8 best cooperative board games for 2021 - CNET

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Between a pandemic, political controversy and general holiday-season stress, many families have enough friction to heat a house in winter. So why add to the conflict with competitive board games? Luckily, a growing number of games are purely cooperative. Players band together to overcome other obstacles, whether that's a time limit, like in Magic Maze, or an evil sorcerer or dragon, like in Gloomhaven.

If you're looking for the perfect games to keep the holidays bright and the family happy, these cooperative board games are the best around.

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Read more: Best 2-player board games for the 2020 holidays

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7th Continent has a fantastic concept at its heart: Players explore a mysterious continent by flipping one "terrain" card at a time, slowly revealing craggy islands, dangerous landscapes and mystical wonders. The goal of each game is a sort of mystery: You and your teammates have been cursed, and you need to find a way to lift the curse before it kills you. What follows is a cooperative game of survival and exploration unlike almost any other you'll find.

Part of what makes 7th Continent so appealing is its accessibility. You can set up a game in a matter of minutes, "save" midway through, pack up quickly and resume later. What's more, the pacing keeps at a quick clip, thanks to clever card mechanics and impressive game design organization. That means you can find one of the unique cards out of the literally hundreds that come in the box in mere seconds.

If you're looking for a fun exploration game with elements of role-playing -- something that splits the difference between a Mansions of Madness-type board game and a Gloomhaven-type lite RPG (which can take over a hundred hours to complete), 7th Continent might be perfect for you.

Sit Down! Games

Magic Maze is about four wizards shoplifting from a mall while trying to avoid being caught. Two problems get in the way of a simple escape. First, players can't talk. And second, players don't control individual wizards; they control individual movements. For example, I might be able to make any wizard "turn left" and my wife might be able to make any wizard "walk forward." But if I'm not paying attention to a wizard facing the wrong direction, the whole caper can go awry.

Players do have a form of communication, though. They can pass around a single pawn, though its meaning is fluid. It could mean a player needs to pay attention to a wizard one moment, or perhaps he or she needs to stop moving so someone else can take over. This cooperative board game has a clever dynamic that'll stop your family from talking for 30 minutes, only to have them discussing the family game night's cooperative victory for hours afterward.

Greater Than Games

Spirit Island twists colonizing games on their head. You play the role of magic spirits and your job is to work with the native population to fend off the colonizers who'd inevitably destroy the land. This fresh take on an old theme aside, Spirit Island does a good job of building tension well as your powers grow and the colonizers move across the land. In this cooperative board game, you need to work together with other players because you have only so much energy to spend each turn.

Spirit Island includes a few different scenarios, with variable enemy behaviors and increasing difficulty, to keep the game feeling fresh. Plus, the different spirits have distinct abilities and play styles, so you can continually find a new way to play with teammates. The learning curve on Spirit Island is a little steep, but once you're familiar, most of the rules are intuitive and you can focus on unleashing the full power of your spirit on those dastardly invaders. - Andrew Gebhart

Czech Games

In Letter Jam, players receive a series of cards with letters on them, but they can't see which letters. Instead, everyone sets up a stand facing away from them, so their teammates can see what they have. Then, over the course of the game, players take turn spelling words with the letters they can see, forcing other players to guess their own letters through a clever game of deduction.

For word lovers, this is a great game with endless replay value. And you get to show off your impressive vocabulary to boot.

Dan Ackerman

Mansions of Madness was one of the first board games I truly fell in love with. While growing up, I always gravitated toward Clue, and then I found this complex, narrative-driven, Lovecraft-inspired mystery game that came with a booklet of varied narratives to play out. The problem was, the first edition of Mansions of Madness required intense setup, and one player had to be "the keeper," a sort of dungeon master playing against everyone else. Now, however, with the game's second edition, players can cooperate in every mission with an app filling the role of the keeper. Whether you're investigating a disappearance in an old mansion or interrogating townspeople to find the one who's secretly attempting to summon an ancient evil, Mansions of Madness remains one of the best mystery games ever released -- and yes, I think it tops Clue.

