Fun Game: Sleeping Queens

It's the holiday season again and that means my family is playing more games. My mom has been hunting for new games and one of her shopping choices, unbeknowst to me, was Sleeping Queens, a game I featured on the blog a few years ago, I believe. I hadn't played it then, but now, as of this past weekend, I have. It was fun and for anyone who enjoys fantasy and fairy tale tropes, it will be charming, too.

I admit, at first, as my brother read the game play instructions out loud my eyes crossed and I was not too eager to play. Some of this is because I am simply not much of a game player. But then the five of us started playing and quickly figured out the game play which was not nearly as complicated as it sounded at first. After three quick games we were just getting better at it and having fun when another game was chosen for testing, since Mom is gearing up for holidays and we were her guinea pigs. (Another big hit in a totally different way was Flickin' Chicken,* really, if your family and friends like to laugh, that is a game for anyone, for all ages.)

The game is for 8 and up and moves pretty quickly. The only real reason for the 8 and up is the need for some basic addition math skills, not just counting, like being able to figure out that 3 + 5 = 8. It is challenging enough to be interesting to adults but not too complicated for kids or reluctant game players like me.

From the Manufacturer

A Royalty rousing Card Game. Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, The Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to wake these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragon! The player who wakes the most queens wins. Ages 8 . 2-5 players can play this game in approx. 15 minutes. Contains 79 playing cards and rules of play in English.

Product Description

Imagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts? fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! HOW TO PLAY: Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons! The player who wakes the most queens wins. 2 to 5 players. Playing Time: 20 Minutes

And since I mentioned it above, really, Flickin' Chicken is funny. It consists of throwing chickens and had everyone begging for another turn trying to figure out strategy.

Mermaid Island Board Game

Mermaid Island is a board game for children that I stumbled across during my mermaid research for Mermaid and Other Water Spirit Tales From Around the World. This one interested me because it promotes cooperational play--everyone works together to defeat the sea witch--everyone wins or loses together. I haven't played it but the reviews are overall strong and I think the concept is strong. And it makes good use of the mermaid concept, too. I have to admit that I am not much into competition games--I only like playing against myself and many of our family games have been adapted to be fun and usually scoreless. My competitive spirit used to be high, but it was murdered years ago by my highly competitive high school.

Here's a description:

From the Manufacturer

Watch our, Mermaids. The Sea Witch is on the move. Together players help the Mermaids swim to Mermaid Island before the Sea Witch gets there. Spin and move, pick up a wand and get the power to defeat the Sea Witch.

Product Description

Mermaid Island - A Spin-and-Move Game of Adventure! Watch out Mermiads! The Sea Witch is on the move! Together players help the Mermaids swim to Mermaid Island before the Sea Witch gets there. Spin and move, pick up a wand and get the power to defeat the Sea Witch!

Children will learn:

- Strategy
- Shared Decision Making
- Following Directions
- Social and Emotional Development
- Cooperation

What is a cooperative game? It's a game where everyone plays together, no one is left out, and everyone has fun! In a cooperative game, players work together as a team against a common obstacle, not against each other.

Cooperative games emphasize play, not competition. Kids work together, they help each other and, most importantly, they play for FUN!

Cooperative Games foster:

- Non-stressful play situations
- Emotional development
- Shared decision making
- Creative problem solving
- A sense of community
- Positive self esteem
- Playfulness
- Cooperation

All Peaceable Kingdom Press cooperative games are printed with soy-based inks on FSC paper and include parts made only with recycled plastics. Games that are good for our planet and good for our kids!

The Book of Fairytale Pop-up Board Games

The Book of Fairytale Pop-up Board Games by Sadie Fields and illustrated by Gini Wade is out of print but was a rather unusual concept for recent fairy tale pop up books. It's a collection of board games in a book. It was never officially released in the U.S. from what I can see. It is still available for ordering at Amazon.co.uk but I wonder if it is truly available since it is listed as not available with the publisher, Tango Books.

