Why We Love Games

Mind the Gap – Trivia Game
When Mind the Gap came out in the summer of 2020, we knew the sensation it was going to be. We love it so much we are officially calling it our Game of the Season!
For trivia games to be fun, you typically need an even playing field. Players need to have similar interests, similar backgrounds, and be around the same age. I’ve destroyed friends & family in Seinfeld or Friends trivia – it wasn’t fun for anyone. There was no competition and I felt like an obnoxious jerk. Well … Mind the Gap has changed all of that! It truly is a trivia game for the generations. SolidRoots, a family company, wanted a trivia game they can play with their 80-year-old grandmother and their kids – so they made one. Genius! Whether you’re a wise Boomer, a resourceful Gen Xer, a tech-savvy Millennial, or a shrewd & competitive Gen Zer – everyone can play! Play as teams or individuals – I prefer to team up since the goal of the game is to win! And to win you must be the first to make it all the way around the board by answering pop-culture questions. But be prepared to show off your humming, acting, and dancing skills, too! If you land on a Challenge Space, you must pick up a Challenge Card and perform what it says – this is where the laughter begins! If you are planning gatherings this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this game. It covers relatable & familiar topics from all kinds of categories from each of our generations. No one felt left out. Everyone felt included. Everyone had something to contribute. After a year and a half of social distancing, this is exactly the game we all need this season.

Happy Little Dinosaurs
Everything’s going to be OK! Right? I’ve had to tell myself that long enough and these little dinosaurs can relate! In this 2-4 player game, there are two ways to win – be the first dinosaur to reach 50 points or the last one to survive. Sounds easy until you see the types of disasters you must dodge. There are natural disasters such as being crushed by a falling tree or stuck in a tar pit; predatory disasters like being chased by a land shark with legs (say what now?) or swallowed by a prehistoric whale; then there are emotional disasters (I’m not crying, you’re crying) – whether it’s burning a batch of cookies or getting stood up on a date, we’ve all been there.
There are 4 dinosaur characters to choose from, their corresponding playing board & meeple piece, Point Cards, and Disaster Cards. At the start of each round, flip a Disaster card. Each player then plays a Point card in the hopes of collecting points and avoiding the disaster. Move your Dinosaur meeple along the escape route on your player board to track your score. One last thing – avoid the Meteor Disaster Card! Oh, the looming threat of extinction never ends!

Best Chess Set Ever 
It’s been a million years since I’ve played chess. Ok, maybe not a million (I’m not a dinosaur), but it’s been a long time. When I think of chess sets, the words bulky, rigid, old-fashioned and pricey come to mind. The Best Chess Set Ever puts a new spin to the classic game. With its sleek modern design, I must admit – it felt pretty cool to play this version. The Staunton chess pieces are triple weighted at 2.2 lbs., making them very sturdy and durable for speed chess (I’ve mastered slow chess). The 20″ x 20” tournament size board is available in black or green and folds up easily to fit back in the box. They call their exclusive 32-page strategy guide “epic” and I see why – it contains a wide range of moves for beginners and experts and can help anyone master tactical & strategic plays. The set includes two extra Queens as a bonus and sticky googly eyes for fun (yes, googly eyes). At such an affordable price, it’s the perfect way to introduce a traditional game to a new generation.

 Unsolved Case Files – Jamie Banks Murder Mystery Game
Being obsessed with true crime is normal, right? We spend hundreds of hours watching the shows, reading the books, and listening to podcasts. With the Unsolved Case Files games, you can now get in on the action! This case is about the death of a young student named Jamie Banks. The police ruled it a suicide, but like every skeptic knows – it was really murder! Unleash your inner cold case detective by reviewing the evidence including crime scene photos, newspaper clippings, and the coroner’s report, and solving this decades long (fictional) murder mystery. There’s an online answer key to check your findings or provide hints if you get stuck. Play it solo or invite your true crime fan friends over and host a game night to remember.

What Do You Meme Family Edition
Memes … what would our lives be without them? Boring! Thank goodness the makers of What Do You Meme have released a Family Edition – I can finally play this with my nieces and not feel like the inappropriate auntie. It’s for ages 8 and up and you’ll need a minimum of 3 players to enjoy this. Pick one person to be the judge and have them select a photo card for the round. The other players, from their hand of caption cards, then choose the funniest caption card to pair with the photo card. The judge then reads the caption cards out loud and the funniest one wins the round. The winner keeps the photo card which equals a point. The player with the most points at the end wins the game. An easy & fun game for the whole family to enjoy.

Wingspan
Switching gears now to competitive, medium-weight games with more complex rules, involving strategic thinking and longer play time. Our top pick is an award-winning card-driven board game that I would have never guessed to be such a hit just from the theme… birds! Since its launch in the spring of 2019, Wingspan has gained critical acclaim with no signs of slowing down. From American game designer Elizabeth Hargrave and Stonemaier Games, it’s a 1-5 player game and consists of game boards, bird cards, food tokens, 5 wooden dice, 75 miniature eggs, a birdfeeder dice tower, and so much more. Players assume the roles of bird enthusiasts, researchers, watchers, and collectors, and try to discover and attract the best birds to their wildlife preserve (or private garden). The most exceptional aspect of this game is the beautiful artwork. The 170 unique illustrated cards of American birds are artistically stunning & realistic. It’s a great game for those with a love of nature but not into typical board games. Increase the scope of your game with the European Expansion or Oceania Expansion. Restock is hitting shelves soon!

Azul Strategy Game
Our 2nd pick is another aesthetically satisfying game. In Azul, designed by award-winning game author Michael Kiesling, players take turns selecting the correct number and style of tiles from the center of the table and adding to their player boards. Points are scored depending how you’ve decorated your board. As your board fills up, the game becomes more competitive – force your opponents to take tiles that cause them to lose points. This is where the critical thinking comes to play and strategy starts to develop. Azul was inspired by the beauty of Moorish art and the stunning craftsmanship of their decorative tiles.

Everdell
Our final pick for strategy games is Everdell, the most advanced one on our list. It’s a fantastical, yet ruthless, worker placement game. The point of the game is to assume the role of a woodland critter and build a city over the four seasons – collect resources, recruit workers, and construct buildings. The visual appeal will strike you immediately. The artwork is stunning and with the 3-tiered cardboard tree, it definitely lures people in with its board presence. The rules are straightforward making it a simple game to grasp. As you go through the seasons, however, the game gets much deeper and more intense. But be patient – the more turns you take in a season, the more points you’ll acquire. Experienced players have an advantage so play a few times to master your strategy. It’s got a lot of replay value with tons of cards and expansions. If you enjoy worker placement or tableau-building type games, this is certainly one you should add to your game shelf!