It's finally the Summer Holidays and that means, you're probably all looking for something fun to do with the family!
Well look no further, here is your guide to our favourite family board games that we have available in the cafe!
Games for families with young children!
Often it can be difficult to find a game young children can play and understand how to win! So here are our favourite games for families with young children. Not all children are the same, so these may seem a little too easy for your family but they are definitely fun!
Maki Stack! A fun dexterity game for a family of four, work in teams to stack the maki in the right order the fastest, with two ways to play (blindfolded or chopstick fingers) this game is fun for all ages and highly competitive.
Rhino Hero Superbattle! Grab your superhero and race to the top of the precarious tower you are building to claim the Highest Hero Medallion, but be careful not to knock down the tower or you'll lose!
Dinosaur Tea Party! Have you ever wanted to play Guess Who, but with more players and dinosaurs? Dinosaur Tea Party is fun for all ages
Ghost Blitz/Geistes Blitz! Unlike most pattern recognition games, this one has a twist! You either have to find the item shown in the picture, OR the item not shown by either colour or shape! Play till all the cards are gone and declare your winner!
Games for families with pre-teens!
A selection of games that are that little more complicated, and can introduce your young ones and family to new themes but are also fast-paced or rules light enough for everyone to understand and enjoy!
Ticket to Ride New York, London or Amsterdam! Smaller box Ticket to Ride games to introduce to your family, which will teach them everything they need to know to play the bigger box game but with a much shorter playtime of 20-30 minutes.
The Tea Dragon Society! An adorable and very easy-to-learn deck-building game all about Dragons! Play across all four seasons in this beautiful short deck builder with gorgeous artwork.
Unlock!/Unlock! Kids! Escape rooms in a box, all you need is the Unlock! app and one of the eleven different versions we have available. Easy to play, with a tutorial in every box to quickly teach you the rules and an easy, medium or hard story in each box. Work together to unlock the secrets and escape in 60 minutes or less!
King of Tokyo/New York! Choose your Monster and roll dice to destroy the city and each other to be crowned the King of Tokyo/New York, but watch out, the army has come to fight back on behalf of humanity! An easy dice roller, suitable for all ages.
Games for families with young teens!
Now we move on to the slightly more complex board games that have more moving parts, but are still fun for the family and easy to learn!
New York Zoo! Build your own zoo by collecting Tetris-shaped enclosure tiles and filling them with adorable little wooden animals! The first person to complete their zoo wins, it's that simple!
Chronicles of Crime! Solve thefts and murders in this interactive detective game series! Take on the role of London's finest, or a 1920s Private Investigator, all you need is the Chronicles of Crime app so you can view the crime scenes and your best investigative team. This game is rated 12+ so please use your own discretion and feel free to ask us about the story contents.
Here To Slay! A take-that card game of defeating monsters, not unlike Munchkin! Choose your class, build your adventuring party and hope the dice roll in your favour otherwise you may be beaten to victory!
Men at Work! A dexterity game that can be played with just one hand! Be the safest builder on the worksite by playing out your girders or workmen without losing any (or as few as possible) safety certificates! With three different ways to set up, there's plenty of replayability and challenges to overcome!
Games for families with teens/young adults!
Last, but not least, a selection of games perfect for families getting into board games with older kids! Games that are fun for everyone, with light rules, and can be learned quickly (before people start getting distracted by technology!)
Blockbuster/Blockbuster Returns! A fun movie quiz game played by two teams! Go head-to-head naming movies from the randomly chosen category (eg. movies with dogs) and then do your best to Act It, Quote It, and One Word Describe It, to your team! The first team to collect one of each movie category wins!
Hardback! A deck-building spelling game! You don't need to have eaten the full dictionary to win this game, just spell words using the cards in your hand to gain points and coins to be able to spend on better cards for your deck! The first person to 50 points is the winner!
Escape the Dark Castle! A cooperative dungeon crawler with a dark choose your own adventure theme! You are prisoners who have escaped your cell and hope to break free from the dark castle, but the castle is full of perils and monsters to fight! You must all escape together or not at all in this dice-rolling adventure game. Or if fantasy isn't for you, Escape the Dark Sector is the sci-fi equivalent!
Chinatown! It's the best part of Monopoly we all enjoy, the negotiating, but without the part where you have to play Monopoly! Acquire businesses, trade with your fellow players, and build the most successful business block in Chinatown!
All of these, plus more, are available to play in our cafe! We are always happy to chat about board games and recommend games for you and your group, just ask!
Now you know what to play here's the exciting part! From July 25th to August 31st kids under the age of 10 can play for free with a paying adult*, and people under the age of 16 are half price (£1.50) with a paying adult*!
Have a wonderful Summer Holiday everyone!
Rhi & Drew
*Adult paying full price (£3) for games and purchasing a food/drink item from the menu, one adult per child.