From the publisher: "Four fairytales to read in the attached 14-page book:  Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, The Three Pigs and Cinderella.  Then four pop-up games to play--perfect for travelling!"

Now here are some images including a better cover:

Fairy Tale Games

I featured these last year as fairy tale themed games and thought I would list them again for our newer readers.  So here goes:

Fairytale Spinner Game

Tell Me A Story - Fairy Tale Mix-Up

Once upon a Time: The Storytelling Card Game

eeboo Once Upon a Time Fairytale Memory Matching Game

Fairytale Time Deck of Cards

Smallworld Game

Smallworld is another game receiving a lot of press this year. It is "on the slant" for the blog but since it deals with fantasy characters such as orcs, dwarves, giants, trolls, etc. and it is so popular right now and yet still obscure to many, I thought I'd cover it here.

Smallworld (ignoring the name's inadvertent reminder of a certain famous song and ride at some famous theme parks) is a version of Civilization, Risk, etc. but with fantasy characters and not grounded in history. It is also more lighthearted and plays faster for those who feel bogged down by those older games.

Manufacturer's product description:

Small World is a zany, light-hearted civilization game in which 2-5 players vie for conquest and control of a board that is simply too small to accommodate them all! Picking the right combination of fantasy races and unique special powers, players must rush to expand their empires - often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory. Designed by Philippe Keyaerts, as the fantasy follow-up to his award-winning Vinci, Small World is inhabited by a cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and even humans; who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands in order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Small World marks the return of the Days of Wonder line of heavily-themed, big-box sized games featuring evocative illustrations, high-quality European components and a compelling, fun theme.

This is the game that keeps appearing in all my research and on numerous displays. Apparently, if you like fantasy, especially Lord of the Rings style, and civilization games, this one is for you.

Honestly, this one would be most appealing to the menfolk in my family who adore Carcasonne but some of them don't adore fantasy (I know, how can I be related to them?) so I'm not sure how popular this one would be for my family. However, the fantasy side of it makes it appealing to me when I want to run screaming from the room whenever the other games are offered as entertainment.

Smallworld Game

Smallworld is another game receiving a lot of press this year. It is "on the slant" for the blog but since it deals with fantasy characters such as orcs, dwarves, giants, trolls, etc. and it is so popular right now and yet still obscure to many, I thought I'd cover it here.

Smallworld (ignoring the name's inadvertent reminder of a certain famous song and ride at some famous theme parks) is a version of Civilization, Risk, etc. but with fantasy characters and not grounded in history. It is also more lighthearted and plays faster for those who feel bogged down by those older games.

Manufacturer's product description:

Small World is a zany, light-hearted civilization game in which 2-5 players vie for conquest and control of a board that is simply too small to accommodate them all! Picking the right combination of fantasy races and unique special powers, players must rush to expand their empires - often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory. Designed by Philippe Keyaerts, as the fantasy follow-up to his award-winning Vinci, Small World is inhabited by a cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and even humans; who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands in order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Small World marks the return of the Days of Wonder line of heavily-themed, big-box sized games featuring evocative illustrations, high-quality European components and a compelling, fun theme.

This is the game that keeps appearing in all my research and on numerous displays. Apparently, if you like fantasy, especially Lord of the Rings style, and civilization games, this one is for you.

Honestly, this one would be most appealing to the menfolk in my family who adore Carcasonne but some of them don't adore fantasy (I know, how can I be related to them?) so I'm not sure how popular this one would be for my family. However, the fantasy side of it makes it appealing to me when I want to run screaming from the room whenever the other games are offered as entertainment.

Dixit Game

Dixit by Asmodée Editions is another game I discovered in my browsing this week. It is a storytelling game of sorts developed in France where it won best game of the year in Cannes as well as Games Magazine Awards Best Party Game 2010 Award.

The game is French, obviously, but has descriptions and instructions printed in multiple languages, conveniently one is English. What stands out about this game is how pretty it is. The art by Marie Cardouat is beautiful and features fairy tale imagery in general, not the specific. You can see more images on Board Game Geek. There will also soon be a Dixit 2 available as an expansion pack or stand alone game all its own. It is due out in 2010 from what I understand. When there is an expansion pack, one can assume the game is a bestseller. Just look at Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan games.

