It’s a game I really knew nothing about until I opened the box, but we ended up really enjoying.
Gameplay
A grid of 16 pictures is laid out and each person is given a set of random objects. Everyone draws a coordinate for a target picture and then they have to recreate that picture with their set of objects for everyone else to guess. You get points both for guessing other peoples’ cards correctly and for having your card guessed correctly. Then everyone rotates their object and a new round starts. After everyone has had every set (5 rounds) the game ends and points are tallied.
Thoughts
We were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked this game. My teenager requested to play again immediately. It feels unique in our collection and is a simple enough concept that we could teach it to almost anyone. On the other hand, execution can be tough. Some of the sets of objects (particularly the cards) were incredibly challenging, but each was distinct from the others. Exploring all of them is fun. A while back I saw a Christmas expansion for Pictures at a used game sale and I now really wish I would have picked it up! If only I would have known!
Game kindly gifted by the publisher, but, as always, the thoughts are completely my own.
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Honestly, when I bought Summer Camp, I did not know a whole lot about it other than it was supposed to be a good deck builder. Luckily, that turned out to be a pretty accurate description!
Gameplay
You are campers racing to earn merit badges and gain the best summer camp experience. Each game combines three different camp activity decks from which players can buy cards to add to their personal decks. You use your cards as either energy to buy more cards or to advance along the merit paths. The game ends when someone gets all three of their camper meeples to the end of each path. The winner is the camper with the most camp experience points.
Thoughts
I think this might be my new favorite competitive deck builder (Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle still wins favorite cooperative deck builder). The theme is fun and all of the cards and goals fit it very well. I enjoyed seeing what cards would come up for each activity. It has the components of a nice, streamlined deck builder, but having to race the meeples along the paths adds a fun additional element. Being able to chain bonuses is satisfying. I also like that some currency (energy) is limited to the turn while other can be saved (snack bars). With some planning, it makes it possible to acquire some of those higher value cards.
I love how well everything fits in the box. Since you only play with three of the seven decks in a given game, there's some variety for replayability.
I think my oldest could have probably played this game around 8 or 9, but it is still too complex for my 6 year old.
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Many children grow up in foreign countries because their parents decide to move. Whether this is something you always wanted to do or a choice forced by you or your partner's job, the fact remains that your child is growing up abroad.
This can present different challenges, especially regarding their education. They’re living in a foreign country and may not speak the language—what’s the best way to educate them? The answer tends to come down to three options, which we’ll examine in more detail in this post.
The immediate benefit of homeschooling is that it’s inexpensive. You also have more control over your child’s education, which means you can support them from a close distance. You control the curriculum and ensure they’re taught the most valuable lessons and skills.
The downside is that you might not be able to do this. Maybe you and your partner need to work and don’t have enough time to school your child. Also, do you have the patience or skills to teach a child? Some parents do, but others don’t.
Local schools are likely to be out of the question due to language barriers, but have you considered enrolling your child in an international school? Looking at www.kisrp.com, you can see that international schools are usually English-speaking schools designed for kids from various countries. It lets your child grow up without a language barrier while being in a proper school environment.
A big benefit of international schooling is that your child gets to meet other kids and develop social skills. These schools also give children access to more educational resources and proper teachers, which they miss out on when you school them from home. The only drawback is finding a school in your local area, which can be easier said than done in some locations.
Hiring a tutor is something of a middle-ground between the two previous ideas. Your child still learns from home; only they get a professional tutor to run all their lessons. It takes the pressure and stress away from the parents while ensuring the child gets the help they need.
Moreover, tutoring can be excellent when your child doesn’t work well in group environments. Perhaps their learning style is unique, and they’d benefit from more one-on-one tutoring. This approach still comes with a couple of drawbacks: your child may struggle to be sociable, and tutors are pretty darn expensive.
In conclusion, all three approaches will help your child receive education when living abroad. Some children and families will prefer one method over the other two. If there are some good international schools in your area, then this makes the most amount of sense. It gives your child a more conventional educational experience and helps them make friends. However, if you can’t find these schools - or believe your child will benefit from one-on-one teaching - then homeschooling or tutoring will be fine choices. Homeschool if you have the time and patience; pay for tutoring if your budget allows it or you’re too busy to teach.
***This is a contributed post
Some of my favorite games include roll and writes, plus ,I obviously have a thing for board games, so I immediately loved the idea of combining a whole bunch of games into one in Rolling Realms. I recently added Rolling Realms Redux to our collection.
Gameplay: Rolling Realms is a roll and write game where you select 3 cards, “realms” per round, over three rounds. These realms are mini games based on real board games. The goal is to earn as many stars as possible from each realm, gaining and using resources along the way to help get them. The original game comes with 11 realms and the Redux version comes with 12 new ones, plus enough room in the box to fit the original 11 and all current and planned promo realms. The Redux version can be purchased as a standalone, giving you everything you need to play and still have some variety between games.
Thoughts:
I LOVE that the new box can hold everything and save shelf space. I also love the new, huge pink and purple marbled dice! The markers for the Redux version worked much better for us than the markers from the original game. It is also nice that it comes with a compendium of rules covering all of the realms in existence, so that you don’t have to look between multiple rule books. The cards also summarize the rule right on them for once you know them and just need a refresher between games.
Overall, I enjoy the game and seem to enjoy it more each time I play. At first, it is a little annoying to have to look up how each realm works for each round, especially because some are more straightforward than others. I have had to look up clarification online for a couple of realms (looking at you Charterstone). My husband initially found the resources a bit tedious, but after more plays he was able to utilize them better and like the game better overall.
As with any game with variable goals, some combinations of realms per round work better than others. I think I enjoy the realms from Redux a little better, probably just because I am familiar with more of the inspiration games than in the original realms. They also included some "classics" like rock-paper-scissors and poker!
Now, I wouldn't suggest this roll and write for someone brand new to the hobby, but it's great for a more regular gamer. I’d suggest looking at which realms are included in each version and get the one that includes more games you’re familiar with. Or just get both for maximum variety.
Next I want to try pulling out just the cards needed for one game, the dice and the markers and see how easy it is to take on the go.
Expansion gifted by publisher for review purposes, but thoughts are my own.
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