Meeples Overboard

Author: Kate Darktea

Best Christmas Board Games for your family 2025
The festive season is approaching. And when people think about spending more time with friends or family they often think about getting the best board game and want to know what is the best Christmas board game? However, there are a number of challenges with that question; do you want a Christmas themed board game, a gift to go under the Christmas tree or a game to play and perhaps the biggest what one family thinks is a fun game may not be enjoyed by another family.

We all have different plans for the holidays and this post will help you decide on the board games for your family Christmas plans. There will be different numbers of people, different ages, different amounts of time and levels of interest in games. Some people will be reluctant to play games as their memories are classic board games like Monopoly, but with the large choice of family board games now available, there will be something that works for your gathering.

Here are my tips for discovering what type of board game you are looking for. If you want more help on selecting an exact game, read my post How to choose a board game.

Buying board games

Where I have them, I’ve included links to my reviews or Instagram posts. In other cases I’ve linked to Amazon for ease. These are marked with * and if you buy something after clicking the link I will earn some money. However, please consider supporting a specialist board game shop. They often have great prices, and you can be confident you are getting a genuine version of the game (yes, people sell counterfeit board games).

Finding the best Christmas board game for your whole family

To help you select the best holiday game, there are a few questions you should answer first:
- do you want a Christmas-themed board game or just a great game?
- are you wanting to play the game during Christmas or are you giving it as a gift?
- who will be playing?
- when will you be playing (how will the game fit in to your plans)?
Games to play at Christmas

Christmas themed board games

At this time of year, you’ll find lots of shops start selling board games for Christmas. These are often a holiday edition of an existing game, with a few that are unique. If you want a Christmas family board game, my advice is to use the following tips and make sure what ever you select fits your plans. I don’t remember ever playing a Christmas themed game, so I’ve done some research to get a list of games that have good reviews.
- Ghosts of Christmas* – a trick taking card game based on a Christmas Carol
- Christmas Tree* – a tile laying game where you’re trying to get the best decorated tree
- Santa’s Workshop* – a worker placement game where you direct elves to collect materials and build gifts
- Dice Throne: Santa v. Krampus – a 2 player game where you attack each other using dice rolls
- Ugly Christmas Sweaters – who can design the ugliest sweater using cards
- Animal upon Animal: Christmas Edition – who can stack their wooden shapes on the snowy hills first. We loved the original version of this so recommend this for younger kids
- Holly Jolly* – you collect points by placing lights or tinsel cards on to a central tree
- Welcome To… Winter Wonderland* Pack – In Welcome to… you create a neighbourhood based on the cards turned over. This pack gives you Christmas theme paper to draw your neighbourhood. You need the base game to play.
- Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries* – collect cards to build train lines across the Nordic countries.
Large variety of ages

It can be tricky to find family-friendly games that are fair and fun for all ages. I recommend staying away from general knowledge or trivia, and if there are very young children involved avoid games which involve reading or spelling (it really slows down a game when you have to ask them to interpret their writing). Consider games like:
- Taskmaster* – amusing challenges e.g. drawing a cake with your eyes closed
- Dixit* – can you guess the correct abstract picture card from the clue?
- Codename pictures – picture association in teams
- Make ‘n’ Break – a dexterity game with differentiated challenges, so the children can have easier ones
- Magic Maze – you work together to move characters around a shopping mall, but each person can only move them in one direction – and you can’t talk!
- Tsuro* – place tiles to build paths that your dragon has to follow
Highly Competitive

Some families take great pleasure in playing highly competitive games where the focus is on who will win the game, possibly with gloating for years. We don’t play a lot of these games, so I have limited experience, but here are some suggestions:
- Anomia* – instead of saying snap when your cards match you have to give the quickest trivia answer
- Staccups – who can stack all their cups the quickest? Although you’ll find this in the games for kids section, trust me when I say it gets very competitive among adults. It is a frantic game.
- Ice Cool* – flick penguins around the school, one person trying to capture the other penguins and others trying to avoid them
- Throw Throw Burrito* – card game where you collect cards, but with occasional throwing of soft burritos at the other players. This is a crazy game.
Games for the fun of playing

Sometimes you want to have family fun without keeping score or paying attention who has won. Time for party games. We own all the following games and know we’ll always have a great time with them.
- So Clover* – linking random words together for others to guess
- Just One* – word association again, but if more than one person gives the same clue they are all removed so the guesser has fewer clues to help them.
- Telestrations – this is similar to Chinese Whispers / Telephone game but using drawings. If you are looking for grown-up games there is a version called Scrawl which is very funny.
- Concept* – a bit like charades but using a board of pictures to give the clues
- Time’s up Party – starts like charades, but each rounds gets hard until you’re are using just one word to describe a person
Co-operative games

In co-op games you play as a team and either win or lose together. There are many brilliant games in this category. They are particularly useful if you want to keep arguments to a minimum or there are different levels of experienced players.
- Magic Maze – you are all moving the same pieces around the board, but each person can only move them in a certain direction – and you can’t talk
- Forbidden Desert – you need to find the components of an airship so you can escape, but the land keeps moving due to sand storms
- Pandemic – you need to find the cure for 4 different diseases by sharing information from around the world
- Mysterium* – as a group of psychics you get visions about a murder, and you need to work out which is the correct vision
Long games

Long games are great if you want an evening of fun, or you want to keep people occupied for several hours. They are often more complex so you probably want to read the rules before Christmas.
- Sleeping Gods – this is an original game where you exploring a map creating your own story (this is the longest game, it took us about 12 hours – over several months).
- Terraforming Mars – a tile laying game where develop Mars from the current lifeless planet to one that is habitable
- Hogwarts Battle – a Harry Potter deckbuilding card game. The early years are quick, but they build in complexity and length as you progress through the story. Our Year 1 game took 10 minutes and Year 5 over 2 hours (we haven’t played year 6 or 7 yet).
- Dead of Winter* – there has been a Zombie apocalypse, and you need to get food and protection for the safe colony, by exploring outside. Probably not considered a family game for young children.
Quick plays

