My Top Board Games for October

Fall is here and it's one of my favorite times of the year. Why? Because of board games, of course!

Now, I know that every day of the year is the perfect time to play a board game—there's no doubt about that—but any excuse to stay indoors, especially for the weather as it starts to cool down, is just another reason to play (and I'm always looking for those opportunities).

Today, I'm sharing a few board games that I love to play around Halloween. Grab one, or all three, and join me in celebration of this exciting holiday. While there are many games that I would love to add to this list, I thought it'd be best to focus on the ones that I usually play the most this time of year.

Broom Service

This game is for 2 to 5 players ages 10 and up, and lasts anywhere from 30 to 75 minutes. When I bought Broom Service, I was told that I should only play on the advanced side of the board. Let me tell you this: I am so glad that I did. My wife and I love this game so much! It plays fast, a lot is going on, and this game really encourages players to strategize. Of course, with all the sabotaging capable in this game, it can get annoying; I do understand why some people don't like this game. As for me, it's one of my all-time favorites. I'd definitely play this game any day out of the year, but Halloween just fits it's theme so perfectly that I had to add it to this list.

Potion Explosion

Potion Explosion is another no-brainer when I think of Halloween board games. The idea of witches brewing potions and then drinking them to use special abilities is a fun theme that I absolutely love. Perfect for anyone 8 years old and older, this 30- to 60-minute game offers a lot, including a striking marble dispenser.

Mysterium

If Clue and Dixit had a baby, this would be it. Here's the description from Board Game Geek: "In the 1920s, Mr. MacDowell, a gifted astrologist, immediately detected a supernatural being upon entering his new house in Scotland. He gathered eminent mediums of his time for an extraordinary séance, and they have seven hours to contact the ghost and investigate any clues that it can provide to unlock an old mystery.

"Unable to talk, the amnesic ghost communicates with the mediums through visions, which are represented in the game by illustrated cards. The mediums must decipher the images to help the ghost remember how he was murdered: Who did the crime? Where did it take place? Which weapon caused the death? The more the mediums cooperate and guess well, the easier it is to catch the right culprit."

Mysterium is perfect for Halloween parties and those evenings with a group of close friends. With a count of 2 to 7 players, an average 42-minute playing time, and a murder that's just begging to be solved, Mysterium is a perfect game to play in October (and every month).

A few more favorites

Salem 1692, Fury of Dracula, Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game, and Dead of Winter: The Long Night.

What games do you enjoy playing the closer we get to Halloween? Share in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

How I Transformed my Apartment into an Escape Room

I've always wanted to visit one of the many "escape room" locations. Growing up, I was always a fan of the escape room games available on the internet (remember those point-and-click puzzle games?). My wife loved those too, so it's only natural that the idea of a real life escape room intrigued us.

Living paycheck to paycheck with two children under the age of 2 has been one of the obstacles standing in our way. We've driven by plenty of escape rooms, tempted to pawn off our kids on a relative so that we can enjoy a night together. Whenever this does happen, there's always a new obstacle: we're tired, would rather catch up on a movie we'd missed out on, and then there's always the issue of money.

About a month ago, I decided to spend a total of $50 on two different escape room themed board games. If we weren't going to make it to the escape room, the escape room was coming home to us. I'd read many reviews on the games that I chose. I had even published a number of articles on a few highly-rated escape room board games, so I wasn't completely unfamiliar with what my wife and I would be getting into.

The games I bought were Escape Room: The Game and Unlock!, both which ended up being an extremely satisfying experience. Escape Room: The Game came with four different adventures, each requiring about an hour to complete. The website explains the experience better than I can:

“Take the viral social experience of Escape Rooms to the comfort of your own home and for a fraction of the cost that you would pay! Included in this game are 4 unique 60-minute escape room puzzles that will test your cranial skills. Use images, gears, words, keys, shapes, maps and more to solve the three stages within each escape room.”

While the first puzzle in the set was the easiest to figure out, there were plenty of frustrating and ultimately rewarding moments. Thankfully, my wife and I were not alone to solve them all.

Unlock! was a different experience as it required an app in order to play. While still capturing the essence of what I imagine a real escape room feels like, my wife and I enjoyed this game less than the other one. Ultimately, the traps on a dangerous island were not as engaging as a ticking time bomb.

Overall, the escape room games succeeded in giving my wife and I a tense and engaging experience that we won't forget anytime soon. For the time and money spent, I'd say it was definitely worth it. We look forward to playing more escape room adventures in the future, including the highly-rated Exit: The Game.