends/): Game 5 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “Rainbow Friends” Rainbow Friends is an unusual gem-collecting game from Haba that was definitely on the list of games I wanted to try at the UKGE this year. The game is pretty simple. The idea is that you start the game by making the board and then laying a gem in each of the spaces. You then on your turn roll the dice and add gems to the spaces of those colours and then pick a short medium or long rainbow to move to a space of […]
- [Thrufour - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/thrufour/): Game 4 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “thrufour” Now let’s get something out of the way. I wasn’t overly impressed by this but the whole demo of the game left both myself and Jack with a slightly sour taste. So on the unfathomable off chance the guy who demoed us thrufour is in this group here is some honest feedback. thrufour (no capital) is a shape-sorting tetromino puzzle game where you have to make a 4×4 grid of shapes in 5 layers but leave holes blank. So for example the first puzzle tasks you […]
- [Lost Seas - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/lost-seas/): Game 3 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “Lost Seas” “Lost Seas” is a grid based tile arrangement game from Blue Orange that turned into one of my surprises of the show. You start the game by laying out rule tiles to form the titles on the X and Y axis (think Excel) on a blank 4X4 grid. These can be things such as: Exactly 11 objects Points per sets of 3 different objects No Octopi present More rocks than whirlpools You then take turns drawing Carcassonne sized tiles from a pile and trying to […]
- [Kugo - UKGE 23](https://littleboardgamers.com/kugo-ukge-23/): Jack(8.) was pretty tired this morning I think yesterday really took it out of him. Without further ado Game 2 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “Kugo” Kugo is less of a game and more of a selection of blocks and tokens that you can use to make your own dexterity games. Setup for us to try was… Ten-pin bowling-style game flick the dusk into the hole up a ramp Flick off a wall and try and get close to the target. It was kinda cool but both Jack and I were left with the […]
- [Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Waterdeep](https://littleboardgamers.com/dungeon-scrawlers-heroes-of-waterdeep/): Having had a fantastic day at the UKGE yesterday I return having played a tonne of games to write about. So Game 1 of the “Games that Jack(8.) and I played at the UKGE” is “Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Waterdeep” “Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Waterdeep” is the sequel to the original “Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Undermountain” that I reviewed back in December of last year (link at the bottom of the post for ease of access). Essentially though “Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Waterdeep” is a real-time maze game. you draw a line through the maze as quickly as possible having to […]
- [Dorf Romantik](https://littleboardgamers.com/dorf-romantik/): Game 2 of the “Let’s Play Spiel des Jahres winners and nominees leading up to the UK Board Game Expo mini-marathon.” is the game I think will most likely win this year’s “Spiel des Jahres” and that is “Dorf Romantik: The Board Game” played by Jack(8.), Toby(5) ad myself. Now “Dorf Romantik” is an interesting property to start with. Originally released back in March 2021 as a video game that was kinda intended to be a video game version of Carcassonne. This is now the board game version of that video game that was trying to be a board game. “Dorf […]
- [Carla Caramel](https://littleboardgamers.com/carla-caramel/): So having had a quiet month as far as board games go due to Jack(7) and Toby(4) now becoming Jack(8.) and Toby(5) we start for the first time in quite a few months a… “Let’s play Spiel des Jahres winners and nominees leading up to the UK Board Game Expo mini-marathon.” Game 1 is a game that has been nominated for this year’s “Kinderspiel des Jahres” and that is Carla Caramel a cooperative light strategy game marketed as being suitable for kids 4+. The premise of the game is simple. You have 5 children all wanting ice cream and 6 possible […]
- [Dice Flick](https://littleboardgamers.com/dice-flick/): Dice Flick was played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby (4) and Elmy Bear (with Toby acting as his ringer). To be fair this review isn’t going to be super long but longer than 2 lines. Dice Flick is a fairly simple dice-based dexterity game where on your turn you take 2 dice from a blind bag and try and flick them into a grid. If they go into the gutter you lose the dice. When they land in the grid you score if you have 3 or more dice of matching colours next to each other (white are wild). There are […]
- [Ganz schön clever Kids](https://littleboardgamers.com/ganz-schon-clever-kids/): Game 4 of 4 of the “Bailey Boys penultimate day of the Easter holidays let’s cram it all into 1-day mini Marathon” was “Ganz schön clever Kids” a kids version of “Ganz schön clever a roll ‘n’ write from Wolfgang Warsch played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Ganz schön clever Kids (German for “That’s Pretty Clever”) features gameplay similar to Ganz schön clever, with one player rolling dice on their turn, then choosing what they want while everyone else gets something from what’s left behind. On your turn, roll the five dice. The faces of these dice have a yellow, red, […]
- [Block Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/block-party/): Game 3 of 4 of the “Bailey Boys penultimate day of the Easter holidays let’s cram it all into 1-day mini marathon” was “Block Party” an “imagine Pictionary but with little wooden blocks” party game. Played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). The premise of the game is simple… it’s Pictionary but rather than draw the word you have to use different colour blocks to make it. There are two types of games in the box. One where everyone plays against everyone and you have to try and guess what people have made to earn points for them and you and one […]
- [Heckmeck Deluxe](https://littleboardgamers.com/heckmeck-deluxe/): Game 2 of 4 of the “Bailey Boys penultimate day of the Easter holidays let’s cram it all into 1-day mini marathon” is HeckMeck (also called Pickomino) a “push-your-luck” dice game. Played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). HeckMeck contains 16 dominoes numbered 21 to 34 with increasing amounts of worms on them valued from 1 to 4, and 8 dice numbers 1-5 and a picture of a worm on the sixth side (also worth 5). The winner is the player who collected the most worms on their dominoes at the end of the game. Set up by placing all dominoes number/worm […]
- [Gelatinous](https://littleboardgamers.com/gelatinous/): Finally managed to get the boys together today for a little game session and we managed to try out 4 brand-new games. So sadly even though I have not managed to do a proper marathon this year let’s go with… So game 1 of 4 of the “Bailey Boys penultimate day of the easter holidays let’s cram it all into 1-day mini marathon” is Gelatinous a dice game from Steve Jackson games. Played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Steve Jackson games. 13 odd years ago when I first started getting […]
- [Spy Code Operation Escape Room](https://littleboardgamers.com/spy-code-operation-escape-room/): So Katie is taking the boys to her parent’s house in France for a week over Easter and I am being left to do several jobs around the house. This also means again sadly no holiday marathon from me but I promise I will get back to more regular posting soon (I am hoping to finally set up that website to archive all of my old posts whilst everyone is away) Either way because of this we had Easter this Sunday rather than next Sunday. Why is this being posted here you ask? Well in the Bailey household, the Easter Bunny […]
- [Sniper Elite](https://littleboardgamers.com/sniper-elite/): So now that Henry(1) has reached the giddy heights of one-and-a-half it seems that unlike Jack(7) and Toby(4) at the same age he is an absolute monster and requires almost 24/7 supervision. This has meant the amount of board game playing in the house has reduced a little recently as we all try to adjust to having a mini Tasmanian Devil in our lives stomping about and climbing the walls (quite literally). I think an over 50-game Summer Marathon this year is going to be an even bigger challenge than expected. This weekend though Jack and I got some time alone […]
- [Minecraft Portal Dash](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-portal-dash/): Finally having sat on our shelf since before Xmas it’s time to get around to playing “Minecraft Portal Dash” played this afternoon by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). The Minecraft games have always been relatively well received in our house. Both of the boys are fans of the games and the board game adaptions have all been pretty good (especially builders and biomes that game is way better than it has any right to be as a licensed game). This afternoon we found ourselves with an hour or so to spare so decided to get it out and have a go. Unlike […]
- [Disney Mickey and the Beanstalk](https://littleboardgamers.com/disney-mickey-and-the-beanstalk/): A few days ago my kids (4yo twins) and I played Disney Mickey and the Beanstalk by the rules for the first time! My kids had played with the components before, but we finally played by the rules and then one of my kids wanted to play again right away (but we ended up playing the next day since we didn’t have time). Gameplay It’s a cooperative game where you’re getting food and the harp from the Giant’s area and bringing it back down the beanstalk to the village. You’re going up the beanstalk, picking up food, and bringing it back down. You […]
- [Harvest Dice](https://littleboardgamers.com/harvest-dice/): Tonight we managed to get Henry(1) to bed early so decided to have a game of one of the Bailey family’s favourite ” roll n writes” “Harvest Dice” played by myself, Katie, Jack(7) and Toby(4). The game is fairly simple. Each player has a sheet of paper with a 6-column and 3-row grid on it. These columns are denoted by numbers 1 to 6. There are 3 of each dice (green for lettuce, red for tomatoes and orange for carrots) and on your turn, you roll the dice and then you take a dice and have to draw the thing you […]
- [Connect 4 Blast](https://littleboardgamers.com/connect-4-blast/): My next step in my scary wade into “mainstream stuff you can buy in a toyshop” comes from “Connect 4 Blast” which Jack(7) received for Xmas but we have only just unboxed it. Played with Toby(4). So the general idea is that you fill all of the connect 4 spaces with blue discs and then “randomly” (which is basically impossible unless you literally close your eyes while doing it) put the yellow and red discs in the top. (we went on to house rule a variant where the player takes turns to fill the game with their colour discs. You then […]
- [Bugs in the Kitchen](https://littleboardgamers.com/bugs-in-the-kitchen/): Quick one tonight As part of my newfound acceptance of games that are on sale in mainstream toyshops, I attempt to find more of them this time looking at “Bugs in the Kitchen” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4) “Bugs in the Kitchen” is a fairly simple game where you play on a grid separated by different cutlery. The game starts with a Hexbug (a little bug that moves around randomly) in the centre and the idea is that you roll a dice and then rotate one of the pieces of cutlery in an attempt to get the bug to end […]
- [Ghost Adventures](https://littleboardgamers.com/ghost-adventures/): The final game Toby(4) and I played while at my work was the spinning top-based dexterity game Ghost Adventure. Essentially “Ghost Adventure” is a game where you have to spin a top and then navigate them around a 3D board collecting resources and along grooves. The game comes with 8 different boards that you must navigate through and you can play in one of 2 ways. You can either play individual missions or follow through a comic book that guides you through the adventure. The comic book while cool doesn’t have any writing in it so actually follows the story of […]
- [Kluster](https://littleboardgamers.com/kluster/): Super quick one tonight of another game Toby(4) and I played while at Daddy’s work (I have one more in this “set” that wasn’t a hit I will put up tonight or tomorrow) and that is “Kluster.” I have done “Kluster” before so sorry if you read my thoughts on it last year. Kluster is simple, you each get a pile of super-strong magnets. You lay out the loop and then taking turns have to lay the magnets in the loop without attracting any others. If a magnet attracts another (or 5 if you are unlucky) you keep those and play […]
- [Catapult Feud](https://littleboardgamers.com/catapult-feud/): So Jack(7) had a playdate and unfortunately during Jack’s playdates Toby(4) likes to get overly involved and a bit in the way (bless him) so, therefore, it made sense that I took Toby out for a fun day of ice cream and games at Daddy’s work As it turns out the corridor between the history and economic departments is pretty good for playing “Catapult Feud” an action dexterity game by Vesuvius Media. In its most basic form, this is that game we all used to play when we were kids where we would line up armies and roll marbles or throw […]
- [Dice Forge](https://littleboardgamers.com/dice-forge/): Game 7 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is “Dice Forge” played by myself and Jack(7) late one evening after everyone else is in bed. Dice Forge is one of Jack’s favourite games but Toby finds it a little bit too complex so it only comes out on rare “just us” occasions. “Dice Forge” is a resource gathering “dice building” game with a unique mechanic where you can buy new dice faces from the shop that go onto your customisable dice. It’s a super cool mechanic that works really well. […]
- [Kingdomino Origins](https://littleboardgamers.com/kingdomino-origins/): Game 8 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is “King Domino Origins” played by myself and Jack(7) late one evening after everyone else is in bed (the same night we played Dice Forge). Kingdomino Origins is the most recent in the Kingdomino Series (including Dragomino) My Previous Kingdomino series posts (Including a super young just turned 3 Toby) can be found linked at the bottom (Albeit they are OLD so not up to my more recent levels of detail and quality)… There are way better posts on here especially regarding […]
- [Minecraft the Card Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-the-card-game/): Game 5 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is “Minecraft Card Game?” (no idea why there is a question mark in the title but whatever) played by myself, Katie, Jack(7) and Toby(4). “Background washing watch interlude”: Obviously a “dark” wash has just occurred… possibly a “delicates dark wash”. You can also see the new knife block we got for xmas (isn’t being an adult amazing?)… exciting stuff… Minecraft games have always been popular in our house and luckily they are all so far pretty good (still have Portal Dash sitting […]
- [Fairy Tale Inn](https://littleboardgamers.com/fairy-tale-inn/): Now that the dust has settled and at least 2 out of the 4 boxes of mince pies have been cleared it’s time for another review (have played quite a few games just need to actually write the posts). Game 4 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is “Fairy Tale Inn” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). The simple way to describe “Fairy Tale Inn” is “Connect 4 with Powers”. For some of you, this has already made up your mind if this is for you. Also, I must stress […]
- [King of Monster Island](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-monster-island/): Game 2 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is the game we went out to buy when we bought “5er Finden” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4) and that is “King of Monster Island.” Now “King of Monster Island” is the newest release in the “King of Tokyo” franchise. Now firstly I am not a massive fan of “King of Tokyo” but as this is a cooperative game and I had heard a few things about it I decided to take the plunge and give it a go. Let’s get […]
- [5er Finden](https://littleboardgamers.com/5er-finden/): Game 1 of the “Bailey House Mini Xmas, not quite a marathon but let’s see how we go, Boardgameranza” is “5er Finden” played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). “5er Finden” is a “Roll ‘n’ Write” made by Haba but oddly not in one of their usual Yellow boxes. The game is simple but absolute heaps of fun and has quickly shot to the top of the games we are planning to take away for our first “Family Board Game week” (that’s what I am calling it but I think it is more commonly known as “our trip to Wales”) in February. […]
- [Cubitos](https://littleboardgamers.com/cubitos/): After a few fairly lightweight games we decided to go a bit more “hardcore” for Game 4 of the “Bailey School Holiday Boardgame Marathon (Christmas Edition)” played by Jack(6), Toby(3) and myself which was “push your luck”, dice rolling, race game Cubitos. My usual disclaimer: My boys have both been brought up playing games and as such can play games usually beyond their years. Cubitos is stated as 14+ (although clearly, younger kids can play this) but it is definitely not a kids game. After the initial discussion and disappointment that Cubitos is not a Spongebob Squarepants themed game I set […]
- [Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Undermountain](https://littleboardgamers.com/dungeon-scrawlers-heroes-of-undermountain/): This evening Jack(7) and I played “Dungeon Scrawlers.” Firstly I have some questions about yourself and your kids… 1) Do you like games that can be played in real-time? 2) Do you like roll n writes? Mainly the writing part? 3) Do you like mazes? like the type, you got in kids’ puzzle books? 4) are you trustworthy? If you answered yes to all or at least most of these then “Dungeon Scrawlers” may be the game for you. Essentially “Dungeon Scrawlers” is a real-time maze game. you both draw a line through the maze as quickly as possible having to […]
- [Knuckling Knights](https://littleboardgamers.com/knuckling-knights/): So last night I found myself with some rare time alone with Toby(4) so I was told to celebrate that he should be allowed to stay up late… So “Knuckling Knights” was played by me and Toby. “Knuckling Knights” is a pretty simple “game”. Essentially you build the tower (which is very cool and well made) you then roll dice which denotes how many knights go into a “Royal Rumble” in the castle. When eventually you roll a shield (or one person is out of knights which seem to happen more than we actually rolled shields) you then pull out the […]
- [Project L](https://littleboardgamers.com/project-l/): Thank you to everyone for all of the kind words about Henry(1)’s trip to the hospital on Saturday. You will be pleased to know he is now home and relatively well having spent a decent chunk of the last few days being cuddled and sitting in bed with me watching Cocomelon… so much… Cocomelon. (Have included a smiley photo of him saying hi to everyone). Now the second game we played on that faithful Saturday was “Project L” a tile-laying, engine-building marketplace kinda game. Played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4) The rules of “Project L” are relatively simple. You start with […]
- [Honk!](https://littleboardgamers.com/honk/): I hope we are not the only family where everyone seems to be constantly ill from October to March. I think we have been to the GP 3 times this week to get stuff for ear infections, sudden atopic eczema, and conjunctivitis. Anyway, we got Henry(1) to bed early and in a rare moment of family time the remaining 4 of us (Katie, Toby(4), Jack(7) and myself) played “Honk!” Full Disclosure: A copy of the game was provided for free by the publisher for the purpose of review. Our thoughts and opinions are however our own. (the kids couldn’t give a […]
- [Quacks & Co. Quedlinburg Dash](https://littleboardgamers.com/quacks-co-quedlinburg-dash/): The first game we played today was “Quacks & Co. Quedlinburg Dash” essentially a younger version of Bailey house favourite “The Quacks of Quedlinburg.” The general premise is that you are racing to get to Quedlinburg on the back of various animals. You start the game by filling your bag (that you are NEVER allowed to look into (more on that later) with some food tokens and some dream weed tokens. You then take turns drawing tokens out of the bag (a big change from the adult game where turns happen simultaneously). If you draw a food token you move forward […]
- [Rhino Hero Missing Match](https://littleboardgamers.com/rhino-hero-missing-match/): It is rare that I never really get to the stage where I actually get to take the photographs for these reviews. But that was the case with “Rhino Hero MIssing Match” that was played (initially) by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). Generally speaking we are massive Haba fans in this house and the Rhino Hero games are both top recommendations from me (specifically the original) and going into this we had hoped for the same level of quality. Alarm bells started ringing when it was on sale for £4 only a few months after release (but I picked it up anyway… […]
- [Magic Mountain](https://littleboardgamers.com/magic-mountain/): So we have had a string of pretty mediocre games… Let’s FINALLY play something decent… I introduce to you (played by myself, Jack(7) and Toby(3)… “Magic Mountain.” “Magic Mountain” is a cooperative, strategic, marble racing, pachinko sorta game. There is absolutely no reading involved so you could conceivably play this with anyone old enough to not choke on a marble. It won this year’s “kinderspiel des jahres 2022” (which is obvious by the awful unpeelable sticker stuck on the version currently available in the UK’s box) The general concept is you need to get your 6 wizard’s apprentices down to the […]
- [Kuzooka](https://littleboardgamers.com/kuzooka/): So we havn’t had the most succesful bunch of games recently and thank your wallets this isnt going to be much different. “Kuzooka” is a cooperative push your luck bidding game where you are escaping a zoo that I have been looking forward to and picked up when it hit retail a few weeks ago. The idea is, as a team, draw a selection of coloured cards in each of your hands. Without talking you then have to bid how many of one particular colour you think there is in total across everyone’s hands. When a play has pushed the betting […]
- [Dungeon Mayhem](https://littleboardgamers.com/dungeon-mayhem/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. As we approach half term the boys are excited to get back to playing some games Dungeon Mayhem is a fairly simple card game set in the D&D world. You each choose a deck that has the same basic ability across your cards (attack, shield, heal, extra card draw, extra card play) as well as some character specific abilities. You start with 3 cards and on your turn you draw a card, and play a card against whoever you choose (or […]
- [Run Run Run!](https://littleboardgamers.com/run-run-run/): So our half-term basically fell apart. Toby(4) got some sort of gut infection which we are still trying to sort and Henry(1) suddenly got an ear infection that caused his eardrum to burst… I then got ill and was in bed with flu for 2 days and then found out I need to have my gallbladder removed in the next month or so… end of vent… Needless to say the supposed “Half term marathon” kinda didn’t happen… Anyway I have a few games that we did play and then never got posted before it all “kicked off” so now that things […]
- [Wunder Kessel](https://littleboardgamers.com/wunder-kessel/): Game 2 of our “October Half-term Mini Marathon”. is “Wunder Kessel” (Magic Cauldron) played by Jack(7), Toby(4) and myself. Wunder Kessel is a Haba game that has flown under the radar and I only purchased it when it was on sale at Meeples Corner. Essentially the game is a tile-matching game where a potion ingredient is selected and you have to try and find that ingredient in a grid of ingredients. You then move 3 spaces and gain a coin for a perfect match, 2 spaces for a matching icon and 1 for a matching colour. Every time you rotate the […]
- [Pengo Jump](https://littleboardgamers.com/pengo-jump/): game 1 of our “October Half-term Mini Marathon”. is “Pengo Jump” played by Jack(7), Toby(4) and myself. It is a fairly simple dexterity game but one with a fair amount of strategy. The game starts with all of the penguins on islands on the far side. You then take an iceberg out of the bag and slide it on the water. You then can move a penguin onto another iceberg if it is touching with the idea to move the penguins forwards before the icebergs fall off of the edge (and the penguins). You win the game by getting all of […]
- [Karuba](https://littleboardgamers.com/karuba/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 3 of my half term shopping spree is Karuba. I played the game with Jack(6) but I reckon Toby(3) could have happily followed the rules if not totally got tactics. Karuba is a game that sits in that odd section of non-kids games that Haba produces. I have been recommended it many times and finally took the plunge this week. You each get an identical grid and agree to layout the people and temples again identically. One player acts as […]
- [Hive](https://littleboardgamers.com/hive/): Several weeks ago I went camping with Jack(7) and we played a few board games. My original plan was to feature these games in a “mini marathon” but sadly i did the first one and then the reality of camping in the cold with a 7-year-old hit and I didn’t post the other 3 (yes I know I said 2 yesterday but it was so cold on that trip I forgot we played 4 games until I just looked at the photos). Anyways ahead of Half Term (which starts once I’ve written this) I thought i would tie up loose ends. […]
- [The Mind](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-mind/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Several weeks ago I went camping with Jack(7) and we played a few board games. My original plan was to feature these games in a “mini marathon” but sadly i did the first one and then the reality of camping in the cold with a 7-year-old hit and I didn’t post the other 3 (yes I know I said 2 yesterday but it was so cold on that trip I forgot we played 4 games until I just looked at the […]
- [Railroad Ink](https://littleboardgamers.com/railroad-ink/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Several weeks ago I went camping with Jack(7) and we played a few board games. My original plan was to feature these games in a “mini marathon” but sadly i did the first one and then the reality of camping in the cold with a 7 year old hit and I didn’t post the other 2. Anyways ahead of Half Term I thought i would tie up loose ends. So a very belated Game 2 of my “mini camping marathon from […]
- [Moonbots](https://littleboardgamers.com/moonbots/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. My first day back at work today and alas the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” has to come to an end. While we did not play a game today here is the second quick review of a game we played over the Summer but for whatever reason, I did include them in my posts (but still count as we played them) Game 45 (and the last game) of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Moon-Bots” played […]
- [Mancala](https://littleboardgamers.com/mancala/): My first day back at work today and alas the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” has to come to an end. While we did not play a game today here is the first of 2 quick reviews of a handful of games we played over the Summer but for whatever reason, I did include them in my posts (but still count as we played them) Game 44 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Mancala” played by myself and Jack(7) Mancala is an abstract strategy game dating back to To set up, place four “stones” in […]
- [Escape the Dark Castle](https://littleboardgamers.com/escape-the-dark-castle/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. As we approach the end of Summer (and a board game marathon record comfortably broken) Jack(7) and I sit down to play Game 43 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” “Escape the Dark Castle.” “Escape the Dark Castle” is a cooperative adventure game where you work your way through a 17-card deck, fighting monsters and gaining treasure… to help you fight those monsters. The way combat works is simple. You choose a character (Jack and I have custom-made […]
- [Lego Heroica: Waldurk](https://littleboardgamers.com/lego-heroica-waldurk/): The boys love Lego as much as they love board games so I knew this Summer we had to squeeze in a Lego game so Game 42 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Lego Heroica: Waldurk” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). Now the Lego Heroica series actually comprises of 6 games (4 originally then they released a super rare 5th and rarererer 6th one) and these can all be joined together to make larger maps. The game in itself is a simple dungeon crawler where you roll very cool lego dice to more space and fight […]
- [Gobblers Family Mix](https://littleboardgamers.com/gobblers-family-mix/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 41 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Gobbler Family Mix” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). Now the Gobbler sub-brand forms a group of games the Naught and Crosses one I reviewed a few months ago and is excellent. “Gobbler Family Mix” is essentially very similar to Ghost blitz (a popular game in this group). You start by taking turns hiding the 3 ghosts inside each other Russian Dolls style. You then draw a card. which […]
- [The Muddles](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-muddles/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Game 40 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “The Muddles” a simple but delightful card game played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). Essentially you put a selection of “Muddles”(animals that are a mic of 2 other animals) in the middle of the table and then you take 3 animal cards. What you are looking to do is trade 2 animals in to take a muddle. The rarer the muddle the more points it’s worth. eg Frog and […]
- [Clouds](https://littleboardgamers.com/clouds/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. Well, I might have found my least favourite game of the Summer so far… game 38 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Clouds” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). I have a few Blue Orange games that come in this box size and generally, they are pretty decent. But Clouds is… well… not one of those. Clouds is made up of lots of cloud tiles cut in half all of which are shaped like everyday things. There […]
- [Dragon's Cave](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragons-cave/): After the crushing disappointment of “Clouds,” we wanted something better so based on absolute “guesswork of quality” we went with game 39 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” which is “Dragon’s Cave” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). Dragon’s Cave is a fairly simple little bluffing game that we all found fun and ended up playing a few games of. You each choose a miner and get a set of each of the cards representing spaces in the game, plus a treasure chest. You move by secretly picking a colour card that corresponds to the next square you […]
- [Cobra Paw](https://littleboardgamers.com/cobra-paw/): We were busy today so had to squeeze in a quickie and that was game 37 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Cobra Paw” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4). I generally do not play reaction games with the boys as I always win and Toby always comes last but both boys have improved recently so I thought let’s give it another go. You place all the pieces in the middle. players take turns rolling the dice (which feature six unique symbols) and then race to grab the tile with the matching pattern before anyone else. Whoever […]
- [Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones](https://littleboardgamers.com/kids-chronicles-quest-for-the-moon-stones/): As we reach the home stretch and are comfortably going to be last year’s record of 39, the boys were in the mood for an adventure today so game 36 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones ” played by myself Jack(7) and Toby(4) Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones is a cooperative family board game that mixes a board game and app much like “Yummy Yummy Monster Tummy” I reviewed a few weeks ago (also from Lucky Duck Kids). You play as a group of kids, as magician’s apprentices, […]
- [Piñata Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/pinata-party/): After the amazing impulse purchase of canvas game 34 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is a game I also bought at the same time as an impulse buy which is “Pinata Party”. Firstly there are no Pinatas in Pinata Party. The game is essentially a “Candy Crush” style board game. You lay the board out (which is a challenge in itself as you build the score track around the edge as a jigsaw) and then lay out the sweets on the grid. You then choose a scoring card and 2 movement cards. These movement cards denote on […]
- [Minecraft: Heroes of the Village](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-heroes-of-the-village/): Minecraft is big in the Bailey household and the boys were very excited when the new Minecraft game “Minecraft: Heroes of the Village” dropped on the doorstep so we (myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4)) played it as game 35 of the “Bailey Sorts Summer Board Game Bonanza.” Having reviewed the previous game “Minecraft: Builders and Biomes” just after Christmas and thoroughly enjoying it (check it out even as an adult it has way better than it has any right to be) I was super looking forward to this as were the boys. The game is essentially a CoOp strategy game similar to […]
- [Isle of Cats](https://littleboardgamers.com/isle-of-cats/): Having played the “roll n write” on holiday Toby(4) was desperate to play some of the normal version today while Jack was off getting school uniform sorted and we were also baby (Henry(1)) free. So game 32 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is none other than “Isle of Cats”. We recently also bought the boat and late arrivals expansion which are not used here but will get played at some point. We are a big fan of polyomino games in the Bailey House and along with Bärenpark this is one of the best. The best thing about […]
- [Canvas](https://littleboardgamers.com/canvas/): ormally I do my research before buying a game and I like to think I am fairly knowledgeable about what is “new” and “up and coming” in the industry. Today is one of those games that I sat down to play a game that was an impulse purchase because it has a cool box and I have instantly fallen in love with it. Canvas is a game that had somehow passed me by even though it had a relatively successful Kickstarter campaign having just hit retail stores in the UK was something that caught my eye with its unusual box. So […]
- [Squirrels go Nuts](https://littleboardgamers.com/squirrels-go-nuts/): Note: This is a short really early legacy review before I started posting longer form review in our Facebook Group. I always knew the “going home day” was going to be hard so game 31 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Squirrels go Nuts” played by Jack(7) and Toby(4) taking turns while Katie and I packed. Squirrels go Nuts is a 1 player puzzle game where you set out the grid as per the instructions then have to move the squirrel pieces to get the nut into the hole. There are also flower pieces that cannot move. […]