Sometimes you just want a simple game that will fill a spare 15 minutes, with minimal set up.
- Tsuro* – place tiles to build paths that your dragon has to follow
- Just One* – word association again, but if more than one person gives the same clue they are all removed
- Happy Salmon* – an absolutely silly game where you are trying to find matching cards using hand gestures and possibly shouting
Flexibility

Sometimes you want to play a game, but also know that people may need to duck out e.g. to watch children or cook dinner. These games allow people to leave (and possibly join) without impacting on the game play.
- Codenames – team based word association – can you guess your words before the other team
- Just One* – word association again, but if more than one person gives the same clue they are all removed
- Concept* – a bit like charades but using a board of pictures to give the clues
- Anomia* – instead of saying snap when your cards match you have to give the quickest trivia answer
Problem solving games

If you want to solve a mystery, there several games you can try, some fall under the broad heading of escape room type, but all of them have a problem that needs solving. Note these are usually one time plays.
- Exit – escape room style game series
- Unlock* – escape room style games with an app to check answers, give clues and time you
- Adventure – choose your own adventure style game
- Chronicles of Crime – explore locations and interview witnesses using the app (some of these crimes are not suitable for children)
- Suspects – you get to interview the witnesses of a crime before deducing who is the culprit.
Large groups

Over Christmas you may be looking for games that play more than the traditional 4 or 5. You can sometimes buy expansions that let you increase the number of games, but all these play at least 6 players in the basic box.
- Dixit – can you guess the correct picture card for the clue?
- Anomia* – instead of saying snap when your cards match you have to give the quickest trivia answer
- Codenames* – team based word association – can you guess your words before the other team
- Concept* – a bit like charades but using a board of pictures to give the clues
- Just One* – word association again, but if more than one person gives the same clue that word is not given to the guesser
- Telestrations* – similar to Chinese Whispers / Telephone game but using drawings
- Tsuro* – place tiles to build paths that your dragon has to follow
- Mysterium* – as a group of psychics you get visions about a murder, and you need to work out which is the correct vision
Quirky games

Perhaps you want a game that is different to the usual game so your festive game becomes a family legend as people remember it for years to come!
- Micro Macro Crime City* – you use a large image of the city to solve crimes, where’s Wally style (looks cute, but you may not want to share all the crimes with your children).
- Ice Cool* – flick penguins around the school, one person trying to capture the other penguins and others trying to avoid them
- Chronicles of Crime – explore locations and interview witnesses using an app and QR codes (some of these crimes are not suitable for children)
- Potion Explosion* – create potions by drawing marbles from the board and creating “explosions”
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf* – a social deduction game, can you work out who is the werewolf (just to add I’m dreadful at this game as it turns out I can’t bluff)
- Mysterium* – as a group of psychics you get visions about a murder, and you need to work out which is the correct vision (one of you will play the ghost giving out the visions).
Choosing your Christmas board game is the first step. The second step is to learn how to play the game and the third is to teach it to the other players. I recommend you learn it in advance. If you are giving the game as a gift and can’t open the instructions, look for details online. You will probably find the written instructions, but possibly more helpfully videos explaining how to set it up and play.

I hope these tips help you find a game that is perfect for your Christmas and helps you spend quality time together. Do let me know in the comments what are your favourite Christmas board games and which have become a family tradition.

*Disclosure – this post includes affiliate links which means if you buy something after using it I will earn some money from the seller for suggesting you visit them. However, it will not cost you anything extra.
September 19, 2024
How to teach games to children in 8 easy steps
How do you find it when you teach games to children? Does everyone stay calm and enjoy the game or do tempers rise and you barely start before someone refuses to keep playing? I’ve been in the latter; yes both the teacher and the one refusing to play! Over the last few years I’ve paid close attention to how people teach games to children and collated the most effective techniques I’ve tried.

Before starting, the most important thing to remember is playing board games is meant to be fun. So if tempers do start rising, take a moment to work out what is going on. Are the children tired or hungry? Are they feeling overwhelmed due to the number of components? Don’t push them to play when they’re not in the mood, focus on building a feeling of enthusiasm and curiosity, so they’re keen to come back.

1. Choose games that are going to be of interest to your children

To make it easier to get your children to listen pick games you think will interest them (even if it doesn’t interest you). Look out for games they’ve asked to play, ones with mechanisms they’ve enjoyed or themes they’re interested in.

Read my post: How to choose awesome board games for kids

2. Learn the rules first

Before you start teaching your children make sure you’re comfortable with the rules. This will make you calmer, the teaching clearer and the duration shorter.

There are several ways you can learn the rules, and you may want to do several of them:
- read the instructions
- watch some online tutorials
- do a walk through on your own
- play with other adults
- play the game on an app or online platform
As you’re playing the game, think about how you’re going to teach it your children. Can you break it into stages or introduce rules based on other games they’ve played. As they play more games and build up a library of game knowledge it will be easier to explain rules as you’ll be able to compare it to other games e.g. we’re all going to do our actions at the same time as in Telestrations (gifted review).

If you teach it in phases start with what they need to know at the beginning and when they’re ready teach them the next phase. Depending on your children you may want to let them know there is another phase and you’ll teach it when it becomes relevant. This could prevent them accusing you of cheating by not teaching all the rules! Some games take this approach in their instructions, for example Magic Maze* starts simple and you can work through scenarios to learn more complex rules.

3. Get them excited about the game

Get them excited about the trying the game. Depending on their age you could try different methods such as showing them pictures on the box, comparing it to other games they enjoy, showing them a video and letting them watch you play it and possibly joining in for example holding your cards or moving your pieces on the board.

4. Let them play with the components

If they show an interest in the components them play with them their way. This will help their familiarity with the components when you start teaching them the game, but may reduce them wandering into their imagination.

They may want to create their own rules with the components. Join in and listen to them. You don’t know they may get some of them close to the actual games. Encourage them with questions, what do you think this could be used for? Which side of the cards you do think is more interesting? Which is your favourite piece?

5. Listen to them

Listening to your children goes through each of these steps. By listening, and observing, you’ll learn more about what games, mechanisms and themes interest them. It is particularly relevant when teaching a game because you’ll pick up whether they’re confused or ready to stop before the temper or sulks appear.

They may also talk to you about games when you’re not playing them, and it is important to listen then as well. It could be as simple as asking to play a game, or they may be confused about something in the game, and want to discuss it.

6. Introduce the game

Start by talking about the game. Think back to how they played with the components themselves, can you relate this to the actual rules; if so this will help them remember how to play and could boost their confidence.
- Explain the objective, how you win and lose e.g. you’re trying to get as many points as you can
- Make sure they understand key terms e.g. draw a card, take your turn
- Introduce the game pieces
- Explain the board — are there any special areas, do they need to know what graphics or writing means
- Move around the board or take a move with cards without playing
- Repeat the objective and give examples of how you can work towards it e.g. there are three different ways you can earn points
- Introduce other rules, as far as you think your children are ready, for example what order will people take turns, can other people move your pieces or take your cards, how will you reach the end of the game.
7. Have a practice run

Do a run through together, where everyone knows it is just a test. Depending on the nature of there are different things you can do to help embed the rules during the run through. For example if it involves cards have all the hands on display, before someone takes their turn discuss what they’re thinking of doing. With simultaneous action games you can do them individually so people can see what is happening.

It is important to ask your children when they’re comfortable to play on their own. They may learn a game very quickly and your practice run may only be a part game, or they may want to do a second or third practice if the game is complex. Don’t rush them.

8. Independent play

When you start playing the game properly, set it up before you ask them to join you. This will reduce the chances of them getting bored too quickly. In the future, you can ask them to help you set it up, perhaps discussing different components or giving them responsibility for certain tasks.

It is unlikely they will remember all the rules straight away, so plan how you will respond to questions. Prompts are a good method, such as pointing to a deck of cards or asking if anything special happens with that dice roll. Research has shown children learn to play games better if prompts are kept to a minimum and only used when they need them, instead of with each action.

Remember to praise them, when they remember a tricky action, or they’re trying a new strategy. These skills are much more valuable than luck based activities such as rolling double 6.

When your children are young or you’re trying a long game for the first time remember it is okay to play a part game because it is important to stop when people are having fun. If you’re not sure how long the game will take you could start with a limit such as 30 minutes or 20 points and when you reach it, ask if people want to continue.

Summary

When you teach games to children, remember to focus on fun. This may mean the game you play is shorter and has different rules than the designer intended, but trust me they won’t mind. It is much more important to teach children that games are fun. Once your children are asking to play games with you, there will lots of time to teach them the “correct” rules.

And if you doubt your ability to teach them game you could find someone else to do it for you. Perhaps a passionate friend or professional at a board game cafe.
September 20, 2020
How to choose board games for kids
Does the thought of playing board games with your kids fill you with dread? Do you think you’ll end up playing an incredibly dull game or one that never seems to end. If so, I suggest your kids are playing the wrong ones.

There has been an explosion in the development of interesting games over the last few decades, including board games for kids. However, based on the repetitive recommendations I’ve seen over the last few months I’ve realised that people don’t know the range that is available, don’t know how to choose board games or are overwhelmed at the choice.

If you’re stuck on the first one, there are lots of ways to find out about new games; ask friends, visit a board game cafe, do a web search or follow board game bloggers or vloggers. I’ve just started an Instagram account dedicated to board games so come and follow me.

But how do you tell if a board game is correct for your children? Below is my list of things to consider when you choose board games for kids, but the most important thing is to not overthink it. If you get a game and:
- it is too difficult – come back to it when the children are older
- if it seems too simple – keep it for when you want a quick play game or pass it on to someone with younger children
- if you dislike – it read the instructions / watch a video and try it again. I didn’t enjoy Hero Realms the first few times I played it but now I understand how it works I play it frequently
Things to consider when you choose board games for kids

Number of people playing

Games can be played by 1 player up to multiple player party games. Some are flexible in how many players can join in, while some are fixed. Check the box before buying it or you may end up always having too many or too few people to play. The box will usually tell you the players for example:
- 2 players — 2 players only
- 2–5 players — a minimum of 2 players to a maximum of 5 players
- 2+ — at least 2 players with no maximum (this is often team games)
Age of the players

Most games have a recommended minimum age but, this doesn’t mean the child’s literal age. It is guidance but you can take into account their ability to participate, for example do they need to read cards, remember symbols or have they used similar mechanisms before. My son played Chocolate Factory* (with support) when he was 7 years old, even though it is labelled as 14+ because he’d played other engine building and card drafting games so understood enough of the rules to get involved.

Attention span

How long will your children be able to keep their attention on a game to complete it? There is a huge variety in the length of games from minutes to days. If you are just starting to play games or your children are young you may want to pick ones with a shorter duration. I think it is better to play a game more than once in a session than to have a game that feels like it is dragging and people start complaining. But older children may love the challenge of playing a longer game.

Focus

What is your children’s focus like? Will they be able to focus on the game during other people’s turns or could they wander off? If you need to keep calling people back to the table it will make the game longer and can lead to unwanted tension. If this is the case you may want to consider games with real time or simultaneous action, where players do things at the same time. Such as Sushi Go* or Dixit*.

Other real time games*
Theme

Some games have a theme such as Japan, Dinosaurs or World War 2. So if you’re children are particularly interested in a topic you may want to look for games to go with it.

Game Play

What games have your children enjoyed or not enjoyed before? This may give you an idea of a game mechanism they enjoy or may tell you some mechanisms to avoid. For example, if they’ve enjoyed Jenga you could look at Junk Art*, or if they’ve enjoyed Monopoly or The Game of Life you could try other Roll and Move games such as Talisman* or The Magic Labyrinth*.

Competition

Do your children like competition? If not there are an increasing number of co-operative games where you work as a team to win against the game. For example Forbidden Desert* or Stuffed Fables*.

Other co-operative games*
Complexity

Games come with different levels of complexity or weight. Although there isn’t an agreed definition of the complexity levels, the more complex games tend to have longer rule books, more time spent thinking and planning than taking turns and less luck. For comparison Monopoly which needs little thinking or planning has a light complexity rating of 1.66 / 5 on Board Game Geek. So think about your children do they like to think a head or prefer quick decisions?

Space to play

Some games need a lot of space to play them so consider how much space you have, and can you leave a game up if you don’t finish it in one sitting? We usually play games at our dining room table, however it is slightly narrow to have a board and cards around it, so we feel a bit squished for some games. We recently introduced our children to Terraforming Mars* and our first game took 4 hours over three sessions, so we ended up moving the game from the dining table into a different room so it wasn’t in the way.

