FlagTagAZ - Family fun in Flagstaff, Az!

 

When we travel, I try looking for local family-friendly attractions to visit in-between seeing the typical tourist destinations, so that we can get the most out of our vacations. We wanted to beat the summer heat, so we decided to head up north to Flagstaff where the weather is significantly cooler than in Phoenix. The main three spots we wanted to visit were Walnut Canyon, the lava cave and Out of Africa. However, I knew we were going to have some downtime, so instead of hanging out in our hotel room we decided to look for something exciting to do together. We were looking for something that was indoors & out of the weather, FlagTag Az fit the bill. FlagTagAZ offers Axe throwing & Laser tag, plus they have a small arcade. I do want to note that this spot is geared towards pre-teens, teens & adults. We visited on a Saturday afternoon and were surprised by how few patrons were visiting at the same time. We were originally told that Saturday is their busiest day, so we were expecting packed throwing lanes. Needless to say, that surprise worked out in our favor as it was quieter than normal, and we didn't have to worry about feeling cramped next to other large groups.

You can purchase each activity individually or opt for one of their packages which give you a bit of a discount. During our visit we opted for the 'Groovy Combo' for $35 per person which includes thirty minutes of axe throwing along with two laser tag games. We've visited other Axe throwing locations & something that makes FlagTag stand out a bit from the others is that fact that they also allow you to throw knives & ninja stars.

The throwing lanes are equipped with a tablet that allows you to choose one of their digital games you'd like to play while throwing. The game is cast onto the wooden planks at the end of the lane using a projector. You can choose from games like battleship or just do regular axe throwing, it all depends on if you want to throw for fun or compete against a friend/family member. I do wish that they offered different weighted & sized axes, the larger sized axe they offered was a bit awkward for me to use compared to smaller versions I've used at other throwing lanes. I do not necessarily think it was due to the weight, but the length as I felt like the handle was too long for the way I tend to throw. 

Throwing the ninja stars was an interesting experience, they were so light weight compared to the axes. I am not going to lie; the first time I tried to throw the ninja star it flew up much higher than I was aiming for and stuck above the wooden planks, I almost couldn't reach it to get it back down! However, I know I am not the only one who has overthrown the ninja star because there were quite a few spots next to where I threw it & some marks even higher than where my star landed where others have hit. Your time on the lanes will go by faster than expected, so I would keep that in mind when deciding on which game you'd like to play. 

After we finished our half an hour of axe throwing, we went over to the laser tag. The space they have for the laser tag is actually pretty large and even includes a second story. I didn't go into the laser tag, so I cannot personally comment on the laser tag experience however my family members who played had a fantastic time! While we waited on our laser tag group, the rest of us had a look around the facility. 

There is a cafe area where you can pick up snacks, or drinks including alcohol. You'll also find a small selection of arcade games plus a row of claw machines. I had also noticed that they have a small corner set up with a number of family board games and a giant version of connect four. The last activity they offer is Dart throwing, where you can use either regular plastic tipped darts or metal tipped darts. We had fun checking out everything FlagTagAZ had to offer, and I think it is a fun spot to bring your family. FlagTagAZ is currently located at 1801 W Rte 66 #102 Flagstaff,AZ 86001 however, by the end of summer they are hoping to be in their new location, so please check their website to verify the address before visiting. 

🌵 If you live in Arizona check out the "Things to do in Arizona" section of my blog to find entertainment, restaurants, vacation spots & more. (Click on the name or locate it on the right-hand side of my page).

Disclaimer-  FlagTagAZ provided us a discount in exchange for a review, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Cuteness alert - Super Kawaii Pets the card game!

 

Today I have a short & sweet review to share with you about a cute kid friendly game called Super Kawaii Pets. This is a quick and easy animal themed card game sold by Arcane Wonders for $14.99 up to four players can play at one time and games last twenty minutes or less, it is recommended for ages 8+. 

The goal of the game is quite simple, you need to adopt (draw) sad animals that are looking for a loving home. After you draw a sad animal card, you need to collect the help cards that match that animals needs which could be a vet visit, food, or some love from a human. Once their requirements have been meet you can flip them over to their happy side! You will also try to match some of your animals to location cards. The first player to reach a combination of ten happy animal cards activates the end of the game, everyone will take one last turn then count their victory points to see who the winner is. 

