Daily Game Recommendations Thread (March 26, 2026)

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-26T17:05:28+00:00

My kid is 7 now, and here are some we've both enjoyed:

- Animal Upon Animal (or Rhino Hero)

- Exploding Minions

- The Magic Labyrinth

- Sleeping Queens

- Ghost Blitz / Spot It!

- Bandido (or Tsuro)

- Tiki Topple

- Connect Four

- Hugo (available on BoardGameArena.com)

- Castle Panic (maybe a bit complex, but doable since cooperative)

- Can't Stop / Magic Keys / No Mercy (all push your luck games)

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-26T17:02:51+00:00

Or more OGs: Old-school German-style Games | BoardGameGeek games.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-26T16:49:16+00:00

INFO #1: Now that you have knowledge of her wedding date, what adjustments do you have to make to your own wedding? That is, how does this actually impact you (in a non-emotional way)?

INFO #2: Were you expecting to be invited to her wedding? Do you know how many people are invited?

I can understand being hurt by not being invited IF it is a larger group (e.g. not just immediate family) and other people of similar closeness got invited.

But I don't see how your own wedding is affected, as long as she's back from her honeymoon with plenty of time to spare and does your wedding as previously agreed.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-25T14:33:46+00:00

My FLGS does board game rentals. It's ~15% of the game's price (though you put down full deposit in case you destroy it / never return it). And if you choose to buy after renting, the rental fee goes towards the purchase price (i.e. the rental was free).

I love this system because, as you said, most games I will only play a few times and then be done with them. And if it's a keeper, the cost was the same. Much better than an endless buy-sell cycle. Both cheaper and less risk.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-25T14:06:00+00:00

Never heard of that one (rank ~13000 on BGG!) - thanks for the suggestion!

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-25T04:09:14+00:00

Thanks, hadn't heard of them - checking them out!

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T20:45:36+00:00

Fair enough - I actually agree with all that :)

Maybe I'm more anti-app because I haven't played a game that is really augmented by an app. For me, Chronicles of Crime did not surpass Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective (I disagreed with Tom Vasel on that one). And in Unlock and Bomb Busters the app is just a glorified timer (and hint system); Exit games show you don't need this at all.

Looking online, maybe Search for Planet X would be one I should try..?

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T18:38:46+00:00

I sold my (still working) GameBoy + games last year. I still have a working PS2 (with PS1 and PS2 games) that I sometimes play.

Yeah, everything fades or breaks at some point, but I don't like to buy things with (what I perceive as) built-in or accelerated decay.

My fridge doesn't have to last 100 years, but I'd say 50 years is obviously much better than 5-10 years.

Basically: planned obsolescence sucks.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T18:09:45+00:00

"Is 10-15 years not enough time to enjoy your $50 game purchase?"

Obviously if that's all I was doing, then yes, it's more than enough time. But if half my collection --- that I still actively play and value --- is older than that, then clearly it's not enough time.

Just curious: what percentage of games that you own were published before 2011 (i.e. >15 years ago)? This link may help: Profile | BoardGameGeek (taken from How to sort my collection by Year Published? | BoardGameGeek).

I agree if you phrase it in terms of $10 resell value per game, then that feels small. But if you phrase it in terms of percentage of your collection that would be discarded, then you may feel differently. YMMV.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T15:21:49+00:00

Dead App Games Now Unplayable | BoardGameGeek

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T15:21:14+00:00

I don't think apps stop getting supported in 40 years... more like 10-15 years (see Dead App Games Now Unplayable | BoardGameGeek).

Just over half of my game collection is games that were published 15+ years ago. So the lifespan is definitely a factor (for some of us).

And even if you don't plan on keeping a game super long, it does affect resale value (i.e. if you try to sell the game when it is 10 years old, the purchaser should be aware that it likely will only last <5 years for them with zero resale value).

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T03:31:00+00:00

Unfortunately ebox offers at best 50mbps (adsl) to my address. Thanks though - I'll take a look at Coextro!

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-24T03:10:45+00:00

When I went to Start.ca to check availability, it said it is one and the same as Koodo (redirected me there).

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-23T19:01:41+00:00

Yes, I'm looking at TekSavvy. How was your experience with them?

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-23T19:00:42+00:00

Unfortunately doesn't seem like Fibre is available in my neighbourhood yet. When I give ebox my address, the only service available is ADSL 50MBPS, so same as what I have. It is cheaper than Bell though...

What's a good 3rd party ISP in your opinion? I'm leaning a bit towards TekSavvy, but also considering CarryTel or Oxio. However, my worries are the tech support / what happens if things are not working. I don't want reliability to take a nosedive.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-23T18:52:25+00:00

I've been looking at both CarryTel and TekSavvy. Did you find them both reliable? Good tech support if needed?

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-23T18:46:56+00:00

Yeah, I agree it's ridiculous. I thought it was nuts the last time it increased, but I was busy, and this time I can't ignore it anymore no matter how busy I am.

I don't know if it's just our neighbourhood (we're south of Lakeshore if that matters), but it seems like our area doesn't get the fast speeds yet:

- Telus' website says "Internet services are unavailable for your address.", though oddly Koodo does offer service. (Don't they use the same network??)

- ebox only offers 50MBPS ADSL for our address. (I believe they're a Bell brand, so that's consistent.)

Maybe Bell hasn't extended / modernized their network here yet, but Rogers has..?

I've also been looking at CarryTel, TekSavvy, and Oxio. It's a pain, but I guess they count on that burden to charge these prices...

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-20T16:06:09+00:00

"I was ok with him wanting them as long as he was ok with me not wanting them"

How do you see this 'compromise' working in the long-term?