My final advice to you is to try games out to work out what your family likes, and don’t limit yourself to “children’s games”. Expand yours and your children’s gaming experience.

How do you choose board games for kids?

If you’re looking for suggestions, please ask in the comments or on my Instgagram and I’ll do my best to help.

*Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something I may earn a percentage of the value. However it does not cost you any more.

Frequently asked questions

How can we try game before buying them so we know we like them?

I think the nicest way to try games is to play with friends. If you ask around I’m sure you’ll discover your friends have a variety of games. You could visit a board game cafe. You’ll probably need to pay a fee for the table hire, but while your there you’ll be able to try lots of games and get taught how to play them. A third method is trying digital versions of games, either on a platform like Board Game Arena or using an app.

Does it matter if we choose the wrong game?

Absolutely not. Spend the time to think about why was it the wrong game. Was it too simple or too hard? Were people tired? Perhaps you weren’t sure on the rules. There are many reasons why a game may not be enjoyed, but it doesn’t mean it is a bad choice, it might just not be the correct choice for now. Think about whether you want to try it again later and if not, pass it on to someone else as they may love it.
August 16, 2020
Codenames Pictures game review
Codenames Pictures* is a team based party game. Where one person from each team gives a one word clue, which their team uses to deduct which picture cards on the table represent their spies. If you have played the original Codenames, this follows the same rules but uses pictures instead of words to depict the spies.

We love Codenames*. And have already played it on more than twenty days this year. We introduced it to friends on a skiing trip earlier this year and by popular demand we played it every night. While we’ve been in lockdown in the UK, we started a weekly virtual Codenames night with up to ten people joining by Zoom.

Everyone loves the original, but after playing it for more than 10 weeks I thought it would be good to try something different. So I was very excited to try Codenames Pictures when Asmodee offered us a copy to review.*

Codenames Pictures Overview

Game Type – a team based party game involving deduction

Aim – To be the first team who finds their spies (pictures) before the other team

Players – 4+ players
The box says 10+ but our 8 year old likes to join in

Time to play – 15 minutes

Components

The game comes with sealable plastic bags which makes it easy to store everything in the box. It also makes the game portable as you can take just the bags. Inside the box you get:
- 140 double-sided picture cards
- 60 double-sided key cards or spy maps
- 15 agent cards — in each colour and 1 double agent
- 4 innocent bystander cards
- 1 assassin card
- 1 rulebook
- 1 card stand
The picture cards have jumbled or abstract images so it is possible to make multiple connections between them.

How to play

Objectives

The objective is to find your spies before the other team finds theirs, and to avoid the assassin.

Setting up Codename Pictures

A grid of picture cards is set out five across and four up. Two teams are formed, red and blue, and a spymaster chosen from each. A key card is put in the stand and positioned so only the spymasters can look at it.

The agent, bystander and assassin cards are placed near to the grid. The team that goes first is chosen by the colour on the outside of the keycard. This team is given the double agent card, so they need to find one more agent (the double agent card is red on one side and blue on the other).

Playing Codenames Pictures

The spymasters look at the colours on the keycard and match them to the grid of picture cards to work out which cards represent their spies. They think of words that connect the cards without linking to any other cards in the grid. Each clue must only be one word, followed by the number of cards they want their team to guess.

Their team can discuss the clues and options and make a final guess by touching the card. If they are correct it is covered by the spy card of their colour, if they are incorrect it is covered by the colour shown on the keycard. This could be a spy from the other team, an innocent bystander or the assassin (in which case you lose the game).

If the guess is correct they can make another one and if it is incorrect the turn ends. It is not necessary to guess all the numbers as a clue can be used on a future turn, although you can only make one additional guess each turn.

It is then the opposing team’s spymaster’s turn to give a clue. This continues until the end of the game.

How we’ve played remotely

We’ve used Zoom to play Codenames and Codenames Pictures remotely. We use Zoom on a laptop to see our friends and join in the conversations. To show the cards we use a mobile phone, connected to Zoom but on mute, looking down at the table. We’ve created a phone holder using a tripod, boom arm and a phone holder my husband had to hold his phone on his drum kit.

Since discovering the game on the ski trip, most of our friends have bought the original Codenames. During lockdown, they’ve also been playing it remotely with family, and have used a variety of methods to hold the phone including brooms and bamboo canes!

Ending the game and winning

There are two ways of winning Codenames Pictures. Your team can find all their spies before the other team or the other team can guess the assassin by mistake.

We don’t keep score. However, we have a rule that the winning spymaster stays on for the next game. And if you are spymaster for the whole evening, you get great kudos.

Do I recommend it?

Yes, although not necessarily more than the original Codenames. This will depend on how and who you’re playing with. For example, if you’re playing with younger children they could find it easier to link pictures than words. However, playing it over Zoom (the only way we’ve played so far) some of the picture details are lost, which makes it harder to play than the original.

It is certainly nice to have variety using the exact same game play. We’ve played Codenames so many times with the same group of people that the words are getting very familiar, even with the additional cards in Codenames Duet. And I look forward to playing Codenames Pictures in person.

Things I like
- Fun mechanism
- Children can get involved
- Portable
- Quicker game than the original as fewer cards to guess
- Pictures are good for people who think better with imagery than words
May be a challenge
- Need 4 or more people
- Harder to play over Zoom
Other games you may want to consider

Party Games
- Codenames Pictures (my review)
- Telestrations (my review)
- Just One
- Decrypto
- The Resistance
Team Games
- Codenames
- Decrypto
- Wavelength
- Concept
- Taboo
* Disclaimer – I received this game through the Asmodee Blogger Board Game Club. This was a free game in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own. This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something I may earn a percentage of the value. However it does not cost you any more.
July 31, 2020
Telestrations game review
Telestrations* is a party game described as a drawing version of the childhood game Telephones (or in the UK Chinese Whispers). You start by drawing a word and passing it round the group to see if the last person can work out what the original word was — which from my experience is not often.

