No Thank You, Evil Game Review

 I'd like to start this particular review by saying that I have ZERO experience with RPGs (Roll PLayer Games) - unless you consider watching the guys on the Big Bang Theory play Dungeons and Dragons.  Haha!  For that reason, this particular game was a little intimidating to me.  But it looked like so much fun that I had to give it a try.  Thankfully, the creators of No Thank You, Evil did such a FABULOUS JOB on the instructions, that it was easy to dive in!

Pesto Ranch Pasta Salad

I'm a sucker for pasta.  Seriously.  I have a serious pasta addiction,  Hot. Cold.  Doesn't matter.  Marinara sauce. Italian dressing. Ranch dressing.  Doesn't matter.  Have I mentioned I LOVE pasta!?! That led me to today.  We're having some baked chicken tenders and roasted asparagus for dinner and I was looking for another side dish.  I had some broccoli and grape tomatoes - which both go GREAT in pasta salad - so I decided a pasta salad would be a great dish to serve!  But I've been in a "creative mood" lately, so I decided to experiment.  A jar of pesto in my fridge was calling my name, so I whipped up this Pesto Ranch Pasta Salad!  And it was pretty doggone good - if I do say so myself!

Easter Baskets Stuffed with Games! (The best small games to fit in your kids' Easter baskets)

 Easter is April 4, y'all!  Can you believe its almost time for Easter?!?  I can't! That also means its been a year of pandemic panic, quarantines, mask wearing, hand sanitizing frustration.  People are locked in their houses more than ever.  And it can be frustrating!  But it can also provide opportunities for great family togetherness.  So if you're looking for something fun to add to your child's Easter basket, how about a fun family game?  I've compiled a list of some fabulous suggestions (in no particular order).

Fabulous Roll & Write Games from Stronghold Games/Indie Boards and Cards

 As I mentioned in a previous post, the wonderful folks at Stronghold Games and Indie Boards and Cards were kind enough to send me several games to review!  I've split the games up in an effort to keep the reviews manageable and readable.  So in this review, I'd like to introduce you to some of their amazing roll and write games!

I'm a HUGE fan of roll and writes!  They're fun. They usually take 15-30 minutes. And they're smaller in size, so they're very portable.  My family loves roll & writes as well, so we were more than happy to check out these!

Stronghold Family Games Review

The amazingly generous folks at Stronghold Games were kind enough to send me a box full of games to review! After I did a little happy dance around my living room when I saw what they included, I decided that the best way to handle reviews would be to break it up into manageable chunks. So this weekend my family and I took 4 of the games and played them!  I have to say, I was sure at least one of them would be a dud.  I mean, in 4 new games, one of them is gonna be "just OK," right?  Man, was I wrong!  So I want introduce you to those first 4 games in this post!

To begin with, on Saturday I picked 3 games for us to play as a family.  Honestly, I wasn't sure we'd get to all of them on Saturday afternoon.  After all, each new game we play involves me reading the rules, setting up the game, and explaining the rules to my hubby and 3 kids. Then we often have a long, confusing play through as we learn the game.  Thankfully, these 3 games were simple to learn, simple to play, and lots of fun!

1.) To begin with, we played Fabled Fruit (2-5 players) 

Seven Bridges of Konigsburg and Concluzio Games Review

 I recently came across a game I'd never heard of before, called "Seven Bridges of Konigsburg," by Puzzling Pixel Games  It immediately caught my eye for two reasons: 1.) Its a Roll & Write game! - I'm a complete sucker for dice games in general and Roll & Write games in particular! 2.) It's named after a place! - I'm also a sucker for a game that takes me to a different location!  I knew I HAD to review it!  Then I saw they had a little card game called Concluzio as well!  A logic and reasoning card game?  Yes, please!  So let's take a look!

Seven Bridges of Konigsburg - 

We received Seven Bridges a few days ago. Hubby and I played it that night!  I wasn't sure what I'd think about it.  Since its brand new, there aren't any amazon reviews yet, so I couldn't really get lots of other gamer's opinions.  It looked like it might me kinda fun.  And we love roll & write games, so we figured we'd give it a shot.  Well, I was completely surprised!  I enjoyed this game quite a bit!  And so did my hubby! There's a ton of strategy involved - because different items score in different ways. And the amount of items you get to score all depends on how many bridges you cross, so you have to carefully balance doing other things with crossing as many bridges as you can! Somehow though, even though this game is very strategic and quite the puzzler, it was still very laid back and relaxing to play! It only takes about 15 -20 minutes to play, so its a great game if you don't have tons of time - or if you're looking to play more than once! 

Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig Review

 I recently received a review copy of Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, by Stonemaier Games.  You may remember my previous review of their fantastic game My Little Scythe.  We absolutely LOVE My Little Scythe, so I was eager to review for them again.  And once again Stonemaier did NOT disappoint!

Ice Cream Empire Game Review

 I'm always looking for fun games that will teach educational concepts.  Ice Cream Empire, by Uncorked Games is a cute game that teaches kids the basics of economics in building a business.  

Mad Scientist University Game Review

 Most games have very strict rules of play - quite necessarily.  But every once in a while you come across a game with more flexible rules and a larger capacity for invention and creativity.  And those games can be little gems!  Mad Scientist University, by Atlas Games is just such a game!

Eagle Gryphon Games Review

 The wonderful folks at Eagle Gryphon Games were kind enough to send me several games for review! Eagle Gryphon makes some fantastic, high quality games! I'm excited share them with you today! So let's take a look!

1.) Wildlife Safari - This is a really creative reskin of a couple of older games: Flinkie Pinkie and Quandary!  Now, instead of number cards and chips, you have animal cards and actual toy animals!  This makes this game SO APPEALING to younger kids!  In the game, players are dealt animal cards.  On your turn, you play a card and take an animal (animal doesn't have to match the card).  Once all 6 cards of a specific animal have been played, you use the final number card played for each animal to determine how many points each animal is worth.  I love that its easy enough that a small child can play and rely on luck.  But it also has a good deal of strategic possibility in which cards you play and which animals you take. As a family of 5, I also LOVE that the game plays 2-5 players - s the youngest doesn't have to team up with anyone or feel left out!