- [Isle of Cats Explore and Draw](https://littleboardgamers.com/isle-of-cats-explore-and-draw/): game 30 of the “Bailey family sorta Summer Board Game Bonanza” is “Isle of Cats Explore and Draw” played by Myself, Jack(7) and Toby(4). “Isle of Cats Explore and Draw” is essentially “Isle of Cats roll n write (or flip n write)”. If you have mised it before I have reviewed Isle of Cats before a couple of times (might play again this Summer) and the boys love it. It’s Toby’s(4) favourite game. You start by getting your own boat and you then lay cards out in 4 columns of 3. Each player then chooses a column (you can choose the […]
- [Harmonies](https://littleboardgamers.com/harmonies/): Today, we are going to play the current hotness, and that is “Harmonies”, played with Jack (9 and Toby (6). “Harmonies” is a cute and beautiful tile drafting and placing game that has caused quite a bit of press over the last few months. Essentially, each player starts with a landscape, of which there are two that give ever so slightly different rules and the central board is filled with groups of three tiles, similar to how “Azul” is laid out if you are aware of that game. On your turn, you draft three tiles which can then be placed into […]
- [Light Speed Arena](https://littleboardgamers.com/light-speed-arena/): Generally speaking, about once a year a game comes along that becomes the game of the group. Two years ago it was Sync and Sand, and last year Subway Squeeze took that crown. If I had to go out on a limb and say what potentially my favourite family game is going to be this year, it might very well be Light Speed Arena. Played with Jack (.8.), Toby(5) as well as a number of 13-year-olds from the school where I work. Firstly, let me say that everything you see in this review is based on a prototype, and as such […]
- [Dro Polter](https://littleboardgamers.com/drp-polter/): Today, we’re going to be looking at “Dro Polter”, a slightly unusual dexterity game from Oink Games, played here by myself, Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). “Dro Polter” essentially plays like the opposite of the fairly popular dexterity game, “Ghost Blitz”. In the game, there are five items: a red gem, a ring, a shell, a blue key, and a cracker (as in a biscuit). Unlike “Ghost Blitz”, where you have to grab the items really quickly, in “Dro Polter” you have all five of the items in your hand. You then turn over the card and have to drop the items on […]
- [Rafter Five](https://littleboardgamers.com/rafter-five/): Today, we’re going to be looking at “Rafter Five,” a cute little dexterity game by Oink Games that comes in an incredibly small box. Played here by Jack (.8.) and myself. You set up the game by placing the two halves of the box on top of each other to make a platform, and then putting down the deck of blank cards face down to create a sea around, and all of the meeples go on the raft. On your turn, you have to select your plank and place it on the raft with a treasure chest on it matching your colour, using […]
- [Skyrise](https://littleboardgamers.com/skyrise/): “Skyrise” is a city-building bidding game that is a remake of the 2008 game “Metropolys” that has an incredible table presence. It gives the feeling of a weighty game but is actually fairly simple to play and understand. Both Toby (5) and Jack (.8.) completely understood how to play. In fact, Toby won one of the two games that we played, and there will be more. You each start by taking all of your buildings and your wonder. Each of the buildings has numbers on the bottom of them. These numbers are all slightly different. Essentially, you get one in each […]
- [Pokémon Chips](https://littleboardgamers.com/pokemon-chips/): Having played “Pokémon Splendour”, one of my absolute favourite games in recent months, it was only natural that I embarked on a South Korean Pokémon spree, which included purchasing “Pokémon Chips”. We played this as a family on a recent camping trip and it has since been brought out quite a few times. “Pokémon Chips” is a quick and interesting game of betting on percentages that I thoroughly enjoyed playing. You start with a load of Pokéballs in a bag: five red, four white, three blue, two yellow, and one Master Ball. Each player then randomly draws five Pokémon, each of […]
- [Watermelon Chess](https://littleboardgamers.com/watermelon-chess/): Watermelon Chess is a 2-player abstract strategy game based on an old Chinese game called Xi Gua Qi. Played here in turns with myself, Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) (who turned out to be a real pro at this and surprisingly difficult to beat). Rules are simple. You play on a circular board with each player playing as a colour. On your turn you can move one piece one space and essentially what you are trying to do is eliminate the other player’s pieces by boxing them in so they are unable to move similar to how you would in a game of Go. […]
- [Cyber Pet Quest - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/cyber-pet-quest-preview/): today Jack(.8.) and I are going to be looking at “Cyber Pet Quest” a narrative-driven area cooperative movement campaign game made by “Dead Alive Games” and currently on Kickstarter. please be aware that the version that I got a chance to play and is shown in all of the photographs is a prototype and as such things may change between now and the final product. The concept of the game is you play as Jane a cybernetic cat who is embarking on a quest to find her owner with the help of other cybernetic pets such as Clay the dog Roman the goose […]
- [Scrabble Together](https://littleboardgamers.com/scrabble-together/): If you had told me a “Scrabble” variant would become possibly one of the most controversial games in recent years a few months ago I would have laughed out loud but “Scrabble Together” has caused widespread uproar of “wokeness” and “dumbing down” of Scrabble in mainstream media. Interestingly this variant has been available since the end of last year but until The Guardian wrote its article and everyone else jumped on board with an “anti-woke” narrative it has gone largely unnoticed. I thought rather than just reading a headline I would actually buy the game, play it and give an actual […]
- [Eter](https://littleboardgamers.com/eter/): Today we are going to be looking at “Eter” a fairly simple yet fun two-player tile-laying game that can best be described as “noughts and crosses Extreme Edition.” Played here by myself and Jack(.8.) This isn’t the first time I have reviewed a game that is very similar in style to “Noughts and Crosses”, but “Eter” is one I particularly like. Each player gets a symmetrical deck of cards that consists of tiles with values from one to four. Depending on the exact rule set you’re playing, you are essentially trying to make a line of three or four by placing your cards. […]
- [Tossit](https://littleboardgamers.com/tossit/): Today, we’re going to look at Tossit, a physical dexterity game that has received a lot of promotion recently on social media. Played by everyone in the family Essentially, the game is very similar to how you would play something such as Pétanque but played with silicone darts. There have been games like this around for a while using these types of suction cups that were originally made, as far as I’m aware, as construction toys for children. I remember Toby having a big box of these different shapes and sizes to suction together and join shapes with when he was little. […]
- [Chomp](https://littleboardgamers.com/chomp/): Today, we are going to be looking at “Chomp,” a very easy-to-understand tile-laying game produced by All-Play (formerly Boardgametable.com) in their small box range. Played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). The general concept of the game is that you are drawing tiles and laying them by overlapping or placing them next to each other in a way that scores you the most points at the end of the game. You set up by starting a draw pile (nine cards per player), placing three gold side-up cards in a line and three land side-up cards in a line. As you go […]
- [Spots](https://littleboardgamers.com/spots/): ‘Spots’ is a fairly quick push-your-luck dice-rolling game that has an interesting modular rule set and actually has quite a lot going on in terms of complexity when you’re trying to work out the mathematics behind the probability of what’s best to do next. You start the game with two dog cards that have a number of dice on them. You also have a Boneyard where you can put dice that you can’t place on your turn. You can do one of two things. Firstly, if you have a card that is completely full, you can turn it over, essentially locking […]
- [Disney Colour Brain](https://littleboardgamers.com/disney-colour-brain/): A fairly quick one today with “Colour Brain: Disney Edition,” played by myself, Jack(.8.), Toby(5), and a rare appearance from Katie(37). Essentially, at its heart, ‘Colour Brain: Disney Edition’ is a fairly light-hearted trivia game where you draw a card which has something on it, in this case, something from a Disney movie, and you then need to play the colour, or colours, of the object. If you get it right, you get a point and you get to mark these off on these rather lovely score markers that come with the game. We had quite a bit of fun playing […]
- [Mountain Goats](https://littleboardgamers.com/mountain-goats/): “Mountain Goats has been sitting rather unassumingly on my shelf for a few weeks now, and today we decided to get it out and finally give it a go. Needless to say, in short, this went from something that I wasn’t expecting all that much of to one of my favourite small box games there is. Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). You start the game by laying out the board using the card tiles forming the numbers 5 to 10 along the top, with the other 5 to 10 cards below with fewer cards towards the 10 end of the board. […]
- [Wok and Roll](https://littleboardgamers.com/wok-and-roll/): Today we are going to be looking at “Wok and Roll” played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). “Wok and Roll” is an Asian restaurant-themed roll-and-write game centred around preparing meals based on the ingredients you receive. All players start the game with exactly the same board, as shown in the photos, which lays out all the different actions you can take. There are rice and noodle sections that require either two rice or two noodles and one other item. There are also meat/vegetable sections that allow you to gain other powers (more on that shortly), and the seafood (or the prawn as we called […]
- [Splendor Pokémon](https://littleboardgamers.com/splendor-pokemon/): Today, we are finally going to hit the big guns and look at “스플렌더: Pokémon””Splendor: Pokemon Edition” (which I now realise is its proper name and not “Pokemon Splendor),” a game that has caused quite a stir in the group over the last few months. Finally, after probably more games prior to a review of any game I’ve pretty much ever reviewed on here, played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5), let’s talk about it. “Splendor: Pokemon Edition” is a South Korean import version of Splendor themed around the Pokémon franchise. But whether you like the theme or not, in my opinion, this is the best […]
- [Pacific Ocean](https://littleboardgamers.com/pacific-ocean/): “Pacific Ocean” is a quick set-collection card game for up to three players, which is simple to play yet difficult to learn due to a terrible rule book. Played here with myself Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) Normally, this is where I’d briefly explain how to play the game, but in this case, I’ll keep it shorter than usual because the rule book makes a massive meal out of it. Essentially, you start with a sanctuary card and gather cards to build your sanctuary. Each sea creature card you collect has icons at the top representing size, danger, and grace, as well as scoring […]
- [Chip Theory Kids independent play series](https://littleboardgamers.com/chip-theory-kids-independent-play-series/): This isn’t a board game but a set of logic puzzles for kids – the Chip Theory Kids independent play series. I got the set as a review copy and had my 4 year old twins try them out. There are four different games in the set (they’re also sold individually) – Sudoku Forest (ages 3+), Tangram Adventure (ages 4+), Pixel Party (ages 5+), and Neighborhood Hide & Seek (ages 6+). All of them seem to be pretty age appropriate and they all have varying difficulties of puzzles from one to three stars (with the beginning ones being very simple). The puzzles are […]
- [Little Astronauts](https://littleboardgamers.com/little-astronauts/): Game 3 in our “Professor Puzzle Games for Younger Kids” series is “Little Astronauts,” played with Henry (2). “Little Astronauts” is a simple card game where you attempt to discover all of the planets in the solar system. You start by using the back of the box as the sun (which is a nice touch), and each player lays eight cards face down in front of them. On your turn, you take a card from the draw pile and see what you’ve got. If it is a planet, you may then place that planet in its location in the row, with one being the furthest card […]
- [Roll-a-Saurus](https://littleboardgamers.com/roll-a-saurus/): Game 2 in our “Professor Puzzle Games for younger kids series” is “Roll-a-Saurus.” “Roll-a-Saurus” is a very simple dice game marketed as an introduction to dice games for very young children. Here, I played it with Henry(2) and, at a quick glance, the rules showed that this was definitely not a game Toby or Jack would be interested in playing. Now, I have softened my stance over the last few years on these types of young children’s games, but I’ve always been keen for them to be worthwhile and have some decent mechanics. Each player takes a turn to put their dinosaurs on either […]
- [Burger Balance](https://littleboardgamers.com/burger-balance/): Game 1 in our “Professor Puzzle Games for Younger Kids series” is Burger Balance. Burger Balance is a simple dexterity game from Professor Puzzle, originally it was just going to be played with Henry(2) but Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) decided they wanted to play too. The game is pretty straightforward once you get past the slightly unusual rules. Essentially, you start the game with the ketchup bottle in the middle and take turns rolling dice, and placing a new burger item as you go. After a pre-agreed number of items, you’re ready to start the next phase. The game then becomes slightly more challenging, as […]
- [Bullet (Orange)](https://littleboardgamers.com/bullet-orange/): “Bullet” is a tile-clearing cascade puzzle game where each player chooses a heroine that comes with a multitude of different abilities. You start the game with an empty grid, and at the beginning, around you draw a number of bullets out of a bag, starting with four; this increases each round, meaning that things start to get pretty frantic a few rounds in. Each bullet is a number and a colour, and what you have to do is place the bullets in the corresponding coloured column, the number of blank spaces down related to the number of the bullet. Where the […]
- [Tokyo Poo Divers](https://littleboardgamers.com/tokyo-poo-divers/): Disclaimer: The review below contains a few adult themes but is intended to be informative and in no way offensive.So… I’ve been sitting on this review for almost three months, continuously debating whether or not to post it, largely because it probably doesn’t paint me as the best parent (and yes, this might even top the time Toby ended up wearing a blindfold from a promo for the film “Showgirls” just to play Team 3). We’ve reviewed several Heldberg games over the past year or so, and for the most part, they’ve been excellent. I especially recommend “Catch the Wave,” which […]
- [Klondice](https://littleboardgamers.com/klondice/): Now the half-term holidays are a distant memory we needed something simple to cheer us up midweek so enter… “Klondice.” “Klondice” is a dice-rolling light strategy game based on the theme of the Klondike Gold Rush. Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) You start the game by handing out a set number of dice, depending on how many players are participating. In our case, each player had 10 dice, and each player receives 50 gold to start the round. You also choose a random dice sheet and place it into the dice cart. There are many of these sheets in the game, so each […]
- [Story Time Backgammon](https://littleboardgamers.com/story-time-backgammon/): I received a review copy of Story Time Backgammon and my 4-year-old twins have played through part of it. Story Time Backgammon is a game that teaches you backgammon through a series of 10 stories and mini-games. It’s by the makers of Story Time Chess (which is a game that teaches you Chess through stories). I had bought Story Time Chess and enjoyed it with my kids (we haven’t played through all of it), so I was super excited for Story Time Backgammon, especially since I like Backgammon better than Chess. The story in the game is that one of the team is […]
- [Card Catcher](https://littleboardgamers.com/card-catcher/): Today’s review, game 9 in our “Reviews Leading Up to (and now in) the February Half Term and past Valentine’s Day” series, is “Card Catcher” played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) and Henry(2). “Card Catcher” is a fun, simple dexterity game that is part of “Level 99 Games’s” new Family Games series. Before Christmas, we reviewed “Cool Animal Facts”, which we thoroughly enjoyed as well as Bullet♥︎. The latest from them is “Card Catcher”. The game is themed around a grabber machine in a video arcade, collecting plush toys from a machine. Some of the toys have ticket values, and others provide abilities that let you adjust or manipulate […]
- [The Detective Society: Family Adventures](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-detective-society-family-adventures/): Today’s review, game 8 in our “Reviews Leading Up to (and now in) the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day” series, is “The Detective Society: Family Adventures” and in the case of the photos here “The Smashed Piñata” which is the 3rd case in this box. Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). The Detective Society is a series of escape room-style at-home boxed games that usually retail around the hundred-pound mark and are played over a number of sessions. The Family Adventures consist of three relatively short puzzles designed to be played with kids. In this session, we played “The Smashed Piñata.” Now, I’m going to be relatively […]
- [Pear Shaped](https://littleboardgamers.com/pear-shaped/): Today’s review, game 7 in our “Reviews Leading Up to (and now in) the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day” series, is “Pear Shaped” by Big Potato Games, also a part of our longstanding “Games that are like Uno but probably better than Uno” series. Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). It is a relatively simple game. You start by shuffling all of the cards and handing out a hand of 6 and a draw pile to each player depending on the number of players. Each card has a colour, a symbol, and a number related to the amount of symbols there are. The game comes with a […]
- [Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest](https://littleboardgamers.com/libertalia-winds-of-galecrest/): Today we’re going to be looking at something a little bit more complex for game 6 in our “Reviews Leading Up to the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day” series is “Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest,” a second edition, if you like, of the pirate-themed board game “Libertalia,” released in 2012. If you have played “Libertalia,” essentially the game has not changed radically. The main differences are that there are 40 character cards, a reputation track in order to better handle ties, different board states, and a distinctive new cartoon art style based around animal characters, which I really like but is visually divisive compared to […]
- [Guess in 10: Deadly Dinosaurs](https://littleboardgamers.com/guess-in-10-deadly-dinosaurs/): Game 5 in our “Reviews Leading Up to the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day” series is ”Guess in 10: Deadly Dinosaurs.” Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) “Guess in 10: Deadly Dinosaurs” is a trivia game and part of Skillmatics’ “Guess in 10” series. The general idea of the game is that each player takes turns with a card, and the other players then have 10 turns to ask questions in order to try and work out what is on the card. Just to give you some context, this was actually a Christmas present that Henry(2) received from a great-aunt. Considering Toby(5) received a […]
- [OK Play](https://littleboardgamers.com/ok-play/): I appreciate the last few games I have reviewed have all been really high recommendations. I promise there is some bad stuff to avoid coming in the next few days  A quicker one today; game 4 in our “Reviews Leading Up to the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day” series is ”OK Play.” Thank you to Julie Vickery, Sarah Ray for suggesting it. “OK play” is a fairly simple abstract strategy game from Big Potato Games that can be best described as a mix between noughts and crosses or connect four, but on a table laying tiles. The rules of the game are super simple. On your turn, you […]
- [Dragonwood](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragonwood/): So it kind of feels like I’ve ended up doing a sort of mini-marathon, even though that’s not what I originally set out to do. Either way, today’s game (game 3 now) in our “Reviews Leading Up to the February Half Term and Valentine’s Day Series” is Dragonwood, a card and dice-based set collection game from Gamewright, played with Jack (.8.). You start the game by shuffling all of the adventurer cards and dealing 5 to each player equally. You then lay out the creature/enhancement deck with five possible cards to capture. On your turn, you either draw a new card […]
- [Alice's Garden](https://littleboardgamers.com/alices-garden/): “Alice’s Garden” has a bit of an unusual pedigree, being designed by Ikhwan Kwon, a Korean designer whom I must admit I have not had much experience with, and published by Lifestyle Board Games, a Russian-based publisher generally only focusing on Russia and surrounding countries. But for some reason, Alice’s Garden seems to have found its way West via a few UK-based retailers, and I am very much glad that it has. Thematically based around the story of Alice in Wonderland, you and your fellow players are building a garden for the Queen in a game that is reminiscent of last […]
- [Cards vs Gravity](https://littleboardgamers.com/cards-vs-gravity/): Tonight, we’re going to be looking at “Cards vs Gravity,” a dexterity game from Big Potato Games, played here by Jack(.8.), Toby(5) and myself. One of our favourite dexterity games of all time is “Catch the Moon,” and “Cards vs Gravity” invokes much of what makes “Catch the Moon” so enjoyable in a smaller package. Firstly, and as a small caveat, you need a bottle; glass bottles work better, hence why there are bottles of Prosecco and beer in the photos (non-alcoholic, I’d like to add), but a plastic bottle filled with water would work just as well. You then put […]
- [Mandala Stones](https://littleboardgamers.com/mandala-stones/): As I sit trying to think up a potato-based pun for this year’s “Valentine’s half-term week mini marathon (that’s going to largely feature games from “Big Potato Games”) we’re today going to look at “Mandala Stones,” an abstract strategy game from designer Philip Glowacz played by myself and Jack(.8.) “Mandala Stones” is actually a relatively simple game to understand but is fiendishly difficult to excel at. You start the game by laying out a grid of stones in piles of four, made up of four different colours and two different designs. Then, between the spaces, four artist markers are placed. These […]
- [Challengers! : Beach Cup](https://littleboardgamers.com/challengers-beach-cup/): Today we are going to be looking at “Challengers! Beach Cup” the stand-alone sequel and expansion to “Challengers!” a game that I really enjoyed and recommended when I played it back in August of last year. This review is going to be a bit of a retread of the original review but there are some changes worth mentioning. Before I go into detail however its worth saying that if you are looking to pick up “Challengers!” this new one is the better one to go for. “Challengers!” is a “card drafting deck management auto battler tournament game” (that’s the best way […]
- [Kites](https://littleboardgamers.com/kites/): Today, we are going to look at “Kites,” a cooperative, I guess, time management game in the most literal sense of the word. Played with Jack (.8.). Firstly we probably spent a good 5 minutes discussing whether the game was called “Kites Time to Fly” or “Kites” with “time to fly” being a tagline. In the end, we went with “Kites” as per the BGG page. The concept of “Kites” is fairly simple: you have six egg timers in front of you which run out at different rates. You start the game with all the egg timers on this side and […]
- [Timeline Twist](https://littleboardgamers.com/timeline-twist/): Today, we are going to look at “Timeline Twist” played by Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). I have never actually reviewed the original timeline on “Little Board Gamers”, so here is a one-paragraph review of the original. “Timeline” is a competitive game where you essentially start with a hand of four cards, turn over an event, and then have to place it in the timeline adjacent to or between all the other cards. If you get it in the right place, you then get to discard it by placing it in the timeline. But if you get it wrong, you still discard it […]
- [Uno Junior](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-junior/): Today we are going to go a lot more mainstream and look at “Uno Junior” more specifically the most recent printing that comes in an oddly slightly not square box that probably saved Mattel about half a gram of card. Played with Henry(2) and Toby(5) Henry is now two and a half and is starting to get to roughly the same age in which we started to properly introduce Toby to games and we are doing it in much the same way where Henry plays the game but mummy acts as a ringer and helped talk him through his terms and […]
- [Coraquest: Keep on Questing](https://littleboardgamers.com/coraquest-keep-on-questing/): It has been a long time coming, but finally, we’re going to sit down and talk about ‘Coraquest: Keep on Questing’, the expansion to the excellent family Dungeon Crawler from Dan Hughes and his daughter, Cora. Played with Toby(5) and Jack(.8.). All pics here are from the first quest that I only played with Toby to limit spoilers. I received the game at the beginning of December but decided not to include it in the Christmas marathon. This was largely because I felt this was quite an important review due to the beloved nature of the base game in the group. […]
- [Once Upon a Plunder](https://littleboardgamers.com/once-upon-a-plunder/): As is often the case, our Christmas marathon ended with a soft whimper and a bit of a parody post, rather than the big crescendo I always hoped for, largely due to the business of the season and the fact that we all got norovirus. Either way, normal service resumes with today’s review, which is “Once Upon a Plunder,” played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). I must admit that when I read through the rules for “Once Upon a Plunder,” I was not overly excited about the concept. However, after a few games, it became genuinely compelling, and both Jack […]
- [Chess](https://littleboardgamers.com/chess/): Recently we have done a few more mainstream games so I thought we would go with something super niche for today’s game. Game 13 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Chess”, a fairly obscure abstract strategy game played with Jack (.8.) and Toby(5). The game is played on an 8×8 grid where each player gets an identical set of pieces. Each player has: 8 pawns that move towards the opponent one square but can capture other pieces diagonally forward. It also has a weird rule where it can move forward twice on the first turn.2 of…Knights, a fairly weird piece that moves 2 in […]
- [Shenanigrams](https://littleboardgamers.com/shenanigrams/): MERRY KISSMOUSE  Recently, I’ve been on the lookout for word games to assist Jack with his spelling. Naturally, I was eager to try out “Shenanigrams” upon its arrival. Game 12 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Shenanigrams”, played with Jack (.8.). “Shenanigrams” is a tile-laying word game that could be likened to that exhilarating endgame phase in Scrabble where players are frantically trying to utilise individual letters. While it shares similarities with Bananagrams, “Shenanigrams” offers a unique gameplay experience worth exploring. Each player starts with seven tags and five letters. Every turn mandates the placement of a tile. This tile can […]
- [Quoridor](https://littleboardgamers.com/quoridor/): Game 11 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Quoridor”, played with Toby (5) and Jack (.8.). Designed by Mirko Marchesi, it was first published in 1997 and is now part of a visually appealing wooden series published by Hatchette. “Quoridor” is an abstract strategy game where the objective is to move your pawn from one side of the board to the other, one square at a time, moving orthogonally. On your turn, you have two options: move your pawn or place a wall that spans two spaces. The only restriction is that you cannot trap the opponent, ensuring they always have […]
- [Crazy Pilot](https://littleboardgamers.com/crazy-pilot/): Game 10 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Crazy Pilot”, played with Toby (5) and Jack (.8.). “Crazy Pilot” is a rather unique card game released by Helvetic that I can best describe as a card game version of a hazard perception driving test. The concept of the game is to escape a zombie- and monster-ridden city, trying to navigate your way out as swiftly as possible. The name clearly draws inspiration from the late ’90s arcade and Dreamcast video game, “Crazy Taxi”. Initially, everyone receives a deck of 20 scenario cards. These cards depict a car on a road surrounded […]
- [Lacuna](https://littleboardgamers.com/lacuna/): Having a bout of norovirus sweeping through the household and with several of our Christmas plans cancelled, we endeavour to continue our marathon. As it happened, Patient Zero and Patient One were both quarantined together for a significant portion of the day. This led us to Jack(.8.) and I playing… Game 9 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Lacuna”, played with Jack (.8.) Not to be mistaken for “Lorcana”, the recent Disney TCG we examined a few months ago. “Lacuna” is a simple strategy game for two players. Players lay out a cloth representing a pond at night and scatter wooden […]
- [Fit to Print](https://littleboardgamers.com/fit-to-print/): Quite often during these marathons, it’s common for many of the games we play to be brand new to us. However, this hasn’t been the case this Christmas. As a result, many of the games I’ve been reviewing are ones we’ve played but simply not reviewed yet. Therefore, we’ve had a run of good games, and I’m sorry/pleased to say that today’s game is no exception. Game 8 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Fit to Print”, played with Jack (.8.). I’ve also played this with a group of 13-year-olds as well as a group of adults. “Fit to Print” is […]
- [Cool Animal Facts](https://littleboardgamers.com/cool-animal-facts/): Game 7 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Cool Animal Facts,” played with Mum, Jack (.8.), and Toby (5). When I first got “Cool Animal Facts” out of the box, I wasn’t expecting too much as a fairly light family party game. But after a couple of games with Katie and the kids, it turns out that “Cool Animal Facts” is probably my new favourite family-oriented party game. So the general idea is that each player gets seven cards (as Toby’s reading is still a little patchy, he teamed up with Mum), and at the start of the round, one card from […]
- [Hedgehog Roll](https://littleboardgamers.com/hedgehog-roll/): Game 6 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Hedgehog Roll.” (My copy is a European one where it is called Speedy Roll). Played with Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and Henry (2). Hedgehog Roll is a game where you either race through a forest against other hedgehogs or work together to race against a fox. Hedgehog Roll won the Kinderspiel des Jahres back in 2020, and as always (generally, I buy all three Spiel des Jahres winners each year), I picked it up, and it has become a firm family favourite since. Recently, it has gained a new lease of life thanks to […]
- [Toko Island](https://littleboardgamers.com/toko-island/): Just a few days ago, I was confident that there weren’t many symbol-matching memory games worth playing. This belief was quickly shattered when we thoroughly enjoyed “Gigamons,” and recently, out of the blue, I’ve completely fallen in love with… (apologies, another recommendation coming your way). Game 5 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Toko Island.” Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) “Toko Island” is a cooperative family adventure memory game from Marie and Wilifried Ford designers of family games such as Dragomino, and Snail Sprint, where players aim to uncover treasures on an island. The gorgeously quadruple-layered board is set up, with […]
- [Miller Zoo](https://littleboardgamers.com/miller-zoo/): Due to a surprising number of requests, Game 4 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Miller Zoo.“ “Miller Zoo” is a cooperative family game in which players work together to take care of animals and introduce new ones to their park. Gameplay-wise, it shares similarities with “Zombie Kids/Teenz,” but instead of fending off zombies, players address animal problems while striving to add new animals to the park. The goal of each game is to acquire all the animals in the reception spaces by gathering the necessary resources to purchase them. However, every turn presents various needs for different animals, […]
- [Gigamons](https://littleboardgamers.com/gigamons/): Game 3 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Gigamons.” On the face of it, “Gigamons” is a very simple match-to-memory game that got nominated for this year’s “Kinderspiel des Jahres.” At the time, I largely overlooked it because we play a lot of match-two games, and it’s rare that they bring something interesting to the table. “Gigamons” is, however, one of those rare examples where it does something a bit extra that makes it worthwhile. The general concept of the game is fairly simple: you lay out a grid of 9 “Elemons,” which are the smaller creatures face […]
- [Happy City](https://littleboardgamers.com/happy-city/): Game 2 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Happy City.“ “Happy City” is a delightful and brisk set collection game that Jack(.8.) Toby(5) and I thoroughly enjoyed. To begin the game, you lay out a grid featuring three piles of cards, each containing holdings of different values. At the bottom, there are five special buildings, while the top showcases dwelling cards, essentially serving as basic buildings. Every player starts with a ‘Happy Market,’ generating one coin per turn and providing nine additional spaces to construct your city. At the start of each turn, players earn coins during an income […]
