Tag: Road Trip Games

Star Fluxx

Amazon Product Name (APN): Looney Labs Star Fluxx

Manufacturer: Looney Labs

Review by: Dad

Our rating: 5 of 5 stars

Star Fluxx is our favorite scifi themed version of the popular game Fluxx by Looney Labs.

Looney Labs has been producing Fluxx for several years now, and as of the time of this writing, there are over ten different versions of the game in print. Actually, they’ve been making Fluxx so long, there are an additional seven versions now out of print (Mom’s favorite: Eco Fluxx is one of them). 

Looney Labs has found the formula for a crazy card game with massive humor, charm, and in the case of Star Fluxx, tons of our favorite scifi references.  No matter which version of Fluxx you play, you’ll be getting into a fun, easy to learn, but hard to master card game.

Fluxx is a card game where the rules and win conditions are constantly in flux.  Games of Star Fluxx can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more depending on how many people are playing and what cards get drawn.  When the basic rules are set, every player is dealt three cards and they draw one card and play one card on each turn. But chances are, those rules won’t last long. This fast paced card game shines when the rules start changing.

Suddenly, you are drawing five cards a turn, playing your entire hand and completely changing the goal every turn. Or you’re drawing one card and have to play three. Or you’re changing hands. Or you’re discarding everything and starting over.

No two games of Star Fluxx are the same, and play continues until someone is able to meet the conditions of the current goal.  Oftentimes a player who everyone thought was lagging behind will win, suddenly leaving everyone asking “How did that happen?” and it always leads to us playing again.

Star Fluxx by Looney Labs is one of our favorite inclusions on family game nights, and is especially easy for traveling. It’s appropriate for ages eight and up, although younger children who can read an understand instructions on the fly are able to play, too.

Not into scifi?  Head to Amazon to check out Pirate Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx or Fairy Tale Fluxx for a version of this game in a theme that you love.

Want more? Check out some of our other lists and reviews below.

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Qwirkle

Amazon Product Name (APN): Qwirkle Board Game

Manufacturer: MindWare

Review by: Dad

Our Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Qwirkle by MindWare is an easy to learn and accessible color and shape based tile laying game for ages six plus, and all levels of gamers.

Qwirkle’s rules are simple: shuffle 108 wooden tiles into a bag, and every player draws six of them.  The player who goes first is the one who can place the longest line of tiles of either matching shapes or colors. The next players add onto the beginning line, matching colors or shapes as appropriate. Each player lays tiles matching what is already on the board by either extending the line already there or starting a new one, similar to how words are place in Scrabble. Play continues with each player refilling their hand from the bag of tiles, scoring the tiles they’ve played at the end of each turn. 

Scoring is simple; one point per tile laid, and twelve points for a completed six tile line called getting a Qwirkle!  The rules allow for some crazy combo scoring once the board starts getting built up, which causes game play to get progressively more strategic.

Qwirkle is definitely a game that is easy to learn, but hard to master.  There are advanced strategies that can be used to block other players from getting Qwirkles, saving key tiles to ensure you get Qwirkles, etc. Qwirkle is an extremely fun tile laying board game that is perfect for families since it is accessible for all age ranges from six plus (but our son started playing at three years old) and the rules are easy to explain and learn quickly.

Our family has had games with ages ranges from four years old to eighty-five!  Qwirkle is available both in a standard edition and a travel edition, as well as Qwirkle Cubes which adds a dice rolling component to this classic matching game. Pick from any of the editions on Mindware’s Amazon listings that work best for you and add Qwirkle to your collection today!

Want more? Check out some of our other lists and reviews below.

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Zombie Dice

Amazon Product Name (APN): Zombie Dice

Manufacturer: Steve Jackson Games (SJG)

Review by: Dad

Our Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Zombie Dice is a fun and quick zombie themed dice rolling game by Steve Jackson Games. The base game includes a Zombie Dice themed dice cup, thirteen dice and the instructions.  Zombie Dice is fairly quick to play at about fifteen – twenty minutes a game with two – fourish players. (Note: We say “fourish” because we’ve played with many, many more than four people.) 

Each player is a brain eating zombie, and the dice are the survivors.  Each player takes turns loading up the dice into the cup, giving it a good shake and then removing and rolling three dice. Brains are points, feet are the survivors running away and can be rerolled (if the player continues), and gunshots are damage to the player.

