We have found that while we really love our truly gamer geared board games, we are always on the lookout for those games that have great general appeal. In our house this are referred to as cross-over games and they can bring both gamers and non-gamers to the table for some good fun.

One of the easiest types of games to introduce to non-gamers are card games. Here I would recommend introducing the crowd you are playing with to Fluxx 4.0. This great little game has simple rules, that change over time but don’t generally lose a person. Since Flux starts with the simple rule of draw a card, play a card it is easy to teach. If you haven’t played before, it is really fairly simple, and even my kids can mange it quite nicely.

Another easy to play game, that has already hit mainstream in many areas is Apples to Apples Party Box – The Game of Hilarious Comparisons. This game is a card based game that has players placing cards into play based on their belonging to a particular category. The challenge comes from that each player takes turns determining the winning card of each hand. So to win a hand you must be able to judge how the other person will judge the cards. Not everyone has the same definition of gross after all.

If you are looking for a board game to pass away some time at the latest family gathering, I would suggest Gift TRAP Game. There is no gamer knowledge required for this game, of giving and taking of gifts. Each hand of play there are a number of cards representing various gifts that can be given. Each player marks gifts with hidden tokens to represent the level of like or dislike they have towards the gift. As an example I would love to get a trip to Disney World, but would hate to get a skydiving lesson. Then each player gives another a gift, no doubling up, and then points are scored. To win you have to manage to receive enough gifts that you like, as well as give enough gifts that other people like. It is a great way to learn a little more about the family or friends that you are playing with.

So last weekend I played a new game with the kids called Thunderstone. The game is a card based game that recreates an adventuring group. While the game is plenty of fun it is also easy enough for younger kids to play. I suspect that we may not have been playing with the full on set of rules, but we were close enough to them to get a good feel for the game.

In the game each person starts out with basic supplies for an adventuring party represented in cards. Using the cards you have collected you can either head to the village to purchase supplies or recruit and level up; or you can delve into the dungeon and battle creatures for experience points. The game play is pretty simple once you get it figured out, though I will admit that the setup is a bit on the complicated side to determine from the book. Just be sure to read through the instruction book and it will all come together pretty easily.

Do you have kids to shop for that are in elementary school?? Well, then do I have a card game for you!! I highly recommend the card game, Poo Second Edition.

The basic idea is that you are a monkey throwing monkey poo at the other players. There are a number of different poo value cards, dodge cards, clean-up cards and other specialty cards. The game play is simple and the overall length is fairly short at about 15 minutes. I first played this at Gamestorm in 2010 with a mother, her son, and another girl. We all had a good time and the basic plot is rather entertaining to the potty humor age group found in elementary school. This year I made sure it was under the tree for my kids.
Gamestorm is coming up again this coming March. It will be another great chance to gather some more game ideas for my brood as they grow up.
Come back tomorrow for a review of Cheeky Monkey, another Gamestorm find that made its way under our Christmas tree this year.

For my my daughter’s 6th birthday she received the board game The aMAZEing Labyrinth from her step-dad.  Though I am ashamed to admit it took us months to finally get around to playing it we finally did.  The game is rated ages 7+ but we usually find our kids catch onto board games a bit ahead of the label put on them, not really sure how or who determines that age anyways.

The game is fairly basic once you get over the initial learning curve.  There is an ever changing grid of tiles that your piece must navigate through to obtain a number of treasures as determined by picture cards.  The aMAZEing Labyrinth requires no ability to read to play, aside from the rule book itself, making for a good family friendly game.  There are also no spinners or dice, which I find makes a game more enjoyable with elementary school aged children who tend to fiddle with those sort of devices too much.

After playing twice I highly recommend when laying out tiles and swapping tile locations during play that you take care to make as many pathways as possible.  All of the tile pieces work together to make the tunnels of the labyrinth that gives the game its name.  By making a point of creating long tunnels you will greatly shorten the game time and greatly increase the success of the younger kids who can’t think too many steps ahead.

Since this game is more widely available then some other “gamer” board games, we found it at Toys ‘r Us this can be a great gift for Christmas for a younger child in your life.  If you are looking for another review of The aMAZEing Labyrinth check it out at BoardGameGeek.com

Another day, another cruise through some of my newly bookmarked websites. And what did I find you might ask? Why I found a barter offer from GM Dice (I wrote about them the other day). They are bringing barter back to gaming, and on the web even! According to the barter section of their website they will gladly take your old rpg books, board games, and even old gaming pieces all in exchange for gift certificates to spend on cool new dice.

But you don’t have anything in your collection you could bear to part with, me either to be honest. Well all is well as they will take anything in exchange for a gift certificate. You will send them information on what you are offering, as well as specifics like condition and quantity and they will let you know what amount you will get on your gift card. If you all are chummy and agree then you ship them the stuff and they will ship you a gift card upon receipt. Perhaps next time I will do this rather then donating my things.

I am not sure what I would ever need a d5, d14, or a d24 for in my games, but they would be great conversation pieces at Gamestorm. Though what I really want is The Amazing Everything Dice, but they are sold out. Perhaps it is time to see if I have any old games to send off.

Game: Apples to Apples
Manufacturer: Mattel
Where can I get it: Target, Fred Meyers, Amazon, Etc,

What is it: This is a card based family game. It comes in two varieties the party pack and the junior version. Apples to Apples is one of the few “big box” games that we play these days. While it has made its way into the mass merchant shops it is still played heavily at Gamestorm (the gaming convention we attend). The pace is quick enough to keep it interesting and personal enough to make it fun.

How is it played: Each player has a set of cards in their hand representing different items or things. The judge picks a card from the top of a stack of special descriptive cards and then all the other players are to put a card from their hand down that best fits the descriptive card. For example, using cards from the junior set (only difference is easier words) here is my hand.
Birthday Cake, Sledding, Snow White, Aladdin, and Dinosaurs. The judge has placed Stinky in the center of the table.
Nothing I have is classically stinky, but if I was playing with my son and he were the judge I might put down Snow White, as he is still in the “girls have cooties” stage of life. The determination of which card is considered Stinky (in this case) is made by the judge, so it pays to look at it from another person’s shoes. Which makes for a good laugh around friends and a good, subtle lesson for kids in perspective.

The kids version is for 7+ and 4-10 players, taking less then 30 minutes to play. From my gamer family to yours I suggest picking this one up!

Tired of playing Monopoly and Life for the millionth time with your kids, ready for something new and interesting to play on game night. There are a wide array of games that can meet your needs and now that there is the internet to make ordering easier these games are available to almost anyone. I have been slowly growing my collection of these card and board games for the last decade or so. Here I plan to review these games as a way for you to determine which might work best for your family. With any luck you should be able to find a number of new games to try out.

Lets start with a simple, yet complex card game called Fluxx. The game starts with the simple rule of draw one, play one, simple enough. As the game goes on people play goals for winning, which constantly changes as well as they can play different rules that can change a variety of aspects of the game. While it sounds complicated you will find it is easy to play and with all the expansions, like Family Fluxx, it is a great family game. This is one that I enjoy playing with my son, age 8, and my daughter, age 6. It is a bit over my daughters head she enjoys playing it none the less. You can pick it up at most any game store, in the Greater Portland Area we like going to Rainy Day Games as they have a great selection.