Summary: <br> Episode 140Build Me Up, Buttercup!(Building Games)<br> <br> <br> <br> We just got Tiny Towns in the mail, and it is rekindling our love for games where you build something. We <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/episode-127-peter-mcpherson/">talked with Peter McPherson</a> a few months ago and Andrew has been hyped to play his game! We did a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/familygamersaa/videos/268852593996355/">live unboxing video</a> the day we received it, and immediately played a few rounds after the kids went to bed that night.<br> <br> <br> <br> What We’ve Been Playing<br> <br> <br> <br> Besides just Tiny Towns – although we’re already trying variations here. Can’t wait to play it with the kids!<br> <br> <br> <br> Fire in the Library – Andrew had a much better time than <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/episode-125-lighten-up/">his previous play</a>. Press-your-luck games can be tough because they can swing wildly. It helps to realize that in this game, your odds get progressively worse as the game goes on.<br> <br> <br> <br> Discoveries: The Journals of Lewis and Clark – Andrew has played it several times now, and we haven’t even opened our own copy yet (oops!)<br> <br> <br> <br> Shadows in Kyoto – a 2 player game of hidden information. Move your spies across the board and try to capture your opponent’s “real” intelligence or force them to take your “fake” intelligence.<br> <br> <br> <br> Pyramid of Pengqueen – feels a little different as a 2 player game. The “treasure hunter” gets two penguins to move, to keep the mummy from being able to lock down on a single area.<br> <br> <br> <br> Deblockle – we played several times in a row one night. It’s <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/deblockle/">quick and thinky</a>.<br> <br> <br> <br> Wisdom of Solomon – a worker-placement / area control / resource management game with classic euro art (very utilitarian). Theme: Israel during the reign of Solomon. We started with trepidation (Bible-based games aren’t always good) but really enjoyed it.<br> <br> <br> <br> Unlock: The Formula – Anitra feels the secret is to just play for fun and don’t be stingy with hints.<br> <br> <br> <br> Anitra played some Rolling America with her special tray in the car. Looking forward to spending less time waiting in the car when summer comes.<br> <br> <br> <br> Asher beat Anitra in her favorite, Imhotep. We couldn’t be more proud.<br> <br> <br> <br> Elliot (4) is getting the hang of <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/kingdomino/">Kingdomino</a>. With a little help, he beat Anitra too!<br> <br> <br> <br> Banagrams is good with kids who are fluent readers. “Everything that Scrabble should be – just about fitting words together well.”<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/snap-review-tiny-ninjas/"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> SNAP Review: Tiny Ninjas<br> <br> <br> <br> Let Anitra and Asher tell you about this two-player battle of cards and dice. Check out the <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/snap-review-tiny-ninjas/">post for pictures and full text.</a><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Building Games<br> <br> <br> <br> We like building things! We’re taking a lot of liberty with this idea, but centering around creating a “structure” you can see throughout the game.<br> <br> <br> <br> We asked for input and got some confusion from our listeners – we’re not really looking at engine building or deck building. Although “Engine Building: the engine builder” sounds like a fantastic idea – somebody make it!<br> <br> <br> <br> * Tiny Towns,
