Great Game Guide from Defective Yeti

I read this guy's blog regularly and thought I would link to his game suggestions. He has some great ideas and has reviewed some of our favorites as well as some I'd like to check out.

THE DEFECTIVE YETI'S GOOD GATEWAY GAMES GUIDE

Let's Make a Deal.... (Or at least GET one!)

While games are a good investment as far as I am concerned, some of them can be rather expensive. While we have a closet and a bookshelf crammed full of games, allow me to say that we RARELY pay full price for them. There are a lot of options for finding them inexpensively, even if you are after some of the more "specialty" games that typically have to be purchased at game stores. Below I will share some of my favorite places to find games.

YARD SALES/CONSIGNMENT SALES/THRIFT STORES

First and foremost my favorite place to find games (especially family and kid games) is at yard sales. From anywhere around 25cents to a couple of bucks you can find TONS of games. All it takes is a little treasure hunting and some investigating.  Last weekend I got Cranium (which is a $25 game) for $2. It doesn't appear to have ever been played.  I also picked up Pictureka for $1.00. Most of Coleman's games have been second hand finds.  I have found our all time favorite party game, Apples to Apples (which is a $25.00 game) on three seperate occasions for $2, once it was still sealed! 

Another favorite place for secondhand games is the Thrift Store. We have several in our area, and I love to go browse through there and see what they have. A lot of people will just donate their stuff to get the tax write off and avoid the hassle of a yard sale, so you can find a lot of good stuff. The games there might be taped shut, but if you ask an employee if you can check the contents they usually don't mind if you open them. 

Consignment sales have lots of good kid and family games, and those ususally have all their bits included because that is just a rule of consignment. I usually check the games area of our local consignment sales first so I don't miss something I have been wanting for a while.

The key to buying games at sales? Checking carefully to be sure all the vital parts are there. If you are getting a set of Uno cards, one or two missing from the deck is really no big deal. However, a missing alphabet dice from Scattergories is a deal breaker. Just look on the back of the box or the instructions to see what should be included. Remember that a lot of peices from one game you already own might be able to be used to replace missing bits in one you find cheap. Things such as pawns, regular numbered dice, play money can probably be borrowed from something you already have. I actually have a little ziplock bag of these things that are extra, so a missing part is usually no big deal. Sometimes I have been known to manufacture (using my computer and scanner) a missing cardboard tile or two as well. Also, most games instructions are available online, so if the instruction sheet is missing, it is no big deal at all. Go to the manufacturer's website or Boardgamegeek  for the rules.

 Most of the games you will run across at sales will be the type you will find at Wal-Mart, Target, ToysRUs.

THE INTERNET

There's lots of great retailers for specialty games on the internet. We particularly like to shop at Time Well Spent because they are Christians and have great customer service. They also have pretty competitive pricing, which is the most important factor in my book.  Another great site is Funagain Games. It is also possible to find more of the specialty games (as well as pretty much all of the traditional games) at sites like Amazon.com and Target.com.

If you want to find games cheaper than retail, eBay is a great option, and so is Board Game Geek. The BGG Bazaar always has games listed for sale, trade or auction. You can browse by game name, or search for a game you are looking for.

SANTA CLAUS,  EASTER BUNNY & THE BIRTHDAY FAIRY

These guys all bring games to our house. Why not put a few on your list and let them bring them your way too? As for us, we are getting a few games for Christmas. Coleman is getting Connect 4x4 and Pictureka (both of which I got as great deals), and I am asking for Banangrams and maybe something else as well.

DEALS FOR BUYING AT REGULAR RETAIL OUTLETS

So, you are giving a game as a gift and think it would be most appropriate if it were new? Well, then you are obviously not giving it to me, cause I would rather get 2 gently used games than one brand spanking new one, BUT I do realize some people do consider it in bad taste to give gifts that have been pre-owned.  I don't have as many tips for saving money at your regular retailer, but here's a few. These tips apply to items other than games as well.

1. It is not commonly known (or practiced by the average consumer) that Target and Walmart will both match any advertised price of a competitor. Simply bring in the sale ad with the cheaper price and they will match it at the register. You must bring in the actual ad, and bring the whole thing so they can verify it is the real deal if necessary.