We have a similar game called Scrawl which our children have been desperate to play, however as its rated 17+ it is not suitable for them. We played Telestrations earlier in the year when we visited some friends and the children loved it, so when Asmodee offered us a copy to review they were very keen for us get our own copy

Game Type – Real time drawing party game, meaning everyone draws at the same time.

Aim – The aim is to have fun, although if you’re feeling competitive you can aim to be the person with the most points at the end.

Players – 4-8 players, it is better with more players.
The box says 12+, but we’ve played with our 8 year old. The ability to play with younger children is likely to depend on whether they can read the words and write their guesses.

Time to Play – The suggested time is 30 minutes. This will depend on how many rounds you play and whether you stick to the 60 seconds maximum limit to draw your picture.

Components

The box comes with a plastic insert to hold all the components and it does a good job of holding them in place even if you store the box on its side. Inside the box you get:
- Box of double sided word cards
- 8 erasable sketch books with different colour binding coils
- 8 dry erase markers
- clean up cloths (these are stored under the sketch books so you may not find them if you’re not playing the full 8 players)
- 60 second timer
- 1 die.
How to play

Objectives

The main objective is to have fun. However, if you’re playing with a competitive group you can score the best pictures and correct guesses, and in that case the person with the most points wins

Setting up Telestrations

Each person gets a sketch book and marker and write their name in the front of the book. Decide if you’re playing the yellow or blue side of the cards (this side or that side) and take a card.

Playing Telestrations

Roll the die and match the number to a word on your card, this is your secret word. Write it on the first page. Everybody does this at the same time.

If you’re playing with an even number of players turn to page 1 and draw your word. If you’re playing with odd numbers turn to page 1 and pass to the next player, so they can draw it (they’ll need to look at your secret word). This ensures the last turn is a written guess.

You have 60 seconds to draw the picture. When the timer has finished, turn the page and pass the book to the person to your left. They look at the previous page and guess the secret word. After writing their answer, they turn the page and pass the book to the left. This continues until you get the sketchpad with the same colour coil back.

Ending the game and winning

When you get the notebook with the same colour coil back you reveal the pictures and guesses. We like to do this in reverse, starting with the last guess and working back to the secret word.

We’ve never scored it. But if you want to score, there are two options included in the instructions, based on accuracy of guesses and favourite guesses or drawings.

Can you guess the two secret words below?

Do I recommend it?

Yes. Telestrations is a great, fun, simple party game playing up to 8 people. You can use it as an ice breaker if people don’t know each other very well or as light relief between other games.

Things I like

Simple to learn
- Funny
- Involves drawing
- Quick moving as everyone is doing the same action at the same time
Things that may create challenges
- Need 4 or more people
- Younger children may smudge the pages and get pen on their fingers etc
- If younger children are not great at spelling or writing, it will make it hard to work out their guesses
Other games you may want to consider

Other Party Games*
- Codenames Pictures (my review)
- Telestrations (my review)
- Just One
- Decrypto
- The Resistance
Other real time games*
- Magic Maze
- Sushi Go Party
- Exit: The Haunted Cabin
- Galaxy Trucker
*Disclosure – this post includes affiliate links which means if you buy something after using it I will earn some money from the seller for suggesting you visit them. However, it will not cost you anything extra.
June 30, 2020
Time’s Up Party Game Review
Time’s Up Party* is a fun quick party game involving guessing people from descriptions of miming. It is based on the long-standing game Celebrity. Unfortunately due to the lock down we haven’t been able to experience this as a party game, but we have given it a good go as a family.

I’ve been looking for a new team based party game that is portable. We introduced our friends to Codenames (my review) earlier this year, and there is a chance they’ll be bored with it by the time we go away next year. So was very pleased when Asmodee asked if we’d review Time’s Up Party, could this be a contender for the next ski trip?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SjNOXnbUwik%3Frel%3D0

Time’s Up Party Game Overview

Game Type – This is an acting, guessing and memory game, played in teams.

Aim – The aim is to be the team who has guessed the most cards correctly after three rounds.

Players – 4-12 players
The suggested age is 12+, however this is dependent on the names on the cards. I’ve successfully played this with an 11 and 8 year old, but think it will be more fun with adults.

Time to Play – The suggested time on the box is 40 minutes, but this is variable depending on how many cards you start with, and how good the acting and guessing skills are.

Components

The box is unusual as it is almost a cube, however if that doesn’t fit on your shelves it also comes with a bag so you can keep all the components in there instead.

The game also comes with over 200 name cards (each has two names), a biographies book if you don’t know a name, sand timer and score book.

When you open the box the first component you notice is the bamboo. It is stackable wood pieces painted in three different colours. The player action markers and dice are also wooden.

The panda and gardener are pre-painted plastic miniatures, and blue plastic sticks depict the irrigation channels. Everything else is cardboard of varies thicknesses.

Each player has a board that reminds them of the possible actions each turn, and to collate their loose pieces. Thes boards maybe optional in a game with adults, but I think they are essential in a game with children.

How to play Time’s Up Party

Objectives

To be the team with the most correct guesses at the end of three rounds.

Set up

The first thing to do is to split into teams. We’ve only played it with two teams, but the scorecard suggests it will work with up to four.

Start by creating the deck of cards which will be used for all three rounds. This is done by dealing 40 cards between all players. Each person reviews his or her cards and if they don’t like / know a name they can swap it with the remaining cards. The selected cards are shuffled together and given to the first player.

When we’ve played with children we’ve all picked cards from the deck until we each have five we know as this increases the chances the children will know the names and also means the game is quicker.

Round 1

This is the describing round. The first person to go describes the name on the card until their teammates guess it, they continue with a new card until the timer runs out. The deck is passed to the person in the second team; until all the cards are gone. The number of correct guesses are added to the scorecard for each team.

Round 2

The cards are collected, shuffled and given to the first person to go in this round. This time only one word can be given as a clue, but as everyone, may, remember who is in the deck this can be easier than you expect. The rules state you can only make one guess per card in this round, but we ignored this when we played with children. The correct guesses are added to the scorecard.

Round 3

This is the miming round. The cards are again collected, shuffled and given to the first person to go who can not use words to describe the name, so has to rely on actions and humming. Again, memory from the previous two rounds is important.

