Recommend me a family game for 8-10yo to play

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Matthew Pennell

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Apr 1, 2012, 2:11:36 AM4/1/12
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Looks like I really picked the wrong weekend to decide to research getting into board games. :(

We have quite a few games in the house already, but they're just about all either "move around a linear board answering questions" (Trivial Pursuit style) or "roll dice and win an almost entirely random race" (Ludo/Parcheesi). I'd like to get the kids (girls aged 8-10) interested in the idea of playing something that exercises both their imagination and their mind with some strategy.

What might be some good games to start out with?

(Good luck with the site/server issues, it's always great to discover another passionate community :)

Tegs

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Apr 1, 2012, 3:20:43 AM4/1/12
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I'd recommend Zooloretto as a colourful, entertaining, strategy game for ages 8 and up.

Tegs

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Apr 1, 2012, 3:22:03 AM4/1/12
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Here's a review with some pictures

Mycroft

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Apr 1, 2012, 3:34:37 AM4/1/12
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The base Ticket to Ride game is pretty straightforward, and generally a good introduction to more complex board games.  If you want to twist their brains in that direction, you could also start them on some cooperative games like Forbidden Island (faster) or Pandemic (more complex).

Matthew Pennell

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Apr 1, 2012, 3:39:12 AM4/1/12
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On Sunday, April 1, 2012 9:20:43 AM UTC+2, Tegs wrote:
I'd recommend Zooloretto as a colourful, entertaining, strategy game for ages 8 and up.

Thanks, that looks like a definite possibility - they already love Tiny Zoo on the iPad.

Tegs

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Apr 1, 2012, 3:44:55 AM4/1/12
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+1 for Ticket to Ride too. It's one of my favourite games and great for kids too.

Eunoia

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:01:37 AM4/1/12
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Finca is also a good entry-level game, IMHO. Beautiful board, cute
tokens...
Survive! is another good one.

manukajoe

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:07:24 AM4/1/12
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I think Zooloretto is a great choice too :-).

Massimo Campolucci

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:07:31 AM4/1/12
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There is also Takenoko a brand new game from the author of 7Wonders. All the children loves to play with a fat Panda !
Greetings

Melissa Rohs

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:11:36 AM4/1/12
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As far as imagination, how about Dixit? I loved Spy Alley when I was their age. I was always trying to get someone to play with me. Apples to apples always promised a fun night as well. 
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Ben Ritter

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:17:24 AM4/1/12
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Dixit is a great family game that stretches your imagination. The
scoring is a little complicated, but only one person needs to know it.

My sister and parents like Ticket to Ride, Loch Ness, Wacky Wacky
West, and Carcassonne. My (non-gaming) girlfriend's favorites are
Small World and Bohnanza. Burrows and Lemming Mafia are fun, light
games, but the people I played with didn't like them much.

wrrlykam

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:20:06 AM4/1/12
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TTR as mentioned and Forbidden Island contains collecting sets, moving and working together, but can be hard to complete.

JuliaZ

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:44:23 AM4/1/12
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Zooloretto
Coloretto
Ticket to Ride (I prefer Nordic Countries, but USA might be less
geographically challenging; judge their interest/skill level first)
My 12 yo girl loves Eketorp and has since we taught her the game at
about age 9 (go figure)
Fast Flowing Forest Fellers is a hoot
Niagara is awesome
Hey! That's MY Fish!
Stone Age
Felix the Cat in the Sack
Aquarius (this is ALWAYS in my purse for waiting at a restaurant, etc)
Cosmic Wimpout is a great push-your-luck, better because of the fabric
board than Farkle
Joanne also asks to play Apples to Apples sometimes
And of course, my favorite with kids as young as 6 or 7, Bohnanza...
and the kids will often beat the grownups here because they will make
awesome generous trades

Hope something here strikes your fancy...

:J::A::Z:

RedSounding

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:44:46 AM4/1/12
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Wooly Bully is excellent too(SHEEP) and cute! But hard to explain... but my six-year-old loves Zooloretto and Forbidden Island.

RedSounding

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:45:50 AM4/1/12
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Oh yeah, Finca, second that one. Colorful and engaging.

Withnails liver

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:48:42 AM4/1/12
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The aMAZEing Labyrinth. It's got set collection, planning your move,
a neat moving board and wizards.

I nearly tried to post a link to the BGG entry :,(

On Apr 1, 9:44 am, RedSounding <matthewdavidjeff...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Wooly Bully is excellent too(SHEEP) and cute! But hard to explain... but my
> six-year-old *loves* Zooloretto and Forbidden Island.

BitJam

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:54:44 AM4/1/12
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Mrose

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Apr 1, 2012, 5:00:00 AM4/1/12
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I loved Spy Alley When I was around their age. I was always begging someone to play with me. Our family also loved playing apples to apples, and in a pickle is a fun game as well.

twrntg

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Apr 1, 2012, 4:41:21 AM4/1/12
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small world is fun and 8+ but its a war game

LosschabossDragon

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Apr 1, 2012, 5:49:02 AM4/1/12
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Yes, aMAZEing Labyrinth i´l second that.
but i like the master edition better. And i absolutly despise the
sponchebob version - thats pure blasphemy !

Paschott

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Apr 1, 2012, 7:53:13 PM4/1/12
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I would recommend checking out the Dice Tower's Youtube channel. Any
review where Tom involves the girls is probably fair game. Melody has
her own top 100 list on thedicetower.com and may have some feedback as
well.

For us just about anything we play:
Ticket to Ride
Dominion
Bohnanza
Small World
Roll Through the Ages
Labyrinth
etc.

Some may take a bit longer to grasp but we started the first two at
about that age and it is horrible to be skunked at Dominion by a 6
year old. ;-) I also found that watching some videos like the board
game family or the dice tower (with kids) really got my little one
interested.

-Peter

mattx52

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Apr 1, 2012, 7:57:27 AM4/1/12
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My 8 year old loves many of those already mentioned. I think any
basic gaming collection for kids ought to include:

At least one Ticket to Ride variant - Europe is prob more interestIng
than the original if you're going expansionless.
Carcassonne
Zooloretto
Forbidden Island

They are all classics of their type for a reason.

My eldest also enjoys Rattus, the Climbers, Bohnanza both Adventurers
games, lost Cities, King of Tokyo. The joy of board gaming these days
is the sheer amount of stuff out there that's a joy to play, when
compared to the stuff we had when I was a kid.



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