- [Nautilus Island](https://littleboardgamers.com/nautilus-island/): Game 1 of our “Fantastically Festive Christmas School Holidays 2023 Marathon” is “Nautilus Island,” a set collection game themed around being shipwrecked on a deserted volcanic island and coming across an abandoned submarine called the Nautilus. Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5). Essentially, what you are trying to do in the game is gather sets of equipment in six different colours. You lay the cards in equal piles, as can be seen in the photographs, with some piles face up and some piles face down. You all start on one side and choose which column you are going to take. As subsequent rounds continue, […]
- [Accomplices](https://littleboardgamers.com/accomplices/): Today’s game is “Accomplices,” played by myself and Jack(.8.). We decided to squeeze in a game as Toby wasn’t feeling great and went to bed early. “Accomplices” is a two-player cooperative, maze-based hidden movement game that reminds me quite a bit of “Dungeon Scrawlers” which we have reviewed in the past, which I was particularly fond of. The key twist here is that you work as a team, with one person in control of the pen, essentially moving throughout the bank vault as you try to steal money, and the other player acting as the guide. The unique aspect comes in […]
- [Bullet (Heart)](https://littleboardgamers.com/bullet-heart/): As someone who is incredibly passionate about both board games and video games, today’s game is a fantastic amalgamation of two of my main passions. “Shmups” (short for “shoot-em-ups”) are games where you scroll up the screen, avoiding enemy bullets and shooting at enemies. Back in the 80s, this was one of the main genres in the arcade. In modern times, these are now a fairly niche genre, still popular in Japan. They often feature anime females and characters as part of the design, and my particular favourite sub-genre is bullet hell games, where the game is more about dodging patterns […]
- [Candy Islands](https://littleboardgamers.com/candy-islands/): “Candy Islands” is a simultaneous bidding and social deduction game in which players compete against those on either side to win battles, claim cards, and earn points and other abilities for later bids. I played the game with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). Between each player is a stack of cards (think “7 Wonders: Architects” if you are familiar with it). In every round, you bid a certain amount of candy cannonballs in each hand that you’re going to use against the players to the left and right of you. The winning player gets to keep the card, which could be […]
- [Into the Blue](https://littleboardgamers.com/into-the-blue/): I realised, having initially started a recommendation for the Christmas series, that it required me only to play really good games, and sometimes negative reviews are just as important. Luckily, this game is genuinely fun, but I didn’t want to tie myself down… so… “Into the Blue” is a fairly simple dice-rolling, Yahtzee-style, push-your-luck game. The general concept of the game is that you are a treasure hunter diving into the deep to try and get to the best treasure. On your turn, you roll all six of the dice and can then freeze any dice you choose and re-roll the […]
- [Gingerbread Towers - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/gingerbread-towers-preview/): Today we are going to start our “Christmas Countdown” where I am going to recommend games to pick up for Christmas. This will not be every day and unlike a normal marathon will not necessarily be games that I haven’t covered before but some recommendations I think you should consider for Christmas gifts for the family. “Gingerbread Towers” is a delightful family card stacking game by Jessica Metheringham who many of you might know in the community. I’m pleased to report that it offers genuinely enjoyable gameplay as it heads to Kickstarter today (13th November) for a relatively short campaign. Jessica […]
- [Mists over Carcassonne](https://littleboardgamers.com/mists-over-carcassonne/): Game 9 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Mists over Carcassonne,” played by myself, and Jack (.8.). “Mists over Carcasonne” is a stand-alone game and expansion to Carcasonne which is one of our favourite games of all time in the Bailey household having reviewed a fair few versions on here before. (Links Below) What makes “Mists over Carcasonne” different is that it is the first-ever cooperative Carcasonne. It also can be used with different rules as an expansion to regular Carcassonne as well which is cool. So essentially the game plays similar to normal Carcassonne where you are trying to build […]
- [Glastonbury](https://littleboardgamers.com/glastonbury/): Game 7 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Glastonbury,” played by myself, Jack (.8.), and Toby (5). “Glastonbury” is a set collection game with a rather interesting backstory. Back in 2002, a two-player game called “Kupferkessel,” which roughly translates as “Copper Kettle,” was released and received a nomination for that year’s “Spiel des Jahres.” The game went out of print and was reimagined in 2013 as “Glastonbury” (also known as “Amalgamn” in some other countries), with a few slight changes that allowed for up to four players. Curiously, there doesn’t appear to be any clear connection to the town of Glastonbury […]
- [It's Alive: Monster-Making Mayhem](https://littleboardgamers.com/its-alive-monster-making-mayhem/): Game 8 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “It’s Alive: Monster-Making Mayhem,” played by myself, Jack (.8.), and Toby (5). “It’s Alive: Monster-Making Mayhem” (or “It’s Alive,” as I’ll refer to it from now on) is a straightforward set collection card game where your objective is to assemble six pieces of a monster’s body and then attempt to bring it to life. At the outset, each player holds six cards in their hand. On your turn, you select a card either from the draw pile or the discard pile, maintaining a hand of six cards at the end of your turn. […]
- [The Night Cage](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-night-cage/): Game 6 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “The Night Cage” played by myself, Jack (.8.), and Toby (5). Firstly it’s worth mentioning that Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) have both been brought up playing games and as such can play games usually beyond their years. The Night Cage is stated as 14+ (mainly for theme) and while the theme is horror the visuals are pretty abstract, neither boy finds it that scary and my boys have been playing this happily since they were 3 and 6 and it is a family favourite. Night Cage is a cooperative game where you are trapped […]
- [Patchwork: Halloween Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/patchwork-halloween-edition/): Game 5 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Patchwork: Halloween Edition,” played by two players, including myself, Jack (.8.), and Toby (5). Before writing this review, I was quite confident that I had reviewed the regular version of Patchwork a few years ago. In reality, it was back in July 2021 when I posted a four-line comment about Jack consistently beating me at the game. So, finally, I have the chance to review the Halloween version of one of my all-time favourite games. Virtually everything I’m about to say applies to the regular version as well. Lookout Games has produced numerous […]
- [Soulaween](https://littleboardgamers.com/soulaween/): Game 4 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Soulaween” played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). Jack and I mostly played and Toby took a few of the photos (big thanks to him) “Soulaween,” is a game where you step into the shoes of Apprentice Grim Reapers attending the Death School, engaging in a one-on-one battle to reap the most souls during the annual “Soulaween” event. The fundamental concept of “Soulaween” bears a striking resemblance to “Flip Over Frogs”, which I reviewed a year or two ago. However, the key distinction here is that it’s strictly a two-player game. The game […]
- [BOOoop](https://littleboardgamers.com/boooop/): Game 3 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “BOOoop” played with Jack (.8.) and Toby (5). “BOOoop” is a Halloween-themed version of “Boop” with a small extra expansion included. “Boop” is an adorably cute two-player strategy game that can be best described as a slightly more complicated version of Noughts and Crosses. The game board is set up with an adorably fun quilt, and players must place kittens (each player starts with eight) onto the squares on the board. If a player places a kitten next to any other kittens, the kittens are booped along one square, and if necessary, they […]
- [Trio](https://littleboardgamers.com/trio/): Game 2 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Trio” played by myself, Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) Now let’s get this out of the way and say 2 things… 1) Trio is an identical game to Nana that I reviewed almost exactly a month ago (I didn’t realise this when I bought it). 2) I now can’t stop thinking about the Trio adverts from the 80s/90s.https://youtu.be/lFd5EhyyiXE?si=Tsz_3C96Ck5L6BiA&t=8 “Trio” is a relatively straightforward yet unique (apart from its Japanese namesake) card game with the main objective being to reveal and collect sets of numbers. In this game, each player starts with a hand of cards, […]
- [Zing a  Zam!](https://littleboardgamers.com/zing-a-zam/): Game 1 of our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular” is… “Zing a Zam!” played by myself, Jack(.8.) and Toby(5) “Zing a Zam!” is a delightful trick-taking card game that may not sound too exciting when you read the rules, but we had much more fun playing it than we expected. The general idea of the game is similar to games like Hearts, where players take turns playing cards, and the highest card in the trick wins. Each card has special powers, like a one beating an eight, a six allowing you to pick up a cat card for more points, or a seven […]
- [Recto Verso](https://littleboardgamers.com/recto-verso/): As we gear up to start our “Halloween Half-term Spooktacular,” I thought I would quickly share a little game that Toby(5) and I played today called “Recto Verso.” “Recto Verso” is a two-player cooperative puzzle game that requires you to arrange coloured blocks on a grid to create a pattern that matches both sides of your card. To successfully create the shape, you must use every single block available, which often means hiding and arranging them strategically so that both sides of your card work. The challenge is that you have to communicate verbally, and you can only see your own […]
- [Quicksand](https://littleboardgamers.com/quicksand/): One game we played while we were at EGX this weekend was “Quickstand” by Horrible Guild, played by myself and Jack(8.). The game works by creating a long snake of cogs made of different colours and shapes. Each player starts with a hand of three cards, along with a central deck. To begin the game, you turn over the sand timers. In order to move the sand timers, you must play a card that matches either the colour or the shape of a particular sand timer cog. When you play a card, the sand timer advances to the next cog. This […]
- [Ramen Chef](https://littleboardgamers.com/ramen-chef/): “Ramen Chef” is a memory-based card game from Heldberg Games, played here by Jack (8.) and a now fully recovered Toby (5) after his dramatic fall down the stairs a few weeks ago. This also means I should be able to get back to a more regular upload schedule as I have been fairly content-light the last week or so  “Ramen Chef” is a fairly simple pairs matching game, but with a small twist that makes this an interesting package. Produced by Heldberg Games, a company that has become a firm favourite of mine over the last month or so, they […]
- [Catch the Wave](https://littleboardgamers.com/catch-the-wave/): Having had a scary few days where poor Toby managed to fall down 14 stairs onto hard ground leaving him unable to see or detect light and dark for a little over 2 hours. A CT scan, no bleed on the brain and some anti-inflammatories later he is on the mend and is now back at home taking it easy for a few days having received a very severe concussion. I asked him which of the games we played recently I should cover tonight (reminding him I still haven’t posted the second half of our Screwball Scramble card game 2 parter) […]
- [Vagrantsong](https://littleboardgamers.com/vagrantsong/): It’s been quite a while since Jack and I played a more adult-oriented game, but we had some alone time this afternoon while Toby was at a party, and Henry was with his grandparents. We decided to dive into a game of “Vagrantsong.” “Vagrantsong” falls into the boss battler sub-genre of dungeon crawlers, where the central focus of the scenario is a battle against a single boss. While games of this type have been around for years, “Kingdom Death: Monster” really brought it into the forefront of the hobby. More recently, “Oathsworn” has taken it to new heights. One of the […]
- [NaNa](https://littleboardgamers.com/nana/): Over on Instagram, I have been doing an “Asian Game Week” as part of copying over one day at a time all of the 56 games I reviewed over the “Summer Marathon” As part of that I am adding “Nana” so here is the longer-form Facebook review  Played with Jack(.8.) and a rare appearance from Mummy. “Nana” is a relatively straightforward yet unique card game with the main objective being to reveal and collect sets of numbers. In this game, each player starts with a hand of cards, while the remaining cards are arranged in a grid in the centre of […]
- [Tyle](https://littleboardgamers.com/tyle/): “Tyle” is a tile-shifting puzzle game designed for one to four players, and it was played by Jack (8.) and myself. In this game, the objective is to flip, rotate, and slide tiles to create a path for your counter to traverse from one corner of the map to the other. The game begins by creating an 8×8 grid of tiles, ensuring that the corner tiles have two exits and are fixed in place. Each player then removes two tiles from the grid, creating gaps. On your turn, you can take three actions, which can include rotating a tile by 90 […]
- [Screwball Scramble Level UP](https://littleboardgamers.com/screwball-scramble-level-up/): “Screwball Scramble Level UP” is the latest addition to the Screwball Scramble Series by Tomy, alongside the “Screwball Scramble Card Game” (which I also picked up and found to be utterly bonkers, but that’s a tale for another day). I looked at all the other Screwball Scrambles about a month ago, and this one has come out since, which is rather frustrating because my previous review aimed to cover all these types of dexterity games. I played this game alongside all three of my children, but it was Jack who was most involved, as this type of game is right up […]
- [Lorcana](https://littleboardgamers.com/lorcana/): Today, I am finally going to talk about “Lorcana” and provide my best possible guide. Strap in this is going to be a long one. “Lorcana” is a new Trading Card Game (TCG) released through a partnership between Disney and Ravensburger, challenging the current industry giants, Pokemon and Magic The Gathering. This is probably the most I have played a game before, from buying into it to posting a review here. My plan is to review it in stages, starting with the starter decks, and then offering my thoughts on the game as a whole in its current state, including a […]
- [The Screwball Scramble Card Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-screwball-scramble-card-game/): I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in the meeting room at Tomy when someone pitched the idea of creating a “The Screwball Scramble Card Game.” Today, we dive into… Game 1 of our “weird mainstream dexterity games that clearly shouldn’t have been made into a card game” duology. The general concept of “The Screwball Scramble Card Game” involves dividing all the path cards among the players, ensuring they each receive a start and a goal card. Players then construct their own personal map on the table. On your turn, you must complete a task that involves […]
- [Quirk!](https://littleboardgamers.com/quirk/): Game 56 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” featured “Quirk!”, played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Quirk!” is a set collection game where you aim to collect as many quirks (sets of 3 characters) as possible. The game begins by shuffling all the cards and placing them face-down in the centre to form a deck. Each player then draws three cards. On your turn, you can either play a green character card or use a red Steel card to collect a set that has already been completed by someone else. To play a character card, you […]
- [That's not a Hat](https://littleboardgamers.com/thats-not-a-hat/): So, I had today’s game all planned out, and then Mae Funnell suggested I play “That’s Not a Hat.” Needless to say, less than 24 hours and one Amazon Prime order later, here we are. Game 55 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “That’s not a Hat,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. “That’s Not a Hat” is a simple memory/bluffing card game which at first glance looks barely like a game but very quickly you realise this is an absolute beast of a mind-bender. The whole game is played with a deck of cards […]
- [King Jr. Memory Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-jr-memory-game/): So we are out on an “errand” to get a photo printed for my stepmother in Boots (their new service is terrible by the way I wouldn’t recommend it). The plan was to get some lunch from a nice little cafe with Henry when what did I spot on the window of Burger King… Game 54 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “King Jr. Memory Game” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. Now obviously Mcdonalds’s really outdid themselves this year with the Dobble collaboration so Burger King (who I will be honest I do not […]
- [LAMA](https://littleboardgamers.com/llama/): Today, we continue our mini-series of deck-shredding games that are a bit like Uno but actually probably better than Uno with… Game 53 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “LLAMA,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. “LLAMA” is a fairly simple game played with a deck of cards numbered one to six and llama cards. You start with six cards in your hand and can play them onto the pile by either matching the number or playing one number above. Llamas can be played on sixes, and ones can be played on llamas, thereby making […]
- [Bandido](https://littleboardgamers.com/bandido/): My phone died during the game today so had to whip an old camera out hence why the lighting is all weird and everything doesn’t look “as usual” The older two were out with their grandparents today, so Henry and I decided to play a game of “Bandido.” “Bandido” was actually the very first post I ever made on “Little Board Gamers”, all the way back on May 3rd, 2021 (pic below). Jack was five and Toby was two when that photo was taken, so I figured it was probably about time to see if I could guide Henry through it, […]
- [Gruffalo Dominos](https://littleboardgamers.com/gruffalo-dominos/): Game 51 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” was a very humble game of “Gruffalo Dominos,” played by Henry(2), and myself. We all know how to play dominoes (or at least we think we do)… Random domino (assuming we use a standard numbered set) interlude trivia round… The answers at the bottom of the review 1. How many dominos in a standard set? 2. How many dominos do you start with in a 2 player game? 3. Who starts? 4. How do you score at the end of a round? Anyway back to looking at these dominos. As […]
- [Munchkin Mighty Monsters](https://littleboardgamers.com/munchkin-mighty-monsters/): We step over the line with this year’s intended goal, but rather than finishing on a nice, round high, we will continue on for a few more days before concluding our 2023 Summer Holidays Marathon. Game 50 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Munchkin Mighty Monsters,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Munchkin Mighty Monsters” is a simple Uno-style card game from Steve Jackson Games based on their popular Munchkin IP. I received this game for free when I ordered some items from the Steve Jackson Games website a few years ago, and it’s sat […]
- [Among Us Matchify](https://littleboardgamers.com/among-us-matchify/): Game 48 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Among Us Matchify,” played by Jack (9, Toby (5), and myself. Now, I have seen “Matchify” on shelves before and if I’m honest, I always thought it was exactly the same as “Dobble/Spot It.” So, imagine my surprise when, at the boys’ requests, we bought a copy of the Among Us version of Matchify (the boys like the game, which would make a perfect theme for a family-friendly version of Nemesis) and rediscovered that the game is actually slightly different and is played with two different decks. We all […]
- [Pirate Box](https://littleboardgamers.com/pirate-box/): Game 49 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Pirate Box,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. You know that game that you have probably played with your children at some point, where you put a variety of items on a baking tray and then cover it with a tea towel. Then, you take the tea towel off, and they look at the hairbrush, random figurine, slipper, glue stick, banana, and 50-pence piece that you have placed on said baking tray. After that, you cover it back up with a tea towel, and they have to […]
- [Monster 12](https://littleboardgamers.com/monster-12/): Today’s game was a spur-of-the-moment buy while I was meant to be buying a new wok from the Chinese supermarket (that just “happens” to be next to the board game shop)… sigh… Game 47 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Monster 12,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. I feel a little bit bad as I’ve been recommending quite a lot recently, and today is not going to be any exception, but the true fact of the matter is we’ve actually played a lot of decent games this summer, but today’s game cost me less […]
- [Outrun the Bear](https://littleboardgamers.com/outrun-the-bear/): As we reach a tie with last year’s record (I think i’m going for 60), it’s time to delve into… Game 46 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” brings us to “Outrun the Bear,” featuring Jack (.8.), Toby (5), playing as a team, and myself. “Outrun the Bear” is a card-based racing and take-that game that immerses players in a heart-pounding pursuit through a forest, as they attempt to evade a relentless bear hot on their heels, aiming to catch and, presumably, eat them (I spent the whole time playing this thinking about recent indie horror hit “Cocaine […]
- [My First Castle Panic](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-first-castle-panic/): Today, we’re going to take a look at a game that is frequently recommended here, including by myself, but one that I have never reviewed before and that is… Game 45 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “My First Castle Panic,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), Henry (2), and myself. Henry (still rocking the Buckaroo, which he now carries around everywhere) really wanted to play another game with us today, so we decided to indulge him and try “My First Castle Panic.” “My First Castle Panic” is the junior version of “Castle Panic,” the game I […]
- [Beacon Patrol](https://littleboardgamers.com/beacon-patrol/): Game 44 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Beacon Patrol,” played by Jack (.8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Beacon Patrol” is a cooperative tile-laying puzzle game that has been released in the last week or so, but I know some people picked it up at UKBGE. The concept of the game is fairly simple: you shuffle all the tiles, starting with the main beacon which has water on all four sides. Each player receives three tiles, three movement tokens, a cute boat meeple that starts at the starting beacon tile. On your turn, you can do a […]
- [Buckaroo!](https://littleboardgamers.com/buckaroo/): The fact that I’m going school shoe shopping tomorrow signifies that summer is indeed coming to an end. As we enter the last two weeks of the summer holidays, it’s evident that I’m going to comfortably beat last year’s record of 45 seeing as we are 2 days away. I haven’t done very well at actually keeping to half of the games I originally planned to include. There have been more sessions with Henry (2) than expected, fewer evening sessions with Jack  (he seems tired a lot at the moment), and I have also ended up buying loads of new things. […]
- [Crash Octopus](https://littleboardgamers.com/crash-octopus/): Game 43 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Crash Octopus,” played by Jack(.8.), Toby(5), and myself. “Crash Octopus” is a distinctive dexterity game that challenges players to secure five pieces of treasure while avoiding the menace of octopus attacks (being clattered by a dice). Firstly as we found out the first time we tried to play do not play this on a table. This is very much a hardwood floor game (carpet doesn’t work) EDIT: Others below have reported they can play this happily on the kitchen table. Maybe we were too forceful and didn’t give it […]
- [Smugglers](https://littleboardgamers.com/smugglers/): For those who have been a part of this group for a while, it’s probably no surprise to hear that while we engage with a variety of different games, we don’t tend to play the same game repeatedly. Nevertheless, there are a few games that when the kids are asked, “What would you like to play today?” they consistently return to. Today serves as a prime example of this phenomenon. It was Toby’s(5) turn to choose, and without hesitation, he selected today’s game, which, if you had asked me yesterday, I would have wagered a substantial amount that I had previously […]
- [Dinosaur Race](https://littleboardgamers.com/dinosaur-race/): After creating quite a stir a week or so ago with my review of “Tummy Ache,” and my general aversion to Orchard Toy games, a statement by Mae Funnell may have made a significant impact in my children’s (or at least Henry(2)’s) board game development which went as follows: “They are educational toys, not games…” – (Mae Funnell, 2023) With this new perspective in mind, I decided to give one of the Orchard Toy games we have a try. I’m still counting this as game 41 though – it is my list after all! therefore… Game 41 of the “Bailey Family […]
- [Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-magnetic-travel-puzzle/): Game 40 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is the “Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle,” played by Jack and myself. The “Minecraft Magnetic Travel Puzzle” is a robust puzzle game featuring 40 levels of logic-based puzzles themed around the crafting system in the popular kids’ video game, Minecraft. Both of my boys are avid Minecraft fans, so we tend to explore anything related to Minecraft. Generally speaking, Minecraft as an intellectual property holds a prominent position in the board game community. Games like “Builders and Biomes” are exceptional, and I believe they deserve more recognition within the broader community, despite […]
- [Honeycombs](https://littleboardgamers.com/honeycombs/): Game 39 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Honeycombs,” played by Jack (8.) and myself. “Honeycombs” is a tile-matching game that offers three different rule variants. The first involves each player receiving an equal number of tiles and racing to match them together to earn the most points. Generally, I’m not a fan of games that rely on speed, especially when played with children of varying ages. However, I can see this being potentially enjoyable with an older group. There’s also a friendly cooperative version where players take turns placing tiles to create a single large honeycomb […]
- [Mind Bug](https://littleboardgamers.com/mind-bug/): After a series of less serious reviews, let’s move on to something really good. Game 38 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Mind Bug,” played by Jack (8.) and myself. “Mind Bug” is a head-to-head card game created by the original designer of the popular trading card game, “Magic: The Gathering.” In case you haven’t come across “Magic: The Gathering,” it’s essentially a go-to trading card game, with perhaps the more famous counterpart being Pokemon. However, “Magic: The Gathering” remains the preferred choice for many adults. “Mind Bug” can be best described as my first experience with […]
- [Dad's Army](https://littleboardgamers.com/dads-army/): Today, we are going to have 2 reviews, the first of which is quite an unexpected inclusion. Please note that some of the images have been edited to remove content that might be flagged on Facebook, which I want to avoid. With that said… Game 37 of the “Bailey Family Summer 2023 Board Game Bonanza” is “Dad’s Army: The Board Game,” (I never thought this would be included) played by Jack (8.), Toby (5), and myself. “Dad’s Army” is a beloved British sitcom originally aired in the late 60s/ early 70s, focusing on a home front army of retired men deemed […]
- [Candy Hunters](https://littleboardgamers.com/candy-hunters/): Game 8 of our “Halloween Spooktacular 2024” is a little bit different as we are going to be looking at “Candy Hunters” a Halloween-themed game from “Smart Flamingo”, which I reviewed about 6 months ago and stated at the end of the review that if you order it on Gamefound now it should arrive just before Halloween. Well they were true to their word (just) and my retail copy showed up yesterday so I thought I would have a look at the finished package. The short version is this is still an excellent little game I’d recommend picking up if you like abstract […]
- [King of Tokyo: Duel](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-tokyo-duel/): For today’s Spooktacular entry, we’re looking at “King of Tokyo: Duel,” a two-player version of the popular franchise by the legendary designer Richard Garfield. My experience with the “King of Tokyo” series has been a bit unusual. I played the original a few years ago—specifically the Black Edition—and, surprisingly, didn’t become a massive fan. I didn’t quite see what made the game so appealing. Oddly enough, my opinion changed recently when I picked up “King of Tokyo: Origins,” a more streamlined, quick-to-start version that Iello released a few months ago. To my surprise, I really liked it. Played with Jack(9) “King […]
- [Shadow in the Woods](https://littleboardgamers.com/shadow-in-the-woods/): Another super family-friendly game today for our “Halloween Spooktacular” that I reviewed a few years ago but I thought definitely deserved a second go-over. “Shadows in the Woods” is one of the most unique games I own and a rare treat that we can only really enjoy once the nights start drawing in as it has to be played in complete darkness! This game has been around for decades and released under various names. My version is the last to come with a real tealight, but newer editions now use a small LED lantern, making it a bit safer. We sometimes […]
- [Halloween Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/halloween-party/): Game 5 of the”Halloween Spooktacular 2024″ is “Halloween Party” a set collection card game that arrived in my house on the 1st of November last year, which meant we missed out on adding it to last year’s Halloween Spooktacular. Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). The general concept of the game is that you’re hosting your own Halloween party, filled with spooky monsters, and you’re trying to convince the best possible monsters to attend and score the most points. You start by each taking a collection of cards, then shuffle the rest and place them face down on the board, creating a […]
- [Cthulhu Wars: Duel](https://littleboardgamers.com/cthulhu-wars-duel/): A day or so ago, as part of our Spooktacular, I looked at “Cthulhu Wars,” a fantastic Risk-style war game that brings the general feel of Risk into the modern era with much better components and a far more interesting experience overall. Jack(9) and I have become really obsessed with playing “Cthulhu Wars” over the last week or two, but one small thing that stopped me from giving it an instant recommendation is the price. “Cthulhu Wars” is incredibly expensive, starting at around £150, and even more if you want the latest releases that come with extra miniatures. Then, if you […]
- [Cthulhu Wars](https://littleboardgamers.com/cthulhu-wars/): We’re only three games into this year’s Halloween Spooktacular, and I’m already mixing up the order and reviewing games that were not on the original list! Today, we’re looking at “Cthulhu Wars,” a big-box war game originally released on Kickstarter way back in 2015. It was one of the early Kickstarter success stories for board games. Now, I’m not usually a big fan of “dudes on a map” games, but the reviews and videos intrigued me. Earlier this year, I was thrilled to finally get hold of a copy. Today’s review is all about this game, and tomorrow, we’ll check out […]
- [Rolling Realms Redux](https://littleboardgamers.com/rolling-realms-redux/): Today, we have a special “Brucie bonus” review outside of our Halloween series—purely because we played this today, and I don’t want to wait until November to tell everyone about it! The original “Rolling Realms” started as a side project for board game designer Jamie Stegmaier during tlockdown. He created a print-and-play game that could be played over the internet with just a pair of dice and a printer, making it a wonderful way to stay connected while in isolation. This easy-to-pick-up roll-and-write turned many of Stegmaier’s popular games into mini roll-and-write experiences. “Rolling Realms Redux” is a standalone game that’s […]
- [Ghost Castle](https://littleboardgamers.com/ghost-castle/): “Ghost Castle” is the latest release of a classic game, originally published in 1970 under the name “Which Witch?”. The game revolves around players trying to escape a haunted castle while a ball beaning is dropped down, rolling around and potentially knocking over your characters as you try to make your way out. Michelle Louise wrote a great review of this a while back (which you can find in the archive pinned at the top) but I’ve seen this game on sale everywhere lately, so I thought I’d give it a go, even though I never actually had it as a […]
- [Alien: Fate of the Nostromo](https://littleboardgamers.com/alien-fate-of-the-nostromo/): The first game of our Halloween Spooktacular 2024 is “Alien: Fate of the Nostromo.” Now, I’ve had this game sitting on my shelf for quite a few years. It arrived around the same time I first got into “Nemesis,” which we re-reviewed at the end of the Summer Marathon a few weeks ago. If you’re interested in the Alien franchise, I’d 100% recommend checking that out, and I’ll link the review in the comments below. For some reason, I never got around to playing “Alien: Fate of the Nostromo,” mainly because I was so into Nemesis at the time. Plus, both […]
- [Away Team Bingo](https://littleboardgamers.com/away-team-bingo/): A tiny little aside before I get into the spooky games (sorry for the delay – I’ve been a bit under the weather and I’m a day behind schedule). I wanted to mention a neat little print-and-play Roll & Write that I’ve had a chance to try recently and if I don’t squeeze it in now it will be too late. I don’t normally do print n plays but its from the designer who made the excellent Flick Fleet so I thought why not. “Away Team Bingo” is all about sending your crew out on daring missions, trying to make discoveries […]
- [Halloween Spooktacular 2024](https://littleboardgamers.com/halloween-spooktacular-2024/): It’s almost time for this year’s Halloween Spooktacular! Starting Monday, we’re diving into a lineup of spooky board games that’ll get you in the Halloween spirit. Unlike the Summer Marathons, we won’t have a game every day, but there will be plenty of eerie adventures leading up to the big day. We’re kicking things off with Alien: Fate of the Nostromo on Tuesday! Who’s ready to face the Xenomorph (Jack & Toby were)?