Here's a description of the game:

Each player at his turn plays the storyteller. He is given a single picture, while the other players get a hand of six pictures. The storyteller says a sentence or a word connected to his picture, then each player chooses one of his pictures to bet upon. All pictures are showed face up, and every player has to bet upon what picture was the storyteller's.

If nobody or everybody finds the correct picture, the storyteller scores 0, and each of the other players scores 2. Otherwise the storyteller and whoever found the correct answer scores 3. Players score 1 point for every vote gotten by their own pic.

The game ends when the deck is empty. The greatest total wins the game.

Now I have an Amazon link for this game above which allows me to use the game image without specific permissions--another reason I am an Amazon associate--but the game is currently way overpriced on Amazon US and can be found elsewhere on the web for under $50 USD. In fact, you could buy Dixit from Amazon.fr or even Amazon.co.uk and have it shipped internationally for less than $50 USD. The bargain hunter in me has to point that out.

Dixit Game

Dixit by Asmodée Editions is another game I discovered in my browsing this week. It is a storytelling game of sorts developed in France where it won best game of the year in Cannes as well as Games Magazine Awards Best Party Game 2010 Award.

The game is French, obviously, but has descriptions and instructions printed in multiple languages, conveniently one is English. What stands out about this game is how pretty it is. The art by Marie Cardouat is beautiful and features fairy tale imagery in general, not the specific. You can see more images on Board Game Geek. There will also soon be a Dixit 2 available as an expansion pack or stand alone game all its own. It is due out in 2010 from what I understand. When there is an expansion pack, one can assume the game is a bestseller. Just look at Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan games.

Here's a description of the game:

Each player at his turn plays the storyteller. He is given a single picture, while the other players get a hand of six pictures. The storyteller says a sentence or a word connected to his picture, then each player chooses one of his pictures to bet upon. All pictures are showed face up, and every player has to bet upon what picture was the storyteller's.

If nobody or everybody finds the correct picture, the storyteller scores 0, and each of the other players scores 2. Otherwise the storyteller and whoever found the correct answer scores 3. Players score 1 point for every vote gotten by their own pic.

The game ends when the deck is empty. The greatest total wins the game.

Now I have an Amazon link for this game above which allows me to use the game image without specific permissions--another reason I am an Amazon associate--but the game is currently way overpriced on Amazon US and can be found elsewhere on the web for under $50 USD. In fact, you could buy Dixit from Amazon.fr or even Amazon.co.uk and have it shipped internationally for less than $50 USD. The bargain hunter in me has to point that out.

Once Upon a Time Bingo

Found it! I wondered about a fairy tale bingo game a few weeks ago and I found one today. Turns out it is called Once Upon A Time Bingo Game and thus eluded my mad research skills.

This game is by eeBoo which has published many high quality children's games with fairy tale themes, most of which I have previously featured on this blog (see More Fairy Tale Games). I finally got to see many of these in person and they are printed on high quality paper and boards with good boxes. They are quite charming and I am even more impressed with them after handling them at a charming toy store. They are now higher on my personal wish list, too, I admit. eeBoo makes a fine product--these games do not come across as cheap generics but fun games featuring unbranded but recognizable characters.

Manufacturer's Product Description:

Fairytale characters and magical objects are featured on the pieces in the Once Upon A Time Bingo by eeBoo. Maybe a story will develop as you play! A character guide is included for each of the 36 tiles. 2 to 6 players Includes: 6 game boards 36 hexagonal tiles Hexagonal box is 8.75 x 10.

Once again, Amazon links are SurLaLune associate links but I have no other affiliation with the publisher or stores. See the disclosure notice link in the sidebar.

Once Upon a Time Bingo

Found it! I wondered about a fairy tale bingo game a few weeks ago and I found one today. Turns out it is called Once Upon A Time Bingo Game and thus eluded my mad research skills.