Ending the game and winning

The game ends when the last name is guessed at the end of round 3. The winning team is the one with the most correct guesses over the three rounds.

Do I recommend Time’s Up Party?

Based on my experience playing this with children I do recommend it as I’ve had fun, particularly in Round 3. However, I am looking forward to playing it with more adults as I think it will be quicker and even more fun.

We managed to adapt this to play with our children, but they still struggled with some names. So if you want to play with younger children, there is a Kids version which uses pictures, but it doesn’t seem easy to get hold of in the UK. Fortunately, Asmodee wants to entertain families during the pandemic and has provided a number of print and play games on their website, including Time’s Up! Kids so you can easily try it out.

Things I like
- Simple to learn
- Quick turns
- Everyone knows some of the cards in the deck as they chose them
- You can use your memory to help in rounds 2 and 3
- Portable
- Team based
Things that may create challenges
- You maybe limited by your knowledge of people (the biography book might help, but we’ve always forgotten to use it)
- The younger the players, the fewer people they are likely to know
Other games you may want to consider

Party Games
- Codenames Pictures (my review)
- Telestrations (my review)
- Just One
- Decrypto
- The Resistance
Team Games
- Codenames
- Decrypto
- Wavelength
- Concept
- Taboo
* Disclaimer – I received this game through the Asmodee Blogger Board Game Club. This was a free game in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own. This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something I may earn a percentage of the value. However it does not cost you any more.
May 1, 2020
Our Favourite Board Games 2019
Board games are important to our family as a way of spending quality time with each other, and friends. One thing I particularly like is that there are so many different games, so many different mechanisms that everyone can find one they enjoy. And everyone gets a chance to win because they are better at some types; trust me there is no need to allow the kids to win in our house. Just a few days ago, my 8 year old son beat us all at Splendor and my 11 year old daughter regularly beats me at Hero Realms and Villagers.

Our favourite board games

We have six favourite board games, each with votes from two different family members. It is an interesting list as Hero Realms is an old favourite and four of them were new to us last year. It is also interesting that we didn’t play them that many times e.g. I only played Tiny Towers three times and Wingspan twice.

Hero Realms

This is a fantasy deck building game for 2-4 players where you buy and discard cards to build a deck that you hope is stronger than your opponents. My son started playing Hero Realms* when he was 6 but it is really in the last year that he really got into it. It is interesting to play because the balance of power can quickly change; all you need is one good hand to turn the balance your way.

Read my full Hero Realms review

Scrawl

I was given a copy of Scrawl* at a conference and I absolutely love playing it. However, be aware, out of the box, it is not child friendly. Our children are really keen to play it as they hear us laughing so much, so we find the “clean” clue cards for them to use.

Everyone starts with a saying which they draw, the next person writes a description of the drawing, which the next person draws and so on until it gets back to the original person. Think Chinese Whispers / Telephone but using drawing and writing instead of whispering. If you want a child friendly version try Telestrations*.

Splendor

We were given Splendor* last year and it was a huge success with all of us. It is a card drafting and set collection which involves engine building (buying cards that help you buy more cards in future rounds). It is based on gems and jewellery, although our son was disappointed it didn’t include real rubies and diamonds!

Read my full Splendor review

Tiny Towns

We were introduced to Tiny Towns* by friends, and our daughter requested we got a copy for our own collection. You are building a town on a 4 x 4 grid using coloured blocks in specific patterns. The game play is simple, but can be frustrating as you try and work out where to place each coloured block to help you later in the game.

Villagers

We supported Villagers* on Kickstarter, it is another card drafting and set collection card game. You want to develop a thriving village which produces food and uses its skills to develop a profit. You do this by enticing people with different skills to join your village. I’ve played this as a 1, 2, 3 and 4 player game with adults and children and it works will in all options.

Wingspan

My husband wanted Wingspan* after playing it at a gaming weekend in Bristol, and I was happy to get it because it looks so pretty. But it is also a great game to play. It is another engine building game involving card drafting and set collection. The components are beautiful and include a bird house dice tower, scientifically accurate bird cards and even eggs.

Selected games by each person

My favourite games (female adult)*
- Scrawl*
- Splendor*
- Tiny Towns*
- Villagers*
- Wingspan*
Ed’s favourite games (male adult)*
- Hero Realms*
- Pandemic*
- The Faceless*
- Villagers*
- Wingspan*
B’s favourite games (female 11 year old)*
- Celestia*
- Century (both Spice Road* and Golem* variations)
- Chocolate Factory
- Sushi go*
- Tiny Towns*
M’s favourite games (male 8 year old)*
- Hero Realms*
- Just one*
- Santorini
- Scrawl* – note this is a 17+ game (see description above) if you want a child friendly version try Telestrations*.
- Splendor*
Do you play board games as a family? What are your favourites? Which do you recommend? What games do you plan to play in 2020?

*Disclosure – I was given some of these board games free. This post also includes affiliate links which means if you buy something after following a link I will earn a percentage of the sale but it will not cost you more. These games are genuine choices by me and my family.
January 22, 2020
2019 Board games played wrap up
Here’s a look back on my gaming year, and the first thing to note is I played more games than 2018.

Number of games played: 94

Total plays: 266

Games played at least 10 times: 6
- Tsuro
- Sushi Go Party
- Splendor
- Santorini
- Timeshock
- Drop-It (gifted)
Month I played the most: May

Games I played that we didn’t own: 36

Games we acquired after trying someone else’s copy: 3
- Beyond Baker Street
- Just One
- Tiny Towns
Change in our game collection: +11 to 75

Games we removed: 19

New Games: 30
- Bargain Quest
- Beyond Baker Street
- Blue Lagoon (gifted)
- Carcassonne
- Catan
- Century Golem
- Chocolate Factory
- Concept
- Dream Home
- Just One
- Love Letter
- Papillon
- Root
- Rubik’s Cage (gifted)
- Rubik’s Match (gifted)
- Santorini
- Scythe
- Splendor (gifted)
- Takenoko (gifted)
- Terraforming Mars
- The Faceless
- Ticket to Ride
- Tichu
- Tiny Towns
- Topiary
- Ultra Dash (gifted)
- Vadoran Gardens
- Villagers
- Wingspan
During the year we owned a total of 94 games and I played 53 of them 56%

