The Actual Table

#1203

I’m looking for some cooperative games to play with the family. My 7-year-old usually plays on his own and my 5-year-old usually plays with my wife and I. We’ve played many of the standards like The Forbidden games and most of the Pandemics. We probably play The Cure the most. Another favorite here is Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters. I’ve been looking at Pandemic: Fall of Rome but am open to other suggestions. They cannot be overly-complicated like Robinson Crusoe and a strong theme is helpful.

My kids also love building. Legos, crafts, and even digitally with Minecraft, RollerCoaster Tycoon, etc. Are there any good games that make you feel like you are actually building something, whether it is a structure or a city or a park or something like that?

Thanks!

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#1204

If you want building, although it’s a mix of competitive modes, try Junk Art. Or Men at Work. A lot of fun, suitable for all ages. Terror From Meeple City/Rampage would also be a choice in that case, although it’s destruction rather than construction.

Dead Men Tell No Tales is a solid co-op choice. Hot Shots. Big Book of Madness.

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#1205

I was going to suggest Big Book of Madness and @OhBollox beat me to it : ) Dead Men Tell No Tales is good, but it may be a bit much for a 5 year-old.

Gadgeteers is a sort of building game that kids should be able to grok. Little Town is probably too old for them still, but maybe. They might be ready for Zooloretto, which is about building a zoo. Catan Junior, of course, which is sort of about building your territory.

What games were winners for you when your kids were 4? Mine is 4, and I can’t seem to find many that really grab him.

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#1206

I like Fall of Rome a lot, and, if you find the other Pandemics different enough from one another to enjoy them all, then you might be fine. But I do feel as though it’s life was more limited than it could have been if I hadn’t played so much base Pandemic. Castle Panic is, of course, another classic option which seems like it might work at those ages (provided the 5-year-old can read, but then, Pandemic’s the same).

Have you considered Stuffed Fables? I found 5-7 was about when my kids started finding painting miniatures fun (though I wouldn’t say I loved the results as anything but a father). I don’t know whether the building impulse overlaps enough with the painting impulse to engage them, but it might. My kids seem to have much the same experience that I do, of seeing pieces we customized or built as imbued with special significance. So it might be worth seeing if that appeals to them, and maybe working up to a simple miniatures game for which they could build terrain. Perhaps another user has some experience which might be relevant? The ones I’ve considered have been Mobile Frame Zero (for Lego-ness) and Rangers of Shadow Deep (for full co-op), but I never actually did it, and don’t know how accessible those games are. Fantasy Flight’s minis games are said to be better in that regard than many of their competitors, but I expect there’s something better still.

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#1207

I quite like Suffed Fables but it is a different beast, with more time and (re)learning commitment.

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#1208

Flash Point: Fire Rescue might be a plausible choice for a co-op? The base game should be well within the grasp of a bright 7-year-old, and the theme is likely to appeal.

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#1209

I have ordered big book of madness for kids for Xmas.

They like Disney villainous but god that is long and I basically general them to end the game.

Coop does sounds super cool

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#1210

I taught my family Catan yesterday. I know it tends to get a bad reputation and there are certainly countless games that are better but it is still a decent game. It is way too long for what it is, though. There was plenty of 7-year-old analysis paralysis for every single decision and the game went over 2 hours. The 7-yo said it was one of his favorite games. It was quality family time.

I then played Risk: Staw Wars with my son and it was pretty fun for what it is. Very simple, but the fact that there are three separate fights going on leads to some interesting decision making. Good game for kids as long as they can handle the highly confrontational type of game.

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#1211

Today was Ticket to Ride, Specter Ops, the Coloretto. I’ve never been a huge TTR fan but it is good for the kids because of the easy mechanics. Specter Ops I’ve always enjoyed, but it is better when everyone understands the mechanics and possible shenanigans. I assumed my son would love it, which he did, but I won fairly easily as the agent because of some jukes that I assumed were obvious. Coloretto is just a great, quick card game.

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#1212

Historical board games are enjoyed by people from all walks of life, but their designers are predominately white men. The Zenobia Award hopes to change this by encouraging game submissions by people from marginalized groups.

The Zenobia Award is not an ordinary design award. Promising applicants will receive mentorship on their designs from established industry designers, and the winners will receive help navigating the game publication process in addition to a cash prize.

Are you underrepresented in the hobby? Love board games and history and want to see more historical games? Come design one with us!

Who can apply?
Contestants must belong to an underrepresented group, including women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people. A design team prominently including members of these groups also may enter.

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#1213

My son and I had another run at Imperial Assault today using the companion app. As much as I want to love it, it is still more work than fun to me. As with most FF games, there are way too many chits and decks and the app takes some a good amount of work in and of itself. I think we might try Legend of Drizzt tomorrow as it seems a little more streamlined and doesn’t require the app for coop.

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#1214
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#1215

I haven’t even watched it yet and am laughing. I love these videos.

Edit: The Cheetos! Oh, the horror!

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#1216

The family played Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu a couple times yesterday. We enjoyed it, though we didn’t win. It has enough twists to differentiate it from the vanilla version of Pandemic, though with that come a few new rules to remember. They aren’t difficult rules, it when you’ve got a system like pandemic that you can play without thought, it takes a little shift of brainpower to remember some of the smaller conditional rules in a variant like Cthulhu.

That said, the old ones cards, that change the game each time they are drawn, add a great twist, as does the sanity mechanic that can nerf your characters when you go insane.

As with all in the Pandemic line, we will keep playing until we win, which seems like quite the challenge - not Ghost Stories-level of difficulty, but probably higher than other Pandemics we’ve played.

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#1217

My monthly “New to Me” games post for November.

Two expansions…but hey, it’s something, right? :slight_smile:

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#1218

Anybody interested in wargames?

I posted a report on my first PBEM game of Caesar: Rome vs Gaul, a 2-player card-driven game about Caesar’s conquest of Gaul from 57-52 BC.

It’s a really cool game!

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#1219

So I kickstarted this at the highest tier (sucker) and it arrives in 10 days just in time for Xmas. Super excited!!!

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#1220

Let us know how it is! I have the Season 2 stuff and really want Adventure.

#1221

That looks really cool, I might see about picking it up if you say it is good. Let me know what you think of it for an 8yo learning curve. Usually co-op is good for that.

I have KS’d some Star Realms stuff before, because it is still my favorite game. Last year I KS’d my first non-star realms, non-video game…an actual board game and it arrived last week. It’s called Honey Buzz and it is a lot of fun. A friend of mine is the game’s creator. Was a little challenging for the 8yo, but I think she will get it after another couple tries.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brentdickman/honey-buzz-the-worker-bee-placement-game/description

#1222

That looks interesting. Finally got a copy of Shifting Sands, an OOP WWII CDG, and it sits next to the likes of Paths of Glory, which is where this would also go by the looks of it. One of my favourite genres. Very interested; I’ll look into it and see how much it is over here. 2P games are all I get to play these days.

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