This game & it's rules are simple and easy to learn, it is a great game for families especially families with younger children wanting to get into the world of card games and board games. Seeing as how it is geared towards younger children it is also nice that rounds can go fairly quickly and doesn't have any complicated steps. The game box is also small so this would make a easy one to take along on trips to play in a hotel room or out camping. 

If you want to find more great board games like Super Kawaii Pets head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Arcane Wonders for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Trekking Through History Review!

 

Back in May, I wrote a review for a board game called Trekking the World from Underdog Games. Today I will be covering another great board game from Underdog Games called Trekking Through History. This family friendly game is not only fun to play, but it is also a great way to learn about some historical moments or people of the past that you may not have heard of before. 

This game is designed to be played with one to four players over the course of thirty to sixty minutes, it is recommended for ages 10+ & can be purchased for $49.99 from the Underdog website. The game features visually pleasing artwork on the game cards, we enjoy viewing each of them as they are played out onto the game board. I also like how the individual player pieces look, the colors are vibrant & bold. 

Over the course of the game your goal is to collect "Treks" of your adventures through time, you want to start out with the earliest date possible on your turn, then collect later years as you take turns. If it isn't possible to pick a card that is at a later date than the previous card, then you can either visit a ancestor which acts as a "blank card" and can be any date, or you start a new trek. 

Each time you select a new date in history to add to your Trek, it cost hours of your time which are tracked using the large clock shown in the photos above. Once you reach 12 o clock, you are done for that round so you'll want to use "time gems" to lower the cost of the cards which will allow you to gain more cards for your trek before the round is over. Certain cards also give bonuses like extra time gems, and tokens which are placed onto a player mat that grants bonus experience. 

After three game rounds, the game is completed & you will tally up your score based off of how long each of your Treks are. This is a fun & easy to play fast paced game that is wonderful for an assortment of ages. We think this makes a great addition to our board game collection & have played it several times already, we look forward to playing it more and seeing more cards we haven't played with yet. 

If you want to find more great board games like Trekking the World head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Underdog Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Dubious Board Game Review!

 

We recently received a fun board game by Arcane Wonders called Dubious. This game not only allows you to test out your detective & deduction skills, but it will test your skills of story telling as well. This game can be played with anywhere from three to six players over the course of half an hour. You can pick this game up on the Arcane Wonders website for $44.99.

Every player will be given a random occupation & a random secret, from there you will come up with a character and answer five questions about your character. The ultimate goal is to try & get about 50-60% of the players you are playing with to guess either your occupation or secret. However, you do not want every player to guess as you will get no points for making your secrets too obvious. Over the course of the time, five questions will be asked that will help each player figure out what the rest of the players are. So your goal when answering questions is to come up with fun answers that only semi give away either your occupation or your secret without coming right out with it. Get adventurous as you want with your character! This game has been a lot of fun to play & we've been using different accents and just being silly while playing which makes it an even better time. 

While listening to others answers you will be trying to match up their subtle hints with what you think their occupation & secret might be. You are lucky enough to be able to remove two occupations & two secrets from the list right off the bat, as each player is given two of each at the start and they get to choose which two they'd like to use then the other two can just be crossed off your list helping you narrow down the list of possibilities. This game is perfect for family game nights, or a night with friends, you are sure to have a few laughs and a wonderful time together. 

If you want to find more great board games like Planetfall head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Arcane Wonders for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Wingspan Fan Art Pack Review!

 

Back in February, I posted a review for a visually pleasing avian inspired board game called Wingspan from Stonemaier Games. Today I will be telling you about a pretty neat pack you can purchase to give the game a little extra flare. Stonemaier held a Wingspan fan art challenge where fans from all over the world could submit art work of the birds on the wingspan cards. Out of everyone who submitted something, two hundred and fifty-five were selected to become cards for the fan art pack. 

The cards are mechanically identical to their counterpart cards in not only the base board game but the Europe, Oceania & Asia expansion packs as well. So all the cards will still play the same, they just look different. I haven't looked through all of them yet as I want to view them during play, but from the stack I have looked through I love the wide assortment of art styles & even the different mediums they used when drawing out their design. I pictured two of my favorite so far in the image above, One is adorable as can be and the other is whimsical. You can pick up the Wingspan Fan Art Pack on the Stonemaier website for $25. At the bottom of the card you'll find the name of the artist who draw the photo for that card.