- [Scratch and Scramble](https://littleboardgamers.com/scratch-and-scramble/): The last review I’m doing before we get underway with this year’s Halloween Spooktacular is for “Scratch and Scramble”, a trick-taking game where you play your tokens to win tricks, while doing your absolute best not to get stuck with both the cat and the mouse. Generally speaking, I haven’t included many trick-taking games here (one of the more well-known ones is “Hearts”) because, oddly enough, it’s a mechanic that Jack and Toby have struggled with in the past. However, now that they’re both a bit older and starting to get the hang of how trick-taking games work, we’ve begun to venture into […]
- [Nekojima](https://littleboardgamers.com/nekojima/): I’m always on the lookout for brand-new dexterity games that offer something unique and interesting. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed playing games such as “High-Rise Penguins”, “Beasts of Balance”, and an old classic, “Catch the Moon”. “Nekojima” arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago alongside a few other games, but with the back-to-school rush, it didn’t quite make it to the table before the end of summer. A few days ago, it finally came out to be played, and needless to say, it’s been the only game we’ve played for the last week in the Bailey household. It’s really rather […]
- [High Rise Penguins](https://littleboardgamers.com/high-rise-penguins/): Over a year ago, during the 2023 summer marathon, I reviewed a game called “ゆらゆらペンギン (Yura Yura Penguin)”, a really fun Japanese card-shredding dexterity game that I regularly recommend but it was a real pain to get hold of and often went out of stock. Luckily, that’s about to change, as Alley Cat Games have decided to release a mini version in Western markets as “High Rise Penguins”. So, how does this compare to the larger version, and is it worth picking up? Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). You start by creating a sea from all of the cards, placing an […]
- [Oh My Pigeons!](https://littleboardgamers.com/oh-my-pigeons/): I’m not usually a fan of party games, but recently I got the chance to try out “Oh My Pigeons!”, a new party game by Ravensburger. I have to admit, I really enjoyed it, and the boys absolutely loved it too. The basic idea of the game is straightforward. Everyone has a bench, and the goal is to fill that bench with pigeons from a central pile. You play cards from your hand that allow you to do things like take pigeons from the middle, steal them from another player, or rotate everyone’s hands. The challenge is to manipulate the cards […]
- [Steery](https://littleboardgamers.com/steery/): “Steery” is a game with a long history with Little Board Gamers. We contributed significantly to the feedback that shaped it into the more family-friendly game it is today, as opposed to the slightly more adult version it originally was. I was keen to include it in our summer marathon, but unfortunately, I didn’t receive a preview copy in time. Essentially, “Steery” is reminiscent of the well-known dice-based game “Rory’s Story Cubes”, but slightly more advanced for kids, offering better prompts and a more gamified experience. To be fair, that description undersells it a bit – it’s actually a really good […]
- [66 Games of Summer 2024 complete!](https://littleboardgamers.com/66-games-of-summer-2024-complete/): I just wanted to say a big thank you to @everyone who has read all, or at the very least most, of my ramblings over the last two months as I finish my longest-ever marathon—by eight days! I think it’s going to be almost impossible for me to beat that, and I don’t think I’ll even try next year. In fact, I kind of wish I had done 64 reviews rather than 66 because 64 fits much nicer into a lovely square, an 8×8 grid. So, I think next summer we might have a 64-day marathon, potentially using some sort of […]
- [Robot Quest Arena](https://littleboardgamers.com/robot-quest-arena/): “Robot Quest Arena” was one of Jack’s favourite games we played at the UK Games Expo, and we’ve had it out several times over the summer. Back when I tried it at the Expo, I somehow decided it was going to be one of the first games to kick off our summer marathon. Given that I’d already done a pretty solid overview just a few weeks before, that might’ve been a bit overenthusiastic! But there was no way I wasn’t going to include “Robot Quest Arena” in the marathon. So, for our absolutely, definitely final game this summer, as we close […]
- [Minecraft Chess](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-chess/): Game 65# and the penultimate game of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is the inventively titled “Minecraft Chess Set – Overworld Heroes vs. Hostile Mobs” played by Jack(9) and Toby(6) (this was all them). Since my semi-jokey review a few months ago, the boys have really gotten into playing chess with each other. Additionally, being in chess clubs at school has helped them become quite adept at the game. So, when the opportunity to try out the “Minecraft Chess Set” came up, the boys were very keen for me to agree. As usual, I won’t delve into the rules […]
- [Zoomino](https://littleboardgamers.com/zoomino/): Game 64 and my antepenultimate review (the boys are back at school today) of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Zoomino” played with Henry(3). Zoomino markets itself as a domino-based pairing game for 4-to- 7-year-olds. However, I must say that it is significantly under-marketing itself; the game is definitely suitable for people older than that. Despite its seemingly simple ruleset, there is actually quite a lot of decision-making involved. Essentially, the game consists of dominoes with images of animals on them, with two animals on the top and two on the bottom. Not all dominoes have two animals, though; […]
- [Lorcana - Illumineer’s Quest: Deep Trouble](https://littleboardgamers.com/lorcana-illumineers-quest-deep-trouble/): The second part of our “Lorcana” double bill and Game 63 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Illumineer’s Quest: Deep Trouble,” which is really interesting and, as a board gamer at heart, probably my favourite “Lorcana” product. Essentially, “Deep Trouble” is a standalone cooperative game where you play with your local deck against Ursula, who is controlled by an AI deck that follows specific gameplay rules. “Lorcana” can be played by one or two players, and it’s also a great way to introduce the mechanics of “Lorcana” in a more board game-friendly format. Jack and I first played […]
- [Lorcana: Gateway Set](https://littleboardgamers.com/lorcana-gateway-set/): Game 62 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Lorcana: Gateway Set” played with Jack(9). For those of you wondering I am aiming for 65 or 66 (depending on if a delivery shows up on time). Almost exactly one year ago, I discussed the then-recently released card game “Lorcana,” a Trading Card Game (TCG) launched through a partnership between Disney and Ravensburger. At the time, it was positioned to challenge the industry’s giants, “Pokémon” and “Magic: The Gathering.” I haven’t covered “Lorcana” extensively since then, but it’s a game that both Jack and I have continued to play in […]
- [Tsuro](https://littleboardgamers.com/tsuro/): Game 61 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Tsuro” played with Jack(9), Toby(6) and 2 of my friend’s kids also aged (6) and (9). Also is most likely going to be our last “then” review. My original Tsuro review was the 5th review I posted back in December 2021 and it was joined with Snail Sprint (which has also had an updated review). (pic of Jack(6) and Toby(3) playing attached for fun) A pretty short review tonight as we start the final week of Game Reviews before we take a well-deserved rest, go back to our usual one […]
- [Seaside](https://littleboardgamers.com/seaside/): Game 60 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Seaside” played with Jack(9), Toby(6) and Katie. In the first week of this marathon, I played “A Gentle Rain,” which was meant to be relaxing and cosy. However, I found it to be neither and gave it a fairly negative review. “Seaside,” on the other hand, is a game free from pretentiousness and possibly one of the cosiest games I’ve ever played. Its premise is fairly simple, yet it absolutely blindsided me with how good it is. When we all sat down to play, we ended up playing more games […]
- [Dead by Daylight](https://littleboardgamers.com/dead-by-daylight/): Disclaimer: Today’s game contains a mature horror-based theme and some mature-based visuals. I am including it here because underneath the visuals its oddly family friendly. Game 59 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Dead by Daylight the Board Game” played with and hand full of 13 & 14-year-olds at the school I work at. I would play this with Jack but Toby is a bit young. Today, we’re going to take a break from the norm and look at “Dead by Daylight: The Board Game”. Now, it’s quite clear that the theme of Dead by Daylight is 100% […]
- [Happy Home](https://littleboardgamers.com/happy-home/): We approach the last week of the marathon and there are still some excellent games to come and today is no exception. Game 58 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Happy Home” played with Toby(6) and Jack(9) “Happy Home” was one of my favourite games from the UK Games Expo. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a copy on the day because by Saturday, they were all sold out. Luckily, I finally received a copy in the mail recently, and I’m happy to report that the game is back in stock. Toby was excited to try as Jack […]
- [House of Cats](https://littleboardgamers.com/house-of-cats/): Game 57 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “THouse of Cats” played with Jack(9) & Toby(6). “House of Cats” is a cool and robust roll-and-write game that offers four distinct levels, each with its own unique mechanics, making it well worth your time and attention. I picked up “House of Cats” on a whim, initially drawn in by the blueprint-style artwork. I’m always on the lookout for a good roll-and-write, especially one that plays with numbers on a grid, and this one did not disappoint! The gameplay is refreshingly straightforward: on your turn, you roll four dice and choose […]
- [The Quacks of Quedlinburg](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg/): As we hit game number 56 I have matched last year’s record and I still have a handful of games left to talk about before the end of Summer! Having reviewed the disappointing “The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel” yesterday, I now realise that I probably should have re-reviewed the original game first. Therefore… Game 56 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “The Quacks of Quedlinburg:” and another “then” game having first reviewed this game over 3 years ago. “The Quacks of Quedlinburg” is probably my favourite middleweight game. It’s a fantastic gateway to more complex games and, in […]
- [The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-quacks-of-quedlinburg-the-duel/): Game 55 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel” played with Jack(9). “Quacks of Quedlinburg” was one of the first games I reviewed when I started my board game journey with my children back in early 2021. It’s a game I regularly recommend, as I believe it’s one of the best examples of a push-your-luck game, an incredible gateway to more complex games, and one of the best board games ever made. Naturally, I was thrilled to hear about a two-player version called “The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Duel.” I shouldn’t have been… In […]
- [Pocket Farm](https://littleboardgamers.com/pocket-farm/): Game 54 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “Pocket farm” “Pocket Farm” is a tile-laying game that is similar to titles like “Nimalia,” “Chomp,” and a few others where you have four grids on a card that we have played recently. The difference with this one is that it has quite an unusual currency system in terms of how you pay for your cards. Each game consists of 12 rounds, divided into a draft phase and a placement phase. Each player gets a starting farm card which has a fruit and some weather on it. You draft your cards […]
- [Snatching Pairs](https://littleboardgamers.com/snatching-pairs/): Game 53 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “Snatching Pears” played with Toby(6) & Jack(9). “Snatching Pears” is a memory-matching dexterity game. When I first sat down to play, I had some reservations, but I quickly realised that this is actually a really good, simple party game where the two mechanics work surprisingly well together. This isn’t going to be the longest review because the concept of “Snatching Pears” is relatively simple. You lay out 70 cards on the table, consisting of 35 pairs of pears. The first thing worth noting is that for a memory game, 35 different […]
- [Bad Bones](https://littleboardgamers.com/bad-bones/): Game 52 of the “Now and Then Summer Marathon” is “Bad Bones” played with Toby(6) Bad Bones is a tower defence game, similar in style to “Castle Panic,” which is often recommended in this group. You start the game by setting up your board with your main tower in the middle, along with your warrior, who will help you defend the land from invading skeletons. You also receive a number of traps that you can activate, which are crucial for the graveyard. At the start, you place four skeletons on their corresponding colour markers. They will begin to march across the […]
- [Beasts of Balance](https://littleboardgamers.com/beasts-of-balance/): Game 51 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Beasts of Balance” played with Henry(3), Toby(6) and Jack(9). “Beasts of Balance” is an app-based dexterity, puzzle, and strategy game that I have had my eye on for quite a few years, but for some reason, I never took the plunge—until recently. I finally picked up a copy online, and ever since, all three of my boys have been obsessed with it. Though it isn’t cheap, this is undoubtedly one of the best dexterity games out there, primarily because it masterfully blends the elements of a dexterity game, a strategy […]
- [Expeditions](https://littleboardgamers.com/expeditions/): A few times this summer, I have covered games that are complex, as my children start to branch out into more intricate games, especially with Jack. Today is going to continue along the theme that we explored with “Nemesis” and “Spirit Island”. As we hit Number 50! Game 50 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Expeditions” played with Jack(9) I am not going to cover all of the rules here; I’m just going to give you an overview of how the game functions and how it plays. Otherwise, this is going to turn into a thesis. “Expeditions” is […]
- [13 Beavers](https://littleboardgamers.com/13-beavers/): Game 49 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “13 Beavers” played with Toby(6) and Jack(9) I bought “13 Beavers” largely because of the very striking design on the front cover and the fact that I hadn’t heard of it until I saw it in my local Waterstones. Nicola Asker did a good review of it a few weeks ago and I would definitely recommend checking out her review as well. So I went into “13 Beavers” with a good level of enthusiasm, and she was definitely right. “13 Beavers” takes a very simple higher-or-lower concept that could have […]
- [Paper Dungeons](https://littleboardgamers.com/paper-dungeons/): Game 48 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Paper Dungeons” played with Toby(6) and Jack(9) “Paper Dungeons” is a roll-and-write adventure game affectionately described as a “dungeon scroller” by its publisher, Alley Cat Games. Today’s review is a bit unconventional because I’m going to share my thoughts and opinions first, and then explain how the game works. There’s a good reason for this approach. All three of us really enjoyed “Paper Dungeons,” and by the end of our first game, we were all convinced of its cleverness in squeezing a dungeon-crawling experience into a roll-and-write game that you […]
- [Morris the Dodo](https://littleboardgamers.com/morris-the-dodo/): Game 47 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Morris the Dodo” played with Toby(6). Morris the Dodo is a sweet, logic-based dexterity game where you are trying to save as many eggs as possible before the explorer reaches the dodo’s nest. The game is set up using the box as the island, which is a nice touch. You place the wooden dodo figure on top, along with a water slide ramp leading down to the table below. You then spread out the various nests, which have different coloured eggs. The game is cooperative, but on your turn, you […]
- [HotShot Pickleball - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/hotshot-pickleball-preview/): Game 46 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “HotShot Pickleball” played with Toby(6) and Jack(9) “Hot Shot Pickleball” can best be described as a card-based, arena-style game inspired by the niche sport of pickleball, which itself is a sorta halfway point of tennis and table tennis. In the game, you can play solo or in teams. For this review, I played against both Jack and Toby, controlling two characters, while they played as a duo. I will also say discussion amongst partners is meant to thematically be an “I’ve got it” or “you take it” but I decided […]
- [Stomp N' Smash](https://littleboardgamers.com/stomp-n-smash/): Game 45 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Stomp N’ Smash Game” played with Henry(3). “Sink N’ Sand” is one of my favourite mainstream games. I think it’s a brilliantly simple dexterity game that is unique and works incredibly well for what it is. So, imagine my excitement upon the release of the next in what I’m going to call Spin Master’s “N’” series: the Jurassic Park-themed “Stomp N’ Smash”. Unfortunately, now that we’ve finally played it, I’m sad to report that it’s a disappointment, piled on top of some bizarre decisions and a list of board game […]
- [5 Minute Dungeon](https://littleboardgamers.com/5-minute-dungeon/): Game 44 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “5-Minute-Dungeon” played with Toby(6). “5 Minute Dungeon” is a fast-paced cooperative card game where you and your fellow players battle your way through a dungeon. The catch is that you only have five minutes to defeat all the obstacles that stand in your way. Each player starts by choosing a character from various fantasy archetypes such as the Mage, Ranger, Paladin, and more. Each hero has a unique deck of cards that represent their special abilities, which can be used to overcome the challenges in the dungeon. Once everyone is […]
- [Little Alchemists](https://littleboardgamers.com/little-alchemists/): Game 43 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Little Alchemists” played with Jack(9) & Toby(6). Having been intrigued by “Little Alchemists” at the UK Games Expo but not actually getting around to playing it, I was quite excited when an advanced copy of the game arrived in the post a few days ago. What I didn’t expect was that once the boys and I started playing, this game would potentially become my favourite new game of the Summer. Disclaimer: Everything discussed in this review pertains to the base game and what is unlocked from the start. I’ve been very […]
- [Sosig](https://littleboardgamers.com/sosig/): Game 42 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” – “Sosig played with Toby(6). “Sosig” is an unbelievably small tile-laying game that quite literally fits in the palm of your hand. The game is played with a deck of tiles where your objective is to complete sausages, gain points, and fulfil orders. You start by placing an award card, which acts as a universal scoring condition. You also lay out the orders, which are ways to earn points as you play and set up the mystery meat deck along with the body and head decks. Each player can choose from […]
- [King of Tokyo Origins](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-tokyo-origins/): Game 41 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” – “King of Tokyo Origins” played with Toby(6) and Jack (9). “King of Tokyo” and I have always had a somewhat unusual relationship. The “King of Tokyo: Black Edition” was one of the earliest reviews I ever did on this site, way back in July 2021. At the time, I was left with a lukewarm impression and didn’t enjoy it all that much. This was very early in my journey of playing games with my children. At that time, Jack was six, Toby was three, and Henry was a few days […]
- [Jurassic Feud - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/jurassic-feud-preview/): Game 39 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” – “Jurassic Feud” played with Toby(6) and Jack (9). Back in January of last year, Toby and I played “Catapult Feud,” a really cool dexterity game where you set up castles and use siege weaponry to fire boulders at each other’s structures, trying to knock them down. Toby absolutely adores this game and asks to play it regularly. As it requires a fairly large floor space, it’s also a useful incentive to get him to tidy up his bedroom. Imagine his elation this morning when a prototype for “Jurassic Feud,” the […]
- [Pigs on Trampolines](https://littleboardgamers.com/pigs-on-trampolines/): Game 40 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” and technically the 6th “Then” game is “Pigs on Trampolines” played with Henry(3) Toby(6) and Jack (9). My history with “Pigs on Trampolines” is a bit unusual. I first played it at the 2023 UK Games Expo, where I enjoyed the few minutes I spent with it and decided to order it on the spot. It arrived a few weeks later, and although we played it a little, it didn’t make much of an impact. In fact, I ended up selling my copy not long after and didn’t think much about […]
- [Nemesis](https://littleboardgamers.com/nemesis/): Game 38 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” – “Nemesis” played with Toby(6) and Jack (9). Nemesis was the 36th game I covered with Jack making this the 5th “then” game. “Nemesis” is probably my favourite board game of all time and is actually the game I’ve played the most, ignoring quick games like “Uno” that you can finish in a few minutes. My interest in “Nemesis” began when it was first released, largely because it’s essentially a board game version of the film Alien in everything but the license with Aliens being my favourite film. There is an official board game based […]
- [Sakana Stack](https://littleboardgamers.com/sakana-stack/): Game 37 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” – “Sakana Stack” played with Toby(6) and Jack (9). “Sakana Stack” is a deck-shredding card game for 3 to 5 players based around the idea of being rival vendors at a fish market and showcasing your selection of seafood. I’m going to start off by saying that “Sakana Stack” is a really interesting deck-shredding game desperate to get out, but unfortunately comes with one of the most unnecessarily confusing rule sheets I’ve ever read. In my quest to try and work out how to play “Sakana Stack”, I checked with some […]
- [Orbito](https://littleboardgamers.com/orbito/): Things are going well and I have actually got quite ahead of myself with games played so far over Summer to the point where I might have to do a few days where I cover 2 games in order to fit everything I have played with the kids. I fully expect to not just beat last year’s record but possibly even smash it! Game 36# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Orbito” played with Toby(6). “Orbito” is a simple abstract strategy game that is available in quite a few different versions, but this review covers the one I […]
- [Confusing Lands](https://littleboardgamers.com/confusing-lands/): Game 35# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Confusing Lands” played with Jack(9) “Confusing Lands” is a small box, small deck tile-laying game fairly similar to a few other games I’ve reviewed recently, such as “Chomp” and “Namalia.” The general concept of the game is to shuffle the deck, consisting of a very lean 18 cards, and place one in the middle showing a scoring condition. Each card has 2 sides with either six squares on it or, alternatively, four squares plus a scoring condition. These scoring conditions are what you are going to try to score your […]
- [Cosmic Chains](https://littleboardgamers.com/cosmic-chains/): Game 34# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Cosmic Chains” played with Jack(9) Ever since we got into Star Realms, Jack and I have really enjoyed trying more one-on-one card games. Today, we are going to look at Cosmic Chains. Cosmic Chains is a duelling card game based on the idea of creating a chain of satellites, with one player playing as Team Cats and another playing as Team AI. While the artwork is different, both players have identical cards. You start the game by shuffling your deck and placing them both on the same side of the […]
- [Mister Diamond](https://littleboardgamers.com/mister-diamond/): Game 33# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Mister Diamond” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6) and the first of this years “East Asian Import” sub-series. “Mister Diamond” is a really unusual Japanese game, a slightly modified re-release of an old Ravensburger game from the early 90s. The way the game works is pretty simple: you have a board with 16 unmovable diamonds on it, and on that board, you place a number of diamonds that can be moved. You wiggle everything around, rotate everything, and make sure everyone covers their eyes so that no one knows which diamonds […]
- [Tiddlywinks](https://littleboardgamers.com/tiddlywinks/): Game 32# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is a little-known game called “Tiddlywinks” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). “Tiddlywinks” is a classic game that I hadn’t thought about much recently until we played “5Up” a week or so ago. While playing that game, we used the counters to flick around much in the vein of “Tiddlywinks.” This set me down a bit of a rabbit hole, looking into games that use the “Tiddlywinks” mechanics. Surprisingly, there are barely any modern games that use “Tiddlywinks” as a mechanic. Should I ever get around to designing my own game, I […]
- [Caution Signs](https://littleboardgamers.com/caution-signs/): Game 31# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Roll to the Top Journeys” played with Jack(9) and Katie. “Caution Signs” is a game that I’ve had on my to-do list since the UK Games Expo, but since it requires three players and involves drawing, I had to wait for a time when I could get someone other than Jack to join in, as Toby is still a bit too young to have good enough drawing skills for a drawing-based game. We don’t play a lot of party games, but the lovely folks at Wacky Wizard Games (the family […]
- [Roll to the Top Journeys](https://littleboardgamers.com/roll-to-the-top-journeys/): Game 30# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Roll to the Top Journeys” played with Jack(9) and Katie. “Roll to the Top Journeys” is a relatively simple roll-and-write game released by Allplay. This is actually a rerelease of a previous version of Roll to the Top, but one thing that sets this version apart from the others is the inclusion of whiteboard and wipe-clean sheets, which eliminates the inevitable stress of running out of paper sheets common in many roll-and-write games. The gameplay is reasonably simple. You have five different dice: a D4, D6, D8, D12, and D20. […]
- [Uno Flex](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-flex/): Game 29# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” and the fourth in our “Uno” sub-series is “Uno Flex” Played with Jack(9) and Katie. “Uno Flex” for the most part plays very similarly to regular “Uno,” but there are some key differences that make this by far my favourite version of “Uno” I have ever played. The key normal rules are the same, but each player gets a power card. This is a card that has a tick on one side and a cross on the other. Many cards that you play will have the main card but will then […]
- [Web Weavers](https://littleboardgamers.com/web-weavers/): It’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed a game from Haba. Now that Henry is well into playing games, I picked up a few new ones the other day, as I’ve been out of that scene for a while. So therefore Game 28# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Web Weavers” played with Jack(9), Toby(6) and Henry(3). “Web Weavers” is a really simple game aimed at children aged three and up. Essentially, you have your spider on the end of a piece of string, which is attached to a cardboard web. You roll the dice, and as […]
- [Diced Veggies](https://littleboardgamers.com/diced-veggies/): Game 27# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Diced Veggies” played with Jack(9) and Katie(37). It’s been quite a few days since I’ve posted a negative review, and today is not going to be an exception. In fact, quite the opposite: “Diced Veggies” is quite possibly one of my new favourite lightweight games. You start the game by setting up the frame, then putting all of the dice into it and shaking it to form a block. This block represents your ingredients for making recipes. You then make a deck of the hype cards and the recipe cards, […]
- [Sequoia](https://littleboardgamers.com/sequoia/): Game 26# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Sequoia” played with Jack(9) and Katie(37). “Sequoia” is a fairly simple dice game that is easy to play and actually rather compelling. You start by laying out the forest cards on the table in a clock pattern starting from 2 and going up to 12. You’ll realise that playing up to 11 cards in a circle is significantly more difficult than laying out 12. You then assign the first and second tokens to each particular forest card and give each player a selection of treetops and matching coloured dice. On […]
- [Flick Fleet](https://littleboardgamers.com/flick-fleet/): Game 25# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Flick Fleet” played with Jack(9). “Flick Fleet” is a charming indie space skirmish game where two players set out a fleet of ships, usually asymmetrically, and attack by flicking dice to determine damage and results. The game comes with a number of scenarios, and the expansion I have includes even more. These scenarios essentially set up different ways to play the game, but you can also create your own scenarios quite happily. The game is generally designed to be fairly asymmetrical, using a “Star Wars”-inspired idea where rebel ships are […]
- [Forever Home](https://littleboardgamers.com/forever-home/): Game 24# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Forever Home” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). “Forever Home” is a really lovely tile-laying, flash-drafting game themed around the idea of training dogs at a dog’s home before selling them off to their forever homes. When you first set up “Forever Home,” it looks more complicated than it actually is. Once we played a round or two, both boys got the hang of it. Toby, who ended up doing incredibly well, only narrowly came second to me. Each player gets a grid where they train their dogs and place their […]
- [Fingagolf - preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/fingagolf-preview/): Over the years, there have been many versions of tabletop golf, and I have reviewed some of them here. Unfortunately, none have really captured the feeling I was hoping for. Luckily, the wait is finally over, and I am pleased to say that today’s game is really something quite wonderful. Game 23# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Fingagolf” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6) Before I really start talking about “Fingagolf” in earnest, it’s worth noting that the game I’m playing here is a prototype. Therefore, things may change between now and launch, especially when it comes to […]
- [5 Up](https://littleboardgamers.com/5-up/): Game 22# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “5Up” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6) “5 Up” is a straightforward push-your-luck game that caught my attention due to its compact neoprene case. Despite my initial low expectations, I found it surprisingly enjoyable and a great introduction to push-your-luck mechanics. The game board itself unfolds from the neoprene case, revealing the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, along with a dustbin section. Each player starts with 10 tokens they aim to discard by the end of the game. On your turn, roll the dice—if you get a five, you […]
- [Litle Builders](https://littleboardgamers.com/litle-builders/): Game 21# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Little Builders,” played with Henry (3). The aim of “Little Builders” is to work together to find the items you need to build buildings and create your own town. Each building is made using four items: a vehicle, a paint colour, a material, and a plant. To complete a building, you must find the four items displayed on your building card. On your turn, you look at the large grid of cards in front of you and pick an item card that could be a paint, vehicle, plant, or material. […]
- [Azul](https://littleboardgamers.com/azul/): Game #20 and the fourth “Then” game of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Azul,” played with Jack (9). “Azul” is the 55th game that I reviewed here on Little Board Gamers and is probably one of the later ones before I started reviewing games in a lot more detail and providing a lot more depth to what I wrote. Jack is a massive fan of “Azul,” and it’s always a game that comes out, especially around family gatherings. It is also incredibly popular at the school where I work and is a hit among students aged 11 to […]
- [Good Face Bad Face](https://littleboardgamers.com/good-face-bad-face/): Game #19 of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Good Face Bad Face,” played with Jack (9) and Toby (6). This is going to be a bit of an unusual review in the sense that I really like this game, but unless you are very confident that your children are going to be able to play it, it probably isn’t going to be a strong recommendation. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts in the comments about social deduction games and games where you have to try and read how the other player is going to play. Generally speaking, both […]
- [Zombie Dice](https://littleboardgamers.com/zombie-dice/): Game #18 and the third “Then” game of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Zombie Dice,” played with Jack(9), Toby(6)b and Henry (3). No photos of the kids I’m afraid as it was super warm and they decided they all wanted to play in their pants and I couldn’t be bothered to argue. In this review, I will talk about both expansions as well. “Zombie Dice” was the 16th review (and that’s using the kindest of terms imaginable) that I produced on the site, and in that review, both “Zombie Dice” and “Martian Dice” essentially received half a sentence […]
- [Dragomino](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragomino/): Game 17 and the second “Then” game of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Dragomino,” played with Henry(3). “Dragomino” was the fourth review I did way back in the summer of 2021, and at the time, “Dragomino” was then three-year-old Toby’s favourite game and have included some old pics of Toby as well Today, we decided to play the game with Henry and see if he enjoyed it just as much as Toby. Although Henry is not quite as able to concentrate on games as Toby was at his age, he is doing really well and has definitely made […]
- [Old Mermaid](https://littleboardgamers.com/old-mermaid/): Since getting into the board game hobby about 14 years ago, I have played a lot of games. Since having children, I have played even more. However, I have never actually played the game “Old Maid,” a classic card game that you often see on the shelves in shops like Poundland. I think I even might have gotten a set once out of a set of Christmas crackers. So Game 16# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Old Mermaid” a mermaid-themed “Old Maid” set played with Jack(9). Today, we are going to be looking at “Old Mermaid,” a […]
- [Skip Bo + Fake Guide](https://littleboardgamers.com/skip-bo-fake-guide/): Disclaimer: This is a bit of an unusual review that I spent ages deciding whether to post but after an all-important chat with Nicola Asker (who I do not openly thank enough for all of the help she provides on here) I decided to go with it and hopefully turn it into a learning experience for all. Game 15# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Skip-Bo” played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). After playing today’s game, “Skip-Bo,” I realised that my copy from Amazon was, in fact, fake. Luckily, I realised this before coming here to tell you all how absolutely terrible […]
