April 2015 Game Club

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Game Time

This Monday was Game Club, and we played a variety of board and card games, as well as dominoes and Jenga. Here is the list of the new games we brought:

Zeus on the Loose – A mixture of math and mythology, this game is great for kids who enjoy Greek mythology, and is a great way to sneak in a little addition and subtraction practice. The cards feature various Greek gods, all of whom have the power to help you or keep you from claiming Zeus. This game is fast-paced (most games finish in 15-20 minutes), and is great for adults and kids ages 8 and up, though younger kids who can do addition and subtraction to 100 and enjoy strategy will do well too.

The Hare and the Tortoise – The traditional fable has been turned on its head and is now a board and betting game. Players the top two animals in the race, and play their cards to get their animals across the finish line first. Along the way, the other players seek to win the race themselves. The twist? Each animal has different ways they can advance around the board, based on the cards played and position on the board. This game is best for ages 8 and up, and is best for kids who can follow more complex game rules.

Connect Four – This well-known game is as much fun for little ones to empty out as it is for older kids and adults to play! All ages.

Let’s Go Fishing – This battery-powered fishing game with miniature fishing poles and snapping fish is fun for little ones, and adults too.

Requested games from March 2015 Game Club:

Star Fluxx – The rules of this game? They change on every single turn! Instead of set rules for all turns, the cards on each turn direct the play. On their turn, players draw a card and play a card. But the cards they draw can, and do, change the rules each time. Some cards have you add more to your hand. Some cards have you take cards from others. Other cards create new rules for specific keeper cards. Add to this the awesome sci fi references and in-jokes (Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Doctor Who, and so on), and you have a game that appeals to a variety of gamers. Definitely for ages 8 and up, as younger kids tend to get upset that the rules change, plus they need to be able to read well.

Spot It! – This pictures only game is great for kids and adults alike. Kids love to spot the matching items, and this is a subtle way to work on pattern recognition while having fun. Adults with, ahem, a competitive streak, can also have a good time with this game. There are now several versions of this game, including a junior version with animals, but the original version is still lots of fun.

Uno – What to say about Uno? It’s a great family game, kids as young as four can easily figure out how to play it (with perhaps some help reading a card or two), and both kids and adults can have fun playing. Plus, it’s an easy way to introduce strategy games to younger players, while not boring adults and older kids. This is a game that we always take on vacation, and all kinds of people love to play.

Requested games from December 2014 Game Club:

Sorry! Revenge – This card game joins the Sorry! board game with the speed of War to make a fun game that kids and adults alike can enjoy. Two people can play, though it is more fun to have three or four players. This game is a game of chance rather than strategy, which levels the playing field between age groups. You can use this game to practice math (counting to 21), while the action cards add fun, and the Sorry! and Don’t be Sorry! cards are the twists that make the game interesting. For ages 6 and up, and fun for all ages.

Sequence for Kids – This is a kids’ version of the traditional Sequence game, but with animals on the board instead of standard playing cards. The game’s adorable animals appeal to younger kids, while older kids and adults can employ strategy to win. This game is easy to understand, can be played quickly, but still feels like a “real” game. We have had lots of fun with diverse ages playing this game, though it is technically geared towards ages 3-6.

Left, Center, Right – This pocket game is quick, fun and highly addictive. The rules are simple – each player starts with three tokens, rolls three dice, and does what the dice say – pass their tokens to other players, put their tokens in the center, or keep their tokens. The winner is the player who ends up with all the tokens. This game is so much fun and so easy! We take this game for restaurant waits, enjoy it as a quick and fun game for after dinner, little kids love it, adults aren’t bored by it, and since there is no strategy, it also makes a great game to play while chatting. It’s also inexpensive, which makes it a great game to buy and try.

Requested games from October 2014 Game Club:

Ratuki – This deceptively simply card game has players stack decks with cards showing numbers, words or fingers counting from 1 to 5. The aim is to place a 5 or a Ratuki card on top of a four card before another player. Fast play has players putting down cards all at once, which can be frustrating for younger players. We have modified it for younger players so that everyone takes turns, which makes it more enjoyable for them. This two to five player game is great for kids who can recognize (or are learning to recognize) numbers 1-5, words for numbers 1-5, and can count quickly.

Blink – A card game that appears simple, but actually works your brain. The premise – two players compete to get rid of their stack of cards by placing cards into two piles based on color, number or shape. For adults and older kids, it is a fast, fun, game. For younger kids, it is an entertaining way to work on counting, categorizing and recognizing shapes and colors. We have also played it at home in a “solitaire” version – one player, two stacks, with unusable cards shuffled to the bottom of the stack – which has become a favorite game in its own right.

Qwirkle – As one of the parents who played it said in October, it’s like dominoes and Scrabble for shapes and colors, and that is pretty accurate. The bright colors and distinct shapes on the tiles make this game attractive to kids, but the points calculations and strategy make it appealing to adults and older kids. Your aim is to get a line of six different shapes or six colors in a continuous line, with no repeats allowed. However, every other player wants to do the same, and because you are limited to no more than six colors or shapes in a line, the tiles branch out across the table, similarly to Scrabble (the points are simliar to Scrabble too). This game is one where varying ages can play together and all have a good time.

Clue Junior – For kids who are pre-readers or just learning to read, but want to play a “big kid” game, Clue Jr. is just right. There are two versions of play listed in the box – one for younger players, one for older players. Both versions are fun, and younger players seemed especially happy to play their own version of a popular game. Adults and older kids can enjoy playing Clue Jr. because it isn’t as mind-numbing as some early games can be.

Blokus – The pieces of this game look like something out of Tetris, but instead of fitting them together, players need to fit them so only the corners touch. More complicated than the other games, even younger players who may not understand the strategy of blocking opponents will enjoy this game. And a bonus: the pieces are great for making beautiful pictures on the board after the game is over.

Thanks to everyone who attended this month’s Game Club, and looking forward to May Game Club!

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