I think this is a great way for them to show love to the fans & it is a fun way to support everyone who submitted and had their artwork picked for this fan pack. It would be neat to see something like this for more card based games.

If you want to find more great board games like Wingspan head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Stonemaier Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Trekking the World - Board Game Review!

 

It is always a pleasure to find a board game that is not only fun & family friendly, but also matches your interests. My family & I love exploring new places together and we love board game nights, so we were very excited for the chance to receive a copy of Trekking the World from Underdog Games. This board game has a travel theme, you will be traveling the world collecting souvenirs and touring popular tourist spots like the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and more. This game is for two to five players to play over the course of thirty to sixty minutes and it is designed for ages ten and up. It can be purchased for $49.99 on their website or you can purchase it on Amazon.

The game has a simple set up, you'll be able to unpack and place out everything in less than five minutes, then you'll be on your way to exploring. Not only is it easy to set up, but the rules are pretty simple as well and you'll learn how to play this rather quickly. 

Each player starts off at an unoccupied airport of their choice, from there they will use playing cards to move along the board while collecting small colored cubes which are the "souvenirs". Players will need to move along open paths on the board, if another player is blocking the path you want to take, then you'll need to find another way around or figure out a different game plan for your turn. You will earn bonus points for collecting groups of souvenirs, when you have one of each color it counts as a group and gives you points. There is a secondary set of bonus points for the player who has the most of each souvenir color & yes it can be stolen if someone passes you for that color. 

To help you move along the board, every player will start off with three playing cards in their hand. The cards can be used in two different ways, each one has a number & a picture on it. The number is what is used to move across the board & you have to play the exact number you want to move - no more and no less. You can play one or more cards to move along the board, for example if you were at the Eiffel Tower and want to move to the pyramid of Giza that would be four moves so you would need two cards with a value of two, or a single card with a value of four in order to complete your trip. The photos are what you'll need to complete a "tour" of a destination, you'll need to match the photos on the destinations show card & you need to be on that location to tour it and claim it's card. 

Easy Peasy! So basic run down, collect cards, move along the board snagging cubes and working on collecting destination cards. The game ends once one player collects five destination cards or five region bonus tokens are claimed. This game can move along pretty quickly & it is a lot of fun to play. I really enjoy the graphics on the board & on the cards, plus your player mat is shaped like a suit case and it is where you'll stash your souvenir cubes (How cute is that?). I've heard of a lot of the destinations featured in this game, but there are also quite a few I've never heard of before so I like that I was able to learn about some new must see destinations thanks to Trekking the World. Along with this game, Underdog games has several other similar games such as Trekking Through History, Trekking the National Parks and more. 

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like Trekking the World head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Underdog Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Libertalia Winds of Galecrest Board Game Review!

If you've ever found a board game that you wanted to add to your collection, then learned it is no longer in print, it can be a bummer! Libertalia is a board game that originally released in 2012 & has since been added to the "Out of Print" category. However one Libertalia enthusiast loved sharing that game with his online followers & after many comments about fans wishing it was still in print, he reached out to the original publisher, then the designer. He was able to get the rights & work along side the original designer to create a newer updated version of the game. The man who was able to accomplish that is Jamey Stonemaier who owns & runs Stonemaier Games. The newest version of this game is called Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest. It is recommended for ages 14+, however this is a fairly easy game to understand & if you are a family that plays board games together kids under the recommended age shouldn't have an issue playing this. You can play this as a solo player with it's own set of rules or you can play with up to six people total, games last 45-60 minutes. 

When you pick up this game box it is quite hefty which may lead some to believe the game is too complex, but the game only gets the weight from the high-quality materials the game pieces are made from & the fact that there are seven character card stacks. One of the stacks is for a solo game & the other six are for the players. I love the little loot tiles that come with this game, they are fun to shake around in the loot bag and I appreciate that they aren't flimsy pieces of cardboard. I also really like the art on the character cards, there are forty different characters & each one is unique. All of the character cards have a pirate theme to them & are all animals, one of my favorites is the Gunner which is an adorable pirate sloth! 