Three gunshots rolled, and you’re dead!

For example, on their turn, a player pulls three dice and rolls three brains. They can immediately shake the cup, pull three more dice and keep rolling until they either stop and bank their earned brains, or three gunshots are rolled. It’s a game that’s half chance, half strategy, and all fun.

If player gets lucky enough to empty the cup and not roll three gunshots, they can keep going by placing all dice except the shots back in the cup, permanently banking what they’ve already earned, and continue rolling.  It’s up to each player on their turn to see how far they push their chances while playing Zombie dice.

The game ends when one player exceeds thirteen banked brains. Every other player is then given one more turn to try to improve their score before the game fully ends, and the person with the highest final score wins.

Zombie Dice is a fun and thematic game that is quick and easy to play, if a little more mature in theme.  Zombie Dice is still a fantastic game for families as it easy to learn, portable, and fun. We love Zombie Dice so much that it ended up on Our Top 10 Board Games list! Check it out here.

Want to pick up a set of Zombie Dice for your next family game night? You can find it on Amazon right here.

Want more? Check out some of our other lists and reviews below.

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Best road trip games

Getting ready to plan a road trip?

It can be hard to get into a board game in the car, even though that’s exactly where you need to be entertained the most. We put on our travelling caps and headed into the world of road trip games to see what is available to keep travelers of all ages engaged.

Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game

We love a good scavenger hunt, but coming up with a list of things to find can be downright difficult. That’s where the Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game comes in so handy. With 54 scavenger cards, there’s always something new to find. We did find that this game is more suited for travel through urban areas, so if your road trip involves a lot of flat-land interstate driving, you may find it to be challenging. Find the Travel Scavenger Hunt Card Game on Amazon Here.

Shelburne County Store I Spy License Plates

Where there are cars, there are license plates. Playing road trip games to see what state plates you can find is a great way to pass the time in the car. But once you get beyond five or six states, it can be hard to remember which ones you’ve seen before. This simple dry-erase board fits in the glove compartment and helps you keep track of all fifty State plates, as well as District of Columbia and some Canadian province plates. Get one for a cooperative game of “find that plate”, or buy several and see who can find the most license plates on your next trip. Find the
Shelburne Country Store I Spy License Plates on Amazon Here.

Family Talk 2

There aren’t many road trip games where the driver gets to play, too. It’s hard to handle game boards and a deck of cards when you’ve got both hands on the wheel. That’s what makes Family Talk 2 so much fun. It’s more about driving an engaging conversation than it is about keeping track of a scorecard. Simply have one of the passengers pick a card, ask a question and see who has the most interesting answer. It’s important to note that the questions range in topic across a variety of life experiences and feelings, so if you have young travelers with you, there may be cards you elect to skip over. Find Family Talk 2 on Amazon Here.

Regal Games Original Travel Bingo 4 Packs

There’s nothing like a good game of travel Bingo to pass the time. When we found these durable game cards with sliding markers, we couldn’t believe our luck! Easy to identify pictures and words make it simple for even young kids to enjoy looking out the window. Play it by classic Bingo rules on long car rides, or mix it up by marking the boards “I Spy” style. Find the Regal Games Original Travel Bingo 4 Packs on Amazon Here.

Rubberneckers

Another variation of “look out the window” road trip games, Rubberneckers has colorful cards that suggest things to look for during your road trip. While a 4 or 5 year old may need help reading the cards, once they know what to look for they’ll enjoy playing with the whole family. Just like some of the other games on this list, it may help to go through the deck and pull cards that you think are worth skipping over, unless you want to keep items like “Telephone Booth” in for an extra challenge. Find Rubberneckers on Amazon Here.

Dr. Biscuits’ Radical Road Trip

One of the most exciting games on our road trip list is Dr. Biscuit’s Radical Road Trip. It’s a little more involved than most of the other games we’ve mentioned, but the variety of tasks enclosed makes the bulk of carrying a game box around in the car worth it. Packed with 60 different games and activities, this game box will keep you on your toes during your next drive, whether you’re in the car for a half hour or half a day. Find Dr. Biscuit’s Radical Road Trip on Amazon Here.

Want more? Check out some of our other lists and reviews below.

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