Farplace The Game - A Review

(AD - Gifted)

Farplace The Game has been produced by Farplace Animal Rescue which is a registered charity that looks after and rehomes animals that have sadly been rejected elsewhere. As a family of animal lovers this really appealed to us, and I feel that the game is a lovely way to raise awareness about the charity and the work that is involved in caring for different kinds of creatures and pets.

The game comes packaged in a lovely bright and vibrant yellow box that features several animals across the front, which include a cat, dog, rabbit, pigeon, hedgehog and guinea pig. The front of the box isn't overcrowded with information and the images are lovely and surrounded by various different paw prints. At the bottom there are some recommendations of the game being suitable for ages 8+ and requiring 2-4 players.

The rear of the box provides some further information and briefly explains the aim of the game. There is also a contents list and the game includes:

• 1 Double Sided Playing Board
• 4 Key Cards
• 1 Rule Book
• 4 Meeples
• 4 Player Cards
• 4 Turn Reminder Cards
• 20 Vet Cards
• 70 Animal Cards
• 87 Object/Action Cards

The purpose of the game is to race to the finish line whilst saving animals along the way. I found it interesting that each animal has a different way of moving across the board, which adds an additional element of fun. We all agreed that the illustrations on the cards were lovely and also felt that the game board was nice and colourful. 

To begin you choose which side of the board to use and place this in between all the players, who each pick a meeple. There are four to choose from which are Dog, Cat, Rabbit or Pigeon. You then also take the matching playing card and check the 2 rules for their animal.

You then shuffle the animal cards and deal three to each player. The remaining cards can then be placed face down beside the board. The object/action cards should also be shuffled and this time you deal four cards to each player. I liked the combination of both cards and a board game as it was quite different to other games we have played. There are quite a few rules to learn, but there is a large instruction sheet that explains everything and it is easy to refer back to it when needed.

Each player then takes it in turns to carry out two actions out of a choice of four. This is where strategy can come into play and it is possible to take the same action twice. The game ends once a meeple passes the finish line, however any animal cards that remain in hand can cause you to move back places, meaning that just because you pass the line first, doesn't necessarily make you the winner. We thought this was a really good twist and encourages you to think more about the actions you take throughout the game.

Overall, we really loved the concept of the game, however my ten year old son did struggle initially with the rules, so it took a little while for him to understand. We referred to the instruction sheet quite a few times, but once we had all got the hang of it, we found the game to be enjoyable and I particularly liked the learning element. It really makes you realise just how much work and care goes into supporting each animal, due to their different diets, behaviours or needs, which I think is a great way of raising awareness. 

If you would like to find out more about Farplace The Game, then you can visit their website here: https://www.farplace.org.uk/product/farplace-the-game/

The game currently retails at £25 plus shipping costs.

*Disclaimer - We were gifted this game for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. All thoughts and opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. Details provided within this post are believed to be correct at the time of writing but can be subject to change.

Christmas Gift Idea - Sheep Dip The Family Card Game - A Review

(AD - Gifted) 

If you are a regular reader to the blog then you will know that we enjoy a fun family games night every now and again, so we are always on the look out for something new and exciting to keep us entertained. There are always bonus points scored if it is also a game that we can take on our travels with us, so Sheep Dip definitely appealed as a card game with a difference.

The game comes packaged in a small letterbox sized box and features several brightly coloured images, along with pictures of several cards that display various different sheep breeds. There is some guidance on the front of the box, which recommends the game as being suitable for participants aged 7+ along with the requirement of 3-6 players. It also gives an estimated game time of 20-30 minutes. 

The rear of the box provides some further information on what the game involves, along with a list of contents that include:

• 71 FLOCK Cards
• 45 EWE DO Cards 
• 1 Playing Board
• Playing Instructions
• Sheep Breed Facts

On opening the box we found four postcard sized instruction sheets. I thought this was a brilliant idea as it meant I could hand a copy to each player as opposed to reading it out. Personally I take things in better by reading them myself, so thought this was really useful and it also meant each player could refer back to their own instruction sheet whenever they needed to. We also had a good look through the cards and the illustrations before we began to play as we found them to be quite funny.

The aim of the game is to be the player that scores the most points and in order to do this, you need to collect and hold onto has many sheep or flock cards as possible. You start by shuffling the packs and then deal five of the flock card to each player making sure that they are face-up. You then place the remaining flock cards, along with the Ewe Do pack in their position on the board facing down.

In this competitive game, you can then use the Ewe Do action cards in order to help protect your flock and you can also steal or swap your sheep to help you win. When playing a Ewe Do Action card, you must read out the words and carry out the instructions. Once the card has been played, you put it face up in the Ewe Done area and the game carries on until all 45 cards have been played.

There is also the Rainbow card to look out for as this can help you win some valuable bonus points, and the sheepdog cards can help you to protect your flock, however there are also the Hungry Wolf cards which can have a negative impact on your score. 

Overall we found this game to be very easy to understand, simple to play and most importantly good fun. One thing that I particularly like about Sheep Dip, is that the game has an element of luck to it as opposed to just being skill based, which helps to make it more enjoyable for younger participants as it prevents the older ones from always winning. The sheep drawings and accompanying comments are quite comical, so we enjoyed reading through these whilst playing as it definitely provided some sillyness and laughter. 

If you would like to find out more about Sheep Dip or to make a purchase, then you can visit their website here: Sheep Dip

The current price on their website at the time of writing this post is £23.50 which is inclusive of UK Mainland postage.  

You can also find more information on Sheep Dip over on their social media channels which can be found here:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sheepdipgame.co.uk/

Instagram - @SheepDipGame

*Disclaimer - I was gifted this game for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. All thoughts and opinions are my own unless stated otherwise. Information including availability and prices is believed to be correct at the time of writing, but can be subject to change. This post may contain external links and I am not responsible for content on external websites.