Summary: <br> <br> Episode 202Room to Grow:Engine Builders<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> We find out that 202 is a “Smith number”! (Thanks <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_number">Wikipedia</a>…)<br> <br> <br> <br> This episode of the podcast is sponsored by First Move Financial. You only have a few more days to file your taxes! If you don’t understand the new changes in tax law affecting retirement, you might want to set up a call with First Move by going to <a href="https://firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers">firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers</a>, they’re happy to have a quick conversation about your retirement needs to see if they can help you.<br> <br> <br> <br> We’re going to talk this week about how to teach a specific mechanic (engine builders) to your kids, starting with a very simple game and then moving to more complex games.<br> <br> <br> <br> What We’ve Been Playing<br> <br> <br> <br> Wingspan – maybe overhyped, but it’s a good game and we’re enjoying it.<br> <br> <br> <br> Unlock: Squeek and Sausage – you’re escaping a mad scientist (who looks a bit like a clown). Not overly scary, good with our kids.<br> <br> <br> <br> Quirky Circuits<br> <br> <br> <br> Valeria Card Kingdoms – definitely has a few features that make it more fun than Machi Koro.<br> <br> <br> <br> Super Cats – quickly becoming a big hit with our family.<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/barenpark-a-koala-ity-family-experience/">Barenpark</a> with both expansions from The Bad News Bears – surprisingly, playing with two expansions was not more difficult or long than playing with a single expansion.<br> <br> <br> <br> Tussie Mussie (Button Shy) – we are becoming big fans of Elizabeth Hargrave’s designs. (We pre-ordered her next one: Mariposas) The solo expansion for Tussie Mussie is pretty easy to learn and feels like playing against a real opponent, which Anitra always likes.<br> <br> <br> <br> Desert Pack (Button Shy) – by Sam Bryant and Gwen Ruelle. A bluff/combat game, where every card is identical! Fight and defend with your coyotes in their given orientations; rest some coyotes to upgrade them, but defending coyotes get downgraded (or removed from the game).<br> <br> <br> <br> Skulk Hollow (Pencil First Games) – Asymmetric dueling game, <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/skulk-hollow-a-hulking-masterpiece/">review</a> is out today. We really like this game!<br> <br> <br> <br> Ticket to Ride on iOS – Andrew managed to get his lowest score ever… <br> <br> <br> <br> News<br> <br> <br> <br> The 2020 Kinderspiel des Jahres winner was not a HABA game, and from a publisher who has never won a Kinderspiel before. The game is called Speedy Roll, and it’s super cute, using a sort of fuzzy ball “hedgehog” to pick up apples, mushrooms, and leaves.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> SNAP Review – Marshmallow Test<br> <br> <br> <br> No, not “chubby bunny”. It’s not that kind of marshmallow test! We review Marshmallow Test, a simple trick-taking game from Reiner Knizia and Gamewright.<br> <br> <br> <br> Go to the <a href="http://www.thefamilygamers.com/marshmallow-test/">SNAP review page</a> for a full transcript and more pictures.<br> <br> <br> <br> Room to Grow – Engine Builders<br> <br> <br> <br> Let’s talk about engine builders. What is it?<br> <br> <br> <br> This is the definition we found: “Engine building: a game system in which player actions become stronger or more effective over time.”<br> <br> <br> <br> That’s a good place to start, but encompasses a much wider scope than we are looking at here.<br> <br> <br> <br>
