We’ve been looking for games that capture some of the spooky feeling of the Halloween season, without being too scary or too difficult for younger children. We cover four of our favorites, recommendations from our listeners, and give the run-down of what we’ve been playing.

What we’ve been playing:

Scythe – a beautiful, elegant game. We spent the first 12 minutes talking about Scythe because we enjoyed it so much.

Magic Maze – this might be our new favorite game. Timed co-operative play for 2-8 players. Not being allowed to talk to each other makes the game more challenging but also more interesting. And the artwork is fantastically funny.

Brew Dice

Super Hack Override (here’s our review)

Downforce (here’s our review)

NMBR 9

Bob Ross: Art of Chill

Illuminati – 35th anniversary this year! We’ve probably been playing it for 20 years. You play as an “illuminati” (secret society) aiming to take over the world by developing a network of other groups that you control. The money makes it a little bit fiddly, but the fun is worth it.

Super Smash Brothers WiiU – our three year old actually won a round!

Rummikub – another classic. Andrew’s sister enjoyed it so much she turned around and ordered her own copy.

Robo Diner – a game coming soon to The Game Crafter.

Counting Kingdom – a great game that drills arithmetic skills (mostly addition & subtraction)

For Science!

Andrew repeated his “Spicy Sweet Chili Dorito”-breaded chicken experiment. Baking did improve the flavor and texture, but most of the special flavor was lost in cooking.

Backtalk!

Chad Gray’s story about playing games together becomes creating a game together, and eventually launching it via Kickstarter. (The game is Goatfish; the Kickstarter is already doubly funded.)

Four Halloween Games for Kids

We want something a little spooky, but not too scary (or too difficult!) for the kids. Our community was helpful in this regard, and you should check out their recommendations.

Potion Explosion – Spencer and Lara (Married with Board Games) first introduced us to Potion Explosion when we had them on the podcast in March. Since then, we’ve grown to love this game, and it fits well with a Halloween theme.

Voodoo – from Mayday Games. “Curse” your friends and make it increasingly difficult for them to keep playing.

BOO – Cute (and tiny!) two-player puzzle game. Use ghosts to scare each other and flip cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most ghosts of their color showing, wins! Only $5, and you could pick it up at a Barnes & Noble today.