Welcome back to the world of Valeria!

In May, we reviewed the first Valeria game published by Daily Magic Games, Valeria: Card Kingdoms. It's a fun card and dice game where players build their crew of various citizens to expand their realm and fight monsters.

Since then, Daily Magic Games has published a number of card games in the Valeria universe. Each have unique game mechanics.

Today, we're excited to share our thoughts on one of the most recent Valeria card games, Thrones of Valeria.

It's a unique trick-taking card game where the ranks of the different Houses (suits) change constantly. Every card played may alter your plans. We hope you've got what it takes to win in Valeria.

Thrones of Valeria card game review is an article from The Board Game Family

Earlier this year, I had my first chance to play World Wonders – a fun new tile-laying board game published by Arcane Wonders in 2023.

I played it at one of the Hot Games tables at SaltCon Spring 2024 and immediately wanted to play it again.

I couldn't get it out of my mind and was still thinking about it a month later.

That's when you know you've found another great family board game.

Even though I'd categorize World Wonders as a tile-laying game, it's packed with much more than that. The game also includes economic, turn-order, and resource elements that keep players considering many choices throughout the whole game.

World Wonders board game review is an article from The Board Game Family

My first encounter with Valeria: Card Kingdoms at SaltCon 2017 was an absolute blast, leaving me eager for more.

It reminded me a lot of Machi Koro, but I liked Valeria's fantasy theme much better. Plus, I loved that everyone gains resources on anybody's turn, not just on their own turn.

I added the game to my wish list soon after, but just never pulled the trigger on buying a copy. That is, until two years ago when Daily Magic Games published an updated version!

The new edition not only had upgraded components and streamlined play, but it was also much cheaper!

I've since introduced the game to many friends, and everyone has had a great time playing.

Valeria: Card Kingdoms game review is an article from The Board Game Family

A few years ago, I was introduced to a new racing game from by Restoration Games that has become one of my favorite racing games of all time – Downforce!

In the game, players bid in car auctions, race the cars, use special powers, and bet on the outcomes. There's no dice rolling as it’s the cards that determine which color cars move and how far. And even though you want to favor the cars you bought in the auction, the cards you play will also be moving other player’s cars as well.

I first played Downforce at SaltCon End of Summer 2021 and then bought a copy later that year.

So it's high time for me to write a review about it and share why I enjoy it so much.

Downforce – Such a fun racing game is an article from The Board Game Family

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.

16 Board and Card Games Played at SaltCon 2024 is an article from The Board Game Family

We really enjoy tile-laying board games.

Whether we’re building out our own areas like in Barenpark or adding to a central area like in Carcassonne, we love creating a unique arrangement every time. No matter whether we win or not, we feel accomplished seeing what we’ve made.

That’s one reason we were drawn to Cascadia when it was first published in 2021 by Flatout Games.

We were also drawn to the gameplay and the wonderful theme of habitats and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest.

And after having played it numerous times, we’re happy to report that Cascadia knocks it out of the park on all accounts!

Cascadia board game review is an article from The Board Game Family

When playing with family, we like games that have a good balance of both luck and strategy. We enjoy having to make interesting choices during a game but also like an element of luck to keep things interesting.

So when a game has “Lucky” in the very name, should we shun it?

Don’t be too quick to do so!

At least, you shouldn’t do so with Lucky Numbers by Tiki Editions.

That’s because Lucky Numbers has great choices throughout to keep players engaged and having fun.

Lucky Numbers board game review is an article from The Board Game Family

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.

Board Game Gift Guide 2023 – 45 Favorites! is an article from The Board Game Family