More family board games

Photo: Simon Hill

There are many family board games. Here are a few more we liked.

in the world for $28: Someone reads an “In a world” card that might say “Where we’re setting up a colony on a distant planet” and then players read “We want” cards like “A lifetime supply of bananas” or “A thriving coffee shop.” It’s a family-friendly twist. Cards Against Humanity (with similar weaknesses), but players also try to sell their cards as excellent choices that add a nice twist.

Cat in the Box Deluxe Edition for $31: There are some mechanics at play here, including bidding on how many moves you think you’ll win before the game starts, but what makes this game different is that you also get to decide on the suit of your cards. It may seem complicated at first, but young children who are used to card games will understand.

Feather spread for $55: This may be the pinnacle of nature-based board games and will appeal to anyone who loves our feathered friends. It combines authentic information about different bird species and their needs, habitats and capabilities with a healthy dose of strategic depth.

Dorfromantik: The Duel for $41: Based on a video game DorfromantikOriginating from a cooperative board game, this spin-off pits you against another player as you draw tiles to build a landscape and try to complete tasks along the way. With equal sets of red and blue, it’s all about who creates the best environment to satisfy their villagers and earn the most points. The playing time is less than an hour. You can play with two teams, but it works best as a two-player game.

Hey Hey Relay for $15: This super silly dice game is a race between two teams with challenge cards prompting silly sounds and physical actions before you move on. It’s fast and chaotic to play, but probably best for younger kids (makers suggest ages 6 and up). My kids didn’t like it much, but it could be a fun party game.

Show ship for $30.: This cooperative game casts players as stockers and shippers and challenges them to ship orders correctly by guessing the correct tiles based on clues provided by grouping. The time limit adds pressure, and it can be fun for the right group (you need to be on the same wavelength), but we found that waiting for stalkers to set up was slow for shippers, and difficult to score.

Flip 7 for $8.: The thrill of pushing your luck is the draw for this hybrid card game, as you hit or stick blackjack-style, trying to get seven different face-up cards. Special action cards and modifiers mix things up, allowing for some strategic play. Suitable for three or more players ages 8 and up, it only takes 20 minutes to play.

Stress: Top 10 Naming Game for $30: Topic cards contain 10 items within a category, and the opposing team has 60 seconds to guess as many as possible. The cards are divided into two colors (easy and hard), making it easy to play with the kids or adjust the difficulty on the fly. It works well with any age or team size, but be prepared for a lot of shouting and laughing.

You have to be a kitten! For $26: A simple twist on Liar’s Dice that focuses on bluffing and bluff bluff; I’m of two minds about this game. On the one hand, the game is nothing special, but on the other hand, cute cats! My moogie-obsessed daughter wanted to play right away, and we had a few laughs with outrageous bluffs over glasses numbers, hats, and bow ties.

Poetry for Neanderthals for $20: Each card contains a word, and your seemingly simple task is to get your team to guess it correctly by speaking just one letter within a time limit. If you break the rules, the opposition can beat you with the “no” stick. Suitable for two to eight players ages 7 and up, it’s loud, silly and generally laughs.

risk risk for $9: Fast and furious, this simple card game for two teams is about trying to reveal the highest scoring cards at the end of each round. There is no turn, you can cover the other team’s cards, and the round is timed, but you must guess when the round will end. Extremely simple and very quick to play, this game can be chaotic.

That quickly escalated to $20.: This game is fast, easy and fun for up to eight players. Feature scenarios like “I’ve invented a new game, what is it?” Players must provide suggestions from least dangerous (1) to most dangerous (10) based on their assigned number for each round. The leader of the round must try to get them in the correct order. It works best with interesting players who know each other well.

$23 sounds fishy.: Another fun group game from Big Potato, the challenge in Sounds Fishy is to find fake answers. Each card has a question, but only one of the answers you get is correct. It’s for four to 10 players, and we found it more fun but harder with more people.

Cards Against Humanity: Family Edition for $29: You can play this party game with up to 30 players, and it will generate plenty of laughter and chatter from the youngsters. Like the adult version, there’s not much strategy here, but it’s satisfying to find the perfect combination to crack everyone.

Don’t worry

We were not so keen on these games.

Photo: Simon Hill

Zealance: As a group of zombie apocalypse survivors atop a skyscraper, you must choose the correct flight path, determined by cards, to grab the necessary resources. A tight time limit makes it difficult to pick the right paths from the confusing mess on the game board, and can be assembled differently for replay value. But the background feels inconsistent, and we all agreed that it wasn’t much fun to play.

Connect: Connect different symbols on your board with a dry erase marker (like connect the dots) based on a randomly drawn challenge card to create a picture of something. The first to guess what it is supposed to be wins the round (some are only vaguely like what they mean). Longevity takes a hit, as there’s no fun in replaying solved puzzles.

Cat and mouth play: Incredibly simple, this skill game challenges you to fire rubber balls out of a cat’s mouth with magnetic claws, but they end up everywhere. Games are very one-sided, and my kids get bored almost immediately. It’s also impossible to play with real cats around.

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