This game is by eeBoo which has published many high quality children's games with fairy tale themes, most of which I have previously featured on this blog (see More Fairy Tale Games). I finally got to see many of these in person and they are printed on high quality paper and boards with good boxes. They are quite charming and I am even more impressed with them after handling them at a charming toy store. They are now higher on my personal wish list, too, I admit. eeBoo makes a fine product--these games do not come across as cheap generics but fun games featuring unbranded but recognizable characters.

Manufacturer's Product Description:

Fairytale characters and magical objects are featured on the pieces in the Once Upon A Time Bingo by eeBoo. Maybe a story will develop as you play! A character guide is included for each of the 36 tiles. 2 to 6 players Includes: 6 game boards 36 hexagonal tiles Hexagonal box is 8.75 x 10.

Once again, Amazon links are SurLaLune associate links but I have no other affiliation with the publisher or stores. See the disclosure notice link in the sidebar.

Wise and Otherwise Board Game

I am traveling this week and had the opportunity over the weekend to explore a game store and discover a few more games of interest to me and perhaps you. The first is one I am considering for my own family, Wise and Otherwise.

This game is on the slant for the blog but still applicable because it uses folklore in a way. It is similar to Balderdash, a favorite in my family for several years, the game in which everyone writes definitions for obscure words and then tries to guess the correct ones. Wise and Unwise offers old and obscure old sayings from around the world, letting players create new endings and then everyone has to guess the correct one.


Editorial review from Amazon:

Voted a Best Party Game of the Year by Games magazine, Wise and Otherwise belongs next to Pictionary and Scrabble in your arsenal of fun. This creative, interactive game (read: everybody shouting, flailing, laughing) revolves around 500 cards, each emblazoned with five obscure and long-forgotten sayings from around the world. For example, one old Chinese saying is, "Don't add salt to a boatload of salt fish." One side of the card states, "Don't add salt to..." and it is the job of the players to devise probable endings. "Don't add salt to salty soup," for example. Or, "Don't add salt to the open wound." (The actual endings are listed on the flip sides of the cards.) A player wins points when other players vote for his or her special ending, or when the player guesses the actual ending, so the goal is to finish the proverb as convincingly as possible given the geographic region in question. Each elegant box contains one game board, 500 cards, six writing pads, six pencils, one die, and six player pawns. People who love language, oddly hilarious translations, offbeat proverbs, or just making people look foolish by guessing their very clever answers will adore this game. We predict: The one who plays this game ... will hear the laughter.

Product description from manufacturer:

In Wise and Otherwise there are 2,500 wise, funny and unusual old sayings from around the world, and more than a few possible endings! During play the first part of an actual but little known old saying is read aloud. Then, with a little wit and imagination each player writes an ending to go with the beginning. The made-up sayings are read aloud along with the actual old sayings, and everyone tries to guess the real one. You'll get points when other players think your ending is the real one, and points for guessing the real old saying. Contents of Wise and Otherwise: Gameboard 2,500 sayings on 500 cards Writing pads 6 pencils 1 six-sided die 6 player pawns Instructions

And I wonder how many of the old sayings were gathered from old folktales. I know this is the type of game we would play without the game board, usually not even taking score beyond congratulating whoever wrote the best ending in each round. Half of my family is very uncompetitive and so just enjoys playing for the fun of it. This is the type of game that easily accommodates our tastes. And in some ways it would be more fun than Balderdash, perhaps easier to write endings to sayings than convincing definitions. We also learned long ago that Balderdash isn't as much fun with players who have a strong Latin background because they can figure out many of the answers anyway. Although the newer versions of the game don't offer defintions exclusively. And of course, it was always a game that could be easily played with a good dictionary around and no game set at all. Old proverbs are not so easily gathered for a casual game at home for most of us.

So if anyone has played Wise and Otherwise, let me know if it is as fun as it looks.

