Word on the Street Junior Review by Crafty

When I received my March Awesome Pack, I mentioned that I wanted to review each of the games as we played them. We played Word on the Street Junior shortly after the box arrived; in fact we have played it several times, but I am just getting around to the review now.

Awesome Pack Review: April 2015

I really hate having to pause certain subscriptions, and I especially hate it with Awesome Pack, because they do such a good job customizing each pack to our interests. However, we are now two months behind on playing any of the games we've received and until we settle in the new house, it doesn't make sense to have more to move. I will definitely return to Awesome Pack immediately upon settling, though!

This month, we received our cat toys, but asked to hold off on the little bonus items simply because everything is in boxes right now and the less we have to move, the better. 

Geek Subscription Boxes: List, Recommendations, and Thoughts

Everyone is very different, so what I consider a great subscription box could be way off for someone else. However, my husband's students asked him recently about Loot Crate, and he had plenty to say about why that would be a waste of the kids' money, but he couldn't remember which ones were the best. We get so many that it often becomes hard to track what comes from who and what's worth the expense. He asked me to make him a list for his students, but I was already thinking of doing that anyway. Recently, BuzzFeed had its own list and I was excited to see some of the great ones on there that don't get as much hype as the others. Instead of a best kind of list, I decided to do a pros and cons  overview - BASED ENTIRELY ON OUR EXPERIENCES AND PREFERENCES. I collect Funko POP figures and I love Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. My husband and I are gamers and he has read comics since he knew how to read. We don't really play Nintendo and we don't have kids. These are the kinds of things that do make a difference, because what we prefer may not be the same as someone who doesn't like the same things.

I'm going alphabetically and I'm also including a few that are geeky in their own right, although not technically fandom-based. I also included a link to a review for each so you can see the items included in the box.

Awesome Pack Review (Boxy's Version): March 2015

I am such a fan of Awesome Pack. When I first saw this subscription box, I felt like it was meant for me, but then I worried that it wouldn't work because most of the reviews I saw were from families. We don't have kids and we don't play games, outside of online games, with friends due to distance. So I wasn't sure it would end up working, but every month, Awesome Pack just really seems to understand us. 

Since Crafty signed up for her own month, I was pretty excited, because to get the same subscription in a month and have them be so different clearly shows the customization that goes into these boxes. 

Our primary game was Al Rashid. We haven't had a chance to play anything yet, but this is a complex trading game that sounds really intriguing. Since we loved the Road to Canterbury game so much last month, this seems like a good fit, too. One thing I have to say impresses me about Awesome Pack is the quality of the games they include. We've found that the games are always well over what we pay for the subscription and the value of the box is excellent. In addition, after three months, I feel like it grows even more customized and personal each time. I was very happy with our first box, truly impressed with the second, and this one - our third - feels even more like Awesome Pack knows us. 

Awesome Pack Review from Crafty: March 2015

After months of Boxy telling me that I needed Awesome Pack, I gave in. I wasn't sure I wanted to put out the money, but Mr. Crafty agreed it would be something worth trying for the kids.

Month in Review: Hits and Misses of March 2015

March was a much longer month and there were a lot of stragglers from February that ended up being delivered in March due to weather and so on. Some of those end up in the mix for March because they deserve a fair shot, too. I also decided to cut back on a lot, although that will really impact April and moving forward from there since there will be far fewer boxes coming.

Fortunately, there were no horrible issues as there had been these past few months with French Box, Try the World, and Loot Crate. Instead, this month's misses are really just based on my personal preferences and interests. There were some that were a lot worse than others for me, but honestly, none of these are boxes I would strongly advise other people not to order if they thought it felt like a match for them. I am happy to say that, this month, they're just things I didn't like. Some I STRONGLY disliked, but again, to each his own.

The Game of Baloney Board Game Review

The Game of Baloney was one of our games from our Awesome Pack back in January, but we just got around to trying it. It's really designed as more of a party game so since there are only two of us, we put it off for a bit to play games better suited for just us. You can play The Game of Baloney with two people, but it's better with a group.

This is a fun game that basically tests your knowledge, as well as your ability to lie. You are given a fact and then there are three add-on details. One is true, one is a lie, and one is an outrageous lie. You read one aloud and people need to guess if you're telling the truth or lying. There is a whole betting system, too, but since it was just the two of us, we actually skipped the board and betting and just guessed to see who would get the most cards first.

The Road to Canterbury Board Game Review

I received this game in my recent Awesome Pack and was beyond excited about it. Had I known it existed already, I would have bought it because my husband and I are literature nerds. We especially love British literature and are big Chaucer fans. So this game seemed perfect for us (and really shows the customization of Awesome Pack, as I can't imagine there are tons of people who would be this happy to get a game based on medieval literature).

The Road to Canterbury is a board game that really digs into the heart of medieval culture, while also being fun if you aren't a big scholar. However, even people like us who are super nerdy about things like this can learn something. I know the seven deadly sins well, between my Catholic upbringing, my studies in medieval lit, and teaching The Canterbury Tales. Yet even having a grad school background in this, I didn't know that luxury and lust are interchangeable. The things you learn. :)

Awesome Pack Review: February 2015 (with Giveaway)

I love gaming, including tabletop games, and Awesome Pack is such a cool idea. It's a box customized to your family with games and toys sent to you each month. If you have pets, they also get something to play with in the box! Since there are only two of us with two cats, I wasn't sure if Awesome Pack would be geared more towards kids. Last month's was, of course, awesome, though, so I was so excited for this box to arrive! (By the way, Awesome Pack is being awesome and donating a month for a giveaway, so check that out at the end!)

The first item we saw was the Rainbow Cat Charmer - and it works. I don't know what it is, but the second it was out of the box, our fat male cat was rolling around on the floor trying to battle it. Eventually our female cat joined him and that occupied us all for about 30 minutes!

Forbidden Island Board Game Review

Forbidden Island was another game we received from Awesome Pack, and this game was SO much fun! I love the way it's designed, because at first we felt like maybe it would be better with more people, but all of the pros of having a full team of six are matched with equal cons. This is also a really unique game in that it's collaborative, not competitive. I know that's not completely unheard of, but unless you're a big gamer, you probably don't see much of this in your normal gaming routine.

Vampire Empire Board Game Review

Vampire Empire was one of the games we received in this month's Awesome Pack. Since my box reviews are specific to the box, I didn't review the game then. It fit my interests and made the box a success, so if I hated the game, it would not be relevant to how much I loved my Awesome Pack!

Good news, though - I didn't hate the game! In fact, it was a lot of fun and my husband and I had a great time during game time playing it.

Awesome Pack Review: January 2015

Well, this won't come as much of a surprise, but this month's Awesome Pack was AWESOME! I liked it so much I immediately contacted Little Miss Crafty and tried to convert her. I know she's debating. At first glance, it's somewhat pricey so it is the kind of subscription you may want to see reviews of before committing. I saw a bunch of reviews and they were all for people different from me and my husband, but I am such a game fanatic that I had to take the risk. I love board games, tabletop RPGs, card games, video games, and game shows. Awesome Pack felt made for me - and it really was!