card game – Ninja Truck Reviews

I knew there would be lots of games to see and play at Origins, but once we were there and saw everything, it was mind blowing! We went down on Friday and again on Sunday so that I could meet with some of publishers. We were able to try out a few games on Friday: Songbirds by Daily Magic Games and Everybody Loves a Parade by Calliope games. We also brought home a bunch of games to try out and review. Those will be coming in the future.

Songbirds was a lot of fun. The job is to end up with the card of the color of bird that is making the most noise. Clear as mud, right? Once we started playing the game, it totally made sense. The game is played in a 5 x 5 grid, with the “loudest” bird in each row or column winning points. (Adding points on cards of the same color in same row/column determine the “loudest” bird.) At the end of the game, each player is left with one card in their hand. If that card matches the loudest bird, they win.

The loudest/winning bird was the one with the highest amount of points.

The game was pretty fast and does require some strategy, but T had no problems with it at all. He caught on almost right away. We ended up having the losing bird colors, it it was still a lot of fun. I liked that there was strategic thinking and math involved. He wasn’t thinking that he had to add too numbers together and get a total. He was just trying to get the points. I love games that can get math involved without him knowing. He learns the concepts of math easier and I don’t listen to him complain.

I have many other games to talk about, my mind is just spinning! I am still trying to wrap my head around all of the amazing things we saw over the weekend. I’m pretty sure anyone could find a game topic there that they’d enjoy. I will be posting more in the days to come, stay tuned!

A week or so ago, the boys and I were shopping at one of the local thrift stores, looking for games to use with our curriculum this year. In one of the bins I found a deck of Crazy Eights, straight outta my childhood! I remember inventing games with them as a kid. (That’s what happens when you’re an only child. You invent new versions.) I picked the deck up for a mere quarter and brought them home to play with Truck. He was hooked on the game after the first round! Yay-something other than Uno!

After playing that for awhile, we decided to kick it up a notch with a new game that is currently available as a Kickstarter, Crazier Eights: One Thousand and One Nights. The cards feature the characters from Shahrzad’s Arabian Nights. Through playing different assets and events during the game, you get to lead them on different adventures.

Obviously, the original game doesn’t have events or assets, but they add a great twist!Truck had a great time looking at the artwork and asking questions about the story. He picked up on using the cards to his advantage quickly. He still isn’t reading fluently, so he did have some help reading what the cards said. This is quickly becoming his go to game when we are out and about. I love that there is sneaky reading practice in this game!

If you’re looking for a fun game that can be a gateway into other fantasy games, or a segue for what will be studied, I highly recommend Crazier Eights: One Thousand Nights. Be sure to check out the Kickstarter page-the game has been funded, so you’ll be sure to receive it if you support it!

I received a copy of this game in exchange for my review.

Tag: card game

So many games!!

Sometimes crazier IS better!