2. Check online for coupons before heading to the store. Simply google "Connect 4 coupon", click a few times and THIS might appear magically on your screen. Print them out and take them to your retailer. You can combine #1 with #2 for the best deals. Many retailers are more hesitant to accept internet coupons, but I know for a fact that Target, WalMart and Toys R Us will all accept them, especially if they have a bar code on the coupon. Most of these coupons can only be printed 2 times, so hang on to them and be sure to pay attention to the expiration date.

3. Target has coupons online and in their holiday toy book. Many people do not know that Target will accept 1 manufacturer's coupon AND their own store coupon, allowing you to use BOTH coupons on the same item.  For example, Connect 4x4 (which is new for this Christmas season) is on sale this week for $16.99. Use the Hasbro coupon from #2 and the Target coupon HERE to bring your price down to $6.99.

4. Combine Price match from #1 (WalMart has Connect 4 for $15 this week), manufacturer's coupon from #2 and Target coupon from #3 and your total becomes $5. Granted, this may or may not work for you depending on the cashier and manager at your local store, but it does work more often than not and it never hurts to ask. If the cashier says no, take your receipt up to customer service and ask to speak to a manager and see if they are willing to do it. Always be nice! That old saying about flies, honey and vinegar? Totally true. 

Hope I have helped someone find a few deals this holiday season, and through the next years as well!

Games to Play with Your (Younger) Kids that WON'T Make You Pull Your Hair Out!

Many of us have been there before. You know, you've just played Candyland for the 20th time and are thinking that Princess Frostine and Lolly might have an unfortunate accident if you have to play for the 21st time. How to avoid the untimely death sugared up cartoon characters? Have lots of fun game options that your kids will love, and most importantly, you will too!

This group of games will include some that you will only play with your kids and some that you might actually pull out to play for a quick, fun game with another adult. None of these require any real reading to speak of, so most are appropriate for even kids as young as 4 years old. Some might require you to team your younger kid up with an older player, at least at first. Click on the name of the game to open another window and be directed to boardgamegeek.com where you can see more photos of the games, as well as detailed ratings and directions etc.

Games You Will Probably Only Play With Your Kids


Guess Who Extra

This is a new take on the original deductive reasoning game for two players. The basic premise of the game is that players ask each other yes/no questions to try and guess "who" their opponent is. The difference between this version and others is that this one has 6 different cards to choose from, so you can play many different variations. It also folds up into a nice neat hard laptop looking holder.  This game might be best played with an adult or older child on a younger child's team since the reasoning involved can be difficult at first.

PROS: teaches deductive reasoning, very fun for kids and not too bad for adults. Compact storage, well made, lots of options, available at mass retailers (WalMart, Target, ToysRUs)

CONS: lights and sounds are annoying (just don't turn them on), can be expensive.

I am going to try and make a superhero card to fit in the frame of this one. We will see how that works out!

Rat A Tat Cat

 Despite the fact it had been on my wishlist for a couple of years, this is a recent addition to our collection of kid's games. I am glad we waited on it (found it for $2 at a sale) because Coleman only had to play on someone's "team" one hand and from then on he had it down pat. This is great for 2-6 players and plays pretty well with all group sizes. Each player is dealt 4 cards which are placed face down in front of them. They are allowed to peek one time at the two on the outside, but the ones in the middle are a mystery. Through drawing and discarding the goal is to swap out your high cards (rats) for lower ones (cats). When a player feels they have the fewest points in front of them they knock on the table and say "Rat a tat cat!" and everyone shows their cards. It is nice because this is a game that moves quickly and you can set the number you will play to ahead of time- such as 3 rounds, or we will play until someone gets to 100 points.  

PROS: easy to learn the rules, cards are cute, good for memory skills, moves pretty quickly. Since the goal is to have lower numbers, younger kids can benefit from adding up their own score.

CONS: younger children might need to play on a team with an older player, at least for the first few hands.  It can be difficult to remember not to peek at your cards other than the first allowed time. Harder to find than some games (try Target or online)


If you did not read my post from 2007 about other great kid's games, click HERE for more great recommendations.