- [Escape the Aquarium](https://littleboardgamers.com/escape-the-aquarium/): Game 14# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Escape from the Aquarium” played By Jack(9) Toby(6) and Henry(3) (who were actually 8,5 & 2 when we started) This is a bit of a weird review in that I actually played the majority of “Escape from the Aquarium” with the boys about three months ago. Due to a number of reasons that you’ll see below, we were unable to complete it at that time. I was waiting for a moment when we could finish it before writing my final review. As such, I’m not sure that time is ever […]
- [Rhino Hero](https://littleboardgamers.com/rhino-hero/): Game 13# and the first “Then” game of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Rhino Hero” The last time we reviewed “Rhino Hero” was way back at the end of our 2021 summer marathon, in which all of the reviews were only a few lines, and “Rhino Hero” actually shared a review with its larger sequel, “Rhino Hero: Super Battle.” At that time, the game was played by Toby, who was three and a half, but this time I am playing with Henry (2). I have added a photo of Toby playing from 3 years ago for prosperity. Totally […]
- [Uno All Wild!](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-all-wild/): Game 12# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” and the third in our “Uno” sub-series is “Uno All Wild!,” Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). “Uno All Wild!” is a simple variation on “Uno” where, as you can probably guess, all of the cards in the game are wild. This basically means that any kind of colour or number matching is taken out the equation, and you can lay any single one of the cards in your hand on any turn with absolutely no problem. Now, on the face of it, this seems like the absolute worst idea for a […]
- [Spirit Island](https://littleboardgamers.com/spirit-island/): Game 11# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Spirit Island” Played with Jack(9) both here and digitally. So far this summer, we haven’t looked at anything too complicated, with most of the games being fairly family-weight. But today we are going to step it up a notch and look at “Spirit Island,” a fairly complex euro game that I played the other day with Jack. It’s worth noting that while I’ve only played this game once physically, I have played it more digitally to give a more balanced view. I think that “Spirit Island” might be the highest-rated […]
- [Turbo Kidz](https://littleboardgamers.com/turbo-kidz/): Game 10# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Turbo Kidz” Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). “Turbo Kidz” is a game set in the same universe as “Zombie Kidz” and “Zombie Teenz.” The general premise is that even though the city is overrun with zombies, it doesn’t mean you can’t find time to essentially play “Mario Kart” with your friends. The idea of the game is that you play in teams cooperatively, with one player being the driver and the other the co-pilot. The driver is blindfolded (and I’m pleased to say the game comes with blindfolds, so we […]
- [Uno Show 'em No Mercy](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-show-em-no-mercy/): Game 9# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” and by the looks of it the second in our “Uno” sub-series that we seem to have started for the Summer is “Uno Show ’em No Mercy,” Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). “Uno Show ’em No Mercy” is one of the less complex versions and plays very similarly to regular “Uno,” with a few differences in how the general rules work. The general idea here is that the penalty cards are much stronger than they are in regular “Uno.” However, there are some pretty cool mechanics that allow you to try […]
- [Kluster Duo](https://littleboardgamers.com/kluster-duo/): The original “Kluster” was a big favourite of mine. Therefore Game 8# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is the sequel “Kluster Duo”. Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). The general concept of “Kluster Duo” is exactly the same as the original, where you set out a string area on a suitable surface, and then take turns laying a magnet in the ring, trying not to attract anyone else’s magnets. If you attract a magnet and multiple magnets clang together, which is what normally happens, then you have to pick up those magnets, and the game resumes. The main difference […]
- [Battle Royale: Last One Standing](https://littleboardgamers.com/battle-royale-last-one-standing/): Game 7# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “Battle Royale: Last One Standing”. Played with Jack(9) and Toby(6). (Game with just Toby(6) pictured here. “Battle Royale: Last One Standing” is a light strategy game from “Identity Games” that has a very cool toyetic mechanism, adding to the appeal of the game. To set up the game, you place all the pieces together and use the insert on the underside to keep the Eliminator under a specific square. Each player places one warrior from their army on each tile. If you are playing with two players, you also put […]
- [Kids Express](https://littleboardgamers.com/kids-express/): I got a review copy of Kids Express and played it with my 4-year-old twins. Kids Express is a kids game with a similar theme and look to Colt Express, but completely different gameplay (which is great for me since I didn’t particularly like Colt Express). There’s still a really neat 3D train and it looks really cool on the table. The game is a cooperative dexterity game – you’re working together to steal the treasure back from the bandits off the train. On your turn you can move your character or shoot the slingshot, and then you take a luggage […]
- [A Gentle Rain](https://littleboardgamers.com/a-gentle-rain/): The first rule of “A Gentle Rain”, not flavour text but an actual rule, states: Get comfortable. Change into some loose clothing if you can. Perhaps turn on some soft music or make yourself some tea or hot cocoa. Take a moment to stand up, stretch, and roll the stress out of your shoulders. Inhale through your nose, hold that breath for a moment, and exhale through your mouth. Needless to say, if being told to relax actually does quite the opposite, then this definitely set me up for a time with “A Gentle Rain” which I can only describe as leaving […]
- [HIT](https://littleboardgamers.com/hit/): As I go through my summer marathon, I am a firm believer that negative reviews are sometimes just as important as positive reviews. If you look across social media and various board game reviews, you will see some that only post recommendations. For those of you who have been reading my reviews for a few years now, you will know that, for me, that is very much not the case. I vaguely plan out the order in which reviews are going to go live. I always try to mix up positive and negative reviews for the sake of flow. If I […]
- [Crooked Crown](https://littleboardgamers.com/crooked-crown/): Game 4# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “The Crooked Crown” by Outset Games. Played here with Jack(9) and Toby(6) “The Crooked Crown” is a simple card game for 3-8 players where the goal is to keep the Crooked Crown by the end of the eighth round. Players start with a hand of five cards, with one player holding the Crooked Crown. All the other players are trying to steal the crown by the end of the game. On your turn, you can play a card from your hand or multiple cards if you have more than one […]
- [Star Realms](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-realms/): Having really enjoyed “Star Realms Academy” at the UKGE (review of that still to come), Jack (9) was keen to get the “adult” version of “Star Realms.” So therefore… Game 3# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024″ is Star Realms” by “Wise Wizard Games”. “Star Realms” is a deck-building card game where players aim to reduce their opponents’ life to zero while building a deck of ships and bases as they go. You start the game with the same basic deck as your opponent and 50 life points. On your turn, you play cards from your hand to gain […]
- [DOS](https://littleboardgamers.com/dos/): Recently, the subject of games that are like “Uno” but better has come up fairly regularly. So, imagine my, to be honest, rather tepid excitement when I discovered that there was a game called “DOS” that is, in fact, marketed as the sequel to “Uno.” Therefore game 2# of the “Now & Then Summer Marathon 2024” is “DOS” by Mattel. Before I start the review, it is worth noting that there are two versions of this game. If you do decide to grab this, it is definitely better to get the second edition, which comes with most of the action cards […]
- [Shadow Ninjas](https://littleboardgamers.com/shadow-ninjas/): Today marks the first of July, and that means we are going to start this year’s summer marathon. Last year I managed to review 56 games, and this year I am going for a nice round 60. Before I begin, the slight theme of this year is going to be “then and now” as I’m going to finally get around to doing what I have been meaning to do for a year or so now and re-review some of the first games that I reviewed back in 2021. At the time, most of my reviews were a few lines and didn’t […]
- [Anger Smash](https://littleboardgamers.com/anger-smash/): As I start to plan out what’s going to be included at least in the first half of this year’s summer marathon, (which we are aiming to start on July 1st) , I thought I would post a quick review of “Anger Smash: The Viciously Addictive Card Game” (which I am going to call “Anger Smash” henceforth), a fun little card game that Jack(9) and I played the other day. I went into it with very few expectations, but I surprisingly enjoyed it for a fairly simple set collection game. The game is very simple, with the idea of becoming the […]
- [Thunder Road Vendetta](https://littleboardgamers.com/thunder-road-vendetta/): As we approach the start of the summer marathon, there are a few games that I really want to cover before that. With a new Mad Max in the cinema (and Mad Max Fury Road being my fave action film of all time) and Fortnite going all in on the “Mad Max” vibe it seems like as good a time as any to get out “Thunder Road Vendetta,” played by Jack (9) and Toby (6). “Thunder Road Vendetta” is a remake by Restoration Games of “Thunder Road,” which was released by Milton Bradley in the mid-’80s. There was also a Hot […]
- [Taco Kitten Pizza - UKGE24](https://littleboardgamers.com/taco-kitten-pizza-ukge24/): If you read my last post you will have seen that I intended on being done with my UKGE posts but this years “Spiel des Jahres” nominees landed (board game Oscars) and I was totally blindsided by the nominees this year. Either way….Game #10 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Taco Kitten Pizza.”which is a nominee for this year’s “Kinderspiel des Jahres” “Taco Kitten Pizza” is essentially a younger version of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (which is already a very family-friendly game in itself). How to play : It’s an easier version of an already easy game but to the […]
- [UKGE Roundup](https://littleboardgamers.com/ukge-roundup/): The UK Games Expo is starting to become a memory, and as such, I’m going to do a quick roundup of everything else that I specifically played while I was there. These games are not going to get separate reviews as part of this year’s summer marathon. There are a few other games that I haven’t covered, such as Battle Royale. However, that is going to be one of the first games covered this summer, so I want to do a proper review of it rather than mention it briefly here. Game #7 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Quick Hangman,” […]
- [Robot Quest Arena - UKGE24](https://littleboardgamers.com/robot-quest-arena-ukge24/): Game #6 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Robot Quest Arena,” which we played at the “Wise Wizard Games” stand and was one of Jack’s(9) favourite games from the whole weekend. “Robot Quest Arena” is a deck-building-based arena battler that sees you pilot really cute robots and fight it out in an arena that is strangely reminiscent of a cute version of the cult TV program “Robot Wars.” Each player starts the game in corners, and you draw up five cards. Using the abilities of these cards, you can attack other players, push other players, and more importantly, use your energy […]
- [Go For Gold - UKGE 24](https://littleboardgamers.com/go-for-gold-ukge-24/): Game #5 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Go for Gold,” which we played at the “Gibsons Games” stand. “Go for Gold” is a relatively simple card game that is better described as “Dobble with a bit more thinking and a better scoring system.” Essentially, the way the game works is that a line of six cards is placed on the table. You then have to grab the cards from the table that match the Competition Card displayed at the top of the deck, either matching the number of events or the type of event (colour). After a predetermined number of […]
- [Mycelia - UKGE](https://littleboardgamers.com/mycelia-ukge/): Game #4 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Mycelia,” which we played at the “Ravensburger” stand and like “Happy Home” was one of the “must have games” people were buzzing about on my travels at the expo. “Mycelia” is a deck building games based around the idea of clearing your forest floor of dewdrops with the help of mushrooms people. to do this you have to use cards that can remove dewdrops from the grid or move them into the portal square to again remove them from the grid. When removed they are placed on a cool “shrine of life” that […]
- [Happy Home - UKGE](https://littleboardgamers.com/happy-home-ukge/): Game #3 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Happy Home,” which we played at the “Alley Cat Games” stands and definitely was one of the “must have games” people were buzzing about on my travels at the expo. “Happy Home” is a tile laying game that is similar to last years “Little Board Gamers” favourite “Subway Squeeze” and “Alice’s Garden”… based on this alone I was already on board as Jack(9) and I are suckers for tile placement. Each player gets an empty home board at the start and its up to you how you fill it by picking tiles placed […]
- [Star Realms Academy](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-realms-academy/): Game #2 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” is “Star Realms Academy,” which we played at the “Wacky Wizard Games” stand (The new family friendly offshoot of Wise Wizard Games). Star Realms Academy is a “my first deck-building game”. It’s essentially a junior version of the popular Star Realms deck-building game from Wacky Wizard Games. You start the game by setting out your player board and placing your 15 health tokens on it. Each player gets a base deck which consists mostly of gold cards and one attack card. Everything else is placed on the trade board in the middle. On your […]
- [Minecraft Explorers](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-explorers/): We kick off game #1 of our “UKGE ROUNDUP 2024” with “Minecraft Explorers,” which we played at the Ravensburger stand. The game is a cooperative card game where you try to gain a certain amount of 4 out of 5 different types of items. You begin with a “shop” of 5 items, all costing various amounts of food. You can use the food to turn these over and gain these items, which you can then use to either gain other things or defeat monsters. Every time you have your turn, there is a nighttime phase where you turn over a monster […]
- [End of Saturday Haul!](https://littleboardgamers.com/end-of-saturday-haul/): End of our Saturday at the UKGE with a nice little haul full of upcoming reviews and a few giveaways for the future (Gigamons, Kittin and Tinderblox). We played lots of great games which we will be given up posts for the next week or two and look forward to playing lots more tomorrow Thank you to everyone I met and chatted to we had such a lovely day. If I took a photo with you today I won’t post it here without permission. If I didn’t see you today hope to see you tomorrow come and say hi we dont […]
- [Garden Heist](https://littleboardgamers.com/garden-heist/): As we head into the “UK Games Expo” season, I had not planned to release a review ahead of the deluge of games I’ll be turning to over the next few weeks. This, however, quickly went out the window when “Garden Heist” arrived in the post this morning (but probably yesterday when the review goes live)… “Garden Heist” by “Ravensburger” is quite literally a hide-and-seek game with strong vibes of “What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?” that had not really been on my radar. It totally blindsided me this morning, hence why even though I hadn’t planned to do a review today, […]
- [Spooktacular - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/spooktacular-preview/): A very quick preview post of an upcoming game I got a chance to play an extremely early prototype of last night and that is “Spooktacular” by Level 99 Games. Essentially you play as one of the monsters from films in a movie theatre that have come to life and the objective is to scare as many people as possible to earn points. The artwork is gorgeous and are often based on classic movie properties from the likes of Stephen King, Modern Horror and Universal Monsters. The gameplay is really simple and involves using a small deck of card to do […]
- [Unmatched](https://littleboardgamers.com/unmatched/): A “not so quick” one ahead of an upcoming deluge of UKGE content. A couple of years ago, I featured a review of Unmatched: Cobble and Fog and gave it a very strong recommendation. Needless to say, since then I have fallen down the deepest, darkest of rabbit holes with the Unmatched system. Here I present my overall review of the system as a whole, as well as recommendations for what sets to get if you are interested in getting into it. It’s surprising that I haven’t discussed Unmatched in more detail as, out of the hundreds of games I have played, Unmatched […]
- [UKBGE First Time Family Survival Guide](https://littleboardgamers.com/ukbge-first-time-family-survival-guide/): Hey all have done my best to write a survival guide for people travelling to the NEC the weekend after next for the UKBGE. This is by no means comprehensive and if anyone has any good additions let me know below. Its worth noting that there is a first timer guide you can get at the event itself that has a treasure hunt and a few other things in it that might appeal but its not specifically aimed at families.Overview The UK Games Expo (UKGE) is the largest Hobby Games Convention in the UK. It’s a fun event that appeals to families […]
- [Necromolds](https://littleboardgamers.com/necromolds/): It’s odd that I would ever utter the phrase, “this should have been more mainstream,” equally I have been trying to make my reviews a little more concise but I am fully aware this one if lengthy but I have a lot to say about “Necromolds.” So here we go… Today, we are going to be looking at “Necromolds,” a family-friendly skirmish wargame marketed as an introduction to “Warhammer”-like games for families. First released on Kickstarter back in 2019 to great reviews and a current 8.2 rating on BGG, I was keen to get in when the reprint happened last year. […]
- [Subway Squeeze](https://littleboardgamers.com/subway-squeeze-2/): Subway Squeeze is a game that has reached the giddy heights of being considered a group fave and has been regularly recommended for a few years now. But I haven’t seen it mentioned for a while, so I decided to redo the review and, more importantly… Subway Squeeze is a tetromino game, and if you like Isle of Cats or Alice’s Garden, then there’s a lot to enjoy here. It’s actually got some clever ideas that make it worth picking up even if you already own a few other tetromino games. I’ll admit, when I first bought this a few years ago I had a few worries that […]
- [Bigly](https://littleboardgamers.com/bigly/): Two player abstract strategy that has a bit of a problem with stale-mates. 
- [Wizards & Co](https://littleboardgamers.com/wizards-co/): A light strategy game with some interesting mechanics that gives a big box feel in a relatively small package.
- [Halo Flashpoint](https://littleboardgamers.com/halo-flashpoint/): A fast paces tactical miniatures game that does the video game franchise justice.
- [Colorful Treasure](https://littleboardgamers.com/colorful-treasure/): A real gem. A real diamond in the rough (insert more puns here).
- [Ubongo Pokémon](https://littleboardgamers.com/ubongo-pokemon/): A simple retheme of Ubongo that isn't quite what it could be.
- [Santorini - Second Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/santorini-second-edition/): I had a copy of the original version of Santorini at some point in the late 2010s, but that was before I started posting reviews on Little Board Gamers and, more importantly, before any of the kids were really old enough to play with me. I somehow lost the game – I don’t really know how. I suspect I might have lent it to someone or taken it to a games night and left it there. I’m still not really 100% sure. Either way, my copy of Santorini disappeared into the annals of time quite a few years ago. A couple of times since then, […]
- [ButtChess+1](https://littleboardgamers.com/buttchess1/): Fun abstract strategy from a small indie company with quite a few odd quirks
- [Cubed Next Level Dominoes](https://littleboardgamers.com/cubed-next-level-dominoes-summer-games-fest-1/): A relatively simple games helped along by its lovely premium components and wonderful table presence. 
- [Summer Games Fest 2025](https://littleboardgamers.com/summer-games-fest-2025/): Tomorrow marks the start of Summer Games Fest 2025 — that means one board game review every single day throughout July and August! We’ve got a packed schedule lined up, with something for everyone: games for young children, family favourites, titles for older kids, quirky indie gems, unreleased previews, Japanese imports, and even a few classic throwbacks. This is our fourth year running the Fest, and we hope you’ll enjoy following along and discovering some new board game inspiration — we’ll be playing (and reviewing) around 64 different games over the next two months, and we can’t wait to share them with you!
- [MicroMacro: Kids - Crazy City Park](https://littleboardgamers.com/micromacro-kids-crazy-city-park/): I love the original MicroMacro game – it’s a cooperative detective type game mixed with hidden pictures. There’s a huge line drawn image with characters in a city but it shows multiple times all together, so you can follow the path of what one character did in the day as you see multiple copies of that character in the image. Each case has multiple step by step questions that lead you to eventually figure out the story behind the mystery as you find the answer to each one in the image. My 5yo kids were always wanting to play it, but […]
- [Between Two Castles: Essential Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/between-two-castles-essential-edition/): A really cool semi cooperative tile laying game for older kids.
- [Bean Boozled](https://littleboardgamers.com/bean-boozled/): Silly nonsense that the kids loved playing
- [Minecraft Labyrinth : Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-labyrinth-minecraft-week/): A fun if fairly standard reskin of the classic Labyrinth game.
- [Minecraft Explorers : Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-explorers-minecraft-week/): A fun cooperative Minecraft card game that fits in your bag.
- [Minecraft Builders & Biomes : Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-builders-biomes-minecraft-week/): Outstanding Game that stands alone with or without the license.
- [Heroes of the Village : Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/heroes-of-the-village-minecraft-week/): Coop Tower Defense for younger Minecraft fans. 
- [Minecraft: Portal Dash - Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-portal-dash-minecraft-week/): A fun Coop Dungeon Crawler that is far from essential.
- [Minecraft Chess - Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-chess-2/): A lovely chess set for the Minecraft fan at home.
- [Minecraft Builders & Biomes Junior - Minecraft Week](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-builders-biomes-junior/): A wonderful dexterity game that stands apart from its older brother.
- [Asmodee UKGE Round Up](https://littleboardgamers.com/asmodee-ukge-round-up/): UKGE Roundup 2025 Games 8, 9 & 10 Brick Like This First up is Brick Like This, coming out later this year from Asmodee. It’s a team-based game where one player turns over a card showing a shape that needs to be built out of LEGO — but their partner can’t see the card. Instead, the person with the card must describe the shape using only words, while their teammate builds it as quickly (and accurately) as possible. The first team to get it right wins the round. We really liked this one. It’s surprisingly difficult for such a simple concept, […]
- [Wispwood - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/wispwood-first-impressions/): I’m really enjoying the nighttime aesthetic at the moment that seems to be quite prominent in game art, and Wispwood is a fantastic example of that — a new game coming this winter from CGE, the same people who brought out Little Alchemist, a regularly recommended middleweight family game around here. Wispwood looks set to continue that legacy. The general idea is that you’re a cat drawn to the light in the forest, and you’re trying to make your own patch of woodland the brightest by attracting magical wisps. On your turn, you’re going to pick a little wisp tile and choose a shape to pop into […]
- [Compania - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/compania-first-impressions/): Generally speaking, when I’m going around the UK Games Expo, we mostly look at light to medium-weight games—largely due to the fact that it’s very difficult to get an opinion on a big, long, heavy game while sitting on a show floor. Having said that, one game that Jack and I specifically did get a chance to try out on the show floor is Compania, a new engine-building game from Level 99, featuring a really interesting bidding mechanic and a beautiful, almost JRPG-style aesthetic. It’s produced by Japanese designer and artist Yog Akase (赤瀬 よぐ). The general concept of Compania is that you’re trying to […]
- [Spy Guy Fantasy - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/spy-guy-fantasy-first-impressions/): Meta Game Spy Guy Game! – Spot the group member in the background of one of the photos. If you were at the UK Games Expo, one of the hardest things to miss was the massive stand-sized version of Spy Guy Fantasy over at the Hachette stand. After some real-life searching, we managed to play the smaller version as well, so we can now give you our thoughts and let you know whether it’s worth tracking down. But if you’ve been in this group over the last few days, you’ll have seen people already asking about it — so the resounding answer is yes. […]
- [Tachii - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/tachii-first-impressions/): UKGE Roundup 2025 Game 4 Tachii First Impressions One of my favourite things about going to the UK Games Expo is the chance to discover cool games from upstart indie designers—ones you’re just not going to find easily in your local shop. These are often the games that get lost in the constant wave of new releases, so it always feels special when you stumble across something great. That’s exactly what happened when I found Curious Cats UK, a small design team with two different games on show—both of which I really liked. The first is Cosmic Quest, a very cool […]
- [Star Wars Super Teams - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-wars-super-teams-preview/): It’s going to become extremely obvious over the next month or so — as we work through a bunch of previews and reviews — that Toby is currently obsessed with Star Wars. And to be honest, a lot of the games we’ve ended up bringing home from the UK Games Expo this year are Star Wars-themed in some way or another. Now, Toby is just about at the age where he’s capable enough to enjoy a proper miniatures skirmish game, so he spent quite a bit of time eyeing up Star Wars: Shatterpoint at the Expo (and I spent quite a bit of time gently steering him away from […]
- [Tacta - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/tacta-first-impressions/): UKGE Roundup 2025 Game 2 Tacta First Impressions Tacta is a really sweet little card game that actually came out a few years ago. And I’ll admit, it completely passed me by — as it did for most other people! This second edition has now been released by Osprey Games, and they gave it a massive push at the UK Games Expo. It was definitely one of the most talked-about games of the weekend. Essentially, the game works by giving each player a set of cards. These cards have different shapes on their edges, and each shape has a number of points. The aim […]
- [Gloomies - First Impressions](https://littleboardgamers.com/gloomies-first-impressions/): Gloomies was hands down one of the main games that stole the show for me. It’s from the same design team as Mycelia, and it shares the same gorgeous artwork by Justin Chan, who you might recognise from the Century Golem games. The game tells the story of the Gloomies, little creatures from outer space who love to adorn themselves with beautiful galactic flowers. Your aim is to grow these flowers in the first half of the game and then harvest them in the second half. You start with a hand of flowers, and on your turn, you can play up […]
- [UKGE 2025 Round Up](https://littleboardgamers.com/ukge-2025-round-up/): The UK Games Expo has finally drawn to a close, and with it I’ve got two extremely tired boys who’ve had an absolutely fantastic weekend. Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone I bumped into from the group – it was so lovely to chat to so many of you. And a massive shoutout to Nicola Asker for setting up the UK Games Expo group chat – it was incredibly useful, and I know loads of people got something out of it. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be posting daily previews for the next week or so, showing off loads of the upcoming games I got to […]
- [Nine Tiles Pokémon Dokoda! / Pokémon Nine Tile](https://littleboardgamers.com/nine-tiles-pokemon-dokoda-pokemon-nine-tile/): A fast-paced Pokémon puzzle game from Japan that’s perfect for kids, restaurants, and anyone who loves flipping tiles in a frenzy!
- [Puzzle Quick](https://littleboardgamers.com/puzzle-quick/): A fast, fun little puzzle game that’s perfect for restaurants and got a big thumbs up from Henry!
- [UKGE Family Guide](https://littleboardgamers.com/ukge-family-guide/): The UK Games Expo (UKGE) is the largest hobby games convention in the UK. It’s a fun event that appeals to families as well as enthusiasts, and I myself, along with many others in the group, have attended before. The expo takes place from Friday, 31 May to Sunday, 2 June 2024. You can go for a day or the whole weekend, but if you’re just going for a day, I’d recommend Friday or Sunday, as they tend to be quieter than Saturday. If you’re looking to buy “the new exciting stuff”, be aware that things might be sold out by […]
- [Chip Theory Kids Versus Collection](https://littleboardgamers.com/chip-theory-kids-versus-collection/): Chip Theory Kids Versus Collection is a set of 3 competitive games for young kids, ages 4-5+. There’s a memory game, a dexterity game, and a party game. Bear in Mind is a memory game where you tell stories to help remember. It’s kind of like a competitive, less abstract Wilmot’s Warehouse for young kids. This was the first memory game I played with my kids where they were doing better than me! I think it’s because of the story – they enjoyed remembering the story part and that helped a lot. It’s got cute art and is a good “my […]
- [Coder.IO Kickstarter Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/coder-io-kickstarter-preview/): Today I am really pleased to be talking about Coder.IO, a brand new educational coding game out on Kickstarter today. Jack (10) is a massive fan of coding, so this game was right up his street, and he was really eager to play when the game landed on our doorstep. Toby also joined us for some of our games. Please note this is a prototype, so there may be some changes for the final version, but I understand that it is very close to complete. To kick things off, each player picks a robot. These “beeples”, as they are called — which […]
- [Under the Mango Tree](https://littleboardgamers.com/under-the-mango-tree/): Today we’re going to be talking about Under the Mango Tree, a brand new tile drafting and set collection game from Pegasus Spiele that reminds me of Draftosaurus, but has enough ideas of its own to stand on its own two feet. Played here with Jack(10) and Toby(7) Each player gets their own board, showing five different areas: your mango tree, the animal reserve, the coast, a beehive, and rubbish that you’d really rather get rid of. The game takes place over a few rounds (five if there are 2 or 3 players, just three rounds with 4 players), and each round is […]
- [Memo Mission](https://littleboardgamers.com/memo-mission/): A lovely mix of memory and storytelling with wonderful artwork.
- [Timber Town](https://littleboardgamers.com/timber-town/): 2 Player drafting fun with wonderful artwork and an interesting twist.
- [Monikers](https://littleboardgamers.com/monikers/): An unfamily friendly game for all the family...
- [Wizardry to the Power of Three](https://littleboardgamers.com/wizardry-to-the-power-of-three/): Wizardry to the Power of Three is a charming co-operative memory game from Pegasus Games, perfect for families who enjoy a challenge.
- [Warfront live now on Kickstarter](https://littleboardgamers.com/warfront-live-now-on-kickstarter/): If your child is at all interested in games like Warhammer this is a really good option to see if they like the style of game without the massive outlay.
- [Micro Robots](https://littleboardgamers.com/micro-robots/): A reaction based spatial perception game that offers enough of a unique experience to be worth tracking down.
- [Bloxo](https://littleboardgamers.com/bloxo/): Bloxo is a small form factor tile-matching game where each player takes a hand of cards featuring a selection of either circles, crosses, stars, or diamonds. The goal is to score as many points as possible. You score points by laying cards. When you place a card, you get points for any groupings you create. For example, if you lay a yellow shape next to another yellow, you get 2 points for those two yellows, plus any additional points for other yellows connected to that group. Essentially, you’re trying to build big clusters of matching colours to score more and more points. […]
- [Star Realms Rise of Empire](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-realms-rise-of-empire/): Today we’re going to be looking at Star Realms: Rise of Empire, a campaign legacy version of the popular game Star Realms that I’ve reviewed before and that myself—particularly Jack—really, really like. We’re also quite big fans of legacy games, so when we realised there was a legacy version of Star Realms, it was an absolute no-brainer that we were going to buy it. Unfortunately, it’s not quite everything we’d hoped for. Firstly, this game does play like Star Realms, so if you’ve never played Star Realms before, I’ll put a link to our review of the original game, which was very well received, in the comments section […]
- ["Grunlings: Fantastic" Fruit now on Kickstarter](https://littleboardgamers.com/grunlings-fantastic-fruit-now-on-kickstarter/): Just wanted to let everyone know that “Grunlings: Fantastic Fruit” a game that I reviewed and really enjoyed a few months ago is now available to order on Kickstarter 🙂 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grunlings/grunlings-fantastic-fruit Link to review of prototype version: https://littleboardgamers.com/grunling-fantastic-fruit-preview/
- [Potion Express](https://littleboardgamers.com/potion-express/): Today, I’m looking at the final game from Kiwi Zou in this series of four, and that’s Potion Express. Potion Express is actually the oldest in terms of age rating out of all the Kiwi Zou games I’ve played, suggesting it’s for kids aged 6+. Henry, who’s three, managed to play it fine, though he did need a bit more help than with the previous games. I reckon a competent four- or five-year-old could probably handle this one just fine. So, what’s the game about? The general concept is that you’re collecting ingredients for witches to complete their potions. The aim of the […]
- [Bala Dino](https://littleboardgamers.com/bala-dino/): The perfect step up from simpler kids games like snakes and ladders.
