10. Gizmos

Text us your thoughts about this episode. We’re back with another family board game recommendation. Ever want to create your own Rube Goldberg machine? Then Gizmos is the game for you. Gizmos is a 2018 game from CMON Games designed by Phil Walker-Harding very much in the spirit of a Rube Goldberg machine. Players take on the role of inventors, constructing ever more elaborate contraptions out of simple gizmos, each represented by a card with a whimsical illustration. If you’re clever, at some point in the game, you’ll have a turn where you take an action, which triggers one of your gizmos, which then triggers another gizmo, and so on and so on, just like a Rube Goldberg machine. It’s very satisfying to see that machine you’ve spent a dozen rounds building reach its potential with a giant move. Plus, Gizmos has some really fun components–colorful plastic marbles that roll out of a dispenser like a gumball machine! Gizmos is a great family game, but you don’t have to take my word for it. In this episode, we’re joined by the podcast’s science fair correspondent, age 9, for some thoughts on Gizmos. Buy Gizmos on Amazon. Read about Gizmos on Board Game Geek. Learn about Sushi Go!, also by designer Phil Walker-Harding, on Episode 4 of this podcast. Watch the music video for OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass.” Visit the First Player Token website. Join the First Player Token Facebook group. Follow @firstplayertoken on Instagram. Follow @firstplayrtoken on Twitter. Music: “Open Road” and “Soda Pop,” https://www.purple-planet.com/. Podcast Links: Order a First Player Token coffee mug. Visit the First Player Token website. Join the FPT Facebook group. Follow @firstplayertoken on Bluesky. Join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord.