The Family Gamers Podcast

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – PAX Unplugged is when we get to catch up with friends in the boardgame industry, see new games, and meet some of YOU! 00:00 Fact for 411 If you’re a Millenial, you know that 411 was (is) a phone number to call for general information. Did you know there are other X11 codes? https://www.networkworld.com/article/956606/beyond-911-other-n-1-1-codes-you-should-know.html Sponsor Message How do you know if you’re ready to retire? There’s the financial aspect, but don’t forget about the emotional and physical as well. If you want help reviewing the financial part of preparing for retirement, set up a time to talk to First Move for free by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today. 0:05:10 What We’ve Been Playing INK – review out today of this race to place all your ink bottles. Odin – review coming next week. Best at 3-4 players. Chit Chat – had our best game ever at 9 points! Check out the review. Stroop – still breaks our brain, but fun. Bouba/Kiki – a cooperative party game about matching shapes with nonsense words. (We talk at length about Stroop and Bouba/Kiki in episode 370.) Tropichaos – a fruit-selling push-your-luck game from Oink Games. Person Do Thing – a simple word party game. Try it yourself at PersonDoThing.com Leaders – we will talk a lot about this later. 0:18:00 The Family Gamers Community Welcome to our newest community members on Facebook! Stop in and say hello. #Backtalk We asked what your favorite thing to do at a convention – if you’ve ever been to one. A few of you answered on the #backtalk channel on the Discord and in our Facebook community. PAX Unplugged 2025 Interviews 0:25:35 SnapShips Tactics with Micah “X-wing crossed with Galaxy Trucker, and you’re trying to kill each other.” Make your ship look like you want, and make it play like you want. Starter set for two players is about $65. www.snapshipstactics.com 0:29:00 Kess with Court A game based on OnePiece! www.kessentertainment.co 0:32:30 Outset Media with David Guildlands – “if Carcassonne met Root“ Karak – a favorite for kids, with lots of upgrades over the version we reviewed years ago. And Karak II for a more challenging game! Shadow Ninjas – cats sneaking into the dojo to eat the koi, and one dog trying to eliminate them all. outsetmedia.com 0:36:10 Fight in a Box with Seppy Yoon Puppies or Poop – build a doggie land-mine field under the leaves. Try to survive without poop on your shoes! A cute and more memorable re-implementation of Squirrel or Die. Kaiser Cucumber – evil geniuses trying to out-steal each other. A sort of sequel to Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber. www.fightinabox.com 0:40:15 SRG Universe with Steve Supershow – a wrestling card game – and Super Lucha which is a crossover with luchadors. Rummy Gummies – a set-playing card game. “Rummy with Uno-like effects” supershowthegame.com 0:45:00 Envy Born Games with Matthew Sirens – 1-2 player tiny game. Draft cards to make a song and lure sailors. Hercules and the 12 Labors – solo game. Battle your way through Hercules’s famous 12 labors and choose rewards to help you with future labors. envyborngames.com 0:48:20 Kids Table Board Gaming / Burnt Island Games with Sean River Market – now available! Sea Shells – set collection by Bruno Faiduitti, coming summer 2026 Pack & Paddle – Kickstarter in 2026 Treeline – recover the landscape. Also coming summer 2026. Fans of Diced Veggies and Endeavor: Deep Sea. www.kidstablebg.com and www.burntislandgames.com 0:52:50 Jason Anarchy Games Trombone Champ – yes, like the video game. Full of hotdogs, baboons, and silly fake trombone facts. 0:55:00 Wonderful World Board Games with Ariel Dragonarium – go check out the Kickstarter before December 11! Last Lantern – coop polyomino game. Silently build a path across the board. www.wonderfulworldbg.com 1:00:25 Bezier Games with Jay Zombie Princess – a sequel to Rebel Princess. “Save” the zombies by...

It's that time of year again - we suggest games for everyone on your gift list. The post Episode 410 – Holiday Gift Guide appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Let's talk about card games! The post Episode 409 – Five Favorite Card Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Weather's getting colder, time for cozy board games - and a hint about some cozy food. The post Episode 408 – Top 10 Cozy Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We’ve been looking forward to making this episode for a little while. Sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to play games – so let’s talk about our family favorites that play in 15 minutes or less. 00:00 Fact for 407 This one is for Zach. on 15 November 2012 a new world record was set. The most people The post Episode 407 – Our Favorite 15-Minute Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Andrew names his 5 favorites out of everything he has played in 2025. The post Episode 406 – Andrew’s Favorites in 2025! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Does theme even matter in games? Is theme more than just the art in a game? The post Episode 405 – Theme appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Boardgames aren't the only way to connect with your kids - and they aren't always the BEST way, either. We discuss other ways to connect, and recommend some videogames. The post Episode 404 – Connecting Through Gaming appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We love the board game community, but it can lead to pressure to play MORE or HARDER games, to keep up with the newest games. What can we do to dial it back down and make games FUN again? The post Episode 403 – Taking the Pressure Off appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Deck building was a little challenging because even among "pure" deck-building games, some of their foundational mechanics are different. Nevertheless, we came up with three we'd recommend to learn this style of game. The post Episode 402 – Room to Grow: Deck Building appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Just like an evergreen plant that doesn't die, these are games that stay popular year after year. The post Episode 401 – Ten Top Evergreen Family Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Playing games with kids looks a lot different for us now than it did in 2015. Let's talk about what family gaming looks like at different ages. The post Episode 400 – It’s All About Families appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We talked about older games last week - this week we're moving on to modern abstract games (within the last 20 years). The post Episode 399 – Room to Grow: Modern Abstract Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

This week is devoted to older, classic abstract games. You probably know how to play these timeless games already, and have some of them relegated to the back corner of your shelves or your closet. The post Episode 398 – Room to Grow: Classic Abstract Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's convention time again! We found braille dice, an augmented-reality drawing tool, and lots of fun board game stuff at PAX East. The post Episode 397 – PAX East Recap appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We've been reviewing board games for almost ten years. And sometimes, we run across ones that REALLY surprise us. Let's talk about a few this week. The post Episode 396 – 5 Games that Surprise! appeared first on The Family Gamers.

Do you know what a "eurogame" is? Could you explain it to someone who hasn't played a lot of boardgames? What are some other jargon terms we use that are unfriendly to new players? The post Episode 395 – Euro, Ameritrash, and Other Boardgamer Jargon appeared first on The Family Gamers.

We're out of town this weekend, but talking about our favorite party games. The post Episode 394 – 7 Party Game Favorites appeared first on The Family Gamers.

It's been a long time since we defined some board game terms. Let's do a deep dive into asymmetric games and auction games. The post Episode 393 – Board Game Terms: Asymmetric, Auction, Bidding appeared first on The Family Gamers.

After a cold dreary winter, we are ready for green, growing things. Let's talk about games with flowers and plants that make us think spring. The post Episode 392 – Springtime Games appeared first on The Family Gamers.