- [Mission Savane](https://littleboardgamers.com/mission-savane/): A fun, animal themes, tile matching game from new publisher Kiwi Zou that scales well as your children grow.
- [Airecon 2025: A Parent's Perspective](https://littleboardgamers.com/airecon-2025-a-parents-perspective/): How I tackled the convention with my six-year-old, sharing tips along the way and comparing it to the UKGE.
- [Forest First](https://littleboardgamers.com/forest-first/): “Forest First” is the first in a selection of games we’re looking at that have just been brought to the UK by Hachette, designed by Kiwi Zou. To give you an idea, these games are very much aimed at a younger audience and have a similar feel to games by HABA. Overall, looking at the range as a whole, I’m really impressed by them for a number of reasons. Starting with “Forest First”, I’m going to tell you why. “Forest First” is the youngest of the lot, with a box recommendation of age 3+, so we sat down to try it […]
- [Carcassonne: Over Hill and Dale](https://littleboardgamers.com/carcassonne-over-hill-and-dale/): The game that is a better "My first Carcassonne" than "My first Carcassonne"
- [Azul Duel](https://littleboardgamers.com/azul-duel/): Azul Duel finally delivers a duel version of a game worth playing.
- [Travel Games you should play](https://littleboardgamers.com/travel-games-you-should-play/): To conclude our "Travel Games Log" we have a quick look at some more travel games worth considering for your Holidays this Easter.
- [Warfront](https://littleboardgamers.com/warfront/): The essence of tabletop wargames like Warhammer shrunk down into a card game that fits in your pocket.
- [Pier 18](https://littleboardgamers.com/pier-18/): An ultraportable game of just 18 cards always worth having on hand or in a glove box for unexpected family gaming. 
- [Message in a Bottle](https://littleboardgamers.com/message-in-a-bottle/): Message in a Bottle is a fun word game that reminds me a little bit of Boggle, but with a much lower entry point, much faster gameplay, and it’s also very playable with a mixed age and ability group. It comes in a really cool bottle, which we’ll talk about when we get to components. Essentially, you remove everything from the bottle, place the dice back inside, and give each player one diamond to start with. You then shake the letters inside the bottle and place it down on the table so everyone can clearly see what dice are there. This […]
- [Candy Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/candy-party/): Candy Party is a simple, small-box game from Haba based around the idea of trying to match sweets. The gameplay is relatively simple. You start by placing the wrapped candies face down in a three-by-four grid and putting the wooden toothbrush in the middle. You then place all the unwrapped candies into your sweet jar, which is the base of the box, and take turns drawing. When you draw a sweet, all players simultaneously place one of their fingers on one of the sweets they think matches it. If they get it correct, they keep the sweet, which adds towards their point […]
- [Uno House Rules!](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-house-rules/): We’re going to have a really quick game today for game 6 of our “travel games log”, and that’s our second Uno set — Uno House Rules. Now, Uno House Rules — just to clear up some confusion — is actually the second game ever released with this name. The first Uno House Rules came out way back in 1998 and featured three different Uno variants that were the result of a contest Mattel ran to come up with interesting house rule ideas for Uno. I’ve never played that version, but looking through it now, it seems pretty interesting, with some weird and wacky twists. But this review isn’t […]
- [Roll for It!](https://littleboardgamers.com/roll-for-it-2/): Roll for It! was one of the very first games I ever reviewed here at Little Board Gamers, and that review is looking pretty long in the tooth now. It’s about time we gave it an update, especially as Roll for It! is one of the most played quick and simple games that we always take with us when travelling. I’m just going to say it now—Roll for It! isn’t even remotely my favourite travel game. But it’s one of the most reliable, and also one of the easiest to teach to non-gaming relatives or people you might be travelling with. It’s also really easy […]
- [Trailblazers: Travel Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/trailblazers-travel-edition/): For game 4 of our travel games log, we’re taking a look at “Trailblazers: Travel Edition”. Produced by Bitewing Games and more recently distributed by Allplay. Played here with Jack(9) and Toby(6). First off, to clear up any confusion, there are actually four versions of “Trailblazers” that you can buy. There’s the standard and deluxe tabletop versions, which come in a “Carcassonne”-sized box. There’s also a “Pocket” version, which is incredibly small and literally does fit inside your pocket. But today, we’re focusing on the “Travel Edition”, which sits nicely in the middle. It still includes all the components, and everything fits snugly into a hard case with […]
- [Uno Teams](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-teams/): The first of two Uno games we’re going to be looking at in this series is Uno Teams, a brand-new variant released by Mattel. With the basic conceit that you are playing in teams, the first thing to make abundantly clear is that this can only really be played in even-numbered teams. So, you’re going to need 2, 4, 6, or 8 players to actually make the game work. All players start with seven cards, and the actual concept of the game is very much the same as regular Uno. In fact, of all the Uno variants I’ve played, this one […]
- [Tic Tac Trek](https://littleboardgamers.com/tik-tak-trek/): A wonderful abstract strategy game with wonderful components in a tiny package. 
- [Barbecubes](https://littleboardgamers.com/barbecubes/): We kick off game 1 of our “Travel Games Log” with “Barbecubes”, a small tin-box game from Alley Cat, and the sequel to the highly recommended group favourite “Tinderblox”. You begin by setting up the game, placing the wooden grilles over the box itself, laying out a deck of cards, and placing all of the meat pieces into a pile. We used the lid of the box itself, which helped prevent pieces from falling all over the place—a definite plus for a travel game. The gameplay involves drawing a card and using the BBQ tongs (tweezers) to place a piece of […]
- [Travel Games Log](https://littleboardgamers.com/travel-games-log/): As the UK half-term hits us full force and the Easter holidays loom on the horizon, we’re turning our focus to small-box games that are perfect for travel. Expect a mix of fresh releases from Alley Cat Games, some quirky imports from Asia, and a few updated reviews where the originals just don’t quite live up to 2025 standards. Check back daily for new reviews, and if you want to join in, I’d love to see your favourite travel games get a deep dive! Need some suggestions now? Take a look at our travel games archive: https://littleboardgamers.com/category/travel/
- [KO Corral](https://littleboardgamers.com/ko-corral/): As we approached half-term, all the boys were absolutely shattered, so we decided to play something a little less involved. That’s how we ended up playing “KO Corral”. Now, I had fairly high hopes when I picked this one up. Essentially, it’s a shooting gallery crossed with something like “Dice Flick”, with a few stats and powers thrown in. Nothing groundbreaking, but I was expecting a fun little game we could enjoy together—maybe even one that Henry could join in with now that he’s getting more into playing as a family. Oh, how wrong I was. Setting up the game is […]
- [Zombie Kidz Evolution](https://littleboardgamers.com/zombie-kidz-evolution/): We bought Zombie Kidz Evolution last week and I’ve been playing it with both my 5yo twins (and sometimes with my husband). I mentioned Capt’n Pepe: Treasure Ahoy! a few months ago as my kid’s first legacy type game, but this one is their first actual legacy game where there are stickers that you put in the rulebook! So far we’ve played Zombie Kidz Evolution 5 times and unlocked one envelope (out of 13 or so), and my kids are loving it. With Capt’n Pepe, one of my kids was super into it and the other didn’t like playing it because […]
- [Banana Boy VS Uni-Cone](https://littleboardgamers.com/banana-boy-vs-uni-cone/): I got Banana Boy VS Uni-Cone as a review copy to try out with my kids. It’s for ages 8+ and my kids are 5, but the designer sent me a copy thinking they might be old enough to play. Banana Boy VS Uni-Cone is similar to the classic game Memory but with double sided cards. The game comes in a card box and is just a deck of cards, so it’s super portable (but uses a good amount of table space when you play). The cards are very colourful with pictures on them of different items in four different categories […]
- [Takenokolor](https://littleboardgamers.com/takenokolor/): Tonight we tried another new game which was also a roll n write, well… Roll n colour. In Takenokolor there are four different sheets which increase in complexity from a 2 panda rating up to 4. We only tried the easiest tonight to learn. On your turn you roll the pens. Yep, the pens. This then gives you four colour and shape combinations to choose from. The other players choose from the ones you reject. You the colour a matching section of your sheet. Completing some sections earns you ladybirds which are worth an extra point but also, gaining a third […]
- [Stacking Dexterity Games you should play](https://littleboardgamers.com/stacking-dexterity-games-you-should-play/): A guide to six Stacking dexterity games that are definitely worth playing. 
- [World in Progress](https://littleboardgamers.com/world-in-progress/): Strategic tile laying in a very family friendly package.
- [Hideous Abominations](https://littleboardgamers.com/hideous-abominations/): Monster making fun for all ages with simplified rules for younger kids.
- [Boop the Halls](https://littleboardgamers.com/boop-the-halls/): I know a lot of people recommend Boop and the Halloween version (Boooooop) has been reviewed on here so I ordered Boop the Halls as a Christmas gift to myself and daughter. In preparation, I learned regular Boop and taught it to my daughter (6) and mother-in-law using Board Game Arena. So by Christmas we had the basics down and were ready for a twist. For anyone not familiar, in classic boop you’re trying to get three cats in a row BUT each time you place a cat or kitten it boops adjacent creatures away one space (except kittens can’t boop […]
- [Joyride Survival of the Fastest](https://littleboardgamers.com/joyride-survival-of-the-fastest/): “Thunder Road Vendetta” has been a popular game in our household for quite a while, and as such, the boys were looking for something with a similar feel that could potentially be played in a slightly shorter time frame. Enter “Joyride: Survival of the Fastest,” a stock car racing game that lets you travel around an arena with elements of combat thrown in. Generally speaking, I’m not a massive fan of racing games. I never really got into “Flamme Rouge” and as such, never really got into “Heat” either. But “Thunder Road Vendetta” has given us quite a bit of fun […]
- [Hungry Hungry Hippos](https://littleboardgamers.com/12th-day-of-christmas-fun-with-hungry-hungry-hippos-2/): On the 12th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Twelve Hungry Hippos, Eleven jigsaw pieces, Ten Farting Canines, Nine Naming Words, Eight Hamster Homes, Seven Toiling Train Lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! It was never my intention to feature the ultra-mainstream game “Hungry Hungry Hippos” (who knew it had two “Hungrys” in the title? I certainly didn’t until we got the game). But the boys received this over Christmas as a present from a relative, and we […]
- [My Puzzle Adventure](https://littleboardgamers.com/11th-day-of-christmas-my-puzzle-adventure/): On the 11th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Eleven jigsaw pieces, Ten Farting Canines, Nine Naming Words, Eight Hamster Homes, Seven Toiling Train Lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! “My Puzzle Adventure: Dragon” is a wonderful storytelling game that is perfect for playing with relatively young children. I’m only going to do a relatively quick review today because there have been some excellent reviews on here already, and the review from Nicola Asker over on the group […]
- [Queen of Farts](https://littleboardgamers.com/10th-day-of-christmas-queen-of-farts/):  On the 10th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Ten Farting Canines, Nine Naming Words, Eight Hamster Homes, Seven Toiling Train Lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three!  “Queen of Farts” is essentially the card game “Cheat,” filled with a little bit of silliness. Obviously, being a father of three boys who are basically obsessed with anything containing poo, farts, or willies, “Queen of Farts” was right up their street. The concept of the game is simple. All the […]
- [Tilt 'N Shout](https://littleboardgamers.com/9th-day-of-christmas-tilt-n-shout/): On the 9th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Nine Naming words, Eight Hamster homes, Seven toiling train lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! “Tilt ‘N’ Shout” is a really simple head-to-head word game where you draw a card that gives you things to name. These might be things such as types of cheese, farm animals, or famous books. You then need to, one by one, go back and forth naming these things, each time tilting the marble […]
- [Hamster Clan](https://littleboardgamers.com/8th-day-of-christmas-hamster-clan/): On the 8th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Eight Hamster homes, Seven toiling train lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! “Hamster Clan” is a co-operative item-gathering movement game based around the concept of trying to gather corn, clover, and carrots as quickly as possible before all the leaves fall off the tree and winter arrives. The game it is most like is actually “Alien: Fate of the Nostromo,” which I reviewed as part of our Halloween Spooktacular. […]
- [Ticket to Ride: Legends of the West](https://littleboardgamers.com/7th-day-of-christmas-ticket-to-ride/): On the 7th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Seven toiling train lines, Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! Today’s review is a bit unusual because this is one of the few games I’ve reviewed that I haven’t actually played with my kids—though I definitely could have. Instead, “Ticket to Ride: Legacy – Legends of the West” is a game I started exactly one year ago on New Year’s Eve with Katie. Tonight, New Year’s Eve a year later, we’re playing […]
- [Clever Keys](https://littleboardgamers.com/6th-day-of-christmas-clever-keys/): On the 6th day of Christmas, my children played with me Six locking safe keys… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! Today, we’re looking at “Clever Keys” a delightful push-your-luck and memory game that’s an excellent introduction to the push-your-luck mechanic. Played with all 3 of my boys. Here’s how it works… On your turn, you start with three keys and four potential holes to insert them into on a circular grid. If you put a key into a hole and it goes all the […]
- [Backgammon](https://littleboardgamers.com/5th-day-of-christmas-backgammon/):  On the 5th day of Christmas, my children played with me… FIVE CARLSBERG CHIPS!, Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three!  Disclaimer: I go a bit off tangent here for please skip forward if you only want to read my thoughts about playing Backgammon with kids. About 18 years ago, long before we had kids and before we were even married, Katie and I took a trip to Copenhagen. On our tour around the Carlsberg Brewery, we ended up spending a decent chunk of our holiday spending money on […]
- [Yeti](https://littleboardgamers.com/4th-day-of-christmas-yeti/): On the 4th day of Christmas, my children played with me… Four Sad Snowmen, Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! We continue our Christmas special with “Yeti,” a push-your-luck, Yahtzee-style game themed around trying to capture a photo of the elusive Yeti. You start the game by setting up the rather cool 3D board, which features a mountain with footprints leading to the top. You also set up the photo track, complete with some all-important bonuses. On your turn, you roll your dice and set aside any showing snow. If you […]
- [Magic Labyrinth](https://littleboardgamers.com/3rd-day-of-christmas-magic-labyrinth/): On the third day of Christmas, my children played with me… Three Magnetic Mazes, Two “Unmatched: Witcher” sets, and a reaction game I played with all three! Today, we’re going to look at “The Magic Labyrinth,” a memory game that’s always a favourite whenever we visit a board game café. Oddly, we’ve never actually picked up a copy of this game for home, but it’s one we love to play when we’re out, because my kids absolutely adore it. It’s definitely a game I’d recommend picking up, or at least trying out. The gameplay is really simple. Beneath the board, there […]
- [Unmatched (Witcher Sets)](https://littleboardgamers.com/2nd-day-of-christmas-unmatched-witcher-sets/):  On the second day of Christmas, my children played with me… Two Unmatched Witcher sets… and a reaction game I played with all three! Today, I’m diving into the two brand-new Witcher sets as part of the Unmatched system. As a huge fan of both the Unmatched franchise and The Witcher series, I’ve been looking forward to these sets. I’ve played them with Jack twice, plus another six or seven games with a friend to prepare for an upcoming school tournament in January. The Witcher Sets “Unmatched: The Witcher Steel & Silver” and “Unmatched: The Witcher Realms Fall” are the latest […]
- [Tidy Toyboxes](https://littleboardgamers.com/1st-day-of-christmas-tidy-toyboxes/): On the first day of Christmas, my children played with me… A reaction game I played with all three. “Tidy Toyboxes” is a relatively simple Haba game and one of the many younger kids’ games I’m going to be playing over this Christmas period, largely because we’re obviously spending a lot of family time together, which means we want to include Henry in as many games as possible. To set the game up, each player receives a bed card and places it in front of them. The general idea is that you’ve got to tidy up your room as quickly as […]
- [Grunling: Fantastic Fruit - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/grunling-fantastic-fruit-preview/): Wonderful Set Collection with beautiful “Studio Ghibli” inspired artwork. Just so you know, the game I am talking about today is an early prototype, not a finished version. As part of my time with it, I’ve provided the designer with feedback, which may or may not be incorporated into the final game. Anything I say here could be outdated by the time the game is officially released and this is very much a preview and not a review. “Grunling: Fantastic Fruits” is a set-collection game featuring stunning artwork by Johanna Forster, inspired by Studio Ghibli’s style. The premise is simple: players […]
- [Tower Stack](https://littleboardgamers.com/tower-stack-light-dexterity/): “Tower Stack” is a dexterity game that has been marketed quite heavily in recent months, so I decided to pick it up and share my thoughts. Generally speaking, the gameplay is very straightforward. You take the wobbly “Tower Stack” base and place it on the upturned plastic stand. On your turn, you draw a card that tells you which piece to place onto the stack. As the tower wobbles back and forth, you try to keep it balanced so it doesn’t fall over on your turn. If the tower collapses on your turn, you lose—much like “Jenga.” There isn’t really a […]
- [Wilmot's Warehouse](https://littleboardgamers.com/wilmots-warehouse-indie-darling/): A magical cooperative social memory game that is 100% worth playing.Sometimes, when playing games, you can experience a moment of joy where you are incredibly proud of something you’ve managed to achieve. When you’ve played as many games as we have, that moment doesn’t come very often. However, that moment did come in spades during our playthroughs of “Wilmot’s Warehouse.” “Wilmot’s Warehouse” is a board game adaptation of the beloved indie video game of the same name, developed by Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett and published by Finji. The video game, released in 2019, is a puzzle game where players manage […]
- [Capt’n Pepe: Treasure Ahoy!](https://littleboardgamers.com/captn-pepe-treasure-ahoy/): One of my 5yo twins got Capt’n Pepe: Treasure Ahoy! for his birthday a few months ago and we’ve played through 17 of the 25 chapters since. It’s currently his favorite game and the one he chooses to play after dinner each night (when I have time), but it’s definitely not for everyone. The game itself is a legacy game from HABA. The gameplay is a cooperative abstract puzzle game, and the “legacy” parts are modular rules that get added to the main game. You have a 3d cardboard ship with different colored player pieces and different colored oars. Each space […]
- [My Shelfie: The Dice Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-shelfie-the-dice-game/): One thing that regularly gets asked here on “Little Board Gamers” is to recommend games that can be taken to places such as restaurants or on public transport to keep kids occupied. Now, roll-and-write games are normally my go-to for this, as they usually scale really well and can be played with a wide range of players. Equally, they normally take up relatively little space. But some feel more appropriate for use in those kinds of environments than others, usually due to their simplicity and ease of play, even while managing kids and potentially coming back to them between courses. “My […]
- [Fishing Day](https://littleboardgamers.com/fishing-day/): Today, we are going to be looking at Fishing Day, a short and quick dexterity game from Blue Orange that I played with Jack(9), Toby(6), and Katie(38) recently. Now, the premise of the game is simple. You turn over a card, and the card gives you some sort of rule as to which of the various pieces in the pond you have to catch. Then, using your hoop fishing lines, you have to pull the pieces off the edge of the box, with the person gaining the most pieces winning that card. Now, this sounded like a relatively simple, straightforward, light-hearted dexterity […]
- [Jumping Dice](https://littleboardgamers.com/jumping-dice/): One of my favourite things about getting the chance to try out brand-new and interesting games is when something totally takes me by surprise and ends up being an absolute family favourite. Played here with Jack (9) and Toby (6). Today, I’m going to present “Jumping Dice”, a Korean import that currently isn’t available in the UK. However, I’m hoping that https://travel-games.co.uk/ will be able to stock it at some point in the new year because I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. This is clearly going to be a game we play with the whole family over the Christmas period. […]
- [Stamp Swap](https://littleboardgamers.com/stamp-swap/): Today, we’re looking at “Stamp Swap,” a tile-laying game from Stonemaier Games. The idea is that you’re attending a three-day stamp convention, meeting other collectors, swapping and accumulating stamps, and trying to win the top prize. Sounds delightful. If you’ve been here a while and regularly read my reviews, you’ll know we’re big fans of tile-laying games. So, Jack(9) and I jumped straight in to give “Stamp Swap” a go. The first thing that hit me was how much this game reminded me of “Fit to Print.” I played that last year and really enjoyed it—it’s one I’d happily recommend. While […]
- [Christmas Buying Guide 2024](https://littleboardgamers.com/christmas-buying-guide-2024/): Christmas Buying GuideAs we approach the Christmas season I wanted to do a quick overview of where to buy games from over the next month or so as we approach the big day. Buy from Smaller PublishersFirstly I am going to go off topic and say support smaller publishers’ games (that are likely better) and less mainstream games and don’t always resort to something from Smyths Toys from Hasbro. Careful of Counterfeits Watch out for counterfeit games, especially if the price seems too good to be true. Check trusted retailers and look for authentic branding. As we approach the Christmas season […]
- [Black it Out](https://littleboardgamers.com/black-it-out/): I haven’t written a review in ages! But this week my daughter stumbled across a roll n write I’d found while decluttering and realised she’d be easily capable of. So we gave it a go! The game is called Black It Out and I got it through a kickstarter for £3 I think years ago as a print and play. It was available online for a while afterwards but now you might have to try contacting the creator via bgg. But…it’d also be easy to make yourself. There are 20 rounds where you roll 3 die which everyone playing uses. You […]
- [Number Explorers](https://littleboardgamers.com/number-explorers/): It’s rare for me to start a review with a disclaimer, but in this case, it feels appropriate. Disclaimer: Today, I’m reviewing “Number Explorers,” a delightful card game designed to help children practise addition and subtraction. The game was created by Emma Breden-Smith, a longstanding member of our community. She sent me a prototype many months ago. This early version was printed and laminated on bits of paper, and my boys and I played it extensively, providing plenty of feedback. Much of that feedback has been incorporated into the production prototype, which I’m discussing today. Therefore, I do have some vested interest in […]
- [Spice Ships](https://littleboardgamers.com/spice-ships/): Today we’re diving into “Spice Ships,” a fun, quick little set-collection card game that might just become my new go-to recommendation when someone asks for a light, fast-paced game. I played this one with Jack (9) and also tried it with Toby (6), and both loved it. “Spice Ships” is all about building up a collection of islands, establishing trade routes, and trying to stop the other players succeeding. It’s a fast-paced card game for up to five players (though you could sneak in a couple more… we won’t tell). The aim of the game is to set up spice trade […]
- [My First Adventure: The Odyssey of Phobos](https://littleboardgamers.com/my-first-adventure-the-odyssey-of-phobos/): I’ve talked about the My First Adventure series before but I just got a review copy of My First Adventure: The Odyssey of Phobos from Fable Fox Press, which has three of the books available in the US! Previously I had gotten Finding the Dragon on Amazon and imported both Discovering Atlantis and Journey to Ochre Land from Zatu Games, so I was super excited to hear that Fable Fox Press is making more available in the US! Although the other two they have are the ones I already had bought The series is a choose-your-own-adventure type book for kids. My […]
- [Gigantosaurus: The Adventure Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/gigantosaurus-the-adventure-game/): Today, we’re taking a look at “Gigantosaurus: The Adventure Game,” which I received a few months ago. I held off on the review, but now that the game is finally hitting shop shelves and I am super happy to finally get to write about it as I have spent a good chunk of the last few months playing this with Henry(3) and it is his favourite game. The game is based on a popular children’s cartoon that, if you have young kids, I’m sure you’ve seen. Games based on licences like these are often fairly mainstream—and sometimes a bit underwhelming but “Gigantosaurus” stands out with […]
- [Bullet : Paw](https://littleboardgamers.com/bullet-paw/): Level 99’s Bullet series is probably my most reviewed and covered franchise here on Little Board Gamers, largely because it’s hands down Jack’s favourite game of all time. He is always excited when a new set of heroines arrives on our doorstep. With it being Fireworks Night in the UK, the new release “Bullet Paw” seemed like a perfect fit! Just the New Stuff for People Familiar with the Series Bullet Paw is an expansion pack that adds four new heroines, all based around cats (which immediately appealed to the boys). Unlike my review of Bullet a few months ago, these heroines are […]
- [Dead by Daylight: Malicious Expansion](https://littleboardgamers.com/dead-by-daylight-malicious-expansion/): Disclaimer: Today’s game contains a mature horror-based theme and some mature-based visuals. I am including it here because underneath the visuals its oddly family friendly. The last of this year’s official spooktacular but there are still a few games that were on the waiting list to be reviewed. Dead by Daylight: The Board Game is based on the popular indie horror video game, where one player takes on the role of the Killer. In recent versions, this includes licensed horror movie favourites like Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Ghostface from Scream, among others. To start with going to do a more […]
- [Dr Eureka](https://littleboardgamers.com/dr-eureka/): A dexterity logic game that's worth playing in a board game caf,e but probably not worth buying.
- [Hero Slam](https://littleboardgamers.com/hero-slam/): A sorta mainstream card game that can't decide what it wants to be and misses more than it hits.
- [Liar's Uno](https://littleboardgamers.com/liars-uno/): A small twist on the family classic that makes a big difference to make this probably the best Uno you can buy this Christmas.
- [Monopoly Deal: Kpop Demon Hunters](https://littleboardgamers.com/monopoly-deal-kpop-demon-hunters/): A surprisingly well-themed version of "Monopoly Deal", based on what is arguably one of the biggest pop-culture hits in the world right now.
- [Flippers](https://littleboardgamers.com/flippers/): A fun and actually quite unusual tile-laying sorta auto battler
- [Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-Kar](https://littleboardgamers.com/fireball-island-the-curse-of-vul-kar/): A wonderful blend of old school bright and loud family board gaming with modern ideas and gameplay (make sure you get the right version)
- [P For Pizza](https://littleboardgamers.com/p-for-pizza/): A quick word-based party game, but one definitely for evenly matched ages only.
- [Whirly Derby](https://littleboardgamers.com/whirly-derby/):  A fun light-hearted marble racing game perfect for Christmas for the whole family.
- [Divide and Conker](https://littleboardgamers.com/divide-and-conker/): A fun card game once you get past the rule book.
- [Splendor Kids](https://littleboardgamers.com/splendor-kids/): Over the last year or two, kids versions of board games have become massive business, and Splendor Kids is one of the latest examples of a popular adult game getting a child friendly version. As a few of you have requested, we are going to take a look at it and tell you what we think. The general idea is that you start the game by laying out the board. One thing to say straight away, which I really like, is that because the board is modular, you can change the length of it. This means you can make the game shorter or […]
- [Mickey and the Beanstalk](https://littleboardgamers.com/mickey-and-the-beanstalk/): A coop game for very young kids with great table presence.
- [Hedgehog Roll](https://littleboardgamers.com/hedgehog-roll-2/): We have actually reviewed “Hedgehog Roll” before, but as we head into Christmas 2025 I wanted to bring it back into our festive guide because it continues to be a proper family favourite. It has been in our collection for years, it has survived the usual (probably not as many as Katie would like) game culls, and it is one that all three boys have loved at different ages and still do. We first played it with Jack, Toby and Henry when they were tiny, and even now it is still one of those games that makes everyone smile. The idea is simple […]
- [Deck-Shedding Games Like Uno That Are Better Than Uno](https://littleboardgamers.com/deck-shedding-games-like-uno-that-are-better-than-uno/): If you love the fast-paced, fun chaos of UNO, but you’re ready for something a little more interesting, strategic or just different, here are six deck-shedding games that take the basic idea and run with it. Each one still has that “get rid of your cards” concept, but gives it a fresh twist. 1. UNO Zero Read our full review →Why it’s worth playing: This variant keeps the core of Uno, but adds new card types and a different scoring dynamic that ramps the tension. For players who know Uno inside out, it gives just enough novelty to keep things exciting.Best […]
- [Avoiding Fakes and Scams Christmas 2025](https://littleboardgamers.com/avoiding-fakes-and-scams-christmas-2025/):  Avoiding Fake Board Games This Christmas 2025  I have posted this before, but as we are at the time when lots of people will be looking for gifts and stocking fillers online, I thought it was worth reposting this guide, all about trying to avoid fakes and counterfeits this Christmas.  Chinese Import Shops If you’re shopping from websites such as Temu, Wish, or AliExpress, then 99.9% of the time the games listed are fake. There’s a reason “Dobble” or “Uno” might only cost a couple of pounds and that is they’re not genuine. It can be tempting to think, “Oh, it doesn’t […]
- [It's a Small World](https://littleboardgamers.com/its-a-small-world/): Slow and steady hidden object game but definitely for kids with a decent attention span.
- [King of Tokyo: Dark Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-tokyo-dark-edition/): The dark, hard-to-find cousin of my old nemesis.
- [EXIT Kids: Midnight Spooktacular](https://littleboardgamers.com/exit-kids-midnight-spooktacular/): A fun 30-minute activity, but it's up to you if it's worth the money. 
- [Dreadful Meadows](https://littleboardgamers.com/dreadful-meadows/): A gorgeous engine builder that fell way below my expectations.