Wise and Otherwise Board Game

I am traveling this week and had the opportunity over the weekend to explore a game store and discover a few more games of interest to me and perhaps you. The first is one I am considering for my own family, Wise and Otherwise.

This game is on the slant for the blog but still applicable because it uses folklore in a way. It is similar to Balderdash, a favorite in my family for several years, the game in which everyone writes definitions for obscure words and then tries to guess the correct ones. Wise and Unwise offers old and obscure old sayings from around the world, letting players create new endings and then everyone has to guess the correct one.


Editorial review from Amazon:

Voted a Best Party Game of the Year by Games magazine, Wise and Otherwise belongs next to Pictionary and Scrabble in your arsenal of fun. This creative, interactive game (read: everybody shouting, flailing, laughing) revolves around 500 cards, each emblazoned with five obscure and long-forgotten sayings from around the world. For example, one old Chinese saying is, "Don't add salt to a boatload of salt fish." One side of the card states, "Don't add salt to..." and it is the job of the players to devise probable endings. "Don't add salt to salty soup," for example. Or, "Don't add salt to the open wound." (The actual endings are listed on the flip sides of the cards.) A player wins points when other players vote for his or her special ending, or when the player guesses the actual ending, so the goal is to finish the proverb as convincingly as possible given the geographic region in question. Each elegant box contains one game board, 500 cards, six writing pads, six pencils, one die, and six player pawns. People who love language, oddly hilarious translations, offbeat proverbs, or just making people look foolish by guessing their very clever answers will adore this game. We predict: The one who plays this game ... will hear the laughter.

Product description from manufacturer:

In Wise and Otherwise there are 2,500 wise, funny and unusual old sayings from around the world, and more than a few possible endings! During play the first part of an actual but little known old saying is read aloud. Then, with a little wit and imagination each player writes an ending to go with the beginning. The made-up sayings are read aloud along with the actual old sayings, and everyone tries to guess the real one. You'll get points when other players think your ending is the real one, and points for guessing the real old saying. Contents of Wise and Otherwise: Gameboard 2,500 sayings on 500 cards Writing pads 6 pencils 1 six-sided die 6 player pawns Instructions

And I wonder how many of the old sayings were gathered from old folktales. I know this is the type of game we would play without the game board, usually not even taking score beyond congratulating whoever wrote the best ending in each round. Half of my family is very uncompetitive and so just enjoys playing for the fun of it. This is the type of game that easily accommodates our tastes. And in some ways it would be more fun than Balderdash, perhaps easier to write endings to sayings than convincing definitions. We also learned long ago that Balderdash isn't as much fun with players who have a strong Latin background because they can figure out many of the answers anyway. Although the newer versions of the game don't offer defintions exclusively. And of course, it was always a game that could be easily played with a good dictionary around and no game set at all. Old proverbs are not so easily gathered for a casual game at home for most of us.

So if anyone has played Wise and Otherwise, let me know if it is as fun as it looks.

Frog Juice Game

Another game loosely inspired by fairy tales, Frog Juice. This one uses some general fairy tale tropes, mostly the generic witch tropes found in fairy tales.

Here's an editorial review from Amazon:

How would you create a magic spell? You might need some unicorn horn or some eye of newt, or maybe some bats or toadstools or star and moon dust. But be forewarned as you're stirring up your potion--you'd better be wary of a black cat or the powerful All-Purpose Witch Wash! One of your opponents might even be brewing up an Uglifying Spell. ("Results guaranteed to crack mirrors at a single glance!") All of these magical ingredients are part of Frog Juice, an imaginative card game for two to four players that uses fairy-tale elements from fair maids to frogs to create a game that both kids and adults will enjoy. This game of strategy includes 44 ingredient cards and 15 power cards, each with an illustration that looks like it came straight out of a fairy-tale book. Cards are played in the center of the game and then captured by other players by matching numerical values or by using stronger powers. --Marcie Bovetz

And a description from the manufacturer, Gamewright, which isn't as helpful:

A clever card game of spells and concoctions. Cast spells, brew concoctions, melt witches...use a smidgen of math and a pinch of probability. Capture cards by matching or adding cards from your hand. Then count ingredients and measure your powers.

