I, Simone, will take over this blog. “Mwa ha ha ha!”
Just kidding! But I am actually taking over this blog. Ask Eric if you don’t believe me. I will still post things, though, so don’t worry!
Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category
I’m Taking Over!
Posted in Announcements on January 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Should we delete this blog?
Posted in Announcements, Opinions on January 15, 2012| 13 Comments »
So, like most blogs, this was full of good intentions and short on content. We had a lot of ideas for it, but life just got in the way of writing. Debating deleting it completely or leaving it up and maybe turn it over to my daughter if she wants to write about board games.
Out of the Box Gaming! Beyond Monopoly at the CH Booth Library
Posted in Announcements on April 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This Thursday, April 21st, we are hosting a different event. This time we are focusing on games for older kids, ages 9 and up. Sponsored by the Young Adult department at the CH Booth Library in Newtown, CT, we will be bringing a wider variety of games that will get the kids off of the TV and around the table. Party games, strategy games, war games, we will be teaching a wide number of games that appeal to teens and tweens. Come on out and play!
ConnCon 2011 is here!
Posted in Announcements on March 19, 2011| 1 Comment »
Got my bags packed and heading down to Stamford in a little bit to get some gaming in before running Beyond CandyLand. My daughter is coming to play some games too for the first time at the convention. We will be running our family game session from 1-4pm today, March 19th. Come on down!
The Holiday Inn is at 700 Main Street, Stamford, CT. Come on down!
Gaming for Tweens and Teens at ConnCon 2011.
Posted in Announcements on February 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »
On the Saturday event at ConnCon 2011, there will be special sessions running for the 10-16 year old set. Beyond CandyLand has been focusing on younger gamers, this session will have teachers running games that the older kids will enjoy playing. Perhaps while you and your younger one are playing with us! Games for these sessions are as follows:
8 AM until Noon will be Lisa Sutherland teaching Pyramid, a fun game about the Curse of the Mummy. Better for the younger tween.
1 PM until 5 PM will have Eric Summerer teaching Nuns on the Run, which would probably be enjoyed by a mix of ages.
7 PM until 11 PM will showcase Lisa Cho leading Bisikle, a zany dexterity racing game, good for all ages.
Also, your teen can check out any game from the extensive library of 200+ games. While teachers may not always be available, the librarian may be able to answer some basic questions and get you on the right path.
The daily pass for this event is $25.
ConnCon is coming!
Posted in Announcements on February 12, 2011| 1 Comment »
It’s that time again kids! We will be hosting a family boardgame session at ConnCon again this year. We will be there March 19th from 1-4 pm. This takes place at the Stamford Holiday Inn. Drop me a note if you are coming, there is no charge for attending this part of the convention. Parents must stay with their children or a free puppy and several espressos will be doled out.
Also, there will be a special teens and tweens gaming session on March 19th as well. When I find out more, I will post it here. Hope to see you there!
Buying games
Posted in Announcements, Opinions on February 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I love shopping, well most of it. I like wandering down aisles, poking at things, seeing what is there. Unfortunately, most places don’t have a game store that will accommodate that need. I have a couple of small shops that stock some games, but not very much. Even the so-called educational stores only stock games that would put your whole family to sleep or get them back on the Wii.
That leaves online shopping. Not as much fun, but at least you can get your hands on games that are worth dropping $50-60 for. I typically start off at BoardgameGeek, checking out the nominations for Children’s Game of the Year in Germany. Just because a game didn’t win, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check it out. In fact, you should! Poking around that site is always worth some time to get ideas and see what new games are coming out and then hoping to find them here in the US.
Language can be an issue, especially with games geared towards older kids. That’s why the Geek rules. People will let you know how language dependent a game is. I just bought a new game from Germany that requires no reading at all during game play, and it is a blast. The rules are usually translated into several languages and it is always fun to try to translate the titles of games with your kids.
So go and do a little research online and poke around the different internet retailers to see what they have to offer. Check out a few as the prices vary wildly as do shipping costs. Many stores have a magic number that will reduce the shipping charges to zero. Most of these shops are small enterprises and if you get confused, give a call, I bet you may find an actual person on the end of the line who actually likes to play games as much as you do!
Great day at the library!
Posted in Announcements, Opinions on January 26, 2011| 3 Comments »
Well, what a turn out today! I think we had over 50 people come and play our games. It was a great time and there was a lot of laughter and fun for the full three hours! Some of the tops hits were the classics. Chicken Cha Cha Cha, Chateau Roquefort, Viva Topo! and Ghost Chase all saw significant table time. Dancin’ Eggs, Giro Galoppo, Castle Keep, Kids of Catan also had multiple plays happening. In keeping with the weather, Igloo Pop drew some interest, which was nice as I had not played that one a lot since we got it when my own kids were little and it was too much for them.
Other break outs were Loot, Dead Man’s Treasure, Hamster Rolle, Ice Cream as games were flying off the show table and onto playing tables. The biggest question I had was about where to buy these games and when we were bringing them back.
Welcome Patch Readers
Posted in Announcements on January 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Hi there Newtown Patch readers! I noticed some folks coming on over from the brief article about our gaming event at the library on Saturday. I hope our little (and not often updated) blog helps you discover some ways to play some games with your children. Check out some of the initial articles for our thoughts on how to modify rules for various age groups and ways to play games with all sorts of kids. Each of our few reviews discusses ways we have modified the rules for those games as well. Thanks for coming and poking around!
Back to the Library!
Posted in Announcements on July 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »
On July 30th, we will be bringing our games back to the CH Booth Library in Newtown, CT. We will be there from 2-4 pm and will bring all of our games with us. There will be plenty for all kids and family members, even those that are just 3 years old.
We will also bring several party style family games like Bamboleo and Jungle Speed so the older kids can check out interesting things to do.
This is NOT a drop off program and adults are required to stay with their children. There are many small parts that can easily choke a toddler!
Beyond Candy Land 