- [Chucky: The Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/chucky-the-game/): A quick co-operative card game that is surprisingly family friendly and way better than it has any right to be.
- [Wednesday: Creatures & Outcasts](https://littleboardgamers.com/wednesday-creatures-outcasts/): Unexpectedly my new Favourite Uno-style Deck-Shredding Game
- [Gloomies](https://littleboardgamers.com/gloomies/): We first covered Gloomies back at UKGE, where it instantly stood out as one of the most charming games of the show. But with its cosy, nighttime sorta spooky feel, it felt like the perfect time to revisit it properly as part of this year’s Halloween Spooktacular. From the same creative team behind Mycelia (The Ravensburger cute one), Gloomies brings back that same warmth, whimsy and irresistible artwork from Justin Chan (you might recognise his work from Century: Golem Edition). Instead of mushrooms and rainfall, you are now growing and harvesting galactic flowers for a group of creatures from outer space called Gloomies. The game plays out across two distinct halves: the […]
- [SnippSnapper (Exclusive discount inside)](https://littleboardgamers.com/snippsnapper-exclusive-discount-inside/): If you’re interested in the game after reading this review, check the comments for a Little Board Gamers exclusive 10% off money-off voucher as well as an extra 3 days to claim the “early bird discount” on top. SnippSnapper is a deck-shredding, card-based party game that follows along the same lines as something like Uno, but it’s different enough to make this one well worth checking out. Because everyone plays at the same time, it works much better with a larger group than most similar card games do. You start the game by dealing all the cards out to everyone. Some players will […]
- [Boxtop Pinball: Haunted House](https://littleboardgamers.com/boxtop-pinball-haunted-house/): A fun dexterity game with really good production values.
- [Mysterium Kids: Captain Echo’s Treasure](https://littleboardgamers.com/mysterium-kids-captain-echos-treasure/): Fantastically spooky family fun that I prefer to the adult version.
- [Quacks](https://littleboardgamers.com/quacks/): A family friendly refresh of a beloved classic with much better tokens. 
- [Welcome to Susberg](https://littleboardgamers.com/welcome-to-susberg/): When I run any kind of themed event, there’s always the worry that because of the restrictions, I won’t be able to play decent games. But luckily, so far this year’s Halloween Spooktacular has been pretty fruitful, and I’m pleased to say that the upcoming cooperative deckbuilding card game Welcome to Susberg is no exception to the current stream of quality games I’ve played recently. The game itself is a deckbuilding, card-based dungeon crawler that reminded me of a cuter version of Escape the Dark Castle, but with the added benefit of far more variety in the character classes. You start the game by […]
- [Spooktacular](https://littleboardgamers.com/spooktacular/): Spooktacular might be one of my favourite light-to-medium weight games of all time. Let me explain.
- [Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space](https://littleboardgamers.com/escape-from-the-aliens-in-outer-space/): On the face of it, “Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space” comes across as a game designed for adults, but once you start playing, it’s very apparent that “Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space” is actually a really well-designed and surprisingly simple family hidden-movement social deduction game — and a perfect entry point to both of those genres (Halloween or not). The concept of the game is simple: all players have a dry-wipe pad with a hex grid showing a map of a broken-down spaceship divided into zones. At the start of the game, everyone secretly gets a card telling them whether they’re […]
- [Spooky Goose (Sneaky Goose)](https://littleboardgamers.com/spooky-goose-sneaky-goose/): We’re going to kick off our Halloween content this year by looking at Spooky Goose, a seasonal variation of a game otherwise known as Sneaky Goose. If, after this review, you’re interested, you can pick up either one, as they’re essentially the same game with slightly different artwork. Spooky Goose is a social deduction memory card game that’s been particularly popular with everyone I’ve played it with over the last couple of weeks. And yes, I know it wasn’t in the photo I posted, previewing some of the games I’d be covering but it wouldn’t be me if I actually followed my own plan! […]
- [Halloween Spooktacular 2025](https://littleboardgamers.com/halloween-spooktacular-2025/): As you might have spotted from our new colours, this weekend marks the start of our annual Halloween Spooktacular!  We’ll be diving into some fantastic spooky games that are perfect for playing with your family this season. We’re kicking things off a little earlier this year to give you plenty of time to track down any games that catch your eye before All Hallows’ Eve arrives. In the meantime, why not take a look back at some of the spooky favourites we’ve reviewed in previous years? You’ll find them all in the link in the comments below.  Which spooky game will you […]
- [Super Trains](https://littleboardgamers.com/super-trains/): Super Trains is a really interesting engine-building, order-fulfilment game. Even now, having played it a couple of times, I still find it hard to pigeonhole exactly where it sits. What I can say is that I really like it, and both Jack and Toby really do too. On the face of it, it is not quite the young children’s game it initially looks like, but it turned out to be a real hit. The concept of Super Trains is relatively simple. Each player takes control of a superhero train and tries to save the city by delivering cargo and passengers to specific locations, upgrading […]
- [Vines and Flowers: Blooming Harmony - Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/vines-and-flowers-blooming-harmony/): It’s actually quite unusual these days that I come across something that immediately stands out as different. But my preview copy of “Vines and Flowers: Blooming Harmony” did exactly that. Essentially, “Vines and Flowers: Blooming Harmony” is a tile-laying game – but one that works in 3D space, clicking together much like Tazos did (the ones that used to come in packs of Walkers crisps in the 1990s, for those of us old enough to remember). (Note to self: see if you can track down an old version of the Pogs board game…) Anyway, I digress. You start “Vines and Flowers: Blooming Harmony” by laying out the […]
- [Gems of Iridescia](https://littleboardgamers.com/gems-of-iridescia/): Today I’m talking about “Gems of Iridescia”, a family-weight game that mixes set collection, dice rolling, worker movement and a dash of end-game bonuses. You start by laying out all of the gem tiles – and honestly, this was the first thing that made me a bit iffy. The tiles don’t anchor to the board in any way, and they sit at a slight diagonal. All it takes is one knock across the table and suddenly everything is out of place. I know that’s true of a lot of tile-laying games, but here, especially when you’re leaning over to flip things, […]
- [Macaraccoon - preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/macaraccoon-preview/): A wonderful jaunt into a wonderful world of cartoon baking critters.
- [Cube Creatures](https://littleboardgamers.com/cube-creatures/): My eldest Jack, particularly likes card games, especially one-to-one card games, so he was super excited when a preview version of Cube Creatures came through our letterbox a week or so ago. Naturally, we were keen to give it a spin straight away. Cube Creatures is interesting in that it’s marketed as a great “first trading card game” for kids. That’s definitely true. The gameplay has elements of Pokémon as well as Mindbug, another simple card game we reviewed a few years ago. What I think is really clever about this game is that while it has a base set (which is what we were playing here) […]
- [Hungry as a Bear](https://littleboardgamers.com/hungry-as-a-bear/): My second review from Haba’s ‘my very first game series’ is ‘Hungry as a Bear’. This is another dexterity game – although definitely a bit trickier than ‘Here, Fishy Fishy’ which I reviewed last week. In the box you get a cardboard plate, large spoon, and several small food tokens. You also get a bear, that you can prop up inside the box, and a cap that helps to hold him in place. Whilst they are mostly all good quality, I have found that the bear hasn’t stood up to my daughter’s ‘exploring’, and we have had to glue it back together. To […]
- [Omshanti](https://littleboardgamers.com/omshanti/): A high end dexterity game perfect as a gift for all the family.
- [Making Monsters now LIVE on Kickstarter](https://littleboardgamers.com/making-monsters-now-live-on-kickstarter/): Some of you will have seen our review of Making Monsters recently – a family-friendly game where you’re crafting weird and wonderful beasts in your very own laboratory. Just a quick update to let you know that this is now live on Kickstarter and there’s a Kickstarter-exclusive Deluxe Edition, plus if you back in the first 48 hours you’ll also get a sticker pack thrown in.  Back it here: Making Monsters on Kickstarter Read the full preview here: Making Monsters Kickstarter Review
- [Lucha Lucha Three Four Five](https://littleboardgamers.com/lucha-lucha-three-four-five/): Today we’re going to be looking at Lucha Lucha 345!, a 1v1 abstract strategy game themed around the spectacle of Lucha Libre wrestling. Outside of board games and video games, one of my other biggest passions is professional wrestling. Having grown up in the early 90s watching WWF and WCW with my grandma, this is something that has always been very important to me, and as I’ve grown older I have also developed a passion for other cultures such as strong style wrestling (very prominent in the UK and Japan) as well as Lucha Libre from Mexico. Therefore, I was really excited […]
- [Uh Oh, Dino!](https://littleboardgamers.com/uh-oh-dino/): A few days ago a very unassuming box called Uh Oh, Dino! landed on my doorstep, which promised a fun and approachablecooperative game based around dinosaurs. Needless to say, having played it, this might be one of my favourite co-op strategy games to play with younger kids, and I’d even go as far as to say this is a better dinosaur-related game than SOS Dino. Set up is simple. You place your nest at one end and lay all of your valley tiles randomly in the middle so that the edges have different markings. You then place all of the eggs out in the […]
- [Here, Fishy Fishy](https://littleboardgamers.com/here-fishy-fishy/): A delightful dexterity game for very young children.
- [Tailor Master](https://littleboardgamers.com/tailor-master/): As a nice palate cleanser to start off September with some brand-new games, today I’m going to talk about Tailor Master, a simple but really fun colour and shape matching reaction game from Whales Entertainment. The concept is easy. Each player has a perspex sheet shaped like either a top or a pair of trousers. You flip over a card, and that card shows a specific pattern on a garment. In front of you is a cloth mat with all the different patterns. As quickly as possible, you have to place your shirt or trousers over the matching pattern. As soon as […]
- [Nekojima](https://littleboardgamers.com/nekojima-2/): As we arrive at the last game of the Summer Games Fest, I’ve been saving this one, partly because my kids have been playing it all summer long, and I really wanted to share just how much fun it’s been in our house. It is a game I have reviewed before, but it doesn’t get recommended enough. I’m always on the lookout for brand new dexterity games that bring something unique and exciting to the table. Over the last few years, I’ve enjoyed games like High-Rise Penguins, Beasts of Balance, and the old classic Catch the Moon. In Nekojima, you’re building electricity pylons on Cat Island […]
- [Squishmallows Take 4](https://littleboardgamers.com/squishmallows-take-4/): As we approach our last few games of Summer Games Fest, which comes to an end this week, we’re taking a look at a game that’s been sitting on my shelf for quite a while but has never actually hit the table until now – Squishmallows Take 4. Depending on your household, you probably already have a few Squishmallows around. All three of my boys absolutely love them. In fact, Jack pretty much uses one of the big ones as his pillow most nights rather than the actual pillows we lovingly provided for him. The game comes with a really cute little Benny […]
- [The Dealer's Tarot](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-dealers-tarot/): As we enter our final week of the Summer with the kids going back on Friday, this is going to be a slightly unusual preview. Why? Because The Dealer’s Tarot isn’t a board game in a box — it’s a book of 22 original card games, all designed by Brad Talton and published by Level 99 Games, and all played using a deck of tarot cards. Now, you can absolutely grab a standard tarot deck and play these straight away. But luckily (cause I didnt own a deck of tarot cards), they’ve also created five brand-new tarot deck designs to accompany the book, each sized and […]
- [Star Wars: Battle of Hoth](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-wars-battle-of-hoth/): As promised, the second really good Star Wars game that I’ve played in the last week or so is the brand new, just released last Friday, Star Wars: Battle of Hoth. Before we get started, it’s worth mentioning that Battle of Hoth is essentially based on the reasonably popular World War 2 game Memoir ’44, only based around the Star Wars licence and the incredibly popular battle scene from The Empire Strikes Back. Memoir ’44 is quite an interesting battle game in that essentially, when you play the game, you choose a scenario and one player plays as the Rebels, the […]
- [Star Wars: Bounty Hunters](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-wars-bounty-hunters/): A fun card game perfect for kids who don't like taking turns.
- [Gloomhaven: Bugs & Buttons](https://littleboardgamers.com/gloomhaven-bugs-buttons/): A small travel version of the full fat game that keeps all of the flavour of its bigger brothers.
- [Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion](https://littleboardgamers.com/gloomhaven-jaws-of-the-lion/): A perfect entry point to more grown up Dungeon Crawlers for older kids
- [Flashback: Lucy](https://littleboardgamers.com/flashback-lucy/): Today we are going to be looking at Flashback: Lucy, the second game in the Flashback series. The first was Flashback: Zombie Kids, a story game based on the Zombie Kids franchise that was released a couple of years ago. Flashback: Lucy is the follow-up to that, but it is unrelated storyline-wise. Instead it follows a girl named Lucy as she takes over her family’s long-standing haunted mansion, and through a series of visions told as chapters, she unlocks the truth and story behind the mansion. Now, I have never played Flashback: Zombie Kids, so I was coming at this along with the boys with a […]
- [Guinness World Records Card Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/guinness-world-records-card-game/): A fun mix of trivia and memory challenges wrapped up in world records the whole family can enjoy.
- [Care Bears Unlock the Magic: Interview](https://littleboardgamers.com/care-bears-unlock-the-magic-interview/): Interview with Zoop Games: Bringing Care Bears to the Tabletop
- [Dobble Connect](https://littleboardgamers.com/dobble-connect/): Today we’re looking at Dobble Connect, which is basically a slightly more involved version of Dobble (or Spot It! in some other territories). Since I’m in the UK, I’ll stick with calling it Dobble. Now, Dobble is one of the most successful modern party games around. It’s always popping up on recommendation lists for quick, travel-friendly games. I’ll be upfront though, I’m not the biggest Dobble fan. Speed-based games aren’t really my thing, so if you are a Dobble superfan, you might see this very differently to me. Consider this a middling review from someone who doesn’t massively love Dobble. So how does Dobble Connect differ? Well, it works in […]
- [Don't Fall For It!](https://littleboardgamers.com/dont-fall-for-it/): It’s really rare that we review trivia games here on Little Board Gamers. The main reason is that, when you’re playing with children, there’s usually quite a big gap in ability when it comes to general knowledge. But trivia games still get played a lot in our house, especially with adults, and today I want to talk about one from Big Potato Games that I absolutely love – and actually think has some legs with the right child – and that’s “Don’t Fall For It.” At first glance, the game presents itself with a bit of a dexterity element, but in reality […]
- [Asterix & Co.](https://littleboardgamers.com/asterix-co/): A wonderful and unique family card game.
- [Tulikko](https://littleboardgamers.com/tulikko/): A beautiful tile laying game that might be the best game of the Summer Games fest so far!
- [Slambo!](https://littleboardgamers.com/slambo/): A Pocket-Sized Battle of Plus, Minus, and Perfectly Balanced Strategy
- [Cascadia Junior](https://littleboardgamers.com/cascadia-junior/): Cascadia is a well-loved tile-laying game where you’re matching up habitats and animals, from the same people that brought us the wonderful Calico, which pops up here at Little Board Gamers all the time. I’m not entirely sure why I’ve never reviewed “grown-up” Cascadia, but here we are with Cascadia Junior — a simplified version that I’ve really enjoyed playing with the younger kids. Let me explain. On your turn, you choose a habitat tile and a matching wildlife token from the row in front of you. You add the tile to your growing landscape, trying to match habitats or 3 animals together. Whenever you manage […]
- [Paws Up](https://littleboardgamers.com/paws-up/): Pets, Selfies, and Set Collection Fun!
- [Godzilla Card Game - Non Review](https://littleboardgamers.com/godzilla-the-card-game-non-review/): FOR THIS, I WOULD SUGGEST LOOKING AT THE PICTURES OF THE CARD AND TRYING TO RESIZE THE IMAGE ON YOUR PHONE/COMPUTER TO BE THE SAME SIZE AS A PLAYING CARD. Originally, my plan had been to produce a review of the brand new starter sets for the equally brand new Godzilla card game. I very excitedly purchased both the Heisei Series deck and the Godzilla Minus One deck, and the boys were just as excited to play them with me. But alas, there’s going to be no proper review of this card game. I’m already planning on selling both my opened Godzilla Minus One box and my unopened Heisei Series box […]
- [Railroad Tiles](https://littleboardgamers.com/railroad-tiles/): Lovely Components, But Railroad Ink Still Runs on Time!
- [ito](https://littleboardgamers.com/ito/): ITO Is a Clever Party Game, but is it right for the kids?
- [Godzilla Tokyo Clash](https://littleboardgamers.com/godzilla-tokyo-clash/): King of the Monsters… but not quite King of the Table
- [Marvel Villainous](https://littleboardgamers.com/marvel-villainous/): When Being Bad Just Feels… a Bit Meh
- [Making Monsters! - Kickstarter Preview](https://littleboardgamers.com/making-monsters-kickstarter-preview/): Bag-Building for Budding Frankensteins
- [Nine Tiles Extreme](https://littleboardgamers.com/nine-tiles-extreme/): A relatively quick one today — we’re looking at Nine Tiles Extreme from Oink Games. I reviewed Pokémon Nine Tiles a little while ago, but that one’s annoyingly exclusive to Japan. So, I thought it was worth taking a look at a Nine Tiles game that’s actually a bit easier to get hold of in the West. Nine Tiles Extreme plays very similarly to the others in the series. The twist here is that on each challenge card you either need to match all of the shapes or all of the colours. You start with nine tiles, flip over a challenge card showing a 3×3 grid, and then, as quickly as […]
- [Lacuna](https://littleboardgamers.com/lacuna-2/): The last time we looked at Lacuna was a few Christmases ago, when we all had Norovirus and since then it’s one of my most recommended games. Lacuna is one of those games that just feels special the moment you open it. It’s a simple two-player abstract, but it looks and feels absolutely gorgeous. Players lay out a cloth representing a pond at night and scatter wooden flowers over its surface. Each player starts by choosing a randomly coloured flower from their collection. The aim is to select pairs of coloured flowers with a clear line of sight between them, ensuring no […]
- [Uproar!](https://littleboardgamers.com/uproar/): I can sum up today’s game in about two sentences, and whether that’s enough to interest you will depend on your taste. Essentially, Uproar! is “Dobble” (or Spot It! in some territories) but with a twist: instead of matching pictures, you’re looking for matching words on the cards. And instead of just shouting out the word, you have to make the sound it describes. So if the matching word is “sad owl,” you need to deliver your most heartbreakingly mournful twit-twoo. If it’s “guitar solo,” you might bust out your best beatbox Hendrix impression. And that’s basically it, but I actually give this quite a bit of credit and enjoyed […]
- [To Glory!](https://littleboardgamers.com/to-glory/): Today we are looking at “To Glory!”, a pirate strategy and dexterity game from Vesuvius Media, makers of the Catapult/Jurassic Feud series, which both get plenty of play and regular recommendations here at Little Board Gamers. “To Glory!” first caught my attention at the UK Games Expo, but I never managed to get a demo in. I didn’t want to cover it until I had actually played it, and now I finally have a copy. Outside of conventions, it isn’t the easiest game to find in the UK, but in my opinion it is well worth tracking down. The first thing you notice when you […]
- [Castel Boom](https://littleboardgamers.com/castel-boom/): With HABA very much on the back foot in terms of their releases after recent financial difficulties, Kiwi Zou have been in a fantastic position for Hachette Games – constantly releasing excellent quality kids’ games into the market. Their newest game, Castel Boom, is no different. Castel Boom is a dexterity/memory game that definitely draws some influence from Rhino Hero, but it carves out its own identity. The board is set up with tiles placed all around the edge – these tiles have orange, red, or purple backgrounds, along with some wildcards. On your turn, you flip over a tile to see what colour it is, then try […]
- [The Radiation Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-radiation-game/): The Radiation Game is a quick and simple take-that card game that landed on my doorstep a couple of days ago, and I was immediately interested to try it out. One of the things that caught my attention most was the background of the game. Rather than being made by a traditional design company or even a small indie project, it is actually made by Badtwn Design Co, a graphic design company using it as an example of the sort of things they can do alongside poster design, marketing campaigns and more. As my own background is in design, I found this […]
- [Disney Villainous Unstoppable!](https://littleboardgamers.com/disney-villainous-unstoppable/): Today we’re looking at Disney Villainous Unstoppable!, a brand new spin-off of the Disney Villainous series aimed at younger players. I must admit I’d never actually played any of the Villainous games, no real reason, but having spent time playing this one with the kids, I’m worried I’m about to develop a whole new Villainous hyperfixation as I start collecting all the other sets. With that in mind, this review is written without prior experience of the grown-up Villainous. I may revisit it later once I’ve played the original and make it more comprehensive. You begin by setting up the shared game board and placing your villain’s realm board […]
- [One Card Dungeon](https://littleboardgamers.com/one-card-dungeon/): In the last few months, the number of people asking for solo games you can enjoy on your own has gone up loads, so I made a note to try and play more solo games I could recommend. Now, by the rules of anything I review here, at least one of my kids has to play the game too. Which throws up a bit of a logistical issue when reviewing solo games, because not only do I need to play it myself, but I’ve also got to sit and watch one of the kids play it and get their feedback while […]
- [Unmatched: Battle of Legends Vol 3](https://littleboardgamers.com/unmatched-battle-of-legends-vol-3/): Today I’m going to be looking at the newest Unmatched set Battle of Legends Volume Three. Now, the Battle of Legends Unmatched sets have traditionally been a really good entry point for the series, usually featuring slightly less complex characters than you get in some of the other releases. I’m going to start off by saying, though, right out of the gate, while I like this set, that this is very much not the case for Volume Three. I’ll go through all of the characters below in detail for those of you who are already fans of the Unmatched series, of which I know there are […]
- [Hot Streak](https://littleboardgamers.com/hot-streak/): I’ve had Hot Streak in my collection for about a month now, and the only reason I’ve left it so long to do a review is because, as well as playing it with the kids, I also wanted to play it with a large group of adults. As I’m sure most of you can appreciate, when you’re a parent, getting a large group of adults together is difficult. I’m pleased to say, though, that Hot Streak is one of those rare games that you can play with relatively young children but that also works amazingly well with a large group of adults, especially if a […]
- [It's Bananas!](https://littleboardgamers.com/its-bananas/): Most of the games I play are more serious, and generally speaking, we don’t play that many party games with the kids. But every now and then, we come across something that is just pure fun, and if it has a good dexterity element to it, all the better. Today we’re talking about It’s Bananas!, a fun dexterity game from McMiller. The concept of the game is simple. You put a strap around your waist and inflate the inflatable monkey tail, which goes through a holder on the strap and hangs down from behind you, either backward’s like a tail or forwards, […]
- [Tacta](https://littleboardgamers.com/tacta/): Tacta was the absolute darling of the UK Games Expo and pretty much came out as one of the games that was most recommended, really drawing everyone’s attention at the show, probably helped by the excellent stand they’d given it. As we said in our Tacta preview for the UKGE, we really enjoyed it and it’s a really cool game. But having spent a few weeks with the full version, while I do still really like Tacta, it’s not quite the definite “yes” I initially thought I was going to give it based on my time at the Expo. Let me explain. So, Tacta is a really […]
- [Fire in the Hole!](https://littleboardgamers.com/fire-in-the-hole/): I really do like a good dexterity game, and I’m here to say I’m going to lead with this… Fire in the Hole! is one of the best dexterity family party games I have ever played. Created by small indie publisher McMiller, Fire in the Hole! is something truly special from the moment you take it out of the box. Like many of McMiller’s games, it’s plastic-free, and this one is no exception, coming in a beautiful clamshell box with strong branding that makes it instantly recognisable. When I first got the game, I thought you had to construct the pirate […]
- [Splattered Smocks](https://littleboardgamers.com/splattered-smocks/): We have been fairly preschool games light so far this summer, so I thought next we would look at Splattered Smocks, a lovely little game from HABA that Henry(4) and I had quite a bit of fun with. It’s obviously aimed at younger players, and while it might not offer loads of depth, it’s bright, cheerful, and has that HABA charm that makes it appealing to play. It’s also got a really fun art theme that Henry especially liked. There’s a brilliant chunky artist meeple that I liked because,e let’s face it we all love a big chunky meeple. In Splattered Smocks each player is […]
- [Fire Tower](https://littleboardgamers.com/fire-tower/): Fire Tower is a game I’ve nearly bought quite a few times. Every year at the UK Games Expo, it has a fairly strong presence and the stand is always quite inviting to come and play, but I’ve never actually got around to trying it. Usually, we’re rushing around doing other things, and when I do finally have a few moments to spare, the table is always busy. In fact, when I think of UK Games Expo games, Fire Tower is normally one of the first that comes to mind. It has, however, recently started hitting retail and copies have become a little more […]
- [Jurassic Park: Danger!](https://littleboardgamers.com/jurassic-park-danger/): Jurassic Park: Danger! is a family-friendly asymmetrical grid movement and management-based strategy game where one player controls the dinosaurs and the rest of the players take on the roles of survivors trying to escape Jurassic Park. Made by Ravensburger, what becomes clear very quickly is that this is not just a mass-market licensed cash-in. It stands firmly alongside Ravensburger’s excellent Alien: Fate of the Nostromo as a solid family game based on a well-known franchise. You set up the game by creating a modular map that represents the layout of the park. The human characters begin in the centre, while the dinosaurs start in […]
- [Ono 99](https://littleboardgamers.com/ono-99/): After a very in-depth game with Leviathan Wilds, we’re jumping to something much simpler, and that’s Ono 99. It falls under the Uno family of games, but it’s nothing like Uno. It’s actually a really cool little game that’s especially good for helping kids with quick mental arithmetic. The concept is super simple. You shuffle all the cards, place the deck face down, draw one card to start, and each player has four cards in their hand at all times. What you’re trying to do is stay in the game as long as possible by playing cards that usually increase the running total. So, […]
- [Leviathan Wilds](https://littleboardgamers.com/leviathan-wilds/): Finally a good and accessible boss battler for playing with the family. 
- [Block Ness - 2025 update Review](https://littleboardgamers.com/block-ness-2025-update-review/): We last spoke about Block Ness during the 2023 Summer marathon, and while it has remained popular and has found new love through Henry(4), I am a bit more critical of it than I was 4 years ago. Block Ness is a fairly simple game that’s best described as 3D multiplayer Tron or Snake, for the Nokia 3210 owners among us. You each pick a colour for your Loch Ness Monster and start with your shortest pieces (which, worth noting, vary slightly between colours). On your turn, you add a new piece to either the head or tail, elongating your monster as you go. You […]
- [Bloomchasers](https://littleboardgamers.com/bloomchasers/): We’ve had quite a few mainstream games in the last few days, as well as a few surprisingly big disappointments, so today we’re looking at something that is neither mainstream nor disappointing and that’s the absolutely beautiful and wonderful Bloomchasers. Bloomchasers is actually a relatively simple game, which can best be described as a kind of tile-laying game, but done in 3D space by building branches and flowers out of a three-dimensional tree. Each player starts with blooms of their colour, along with three different types of flowers. These are: flowers in a group of three, three flowers in a straight line, and a flower of two […]
- [Tsuro of the Seas](https://littleboardgamers.com/tsuro-of-the-seas/): A beautiful game ruined by random, time consuming,  nonsense (get the original instead)
- [OK Play and OK Play Duo](https://littleboardgamers.com/ok-play-and-ok-play-duo/): I actually reviewed OK Play a couple of years ago, back when we were gearing up for February half term and Valentine’s Day. But with many heading on their holidays this week and travel games being popular (I can see what people look at the most :p) , I thought it was worth giving this one another look – because it really is one of the best travel games out there. Equally due to its plasticky no-box nature, you can wash the whole thing if it gets grubby on the beach or the campsite, and it also doesn’t matter if you […]
- [Fart Bingo](https://littleboardgamers.com/fart-bingo/): A really quick and simple one today, and that is Fart Bingo, which is basically exactly what it sounds like. Rather than your usual bingo where you pull out numbers, you pull out either animals or animal farts, and then you have to find them on your card and shout bingo. Katie and I, as adults, actually really like bingo. Before having kids, we even used to go to bingo halls around the country. I always remember the time we won £500, and all the—let’s say—regulars looked at us like death as we walked away with the winnings. That said, bingo generally […]
- [Mad Tea Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/mad-tea-party/): Mad Tea Party is a bit of a weird one, based around the concept of the Mad Hatter’s tea party from Alice in Wonderland. You set up the game by putting the tea party on the base, which basically gives you a wobbly platform. You place the 12 teacups nearby — they’re all different colours and sizes — shuffle the cards, and give six to each player as a starting hand. You place the remaining deck face down as a draw pile and you’re good to go. To win the game, you either need to be the first to place all of your […]
- [LEGO Monkey Palace](https://littleboardgamers.com/lego-monkey-palace/): Today’s review has been an awfully long time coming. It’s something I intended to review as far back as Christmas last year, but for some reason, I’ve never got round to it. Even though I’ve owned this game along with the mini expansion since it was released, we only got around to playing it this week. And I like it… mostly. Let me explain. LEGO Monkey Palace (or Monkey Palace, as I’m going to call it from now on) is part of the new generation of LEGO games. LEGO games have existed for quite a while and I’ve reviewed them in the past, […]
- [Bluey Hide and Seek Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/bluey-hide-and-seek-game/): I thought long and hard about whether today’s game counted as part of Summer Games Fest, but at the end of the day, it’s got hide and seek GAME on the front, and it’s my list, so who cares? Plus, this is one of the coolest things my kids have played with in a while. It’s so simple, yet they literally spent about four hours playing with it yesterday afternoon. The Bluey Hide and Seek Game is a really simple concept. You get a really nice Bluey statue that is electronic, and when you press her nose, she talks to you briefly and then goes into […]
- [Uno Zero](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-zero/): Hands down my favourite Uno variant out there!