This game is played over the course of three rounds & each round has a different number of turns. The first round will consist of four turns, the second round has five turns and the final round will have six turns. You will also start each round with a different number of character cards to play, this may vary from the other competing players depending on which cards you play each round. To start off the game, one person will shuffle their character deck & select six random character cards. The other players will pull out the same character cards from their deck & this will be the hand you will play with during the first round. Everyone will be on the same playing field, but what will set you apart is the order you play your cards in and how much reputation you have on the board. 

Once per turn, you will select one character card to play & at the end of your turn if your card is still on the board it can be moved to your ship. Every character card has it's own ability that will be used to play the game, some cards allow you to add additional character cards to your ship without playing them, some remove other players characters from the game & more. The order of who goes each turn is determined by the number at the top of the character cards, it starts from the lowest number to the highest in how they are placed out onto the board. So what happens if there is a tied number? There is a reputation track that helps determine the winner during a tie, the lower reputation will be placed out first. At the start of the second & third rounds, you will do the same character card selection mentioned above and add them to any cards you have left over from the previous round. 

Your main goal is to collect characters in your ship who will help add doubloons to your treasure chest, you will also want to collect loot that helps add doubloons as well. At the end of the game the winner is the pirate who was able to find & collect the most doubloons. It can be a pretty fast paced & also cut throat game as you work to build your loot while also stopping your competitors in their tracks. It can be a lot of fun to see how everyone plays out their cards, even when someone plays a card that boots one of your characters, it is still all fun and games. We enjoy playing this together, it is an easy game to set up, game play is fun + quick and it is fast to put away as well. This has made a wonderful addition to our growing board game collection.

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like Libertalia head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Stone Maier Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The Court of Miracles Board Game Review!

 

Having board games that are easy to set up & quick to play is a must in our house. We love playing board games, but sometimes one of us is busy or doesn't want to play something too long so having a fun, quick & easy game to play is our go to. I recently received a copy of a game called "The Court of Miracles" and it fits that category perfectly. The game itself takes less than five minutes to put together & depending on how well you strategize your movements, this game can go by pretty quickly. It is also easy to learn & there isn't a lot of rules to remember. The Court of Miracles is recommended for ages 10+ & it is set up for two to five players. The box states it generally takes forty minutes a game, however as I mentioned if you have a clear game plan & everyone else does as well a games can be shorter than that. This game retails for $40 on the Lucky Duck Website. 

Each player gets their own factions of "beggars" looking to earn the most coin in order to conquer neighborhoods by placing out all six of their Renwon tokens onto the board. You'll start the game with four player tokens + four rouge tokens along with a plot card and a set amount of coins. The game is set in 16th century Paris, the deck of plot cards feature a wide range of characters from Jesters to Knights. Plot cards can help push a game into your favor & they can also help you stop a competitor in their tracks. The rouge tokens have a face side which features a number & picture that each represent a score, these scores will be used to fight in duels on the board. 

We've had a lot of fun playing this game together as a family. I think it would also make a fun game for a game night with friends as it would be easy to teach so you aren't wasting time explaining a wide range of rules. Everything in this game is pretty straight forward, collect items you need to get your Renown pieces onto the board and battle to take control of each neighborhood onto the board. The first person to put all six of their Renown pieces onto the board is the winner. 

Does this sound like a board game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite feature of this game?

If you want to find more great board games like The Court of Miracles head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lucky Duck Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Wingspan board game Review!

Today I am going to be sharing a board game with you that is slightly older than most of the board games I tend to review, however it is one that a lot of people highly enjoy and has gone through some updates since its original release back in 2019. I was recently gifted a copy of Wingspan from Stonemaier Games and will be sharing my thoughts on the game with you. Wingspan is a card-driven building game that is suited for one to five players & is played over the course of 40-70 minutes. Along with a board game version of this game, there is also a digital version! So, if you want to save space and still want to play this game, I suggest checking that out. While card-driven games may not be everyone's cup of tea, my family & I have been enjoying playing this game and like how everything is set up for the game play. 

