Party Games Archives - The Board Game Family

Codenames digital app review

We first played the party game Codenames in 2015 and were hooked like so many people around the world.

We reviewed the original party game in January, 2016 and reviews for many of the follow-up games since.

Today, we’re happy to share our thoughts on the app version of this super-popular party game.

For starters, now that Codenames is in my digital pocket, it’s not reserved for just being a party game. I can play it on the fly whenever I want since I can match up with people worldwide in asynchronous play.

October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 Trent 0 Comments app, Czech Games Edition, party, solo

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

16 Board and Card Games Played at SaltCon 2024

The first weekend of March, I spent a couple of days playing a bunch of fun games at SaltCon Spring 2024.

SaltCon Spring is a 4-day event held on the first weekend of March. This year, I arrived Thursday night after work and stayed through Saturday afternoon (taking Friday off work so I could play all day).

Even though SaltCon now hosts game events a few times each year, the spring gathering is the biggest of the bunch and one I look forward to every year.

This year, the attendance hit 2,400!

Read on to get a quick recap of the 16 different games I played and my thoughts on each.

March 16, 2024March 16, 2024 Trent 2 Comments bluffing, Board Games, deduction, Family Games, luck, party, SaltCon, space, strategy, theme

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games Top 10 Lists

Board Game Gift Guide 2023 – 45 Favorites!

We’ve posted a Board Game Gift Guide for the past 12 years. And each year we’ve recommended around 40 games to get your friends and family as gifts.

Which means that through our annual gift guides, we’ve shared close to 500 game ideas!

Well, rather than give another list of new games to check out, we’ve decide to roll back through our 12 years of game gift guides and pick out our very favorites to recommend for 2023.

So, without further ado, here’s our recommended favorites in each category.

November 8, 2023December 20, 2023 Trent 3 Comments 2-player, abstract, board game gifts, card, deduction, dice, family, game gift guide, luck, party, Star Wars, strategy, theme

Board Games Game Reviews Party Games

Hive Mind revised edition party game review

In early 2017 we reviewed a new party game from Calliope Games called Hive Mind.

It was a hit with all the groups we played with and we only had one complaint – it looked like a children’s game.

In fact, we were quite surprised with how much we enjoyed the game because of what we’d anticipated by seeing the game box.

That’s right. Our biggest issue was with who the target market was for the game because the visuals didn’t match who would actually enjoy playing the game.

Well, Calliope Games has recently released a revised version of Hive Mind and we want to give them a huge high-five for doing so!

Yes, the branding is a big improvement. But that’s not the only thing that makes this version a better party game.

We’re excited to tell you all about it.

June 26, 2023June 27, 2023 Trent 2 Comments 10-player, 11-player, 12-player, 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Calliope Games, party

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games

15 Games Played at SaltCon 2023

SaltCon Spring just keeps getting bigger and better every year!

This year over 2,000 people enjoyed playing board games, card games, dice games, party games, and more for 4 days straight as part of SaltCon Spring 2023.

And with that many people, there’s a broad range of gaming interests. That’s why there are also areas in the convention center set aside for RPGs, miniatures painting, dexterity games, play-to-win games, competitions, and an Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator.

But even as the event itself keeps getting bigger, this year the game playing for me was much more intimate.

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 Trent 0 Comments SaltCon

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Sounds Fishy party game review

When you hear something you can’t quite believe, you say it “sounds fishy”.

And that’s exactly what you’ll be saying while playing Sounds Fishy from Big Potato Games.

That’s because most of the stuff you’ll hear will be completely made up!

The game reminds us a lot of Balderdash and Beyond Balderdash, where players make up answers to factoids.

However, Sounds Fishy is much easier and quicker to play and is packed with more interesting facts that leave players scratching their heads.

January 14, 2023 Trent 3 Comments 10-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, 9-player, Big Potato Games, bluffing, party, trivia

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games Top 10 Lists

15 Stocking Stuffer Games for 2022

Time is ticking down and there are only a few more shopping days left until Christmas Day.

If that puts you in a frantic rush for finding game gifts for your friends and family this year, we can help with that!

For starters, jump over to our 2022 Board Game Gift Guide and you’ll find a bunch of great games to choose from as gifts.

If you already have what you need with those game gifts and just need a few smaller games to pack a Christmas stocking with game goodies, then this list of 15 recommended games is for you.

December 21, 2022December 20, 2023 Trent 2 Comments card, dice, luck, party, Star Wars, top 10

Board Games Cooperative Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

So Clover! game review

A true mark of a fantastic game is when your teenagers pull it out to play over and over.

And you know it’s an even bigger hit when they want to play it during dinner night after night.

Such has been the case with So Clover!

That’s also why it was such an easy decision to include it in our 2022 Board Game Gift Guide.

Repos Production has struck gold again with this super easy to play and fun cooperative party game.

December 9, 2022 Trent 0 Comments 3-player, 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, cooperative, family, party, Repos Production

Board Games Family Games Game Reviews Party Games

Fun Facts party game review

Thanksgiving Day is later this week in the US and we’re looking forward to gathering with extended family members. It’s a great time to celebrate the many things we’re thankful for – especially family.

And it also means party game time!

That’s because when we get together with family members we usually get in a few games as part of the fun. And the types of games we pull out for such occassions are typically the light, party games that can accommodate many players.

This year we’re for sure going to play an awesome new cooperative party game we got last month – Fun Facts!

It’s a new party game by Repos Productions that we’ve had a blast playing as a family and at the office.

November 20, 2022November 20, 2022 Trent 0 Comments 4-player, 5-player, 6-player, 7-player, 8-player, Asmodee, cooperative, family, party, Repos Productions

Articles Board Games Card Games Cooperative Games Dice Games Family Games Game Reviews Kid Games Party Games Top 10 Lists

Board Game Gift Guide 2022!

As the holidays approach, it’s super common for people to look for the best family board games to give as gifts to family members and friends.

This is our 12th year publishing a Board Game Gift Guide to help you find fantastic board games, dice games, card games, party games, and more for those you love.

And this year we’ve got 36 new board games to recommend!

Since there’s a wide range of people to consider for game gifts, we break down this board game gift guide into various categories with a handful of game ideas in each.

November 7, 2022March 16, 2024 Trent 0 Comments board game gifts, game gift guide, Star Wars

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