Games You Might Pull Out to Play Without Your Kids


Uno Attack 

This is one of a couple of variations of the traditional UNO game. There are a few new specialized cards, but since we picked up our version at a yard sale, I am pretty sure all the cards were not there. This was one of the occasions where that did not particularly matter since I just added the cards in with the uno cards we already had floating around our house.  Instead of drawing a card when you are unable to play, we simply hit the button and take whatever is given to us. The game is still simple enough for very young gamers and the kids LOVE to hit that button and see the cards fly out.

PROS: promotes matching skills, no real reading required, available at mass retailers, simple rules, everyone likes uno, can play with just about any number of players- just add another deck if needed. Kids love to push the button and see the cards fly out. Can be found at most retailers.

CONS: the card shooter can be tempermental, replacement cards (attack specific) would have to be ordered from the company, needs batteries, takes up more space than traditional Uno. Kids love to push the button and see the cards fly out :)

Sorry Sliders 

THIS is a fun little game. For serious gamers who can't stand the thought of spending an arm and a leg on a crokinole board there is FINALLY a reasonable alternative. The rules are simple but the game design allows for some variations to keep it from getting boring. 2-4 players sit around the table and roll their pieces (basically pawns with ball bearings in them) toward the center, either trying to hit or avoid certain spots on the board. Knocking your opponents pawns off the board adds to the competition. There are 4 different center board variations that change things up a bit. Lots of fun and very fast.

PROS: no reading required, great for all ages, plays fast, good for various skill levels, moderately priced, available at most retailers, lots of variety, easy rules

CONS:  none I can think of.

Blokus  

While Blokus is not really marketed to kids, we have found it to be a fun addition to our family game collection. It has a number of varities available,so if you find it to your liking you can really get a few different ones to keep the fun going.  Basically this is a game of spatial awareness (sort of like Tetris, but not really) that moves pretty fast and is simple to learn. For 2-4 players (or teams too I guess). Each person has a set of geometric pieces that they must place on the board during their turn. The goal is to fit all them on the board, but the twist is that each of your pieces must touch only at the corner. No reading or math is required.

PROS: no reading or math required to play, moves quickly, fun for all ages, very simple to learn, available at most retailers
CONS: expensive, rules for 2 or 3 people require that each player play pieces of additional colors which can be confusing.

There ya go. Hope I have helped save someone's sanity as well as helped them find a few new treasures to share with their family. Stay tuned for the next post which will discuss WHERE to find the best deals on games.

Games Games Games! Back by (semi) Popular Demand!

A couple of years when I was updating this blog fairly regularly, I did a series of posts about games we loved. Apparently someone actually read that post, and I got a note today requesting I do some more posts regarding games. Seems she took some of our suggestions, bought them and really enjoyed the games! Since the fat man in the red suit is making his list right about now, I figured it was a great time to blow the dust off the site and comply with her wish. As you can see from the photos, we have one or two games that might work for just about anyone.

We have been game players for years. Our friends Bert and Meg are partly to blame for our addiction, but since my degree was in Therapeutic Recreation, I guess playing games for a living also set me up for a lifetime of gaming with friends.

There has never been a better time to get started playing games if you have not in the past! With the economy being the way it is now, for the price of movie tickets and dinner for a family of 3 or 4, you can invest in some really great games that will provide you YEARS of family fun for all members of your family. A night playing games with friends and family around the table is far more personal than sitting in the dark in a theater- and think of all the money you will save in the long run! Studies have shown that families that eat together, pray together and play together tend to stay together- so a small monetary investment in some board games now may lead to a much bigger pay-off further down the road.


This year I will focus on a variety of games, including a few that are internet based, great games for homeschoolers, fun games (that won't make you tear your hair out) with kids, as well as some that are geared more toward teens/adults. There will also be a post about finding great deals on games and how to get a collection started without breaking the bank, as well as a special post about games that you can find at most any store. I might even have a special guest or two to provide their input from time to time.

Also, go to the sidebar and click on the link for my previous posts about games. That will be a good refresher about what remains some of our favorite games, as well as a great website to buy the harder to find games- www.timewellspent.org.

So, feel free to pass this link along to anyone you might think will be interested! I will post something every day or two for the next couple of weeks.