With all the tablets and smart devices around, getting kids to sit down and play a board game can be super hard. Like with most grooming techniques, it is best to start young.
Getting board gaming normalized at an early ages makes life easier and allows you to splurge a bit of cash without your other half getting too mad whilst keeping playing those board games.
There are many off the shelf products you know and love that have been kiddified, and there are a few easy tweaks you can make to your favourites to help reel those kids in.
A favourite game of mine recently has been Scythe, but with limited time and kids, it was getting hard to play. Turns out I was not the only one. Introducing “My little Scythe”. A My Little Pony conversion. An instant winner. Hoby Chou was obviously bored talking to his daughter, and maybe a bit too into My Little Pony came up with this little gem. It was an instant hit with fathers around the world. Now it has been picked up my a big manufacturer and de-ponyfied but is still kid bait.
After a few games of this Carcassonne seems positively simple, swap the meeples for your kids favorite figurines and you’re away.
I have found the gateway games, Carcassonne, Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride are definitely winners and can be picked up at an early age. They are also available on tablets so the kids a can play in their favourite medium and have an occasional game with the old man.
Playing Hero Quest no problem, add some cute little animals for the kids to rescue. There is a reason people in vans use puppies; kids love animals. Things are getting a bit close, and the kids are about to rage quit as their barbarian is about to die, bring in the flying hamster to save the day.
Next, you are playing Bolt Action with Sylvanian Families or Warhammer Kill Team Peppa Pig vs Hello Kitty.
D&D with kids can be fun, but what about a safe role-playing game where everyone is a mouse? Try Mouse Guard. Why worry about orcs and goblins when a stoat or weasel can be far more compelling? Not only that, you will have the pleasure of trying to track down a copy of the second edition board game and learn an obscure ruleset with very minimal YouTube help and a slightly deranged Discord channel.
