I keep forgetting there is a 2nd edition of 7 wonders, so when I see these “new” releases, it throws me.
Ooh, another Adventure Games title. The Dungeon was pretty basic, but fun for $12 or whatever I paid. Monochrome, Inc had a bunch of additional wrinkles that were pretty cool and my girlfriend and I just finished that one. Neither was exactly challenging, but heck, we just liked a little narrative puzzle solving, y’know?
Also, anyone who likes Spirit Island (i.e. all right-thinking people :P ) should absolutely get Jagged Earth if they haven’t already. The new Spirits are amazing, and the other stuff is less essential but all adds to the really great variety of the game.
Astoria is wonderful! I love trips out to the coast there.
What makes you say King of Tokyo is too geeky? Is it the theming? Mechanics? That might help inform.
Since you say she is into stories, perhaps a bit more abstract game like Dixit or Tales of the Arabian Nights might be good?
Well given the recent retail release of the Spirit Island expansion, I’d recommend picking up a copy of Spirit Island which I think would be a great game for all involved.
@CraigM’s Tales of Arabian Nights recommendation is really good for the story-telling aspect, but you’re probably going to have a hard time finding a copy.
Tokaido is super easy to learn, it’s frickin’ beautiful, it’s exotic, and it’s just interactive enough without being too cutthroat. I bet your friend’s gal would like it and it would appeal to the imagination of their 10-year-old daughter.
Cartographers is a bit abstract, in which you draw a map, one piece at a time, trying to get it to line up with various scoring patterns. But it makes a good gift with a set of colored pencils and it’s got a very craftsy vibe. The interaction of drawing monsters on each other’s maps is just the right touch to keep it from being a multiplayer solitaire game where everyone’s nose is down in their own map.
@Vesper turned me on to Fantasy Realms, which is a bunch of crazy mathy scoring permutations in a set of themed cards, and everyone has to draft up a hand of cards that go together. Really easy to learn, but lots of crazy narrative permutations. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like it’s readily available anywhere for a reasonable price (it’s just a deck of cards and you shouldn’t have to pay more than $20 for it).
Imhotep is really tactile and interactive, about building up various ancient Egyptian monuments. It’s all about planning how your blocks are arranged, but deal with the risk of another player whisking away a bunch of blocks before you’re ready. Again, really easy to learn, tons of interaction, and a nice set of components that come together to build little monuments.
https://www.amazon.com/Imhotep-Builder-Egypt-Board-Game/dp/B01CGASY1I/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1
-Tom
Astoria is wonderful. I really like it out there. As for KoT, yeah, Its the theme. I don’t know the girlfriend and daughter well, but I’ve got the impression they aren’t into that stuff. He has all the Dixit stuff- I introduced the fam to that a decade or so back. As for Tales…, That’s kind of what I was angling with on the N&F choice. I can always loan him my copy of TotAN if he’s into it, heh.
I’ll assume this was a joke. SI is a bit much for a 10 year old.
The first two are absolutely solid ideas I hadn’t even considered. I’m not familiar with the second two, I’ll look 'em up! Thanks, folks!
Depends on the 10 year old. My 10 year old son plays it with me, but I don’t think I’ve found a game he doesn’t grok, often better than I do.
Try Gizmos instead of Wingspan. It’s a similar, but better game. (Though the theming isn’t as pretty.)
Maybe that game Paleo that Vesper linked could be good @Don_Quixote ? I haven’t played it but watched a playthrough and it looks like a great simple co-operative game with a clever abstract narrative about tribal survival. It’s an experimental pick because there are very few reviews out yet but I’m thinking of picking up a Christmas copy for some family in a similar situation. Plus hot off the presses can be exciting!
You did say a 10 year old who is super smart? And being co-operative, it isn’t like she has to make all her own decisions.
Yeah. I still wouldn’t play SI with a 10yo, no matter how smart.
Yeah, I mean I can barely play SI.
The theming is definitely a consideration 18th Wingspan.
I did see that in the store yesterday. I’ll give it a closer look!
Here’s what my (almost) 10-year-olds like to play with me that don’t make me want to gouge out my eyeballs (e.g. Dixit):
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King of Tokyo: So…oh, right, uh…what if it’s the “Dark Edition”? No? Moving on…
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Not Alone: Not sure if the science fiction theme is in the same no-fly zone as KoT, but they dig the simplicity, the creepy-but-fun vibe, and the one vs. many set up.
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Mysterium: This gives them their Dixit fix while also tapping into their love of mysteries. That framework also makes it much more compelling to me. To be transparent, some of their initial fascination was with the soundboard I set up for the ghost, which allows them to play ambient sound between rounds, creepy clock chimes, and vision materialization sounds. But they really do love it beyond the razzmatazz, as evidenced by my daughter just shelling out for her own copy of the recently released Mysterium Park, a cheaper, streamlined version of the game in a carnival setting.
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Dice Forge: If the Greek mythology theme isn’t off putting, then the lovely tactile nature of this game, with its upgradable resource dice and collection of cards with variable powers has been a huge hit in this household. The fact that there is almost no downtime (save people swapping die faces) is another big plus.
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Carcassonne: They took to it more strongly than I expected, though we’ve only played the most basic version of the game (no farmers).
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Minecraft: Builders and Biomes: Mass market pablum, right? No, it’s actually quite engaging as you collect VP XP through resource gathering, set collection, and light combat against mobs. I’m not sure how much it loses if you’re not into the theme, but I’m not a Minecraft devotee, and I like it quite a lot. And my little Steve and Alex really enjoy it.
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Mansions of Madness: They actually bought this for me on my birthday, but they’ve enjoyed teaming up with me on the first few missions. The session length and subject matter is YMMV, but I’d say anyone who enjoys a narrative experience and isn’t bothered by the creepy factor (my kids only want to play it during the day) could get a lot out of it. Playing it by streaming the app to a TV through a PC or mobile device is highly recommended.
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Anomia and Medium: These two party games are geared for adults, but we’ve had a blast playing them with the kids, with lots of laughter and excitement. Fair warning: We got the party edition of Anomia, and the kids know only about half to two thirds of the references included, which makes the deck cycle much faster as we disqualify cards as they come up. And their ability to link words together in Medium can be sorely tested at times, though the results are always hilarious.
I’m on the verge of bringing Treasure Island to the table for the first time, and while I can’t yet speak to how it goes over, I suspect it’s going to be one that they love. My son also just bought himself Mechanica, which we’ve only played once, but we find it quite charming.
Carcassone is a good one, and you can add to it with the expansions and make it more complicated if desired. It’s an easy one to pick up base or one of those smaller box combos.
I really enjoyed this game, and it’s pretty too. Kids should have no problems with the concepts here.
I finally played Dice Throne for the first time with my son today (he is 26). I only bought the Gunner/Samurai box to try it out. It was fun though I think it will take playing it a few times with the same character would help to speed up the game a bit. We had to go to the rule book a few times to clarify a few things concerning the rules.
I think a lot of younger kids would like this game.
New games:
Fleet: Dice is a new 2nd edition
Robinson Crusoe: Treasure Chest is a box of every promo they have released through this year.
Man, boxes getting prettier and prettier.
Very true. Between Honey Buzz kickstarter arriving this week and Holi last week we are in awe in my game group. BIG thumbs up for Holi. It’s like 4d chess =)
So many good looking options! I really love game art.