The game is said to promote math skills which is always a good thing, too.

Frog Juice Game

Another game loosely inspired by fairy tales, Frog Juice. This one uses some general fairy tale tropes, mostly the generic witch tropes found in fairy tales.

Here's an editorial review from Amazon:

How would you create a magic spell? You might need some unicorn horn or some eye of newt, or maybe some bats or toadstools or star and moon dust. But be forewarned as you're stirring up your potion--you'd better be wary of a black cat or the powerful All-Purpose Witch Wash! One of your opponents might even be brewing up an Uglifying Spell. ("Results guaranteed to crack mirrors at a single glance!") All of these magical ingredients are part of Frog Juice, an imaginative card game for two to four players that uses fairy-tale elements from fair maids to frogs to create a game that both kids and adults will enjoy. This game of strategy includes 44 ingredient cards and 15 power cards, each with an illustration that looks like it came straight out of a fairy-tale book. Cards are played in the center of the game and then captured by other players by matching numerical values or by using stronger powers. --Marcie Bovetz

And a description from the manufacturer, Gamewright, which isn't as helpful:

A clever card game of spells and concoctions. Cast spells, brew concoctions, melt witches...use a smidgen of math and a pinch of probability. Capture cards by matching or adding cards from your hand. Then count ingredients and measure your powers.

The game is said to promote math skills which is always a good thing, too.

Sleeping Queens Game

Here's another fairy tale inspired game, albeit loosely, the Sleeping Queens card game. This one uses Sleeping Beauty, of course, without Little Red Riding Hood in sight! And the sleeping women are queens, not princesses, which I find I prefer.

Product Description from Gamewright:

Parents' Choice Recommended. Imagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts' fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons! The player who wakes the most queens wins.

Thanks to SkateJ for directing me to this one!

Sleeping Queens Game

Here's another fairy tale inspired game, albeit loosely, the Sleeping Queens card game. This one uses Sleeping Beauty, of course, without Little Red Riding Hood in sight! And the sleeping women are queens, not princesses, which I find I prefer.

Product Description from Gamewright:

Parents' Choice Recommended. Imagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts' fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons! The player who wakes the most queens wins.

Thanks to SkateJ for directing me to this one!

Scary Tales Card Game

Here is another fairy tale card game that came out this year from Playroom Entertainment. This one comes in sets of decks with two released so far: Scary Tales Deck 1 Little Red Riding Hood vs. Pinnochio and Scary Tales Deck 2 The Giant vs Snow White. You can play with one deck or increase the deck by adding the second one. I imagine if the game does well, we will see other decks, too, but so far the company website is under construction and far, far from helpful.


Here's the publisher's description:

The bards have sung of Scary Tales in the kingdom of old. The king has died, leaving no heirs, and all has fallen into shadow. The enchanted forest is feared. The castle is covered in dark clouds. Evil has crept into the lives of the townsfolk and the corruption has affected all. Only those with the utmost abilities in strength, wisdom, magic and luck will be able to collect enough relics from the stories of long ago to prove themselves worthy of being the new leader...Little Red is a scorned girl on a mission to prove that you may be able to fool her once, but you can't fool her twice! Pinocchio is a fibbing, scheming puppet that won't let you pull his strings. They both want to rule over the land, and they've got the drive to win. With the help of their companions, the Woodsman and the Cricket, each of them will be tough to beat.Add another deck and use any combination of characters to make a 2 - 4 player game: Scary Tales - The Giant vs. Snow White For 2 players (if playing with only one deck; each deck adds up to two players), ages 10 and up. Playing time: 20 minutes.