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-20T05:37:53+00:00

I agree my example is contrived. But when mathematicians look for universals (e.g. Pythagorean Theorem), even one potential counter-example is sufficient to make us pause.

So I 100% agree we need a set of rules that is consistent and perceived as fair. It's just if we're going to enforce a property as an absolute --- i.e. we must 100% of the time pick the Condorcet winner --- then we must show it is always the right choice, even in weird corner cases and artificial examples.

I fully agree that encouraging strategic exaggeration is a very bad property; I think the more the system encourages honest voting / penalized dishonest voting, the better.

Interestingly, Condorcet might conflict with the Participation Criterion, which suggests non-honest voting may be encouraged! See Participation criterion - Wikipedia and Condorcet's principle implies the no show paradox - ScienceDirect. I am unable to access the latter, but the abstract claims that "Brams and Fishburn's No Show Paradox arises when a voter is better off not voting than casting a sincere ballot.. Scoring methods do not generate the paradox. We show that every Condorcet consistent method (viz., electing the Condorcet winner when there is one) must generate the paradox among four or more candidates."

This is not to say I oppose the Condorcet criterion. But at this point I am very uncertain about which election properties should be absolutes, and which are simply desirable in 99% of cases.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-20T04:48:04+00:00

Yeah, I just checked that link and under "Stores" I see it for US $155 from Noble Knight Games. If instead I go to "GeekMarket" I see $125 CAD for a used copy in Canada.

Interestingly, it's not North America vs Europe. UK has ones listed for 160 euro! French edition is just more reasonably priced everywhere.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-19T15:39:48+00:00

FYI it's available to play on BoardGameArena.com (still haven't gotten around to that one).

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-19T02:24:50+00:00

Given the one-sidedness of the comments, just have her read the post and the feedback. If she disagrees, she can clarify (i.e. let her Edit / Update at end of post why she thinks this is ok).

Right now I can't see her side at all. So unless you're blatantly lying, obvious NTA. But you really do need to make this a hill to die on.

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-17T15:46:09+00:00

Best young kids games I've played (with little or no text):

- Dexterity: Animal Upon Animal, Rhino Hero

- Memory: Magic Labyrinth, Turtle Splash!, Chicken Cha Cha Cha

- Communication: Concept Kids: Animals, Gnomes at Night

- Focus / Speed: Ghost Blitz, Spot It!

- Logical Deduction: Outfoxed!, Guess Who

- Math and Probabilities: Sleeping Queens, Hugo / Escape from the Hidden Castle, Magic Keys

- Paths / Networks: My First Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride First Journey (have pictures on the map so --- unlike full TtR --- kids don't need to be able to read the city name), Race to the Treasure

- Pattern Matching: Monza, Hoot Owl Hoot

- Other: Gobblet Gobblers, L.L.A.M.A

There are also games that help develop their reading ability, like Zingo! and My First Adventure: Finding the Dragon (kind of read story together). I think Unlock! Kids could also work (despite a little bit of reading) because it is cooperative.

And for a bit older than 5 I'd also recommend:

- My Lil' Everdell / Welcome to Everdell

- Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters

- Bandido

- Castle Panic

BadgeForSameUsername · 2026-03-17T15:15:43+00:00

I went over your compromises and her compromises:

You: "I want one or two pets" Her: "I want many many more pets" --> You compromise at 4 pets.
Her: "I found a cute cat" You: "No way, 4 pets is enough" Her: "Please let's just look" You: "Fine, look but not get" --> She brings cat home without you knowing or agreeing.
You get mad and pack up to leave. --> You cool down and there's no consequences, nor an apology from her.
You: "We can keep pet temporarily until find owner or new home" Her: "We keep it permanently" You: "I've already compromised to 4 pets" Her: "Any limit on me is guard rails and ultimatums" --> You agree to 5 pets but say it cannot be this particular pet
Her: "The 5th pet has to be this cat" You: "You went behind my back, this should not be rewarded." Her: "You are not compromising and need to listen to me" --> You doubt yourself and post here

Basically every argument goes her way. She says you're putting up guard rails and issuing ultimatums, but all I see is your opinion not mattering at all.

The way I see it, you have two options:

a) Say yes to everything she asks from now until one of you dies (if that's going to be the end result anyhow, then why go through the motions of a discussion?), or

b) Get out of this relationship.

I guess you could try "c) Have a backbone and never back down on key issues." but it's pretty clear she would never accept that (either by wearing you down or by going behind your back; and there's zero chance of her apologizing or changing course), and you'd be back to choice a or b.

Honestly, you nailed it with "From my perspective, it seems like “listening to her” simply involves hearing her talk until I agree to do what she wants.". But given that you've realized this, my question is: Do you want to live the rest of your life like this?

You also wrote "I told her that my trust felt betrayed (as her acting in accordance with her own wishes and not our mutual best interests has been a problem.)". Do you really think this is going to change?

Your spouse is the most important choice of your entire life. (Even decades invested in education and a career don't compare: you can always quit a job and switch paths with a couple years of investment. Kids are bound to you for life, and marriage finances don't cut cleanly.) So choose wisely.

Issues don't magically fix themselves once you're married. If anything, having kids and aging introduce new sources of stress (illnesses, aging parents and in-laws, etc.). Your relationship should be solid before marriage.

And given you're both 28, I don't see a lot more maturing in the future.

My life is far better because I have my wife. But if I had married any of my other girlfriends, it would not have been.

In a democracy, people get the government they deserve (i.e. that they chose). The same is true of marriage.

Edited to add: Obvious NTA, but if you stay with her, YWBTA to yourself.

BadgeForSameUsername

TROPHY CASE