Full list of games I played in 2019
- Rummikub 2
- Sushi Go Party 10
- Azul 3
- My first Carcassonne 2
- Ice Cool 2
- Drop-It 10 (gifted)
- Queen Domino 2
- Linkee 1
- Hero Realms 5
- Tsuro 10
- Dream Home 5
- Grabolo 9
- Timeshock 10
- Code Names 1
- Scrawl 5 (goodie bag game)
- Staccups 4 (game I won)
- Photosynthesis 2
- Pursuit of Happiness 1
- Magic maze 1
- Grimm Forest 1
- Scythe 1
- Exit the secret lab 1
- Rising 5 1
- Pandemic 5
- Rhino Hero 4
- Kingdomino 2
- Dobble 9
- Playing cards 8
- Animal upon animal 3
- 5 second rule Jr 1
- Sagrada 6
- The magic labyrinth 2
- Reef 1
- Tokaido 1
- Architects of the west kingdom 1
- The Faceless 3
- Cluedo 1
- Patchwork 2
- Clank! 2
- Gizmos 2
- Colt Express 1
- Beyond baker street 2
- Jenga 1
- Dino Hunt Dice 2
- Phase 10 2
- Villagers 8
- Dixit 2
- Pandemic Legacy 1 6
- Slam it 1
- Just One 6
- Adventure Mart 1
- Victorian Masterminds 1
- Shadow Amsterdam 1
- Sushi Roll 2
- Team3 1
- Maiden’s quest 6
- Vadoran Garden 2
- Concept 3
- Carcassonne 2
- Yeti in my spaghetti 1
- Harry Potter trivial pursuit 1
- Blue Lagoon 2 (gifted)
- Takenoko 3 (gifted)
- Splendor 10 (gifted)
- Topiary 7
- Castle panic 2
- Tsuro of the seas 1
- Century 3
- Passtally 1
- Santorini 10
- Throw Throw Burrito 1
- Tiny Towns 3
- Dinosaur Island 1
- Kana Gawi 1
- Wingspan 2
- Abyss 1
- Love letter 1
- Ultra Dash 1
- Chocolate factory 3
- Ticket to ride 2
- Rubik’s Cage 3 (gifted)
- Rubik’s Match 2 (gifted)
- Celestia 1
- Lotus 1
- Code name pictures 1
- Dead of Winter 1
- Forbidden Island 1
- Champions of Midgard 1
- council of four 1
- Grimm Masquerade 1
- Quadropolis 1
- Mission: Red Planet 1
- Papillon 1
- Articulate 1
*Disclosure – this post includes affiliate links which means if you buy something after using it I will earn some money from the seller for suggesting you visit them. However, it will not cost you anything extra.
January 1, 2020
Family Challenge – Who Solved The Rubik’s Toys First?
Have you noticed the Rubik’s Cube is back. Well at least in our part of the UK it is. It is a very common sight to see children playing with them as they come out of school. So we were delighted that John Adams sent us some new releases*.

Our Rubik’s Experience

I’m a child of the 80s and have clear memories of trying to complete the Rubik’s Cube. And the only way I did it was to remove the stickers. And yes I really did that at least once, much to the annoyance of my mother who used her maths and logic skills to solve it. She also got pleasure from completing the ridiculously hard Rubik’s Cube jigsaw I was given for Christmas (yes the Christmas jigsaw tradition has been going on for a long time).

So my mother was better at the Rubik’s Cube than me.

Last year my children’s primary school introduced a Rubik’s cube challenge. They gave a number of cubes to each year group and asked the children to:
- Complete one side
- Complete the whole cube
- Teach someone else to solve the cube.
For each challenge a child completed they were given a certificate in assembly. Our children soon got the bug, so we gave B, our 10 year old daughter, an original 3×3 Cube, and M, our 7 year old son, a 2×2 cube for Christmas. B got good and soon got her first certificate for completing one side, and could occasionally do the whole cube and teach people to do the steps she knows.

So my daughter was better at the Rubik’s Cube than me.

What makes Rubik’s Cubes great toys?

So what is it about the Rubik’s Cube that means it’s still popular after 40 years. Well because they’re addictive; either trying to solve it, or feeling the need to solve every mixed up cube you see. And there are lots of benefits for spending time playing with Rubik’s Cubes as they:
- Teach you to notice patterns
- Improve your memory
- Teach you patience
- Increase your dexterity and reflexes — especially if you solve the cube at speed
- Keep your brain active
- Are a way to start conversations — particularly if you have an unusual variation
- Give you a sense of achievement when you complete it the first, second and third time
- Develop your perseverance
- Encourage you to break down complex problems into smaller steps
- Increase your focus
I’m sure there are other benefits as well. Another advantage is they are not digital — which would you prefer your children to be playing with one of these or on a phone?

Different Rubik’s variations we’ve tried

Over the last 40 years I’ve tried many variations, with differing levels of success. How many have you tried and how many have you completed?

Solo variations
- Rubik’s Cube* — the original 3×3 Rubik’s Cube although the new version uses embedded coloured tiles instead of stickers, so you can no longer cheat, like I did
- Rubik’s 2×2* — a smaller version of the original cube which it is simpler to solve, although none of us have completed it yet.
- Rubik’s Snake / Twist* — another variation that came out in the 80s. I remember spending hours working out how to create a ball (which I can still do).
- Rubik’s Magic — another 1980s version that I owned. I also had a book that explained how to go from separate rings to linked rings, but then I learnt the quickest way and thought I was very cool
- Rubik’s Clock — I got this as a gift in the 80s, the aim was to get 2 sets of 9 clocks pointing to 12. Another one that I didn’t solve.
- Rubik’s Edge* — this is 3x3x1 so just one layer of a Rubik’s Cube, but some pieces can twist in directions you may not expect. I really like this version because it is small /portable and solvable. I know this because I solved it with no help from anyone or the internet. This gave me the confidence to give the original cube ago again. If you are looking for help to solve it my suggested steps are:
  - Make the cube flat by rotating in any parts that are sticking out
  - Get the outer edge colours correct
  - Sort out the top and bottom edges, this is often done by twisting the edges from the Yellow to the White Side, you do this by pushing the middle column away from the two edge column so you can access the edge piece to rotate it
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- Rubik’s Orbit* — still has 6 sides, but they are based on three connected rings, and each side has four coloured pieces – and we are all finding this one hard
Multi Player Games
- Rubik’s Cage* — this looks like a large Rubik’s cube. You take it in turns to drop cubes into the cage, rotate the cube or flip it to help your chances of getting three cubes in a row, or impacting someone else’s chances. The cubes and cage feel great so it has been fun to play and I think it will get more competitive, once the children have more spacial awareness to think ahead about rotating and flipping the cage.
- Rubik’s Match* — everyone has the same cards which they use to build the same pattern. The first person to create it wins the card and the person with the most cards wins. The patterns start simple, but even I’ve found some hard ones tricky as you need to overlap cards, but have limited cards available.
So who solved the Rubik’s toys first?