I found this review of the game at Our panel plays, grades the board games of 2009:

Scary Tales (Playroom, $15; 2 players; age 13+; 20 min.) This card game by inventor Reiner Knizia imagines fairy-tale characters as bad-ass cartoon warriors locked in a struggle for valuable relics. Your ability to steal your opponent's relics depends on dice rolls, supplemented by whatever special abilities you may have gathered, and the whole thing is pleasant but not very challenging; in particular, there's no defense and thus no real interaction between players. Combining card decks for a multi-player game is somewhat more rewarding - but then of course you have to buy it twice.

And note that Little Red Riding Hood gets a game again. She gets around.

Scary Tales Card Game

Here is another fairy tale card game that came out this year from Playroom Entertainment. This one comes in sets of decks with two released so far: Scary Tales Deck 1 Little Red Riding Hood vs. Pinnochio and Scary Tales Deck 2 The Giant vs Snow White. You can play with one deck or increase the deck by adding the second one. I imagine if the game does well, we will see other decks, too, but so far the company website is under construction and far, far from helpful.


Here's the publisher's description:

The bards have sung of Scary Tales in the kingdom of old. The king has died, leaving no heirs, and all has fallen into shadow. The enchanted forest is feared. The castle is covered in dark clouds. Evil has crept into the lives of the townsfolk and the corruption has affected all. Only those with the utmost abilities in strength, wisdom, magic and luck will be able to collect enough relics from the stories of long ago to prove themselves worthy of being the new leader...Little Red is a scorned girl on a mission to prove that you may be able to fool her once, but you can't fool her twice! Pinocchio is a fibbing, scheming puppet that won't let you pull his strings. They both want to rule over the land, and they've got the drive to win. With the help of their companions, the Woodsman and the Cricket, each of them will be tough to beat.Add another deck and use any combination of characters to make a 2 - 4 player game: Scary Tales - The Giant vs. Snow White For 2 players (if playing with only one deck; each deck adds up to two players), ages 10 and up. Playing time: 20 minutes.

I found this review of the game at Our panel plays, grades the board games of 2009:

Scary Tales (Playroom, $15; 2 players; age 13+; 20 min.) This card game by inventor Reiner Knizia imagines fairy-tale characters as bad-ass cartoon warriors locked in a struggle for valuable relics. Your ability to steal your opponent's relics depends on dice rolls, supplemented by whatever special abilities you may have gathered, and the whole thing is pleasant but not very challenging; in particular, there's no defense and thus no real interaction between players. Combining card decks for a multi-player game is somewhat more rewarding - but then of course you have to buy it twice.

And note that Little Red Riding Hood gets a game again. She gets around.

Fairy Tale Activity Books

Okay, so I found many more fairy tale themed mini-books during my searches and wanted to share these too since they don't usually appear in the common searches. All are by Dover and make great stocking stuffers or just envelope stuffers being cheaper than most greeting cards, especially with Amazon's buy three, get fourth free offers available for most of them. I like to have them on hand as gifts to the children in my life. Some of these appear in Cracker Barrels and bookstores across the country, but many of the fairy tale themed ones are harder to find.


Storybook Mazes: 23 stories and mazes on two-page spreads: Includes fairy tales such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Tom Thumb as well as other classic literature like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, Robin Hood, etc. This one is not a mini-book, but full sized and better suited to older kids.


Fairy Tale Search-a-Word: Simple puzzles ask young players to find hidden words from "Rumpelstiltskin," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Three Little Pigs," and 23 other popular fairy tales. Solutions included.


Fairy Tales Activity Book: Mazes, crosswords, and other fun-filled activities feature such fairy tale favorites as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Three Little Pigs. 48 puzzles.


Invisible Fairy Tales Magic Picture Book: Elves, wolves, and other creatures magically appear when you rub each "invisible" picture with a pencil tip. 16 puzzles.


Glitter Fairy Tale Stickers: Sparkling images of a knight in shining armor, lovely ladies, a friendly dragon, a wizard in a pointy hat, and more add storybook appeal to lunch boxes, notebooks, and other flat surfaces. 12 full-color illustrations.


Twelve Fairy Tale Bookmarks: Characters from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, 8 more.


Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales Bookmarks: Charming scenes from 12 classics including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Red Shoes.