I generally love all animals, but I really enjoy birds! I am always excited to see a new bird species out in the wild and snap a photo of it, and I like bird watching. So, as you can imagine seeing that this game was based on birds made me pretty excited to play it and it has been a game I've had my eye on for a little while. Aside from it just being a bird based game, I was drawn to how the game looks, the images on the cards are beautiful and the little bird eggs are so colorful. We made jokes when we were playing the game that the eggs looked kind of delicious, because they look like the colorful chocolate robins' eggs you get during Easter time. All of the game pieces in this game are well made, even the card holder is extremely sturdy & feels like it is made to last. The food pieces are thick cardboard which will help prevent them from bending or tearing and the eggs are solid wood. The cards themselves are on a nice thick cardstock that is easy to shuffle & play with.

This game consists of four rounds which each have a certain amount of turns each player can run through. Each round you'll have the chance to add birds to your play may, lay eggs, earn food and gain more cards all while working on extra goals & the main goal for each round which will earn you points along the way. At the end of round four, you'll add up all of the points everyone has earned and the player with the most points wins. Once you get a basic run down of how each step in the game works it is very simple to play. If it is your first time playing & you want a little more guidance than just reading the rules they actually have a pre-set up game ready to teach you how to play. There are four guide cards that will tell you exactly which cards & food to play and will lay out your turns one by one for the first few rounds of the game, once they are completed you can continue on with that same game or set up a fresh new game to play. We did use the how to guide during our first round just to see how it worked & found it to be helpful. Now that we've played it a few times, our games can go by pretty quickly. Your main focus in the game will be building your flock on your board while completing not only your bonus goal but the main goal for each round as well. Thinking ahead to your next move or two, while keeping an eye out to make sure another player doesn't spoil the move you were going to do will greatly help you in this game. Keeping an eye on how many turns you have left will greatly benefit you as well, it is crazy how quickly the end of a round can sneak up on you. 

One of our favorite features is that this game comes with a cute bird house shaped dice tower! It fits in perfectly with the theme of the game, it works perfectly and it fits snuggly into the game box after you've finished your round of play. We did not need to fully break down the dice tower to store it which was a big plus! Another smaller detail of the game that I personally loved, is that the bottom of each bird card has a little map of the world to show you where that bird is from along with a fact about that bird. The cards also include how big their wingspans are & has a small photo that tells you what type of nest each bird builds. The stack of bird cards in this game is pretty large, we have seen maybe half or even just a quarter of the assortment of birds in this game, so I look forward to seeing more of the cards as we sit down to play more games. If this sounds like a game you would enjoy, I suggest heading over to the Stonemaier Games website to check out this game along with the rest of their board game catalogue. If you want to find more great board games like Wingspan head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section

Does this look like a game you would enjoy playing? What is your favorite aspect of this game?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Stonemaier Games for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase

Age Of Wonders: Planetfall Board Game Review!

 

I am always on the lookout for new & exciting games to play with my family, so when I was offered a chance to receive an early release copy of a game called Age of Wonders: Planetfall, how could I say no? This game is designed for two to six players ages fourteen and older, game play takes twenty to forty minutes. It is published by Arcane Wonders and can be purchased for $44.99. The art in this game is beautiful, I love the attention to details & the bright colors that are used on not only the planets but the rest of the player cards as well.

In this game you will be playing as one of six commanders that each are a leader of their own surviving race in a futuristic planet exploring game. Each commander has their own special ability & starts off with different stats than the rest of the cards. You can either let each player look at the cards ahead of time & select which player they would like to be, or you can have everyone choose at random. During our first round of this game, we each selected who we wanted to play, each round after that we decided to start choosing at random so that we had a chance of mixing up the special abilities each time. 

The game is played over seven rounds, during each round players are allowed two turns to collect cards, resources and victory points. The order in which players go will change each round so you will need to think of your plan of attack ahead of time, but also be ready to change your plans as needed if someone snags a card you wanted. This game can be pretty fast paced & is a lot of fun to play, all of us have been having a blast playing Planetfall. 

The set up is simple, it takes less than five minutes to get everything pulled out & where it needs to go. This card consists of the board, playing cards, players mats & players pieces otherwise there isn't anything over complicated in this game, so it is perfect for when you want an easy & fast fun game to play. Sometimes we are short on time but want to play a boardgame so games like this are perfect. I also like that if we wanted to take this on a road trip with us, I could fit everything from the game into a smaller container to take with us to play. It makes a wonderful addition to our board game collection. 

Is this a game you would enjoy playing? 

If you want to find more great board games like Planetfall head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Arcane Wonders for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.