I’m very pleased to say that I solved the Rubik’s Edge and the original Rubik’s Cube first. In fact, I’m currently the only one in the family who can do the Rubik’s cube. B is close, and she has a much greater understanding of why she is doing certain moves, whereas I’ve learnt a sequence of moves that get me there — eventually. So far none of us have made much progress on the Rubik’s Orbit.

Regarding the games, I have won each game of Rubik’s Cage as the children are still learning to think in 3D. However, it is difficult to beat B at Rubik’s Match. She really enjoys the problem solving aspect so has worked through all the pattern cards on her own, just for fun. At 7, M finds both of these games difficult and is slower at building the patterns in Rubik’s Match, but I’m sure he’ll get quicker with age and practice.

As we approach December, you might be thinking some of these toys would make a good stocking filler, for children or adults. And you wouldn’t be alone as a recent survey^ revealed a third of parents would choose a Rubik’s Cube as a stocking filler. And as a parent who gave them last year I would recommend it. My only advice is to choose a version that is challenging, but not too hard for them. For example, completing the Rubik’s Edge encouraged me to complete the Rubik’s cube, something I never thought I’d do.

^ 2000 people were included in the survey and other favourite choices includes chocolate and stationery (information provided by John Adams).

* Disclaimer – I received these Rubik’s toys in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something I may earn a percentage of the value. However it does not cost you any more.
November 15, 2019
Splendor board game review – a game we love
Splendor* has been a big hit with everyone in our family. We all love it. You lead a merchant guild and you’re trying to gain prestige by building the best network of mines, transport, craft people and jewellery stores.

I knew this classic game by name, but had not seen or played it before we were sent a copy to review. I’m always excited to try well-known games that are missing from my playing history, and I was not disappointed by this one.

Splendor involves jewels, buying and making money. And there are royal people in it.

M – 7 year old boy

Splendor Board Game Overview

Game Type – It is a card selection and set collection game. It also involves engine building (buying cards help you buy more cards in future rounds).

Aim – The aim is to be the person with the most points at the end of the game.

Players – 2-4 players
The suggested age is 10+, but my 7 year old son enjoys playing, he develops his own strategy and does well at scoring points.

Time to Play – The suggested time is 30 minutes, which feels right, although it can take longer with children particularly if they struggle to focus.

Components

Depending on how you store your games, this could be a great box or very disappointing. We tend to keep our games on their side, either on the shelves or when we’re taking them to play with friends, and there is a lot of movement inside the box. But if you keep the box flat then you may be pleased with the segregation of the components, particularly the cards, which are easy to locate in the box. One thing you’ll notice when you open the box is it bigger than necessary.

There are five types of gems; rubies, sapphires, emeralds, onyx, and diamond. There is also gold, which acts as a wild card. My son was disappointed that the game didn’t include actual gems, or even fake gems. However, the gem tokens are great to play with. These tokens could easily have been made from cardboard disks, but instead they are similar to poker chips and have a presence when you play them. The gems are used a lot in the game, so making them from plastic means they will have good longevity.

How to play Splendor

Objectives

The aim of the game is to get the most prestige points. You get prestige points in two ways, buying development cards (not all have points) and being visited by a noble.

Game play

On your turn you can do one of three actions:
- Collect gems
- Buy a card
- Reserve a card and get a piece of gold (wild card)
When you buy a card it adds a permanent gem to your wealth, which means you need fewer gem tokens future rounds. There are three levels of cards, with the highest needing more gems to buy them, but having more prestige points on them. As there are a limited number of each type of gem it can be useful to buy the lower level cards, even though they rarely have prestige points, as they help you get the higher cards. You build an engine where you collect gems, and exchange them for bonus cards that help you get more bonus cards. Although my son likes to play a different game and often successfully goes for the highest level cards first.

You may also get prestige from nobles visiting. The nobles are randomly selected in each game and will visit the first person to get the specified combination of bonus gems (the ones shown on cards). Each noble that visits gives you three points.

Ending the game and winning

The end of the game is triggered when somebody gets 15 points. Assuming that person is not the last player, the round continues until everyone has had the same number of turns. The person with the most prestige points wins, this may not be the person who got 15 points first.

Why I’ve played it on ten different days

This is the third game I’ve played ten times this year, as part of my 10×10 game challenge. At under two months it is the quickest to get to ten plays; which shows how much we love this game. A big reason is it is a good game for both children and adults, or any combination. And a small reason is my son loves gems and making money (or in this game getting more gems).

Splendor makes you think logically about what’s going to happen, and you have to think about what gems you’re going to need in the future.

B – 10 year old girl

Do I recommend Splendor?

Absolutely. We have loved playing Splendor*; it’s going to be a game that we continue playing. I think it will stay in our collection for a very long time, and we may investigate the expansion sets*.
- Simple to learn
- Quick turns – just one action each turn
- Different strategies to get points
- Gem tokens feel great
- Introduces engine building
- Box insert is not great at holding components in place
- I’d prefer an extra line on the score pad
Other games you may want to consider*

Set Collection
Engine Building Games
- Wingspan
- Century
- Steampunk Rally
- Gizmos
* Disclaimer – I received this game through the Asmodee Blogger Board Game Club. This was a free game in exchange for an honest review. All comments are my own. This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something I may earn a percentage of the value. However it does not cost you any more.
September 27, 2019