Sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, we find games that disconnect us from the stresses and worries of every day life. Andrew and Anitra discover that they have different ideas of what helps them step away from the real world – but there’s some overlap, too.

When diving (“stooping”), the peregrine falcon can reach speeds of 389kph.

Owning a home isn’t for everyone, but if you want help talking through whether it makes sense for you to buy or rent, set up a free phone call by going to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers today.

Playing games is one of the ways we de-stress.

A Nice Cuppa (Anitra’s review)
Bite Your Tongue (read the transcript or watch the video)
Azul
Video Game Champion (again)
Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard – this builds off the ideas in Jekyll vs. Hyde and makes it a cooperative game.

(And check out the Kickstarter campaign for more games like this that 25th Century is bringing to the USA)

Little Alchemists (review coming soon)
Maul Peak (haven’t played it in a while but we still love it)

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Listeners tell us about their favorite “new” game in 2024. See responses on Discord and Facebook.

Check out Derek Bruff’s podcast episode about The Wolves.

A dumb game, but surprisingly fun, and very quick. Can you make yourself understood?

Read the transcript or watch the video of this very short review.

Andrew and Anitra deal with stress differently. Andrew needs to “disconnect” and do different things when he has too much on his plate. Anitra needs an escape that has simple rules and not too many choices.

We agree that word games are bad for this (although for different reasons).

Andrew doesn’t mind a lot of rules, but needs it to be a familiar game because learning a new game is too connected to the real world. Really deeply thematic or narrative games are great for him. But strong competition is not.

Anitra prefers gently competitive games (or solo) – the kind that leave her feeling accomplished, no matter how well she did compared to others.

Andrew says deduction (figuring out what other players have) is also bad for this. No games with limited communication or any game that increases FRICTION.

Little Alchemists (review coming soon) would be a great choice! It’s sort of co-operative, sort of competitive. Nothing grounded in “real life”, a limited set of decisions each turn, and you can’t plan very far ahead.

Roll Player – Andrew (primarily as solo)
A Gentle Rain – Anitra (our review)
Escape room games that have continuity between puzzles (Holiday Hijinks, maybe some Unlocks, the easier EXITs)
Abstract games with a limited decision space – like Quarto, Quoridor, Cinco Linko. We discuss whether Shobu or Tether work in this category.
Tasso Banana (our review) – and other games where you simply react to what is on the table.
Button Shy solo games – obviously A Nice Cuppa, but Anitra also loves ROVE and Sprawlopolis. Other themes might work better for other people.

What game do you play to disconnect and de-stress?

What’s the “number one game in your tool-belt to step away from the stresses and busy-ness of the world”?

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