- [Super Mario Jenga](https://littleboardgamers.com/super-mario-jenga/): I rarely feature super mainstream games here on Little Board Gamers, but Super Mario Jenga is actually a game I play quite a lot. Generally, when it comes to mainstream games, they tend to be a lot better at doing dexterity games than they are at doing anything else. Played here with everyone  We all know how the game Jenga plays. You get these wooden blocks arranged in sets of three, perpendicular to each other on alternating layers. On your turn, you remove a block and place it on top. Eventually, someone knocks it over. I’ve never been a massive fan of Jenga, simply because there’s […]
- [BOX ONE](https://littleboardgamers.com/box-one/): Disclaimer before I begin: this review is about a solo game that is marked as being for ages 14 and up, but a younger child could quite happily play. Equally, you could easily play this in a group and it doesn’t actually have to be played solo. It does, however, require access to the internet. Because it is a solo escape room-type game, I’m not going to say too much in this review and everything I do say will be fairly general. This is also the reason why there are no pictures. Jack(10) happily completed this on his own. I’m a big […]
- [Bubble Bath Bunny](https://littleboardgamers.com/bubble-bath-bunny/): We haven’t really featured much for really little kids so far this summer, so we’re going to start with our first tiny preschooler game, and that is Bubble Bath Bunny, part of the My Very First Games series from HABA. Now, as with most of the games in this series, they tend to be a platform for a number of different games. For instance, when you open it up, the first thing you have to do is set everything up. You have the board, the bunny, and everything fits together nicely with the different ducks. The first thing the instructions always say in these […]
- [1 A.M. Jailbreak](https://littleboardgamers.com/1-a-m-jailbreak/): Let’s kick off by saying 1 A.M. Jailbreak is now going to firmly sit at the top of my list of games that are like Uno, but better. 1 A.M. Jailbreak is a deck-shredding game that sets itself apart by being a little bit different in terms of how you play your cards. You start the game by placing the right amount of each numbered prisoner into each deck, depending on the number of players, then shuffle the deck really well and deal out 12 cards to each player. With the remaining cards, you create a draw deck and finally lay out a prison cell […]
- [Star Wars Carcassonne](https://littleboardgamers.com/star-wars-carcassonne/): I’ve been on the fence about whether to review Star Wars Carcassonne for a while, largely because it’s out of print, pretty difficult to get hold of, and you’re going to be paying an inflated price on eBay. We are really lucky in that one of my local board game pubs has a copy, and as Toby is Star Wars obsessed at the moment, we’ve actually played it quite a few times now. I finally thought, sod it, let’s do a review of it. But please read this with the understanding that you’re going to be spending about £50 minimum if you actually […]
- [Tridecco](https://littleboardgamers.com/tridecco/): Quite literally a diamond in the rough!
- [Catch the Moon](https://littleboardgamers.com/catch-the-moon-2/): A really simple and quick one today, but probably one of my biggest recommendations so far, as this can be picked up in most shops for under £5 and it’s great for occupying the kids (and adults). Essentially, Shoot the Moon is a game where, using two metal beams, you have to try and get the ball bearing as far along the track as you can (Mars is very doable, Venus is tricky, and we never got near Pluto). It’s super simple but good fun, and the kinda thing you can bring out and have a challenge for 20 minutes. That’s it for […]
- [5-Minute Marvel](https://littleboardgamers.com/5-minute-marvel/): Normally, when I do the main “splash picture” for all my reviews, I use Photoshop to swap out the background, but in this case I love the image of Jack drinking a pint of Diet Coke in the background (we played this in a board game pub) 5-Minute Marvel is a fast-paced cooperative card game where you and your fellow superheroes battle your way through waves of villains and comic book chaos. The catch? You’ve only got five minutes to stop the big bad and save the day. Each player picks from a range of Marvel heroes—Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain Marvel and […]
- [Nunatak: Temple of Ice](https://littleboardgamers.com/nunatak-temple-of-ice/): A fun point salad strategy game with great table presence.
- [Removal](https://littleboardgamers.com/removal/): A surprisingly clever tetromino puzzler where knowing when to drive off is just as important as packing your lorry.
- [Labyrinth Chronicles](https://littleboardgamers.com/labyrinth-chronicles/): An ultra- premium campaign version of the classic family game. 
- [Temple Twist](https://littleboardgamers.com/temple-twist/): A fun, clever dexterity puzzler that works best in its base modes, but doesn’t quite make it to must-buy territory.
- [Fruit Boss](https://littleboardgamers.com/fruit-boss/): A fantastic, clever and unusual fruit-trading card game that's simple to learn but packed with tactical decisions.
- [Dice Miner](https://littleboardgamers.com/dice-miner/): An excellent dice game thats just that little bit expensive when bought at RRP.
- [Uno Braille - Guest Reviewer Ellie Wallwork](https://littleboardgamers.com/uno-braille-guest-reviewer-ellie-wallwork/): Today is going to be a very special guest review that has been written with the help of a dear friend of mine, actress and international sportswoman Ellie Wallwork. Ellie has been registered blind since birth but is one of the most inspirational people I know. She has appeared in TV shows such as Doctor Who and Call the Midwife, as well as a number of other films and shorts. She also plays for the UK team in Showdown, a sport for blind and visually impaired players that is best described as a cross between table tennis and air hockey. Amid her incredibly busy schedule, I […]
- [Captain Look](https://littleboardgamers.com/captain-look/): A cooperative memory game for young children with a fun telescope twist.
- [Gecko Run Starter Set](https://littleboardgamers.com/gecko-run-starter-set/): A clever, flexible marble run that has captivated my kids.
- [Tulip Season](https://littleboardgamers.com/tulip-season/):  A charming small-box tile-laying game that blends Carcassonne-style gameplay with clever scoring twists and accessible strategy.
- [Personal Demons](https://littleboardgamers.com/personal-demons/): An approachable and beautifully produced middleweight strategy game with excellent drafting and engine building.
- [Mariposas](https://littleboardgamers.com/mariposas2026/): A wonderfully thematic strategy game that beautifully recreates the incredible migration of monarch butterflies and, in my opinion, one of the most underrated games of all time.
- [Dragon Roost](https://littleboardgamers.com/dragon-roost/): Cute and lovely, but doesn't quite stand up to repeated plays.
- [Fart Yoga](https://littleboardgamers.com/fart-yoga/): Silly dexterity fun this Summer with the kids
- [Race to the Treasure](https://littleboardgamers.com/race-to-the-treasure/): A great introduction to tile laying games for small children
- [Slam Throne](https://littleboardgamers.com/slam-throne/): "Legally Distinctive from Pogs"
- [Rush Hour Duel ](https://littleboardgamers.com/rush-hour-duel/): A fun head-to-head version of a puzzle classic
- [Hyper Dash](https://littleboardgamers.com/hyper-dash/): A fun dexterity game to get the kids running around this Summer.
- [Summer Games Fest 2026 Delay Update](https://littleboardgamers.com/summer-games-fest-2026/): This announcement is going to be unusually personal, so if that’s not your bag, there’s no need to read on. In the next day or so, I’m going to be starting Summer Games Fest 2026… but it’s not quite going to run as usual. For the last four years, I’ve posted a review every day throughout July and August, but sadly that’s not going to be quite possible this year. On July 8th, I’m undergoing surgery for trigger finger, which has been getting progressively worse over the last few years to the point where I now struggle to bend my index and […]
- [What the Sketch?](https://littleboardgamers.com/what-the-sketch/): A clever twist on the classic drawing game that's funny, accessible and great fun for families.
- [Pokémon Trainer Expert ](https://littleboardgamers.com/pokemon-trainer-expert/): A fun and easy-to-play electronic deduction game that even non-Pokémon fans can play.
- [Boss Fighters QR](https://littleboardgamers.com/boss-fighters-qr/): A digitally enhanced boss-fighting cooperative deck-building card game that is probably the front-runner for our Game of the Year so far.
- [Vantage](https://littleboardgamers.com/vantage/):  A hugely ambitious open-world choose-your-own-adventure experience packed with discovery and freedom, but its fragmented storytelling, repetitive dice resolution, and lack of clear direction make it a difficult recommendation for most families despite offering plenty for the right type of Little Board Gamer.
- [Rainbow Falls Rescue](https://littleboardgamers.com/rainbow-falls-rescue/): A charming hide-and-seek treasure hunt game that lets you create fun adventures around your home in just a few minutes.
- [Capybara Crush](https://littleboardgamers.com/capybara-crush/): An adorable puzzle card game that blends cosy set collection with puzzly chain-building.
- [Karak Labyrinth](https://littleboardgamers.com/karak-labyrinth/): A speedy family game that blends maze navigation, minigames and dungeon-crawling into a fun race to escape.
- [King of Tokyo Godzilla](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-tokyo-godzilla/): A gorgeous official Godzilla-themed version of one of the best family dice games around, but while the licence elevates the presentation, it doesn't add anything new, which is a missed opportunity.
- [Fourth Wing: Rise of the Wing Leader Review](https://littleboardgamers.com/fourth-wing-rise-of-the-wing-leader/): a brilliantly approachable push-your-luck bidding game that surprised us with how much fun it was, proving you don't need to know the books to enjoy the game.
- [Azul Kids](https://littleboardgamers.com/azul-kids/): A charming, tactile introduction to Azul that successfully brings its core tile-drafting mechanics to younger players, although more experienced children may want to jump straight into the Master mode.
- [Moose Match Mayhem](https://littleboardgamers.com/moose-match-mayhem/): One of our UKGE purchases, this comes from the same creators as the popular Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and has a similar feel while the gameplay is different. Everyone plays simultaneously. Each round, you all take a card facedown from the draw deck and flip them over at the same time. You then race to grab the card which helps you the most. If two people touch the same card at the same time, there is a moose coin to toss to decide who gets it. Your goal is to collect three sets where a set is three cards of […]
- [Lolly Dogs](https://littleboardgamers.com/lolly-dogs/): I am fully aware that sometimes I can turn my nose up at anything that isn’t a game with a certain layer of complexity, and it’s rare that I would ever enjoy a game that is clearly aimed at a very mass-market audience. But I’m going to throw my hands up in the air and say, do you know what? I really enjoyed playing Lolly Dogs by Blue Orange Games. Lolly Dogs is really simple. You have a board with six spaces on it, and in order to win the game, you have to get six spots covered by dogs. All of the dogs […]
- [Carcassonne Labyrinth (preview)](https://littleboardgamers.com/carcassonne-labyrinth-preview/): A brilliantly clever fusion of Carcassonne and Labyrinth that somehow feels completely faithful to both while creating something fresh and genuinely excellent in its own right.
- [Fluffypede](https://littleboardgamers.com/fluffy-pede/): A simple on first glance game that has amazing depth due to the amount of board manipulation you can do. 
- [The Big Squeeze](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-big-squeeze/): A thematically cool engine-building game with an unusual split game mechanic.
- [Spaghettin](https://littleboardgamers.com/spaghettin/):  the best genuine travel dexterity game you can get that you can literally play anywhere... except maybe space.
- [Alley Cat at the UKGE](https://littleboardgamers.com/alley-cat-at-the-ukge/): As we approach the UK Games Expo 2026 this week and start wrapping up our countdown coverage, I’m going to be taking a look at some of the games Alley Cat Games are launching at the show. Foxglove Farm is the sequel to Timber Town, a game we really enjoyed last year, so I’m very excited to get this one to the table. Bookshelf and Spaghettin are both brilliant little mini dexterity games and part of Alley Cat’s always popular tin game line. Then there’s What the Sketch?!, a brand new party drawing and guessing game that already looks like a lot of chaotic fun. Huge thanks […]
- [Otter](https://littleboardgamers.com/otter/): The familiar deck-shedding feel of “Uno” but adds loads more strategy, combo potential, and adorable otters along the way
- [Flockers](https://littleboardgamers.com/flockers/): A really unique hand-management strategy game where you build and constantly rebuild a flock of migrating geese as you fly south as efficiently as possible.
- [Jinx](https://littleboardgamers.com/jinx/): A fast-paced, chaotic card game that mixes the familiar number play of Uno with real-time reactions and a bit of frantic panic.
- [Fetching Feathers](https://littleboardgamers.com/fetching-feathers/): A spiritual successor to group favourite Zuuli, that is the perfect level of strategy.
- [BOMB5](https://littleboardgamers.com/bomb5/): A quick tile-laying abstract strategy game that comes in a small box and offers a decent amount of replayability, but sadly something just didn’t quite stick for us.
- [Minecraft: Cave Adventure](https://littleboardgamers.com/minecraft-cave-adventure/): A clever solo puzzle game making brilliant use of the Minecraft License.
- [Leaning Tower of Pizza](https://littleboardgamers.com/leaning-tower-of-pizza/):  A brilliantly balanced small-box dexterity game 
- [Flying Fries](https://littleboardgamers.com/flying-fries/): A quick, silly, luck-based dexterity game that’s perfect for younger kids, especially if you grab the compact Playte version and you've lost half of the bits to Pop-up Pirate.
- [Cool Playte UKGE offer!](https://littleboardgamers.com/cool-playte-ukge-offer/): Playte are running a cool selection box offer at the UKGE.
- [Trapwords](https://littleboardgamers.com/trapwords/):  A clever twist on classic word guessing games where you create your own “trapwords” to trip up the other team.
- [Snackaroo](https://littleboardgamers.com/snackaroo/):  A fast, clever mix of memory and speed where organising your deck is just as important as how quickly you can react.
- [UKGE Expo 2026 Countdown](https://littleboardgamers.com/ukge-expo-2026-countdown/): Countdown content to the 2026 UK Games Expo
- [Lost in Adventure: The Curse of Jack Parrot](https://littleboardgamers.com/lost-in-adventure-the-curse-of-jack-parrot/): A cooperative, choose-your-own-adventure style card game that delivers a fun pirate story experience, especially suited to solo play or playing through once with kids.
- [Purrramid](https://littleboardgamers.com/purrramid/): A cosy, family-friendly push-your-luck dice game where you build a pyramid of cats, with lovely production and simple gameplay that wobbles with a few of its ideas.
- [Borealis: Arctic Expeditions](https://littleboardgamers.com/borealis-arctic-expeditions/): Today we’re going to be looking at Borealis: Arctic Expeditions, a new puzzle “point salad” game from Lucky Duck Games, which landed on my doorstep a week or so ago, and I have been really surprised by how much I enjoyed playing this with both my kids and a group of older teenagers. In Borealis: Arctic Expeditions, you lead a team of scientists exploring the Arctic, observing wildlife, and working to build the most successful expedition. Each player gets a board with three observation locations, with three of each colour scientist starting at those locations (nine overall), two camps, and a flag marker […]
- [Fuggler Dice Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/fuggler-dice-game/): A silly, fast and surprisingly fun little dice game that works especially well with younger children and Fuggler fans.
- [Fort](https://littleboardgamers.com/fort/): An unusual deck-builder with strong ideas and lovely production, but one that felt a little too repetitive and low-impact for us.
- [Deep Regrets](https://littleboardgamers.com/deep-regrets/): A brilliantly produced push-your-luck fishing game packed with clever decisions, monstrous catches, and enough depth to keep older kids and adults hooked.
- [Unmatched: Stars and Stripes](https://littleboardgamers.com/unmatched-stars-and-stripes/): Today I’m going to be looking at the newest Unmatched set “Stars and Stripes.” The top half of the review is specifically about the new set and characters with the bottom half being about Unmatched as a whole. Now, before I get into it, I do just want to briefly acknowledge that, given the current political climate, a set so heavily themed around patriotic American historical figures might not feel like the most tactful release for everyone. That said, this is very much a character-driven board game rather than a political statement, so I’m going to park that there and focus on how […]
- [Las Vegas](https://littleboardgamers.com/las-vegas/): Today we are going to be talking about Las Vegas, a brand new dice-rolling game from Ravensburger that, whilst coming with an obviously slightly adult Las Vegas theme, is absolutely perfect for family groups. It was a massive hit, even with Henry(4), who is not quite as into core gaming yet as his older brothers. This was a game that captured his imagination, and not only did he play well and stay focused throughout, he actually grew quite confident as the game went on. The way the game works is relatively simple. You set out six different casinos, each one with a […]
- [Bridge or Bust](https://littleboardgamers.com/bridge-or-bust/): A brilliantly engineered bridge-building puzzle game that teaches real structural principles through hands-on challenges, making it an outstanding STEM experience for both kids and adults.
- [Captain Wonder Cape](https://littleboardgamers.com/captain-wonder-cape/): Ridiculous, silly nonsense, but I’ve got to be honest, this is actually one of the most enjoyable bits of nonsense I’ve played in a long time.
- [Dandelions](https://littleboardgamers.com/5733-2/): A simple dice-movement game with surprisingly clever scoring that adds just enough tactical depth to keep things interesting for both kids and adults.
- [Cats Knocking Things Off Ledges](https://littleboardgamers.com/cats-knocking-things-off-ledges/): Fun in short bursts but a little samey over time but a definite board game cafe play.
- [Tear-able Quest](https://littleboardgamers.com/tear-able-quest/): A really clever and genuinely different dexterity game where tearing bits of paper somehow turns into tense, chaotic, and very funny decision making.
- [Fuzzballs: Pizza Thief](https://littleboardgamers.com/fuzzballs-pizza-thief/): A super fun, quick, chaotic card game where players manipulate cards and build a prediction to get closest to a hidden total.
- [Cozy StickerVille](https://littleboardgamers.com/cozy-stickerville/): A cosy, story-driven sticker adventure that’s perfect as a shared family activity, as long as you’re happy with a limited number of plays.
- [Gremlins Holiday Havoc](https://littleboardgamers.com/gremlins-holiday-havoc/): A simple, Gremlins-themed twist on Snap that adds just enough variety to make it fun, fair, and surprisingly engaging for mixed-age family play, especially at its bargain price.
- [Re;MATCH](https://littleboardgamers.com/rematch/): A clever 1v1 puzzle fighter that feels like a cross between Candy Crush and Street Fighter with great components and accessible rules.
- [Easter Egg-stravaganza 2026 is here!](https://littleboardgamers.com/easter-egg-stravaganza-2026-is-here/): With the UK school Easter holidays kicking off, we’re diving head first into our Easter Egg-stravaganza 2026, a couple of weeks packed with loads of fresh content, plenty of games, and hopefully a few new favourites for your tables. Over the holidays we’ll be posting a steady stream of new reviews, covering everything from quick travel games you can chuck in a bag, to bigger family games that are perfect for those slightly longer afternoons when you’ve actually got time to sit down and play. As always, everything has been tested with the kids, so you’re getting a proper mix of […]
- [Wyrmspan](https://littleboardgamers.com/wyrmspan/): A slightly more complex take on Wingspan that adds cave building and stronger engine chaining without losing accessibility. 
- [Wingspan Asia](https://littleboardgamers.com/wingspan-asia/): A brilliant two-player take on Wingspan that adds a clever shared-board twist, but sits awkwardly close in price to the full game.
- [Wingspan](https://littleboardgamers.com/wingspan/): A cosy, accessible engine builder with enough depth to keep both kids and adults engaged.
- [Finspan](https://littleboardgamers.com/finspan/): a streamlined, ocean-themed engine builder that delivers a simple, accessible take on the “Wingspan” system while still offering satisfying progression and tactical choices for parents as well as kids.
- [Driving Me Crazy](https://littleboardgamers.com/driving-me-crazy/): A simple, chaotic “take that” card game, with a fun premise, that works best in larger groups, but lacks the depth and balance to keep you coming back.
- [Cat Earth](https://littleboardgamers.com/cat-earth/): A light family game where players use movement cards to push houses off the edge of a flat world with giant cats, offering a cute concept and nice components, though the slow card draw can make the game drag longer than expected.
- [Chaos the Card Game](https://littleboardgamers.com/chaos-the-card-game/): A clever and fast paced lane battling card game where smart card placement and learning the factions over time creates a surprisingly strategic experience that works just as well with kids as it does with more experienced players.
- [Heads will Roll](https://littleboardgamers.com/heads-will-roll/): A clever idea for a tiny pocket dexterity game, but the random setup and repetitive flicking mean it never really develops into anything particularly satisfying.
- [Wispwood](https://littleboardgamers.com/wispwood/): a beautiful and clever tile-laying puzzle that is easy to learn, satisfying to build, and offers just enough strategic depth to keep you thinking across its three increasingly tight rounds.
- [Magical Athlete](https://littleboardgamers.com/magical-athlete/): A chaotic and charming fantasy racing game where quirky competitors with unique powers roll, move, and trigger unpredictable abilities as they battle across four races to score the most points.
- [Capture the Bald Yeti](https://littleboardgamers.com/capture-the-bald-yeti/): A delightfully chaotic family card game packed with playful sabotage, silly surprises, and plenty of laughs that doesn't take itself too seriously.
- [Singapore Showdown](https://littleboardgamers.com/singapore-showdown/): a polished, enjoyable drafting game with solid decisions, but it struggles to stand out in an already crowded genre.
- [Flamecraft Duals](https://littleboardgamers.com/flamecraft-duals/): a quick, colourful abstract puzzle that turns simple tile placement into a surprisingly tactical head-to-head battle. Perfect for games with the kids or even more as a parent's date night activity.
- [Fliptoons](https://littleboardgamers.com/fliptoons/): A fast, clever deck-building game that feels far bigger than its small box, delivering chaotic fun and surprisingly meaningful decisions in every round. 
- [Splendor: Pokemon Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/splendor-pokemon-edition/): Today, as part of our Lunar New Year gaming, we are revisiting “Splendor: Pokemon Edition”, a game that has caused quite a stir in the group over the last few years. After what is probably more plays prior to a review than almost any game I’ve covered on here, played extensively with Jack (10) and Toby (7), it felt like the perfect time for a rereview. “Splendor: Pokemon Edition” is the South Korean import version of Splendor, themed around the Pokémon franchise. Theme aside, this remains, in my opinion, the best version of Splendor you can buy. For anyone unfamiliar, this is a […]
- [Capybaras vs Pelicans](https://littleboardgamers.com/capybaras-vs-pelicans/): A simple family card game with a surprising amount of hidden depth and decision-making.
- [The Chameleon: Picture Edition](https://littleboardgamers.com/the-chameleon-picture-edition/): A fun and intelligent word-based social deduction party game that might be a little to much for little ones
- [Football Final & Mermaid Party](https://littleboardgamers.com/football-final-mermaid-party/): Identical memory games offering a decent challenge to kids as an early board game experience.
- [Funny Fairies & PJ Pirates](https://littleboardgamers.com/funny-fairies-pj-pirates/): Unnecessarily identical games with an Orchard Toys vibe that are fine but extremely simple even for young kids.
- [Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure](https://littleboardgamers.com/clank-a-deck-building-adventure/): A brilliantly balanced deck-building dungeon crawl that blends smart risk-reward decisions, accessible gameplay, and real tension, making it just as enjoyable for families as it is for seasoned gamers.
- [In the Footsteps of Darwin](https://littleboardgamers.com/in-the-footsteps-of-darwin/): I bought this at UKGE last year and finally played it with my husband yesterday. We decided it was a bit too quick, simple and random for us BUT I realised it might be about the right level of challenge for my 7 year old. So today I tested it out again! In this game you’re discovering animals and recording them in your journal. Each animal has a type (e.g. Animal, bird) and a location (e.g. Africa). Each time you complete a set of types or locations in your journal you get five points. You also get points from the tiles […]
- [Twister](https://littleboardgamers.com/twister/): A classic, silly dexterity game that’s great fun in short bursts, but held back by age imbalance and a slippery, low-quality mat.
- [Snail Sprint](https://littleboardgamers.com/snail-sprint-2/): A standout “first hobby game” that introduces real decision-making and modern board game ideas in a fun, accessible way for young children.
- [Kariba](https://littleboardgamers.com/kariba/): A fast, compact, and deceptively tactical card game that is easy for children to grasp while offering enough strategic depth to keep adults fully engaged.
- [Panda-monium](https://littleboardgamers.com/panda-monium/): A fun mix of Happy Families and a kids Easter Egg Hunt.
- [Spy X Family: Mission for Peanuts](https://littleboardgamers.com/spy-x-family-mission-for-peanuts/): I really enjoy watching anime, but I have not actually watched a huge amount of it in recent years, largely because almost all of it is on Crunchyroll, and it is yet another subscription to add to my ever-expanding list of monthly payments. Fast forward to about six months ago, when I got a free six-month subscription to Crunchyroll as part of some sort of package deal with my new phone, and here we are. I am back to being a big anime fan, having watched most of the heavy hitters from the last few years. If anyone has any recommendations, […]
- [Mamma Mia! Syndicate (Preview)](https://littleboardgamers.com/mamma-mia-syndicate/): A fun prototype drafting/ order fulfilment game that I look forward to watching develop on Gamefound.
- [Space Off](https://littleboardgamers.com/space-off/): The best party game I have ever played!
- [Muster: Raise the Banners](https://littleboardgamers.com/muster-raise-the-banners/): A wonderful head to head card game with beautiful artwork that is both simplistic and tactical
- [Magshuto Stuntpark](https://littleboardgamers.com/magshuto-stuntpark/): a fun concept for a dexterity game that sadly doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to several parts of the execution.
- [Games of the Year 2025](https://littleboardgamers.com/games-of-the-year-2025/): Our Games of the Year 2025 list highlights the best family board games we played this year, all released in 2025 and tested with kids at the table.
- [Umami: The Forest Food Fest](https://littleboardgamers.com/umami-the-forest-food-fest/): A tidy, thoughtful card game mixing set collection and hand management.
- [Pili Pili](https://littleboardgamers.com/pili-pili/): An outstandingly good, simple trick-taking card game that's different from the others.
- [King of Tokyo Mega Box](https://littleboardgamers.com/king-of-tokyo-mega-box/): Along with the Wickedness Expansion, it's definitely the best way to play King of Tokyo.

## Pages

- [Category Modules](https://littleboardgamers.com/category-modules/)
- [Our Story](https://littleboardgamers.com/authors-page/): Hi, I’m Matt, a dad who loves playing board games with my three boys — Jack, Toby, and Henry. Gaming has always been a big part of my life, but sharing it with my kids has made it even more special. It’s not just about fun (though there’s plenty of that!); it’s about spending time together, learning, and making memories. I’ve been posting reviews and recommendations on Facebook since 2021, exploring not just games for kids but games that work with kids. I took over Little Board Gamers in 2023, a fantastic community focused on family gaming, and helped it grow, […]
- [Full width page](https://littleboardgamers.com/full-width-page/): Authoritatively conceptualize ethical value for enabled e-tailers. Conveniently facilitate enterprise niches after stand-alone customer service. Dramatically administrate interoperable content whereas pandemic meta-services. Rapidiously develop 2.0 value without error-free mindshare. Appropriately visualize superior information before flexible internal or “organic” sources. Phosfluorescently brand resource maximizing methods of empowerment through granular web services. Distinctively initiate wireless methodologies through frictionless sources. Quickly extend multifunctional scenarios rather than innovative collaboration and idea-sharing. Conveniently impact adaptive internal or “organic” sources through virtual communities. Holisticly generate team driven growth strategies and revolutionary applications. Phosfluorescently generate extensible niche markets without frictionless internal or “organic” sources. Quickly generate client-centered catalysts […]
- [Infinite scroll](https://littleboardgamers.com/infinite-scroll/)
- [Little Board Gamers](https://littleboardgamers.com/): Today we are going to be looking at Nunatak: Temple of Ice (which I’m going to call Nunatak from here on), a spatial point-salad strategy game with great table presence and some fairly cool mechanics. In Nunatak, you are working together to physically build a giant ice temple, although, of course, you are competing to be the player who scores the most points while doing it. I’m going to go off on a slight tangent here and give an early, slightly weird criticism. I don’t know why this bothered me, but there’s no lore reason as to why we’re competing against each other. Obviously, mechanically, we’re […]
- [Contact](https://littleboardgamers.com/contact/): Have a game you would like us to review or just want to get in touch? We’d love to hear from you! Fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
- [Shortcodes](https://littleboardgamers.com/shortcodes/): Theme comes with full support for our Meks Flexible Shortcodes WordPress plugin. Check out some of the examples of what you can create inside the page/post content with our shortcodes. You can add some columns… Perhaps some progress bars? Awesome font icons? Or some nice buttons? Perhaps some social icons? Dropcaps? xcepteur adipisicing try-hard kale chips et. Meh wolf anim delectus skateboard. Forage scenester mustache skateboard DIY, sapiente laborum whatever. Ethical consectetur non +1 tousled authentic. Enim viral delectus next level. Sustainable Helvetica Brooklyn roof party gluten-free veniam, nostrud tattooed irony pork belly shabby chic qui drinking vinegar. Truffaut flexitarian non […]

## Optional

- [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/littleboardgamers.com/mcp)

[comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)