Tag Archives: kids

GenCon 2017 Mega Rundown – Kids

Women and children first, well children anyway.  This year’s barrage of GenCon photos starts with all the games that I deemed best fit for kids, and there were a lot of them this year (mostly thanks to HABA and Peaceable … Continue reading

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Review of Blend Off!

Blend Off! is a real time game in which all players are frantically rolling dice to collect fruit, blending smoothies, and filling orders to earn gold stars. Makes total sense, right? To best understand the theme and mechanisms of the game, it’s important to know the backstory. Here it is as told in the rules…

Blend it Like Becca — a small-town smoothie shop sensation! It’s been a slow night. Becca the shop owner, Kevin the runner boy, and the Master Mixers – including you! – have started closing up shop. One minute before close, the door swings open. Outside, you see parked school buses and a line of people all the way to the street corner! The high school girls’ volleyball tournament has just gotten out, and everyone is craving a smoothie for the ride home. Becca cuts a deal: whoever blends the most smoothies tonight gets free smoothies for a month! The Blend Off has begun, and only one can win. There’s just one problem: Kevin. Skittish at best on normal days, he flies into a frenzy, grabbing fruit for you from the fridge at random. Take the fruit Kevin brings, complete the orders Becca calls back, and blend your way to victory!

In the game, players represent the Master Mixers who are competing to blend the most smoothies. Each Master Mixer rolls a Fruit Die representing Kevin\ and the random fruits he retrieves from the refrigerator. The deck of Blender Cards represents Becca who is continuously calling out smoothie orders to be filled. Unlike many games, there are no individual turns. Players are all playing and taking actions simultaneously until the game ends (when Becca is out of orders). The player that earned the most gold stars from blending smoothies is the winner. Continue reading

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Father in the Messe: Day 1

Today we play! No excuses, no regrets. We will take no prisoners! We were at the Messe enough time before the opening to be able to let our jackets in the press-room wardrobe. As usual all the lockers were already … Continue reading

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Father in the Messe: Day 0

Today is “the day”, when left behind ordinary customs and traditions me and Caterina convert in real “gaming machine” ready to play everything will be served on our tables. Of course we have likings and prejudices, expectations and wishes but … Continue reading

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