Plaid Hat Games

The best zombie movies have one thing in common: The biggest threat comes from the other humans, and zombies just serve to bring that distrust to the forefront. Dead of Winter is a collaborative game that nails this dynamic. It's a zombie game in which you work together to head out into town, gather supplies and defend your colony against the growing hordes of undead looking for a snack. You're constantly faced with tough decisions about how best to use your resources. Do you use that fuel you just found to keep yourself safe while you're traveling? Or add it to bolster the dwindling defense of the town? You control a couple of villagers with unique abilities, but one wrong step could send any of them to their doom. On top of all of that, you need to constantly look at your fellow players with a suspicious eye. Everyone has a secret objective to accomplish, but one person in the group might be an outright traitor. The result is a wonderfully tense battle in which you're paying close attention to everyone's turn to look for that telltale sign of betrayal, while doing your best to keep your own underhanded intentions hidden. - Andrew Gebhart

Dan Ackerman

We've written extensively about Gloomhaven already, and for good reason: This cooperative game is one of the best board games to fuse RPG elements, dungeon crawling and classic board game mechanics. You and your friends or family can pour well over a hundred hours into Gloomhaven, exploring a vast world and unlocking nearly two dozen playable characters -- each with impressively deep skill development. And it's all facilitated by a game made of cardboard and paper. Of course, if you add the app, it makes the gameplay even smoother than before. And if you really want to play the most accessible version, it's worth checking out Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion, which gives a well-written and accessible taste of the full game's rich world to players hesitant to commit to such a massive game.

Space Cowboys

If you think a huge game like Gloomhaven might be a bit much for a week or two of vacation, an episodic narrative game like Time Stories might be more up your alley for a family game night. 

Time Stories is a wonder of a game. With a simple deck of cards, this cooperative board game catapults you across dimensions and spacetime, guides you through beautifully rendered settings and brings you face-to-face with Lovecraftian monsters -- and that's just in the first campaign.

In Time Stories, players investigate mysteries in settings ranging from ancient Egypt to zombie-infested suburbs. The stories change with your decisions, and your ability to solve the given mystery depends on your cooperation with teammates, your problem-solving skills and your ability to adapt to new elements introduced on the fly by the game.

Time Stories isn't perfect: You can find plenty of chat boards online with fans debating which stories are best, and which could've been better balanced. But even small unbalances ultimately stem from the game's massive ambition, and it's hard not to feel swept up by that ambition every time you sit down to play.

For more great games, check out our favorite board games to gift to friends and family this holiday, the best two-player board games for the year and the best family games for the holidays.

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Basketball Tip-Time Set For 8:00 Vs. Duke On Saturday - Seminoles.com

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – The tip-time for Florida State’s home game against Duke on Saturday, January 2 has been set for 8:00.  The game will be televised on ESPN2.

No. 18 Florida State is the highest ranked ACC team in this week’s AP Poll with a 5-2 record.  The Seminoles have earned victories over Indiana, Florida and Georgia Tech, North Florida and Gardner-Webb.

Tickets for the Duke game are sold-out.

All patrons are required to wear a face mask while in the Tucker Center unless actively drinking or eating.

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8 great Apple Arcade games for your new 2020 iPhone or iPad - The Verge

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This time last year, Apple Arcade was still a fledgling service, but one with a lot of potential. For $5 a month, you could get unlimited access to a big library of interesting games, the kind that no one really sells in the App Store anymore. It’s still not a place to find the latest blockbusters, but Arcade has steadily evolved into one of the best deals in gaming. Its lineup of games is varied and consistently surprising, with everything from family-friendly multiplayer games to engrossing puzzlers to weird story-driven adventures.

If you just picked up a new Apple device and have signed up for Arcade (a new device gets you three months free) the sheer number of games available can be overwhelming. Here are a few great places to start.

We’ve rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, Windows PCs, and M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for gaming PCs, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, and VR. We’ve also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Netflix; some great sci-fi books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing but may change.)

Butter Royale

With Fortnite no longer a viable iOS experience, Butter Royale might just be your next best option. Like Epic’s massive hit, Butter Royale is a colorful shooter where the goal is to be the last player standing. But there are a few key differences. Battles play out from a top-down perspective, like a classic arcade game, and the game is decidedly nonviolent, with weapons that shoot ketchup and popcorn instead of bullets. Perhaps the best part is that, because it’s part of Arcade, there are no in-app purchases, so you don’t have to worry about dropping real cash on a cute giraffe costume for your character.

Creaks

Czech studio Amanita Design is known for dark, atmospheric point-and-click adventure games, but it’s also a developer that isn’t afraid to experiment. Creaks keeps the unsettling vibe, but transposes it onto a sort of puzzle / platformer hybrid. You explore a sprawling mansion, one that never seems to end, while finding ways to manipulate machines and monsters to help you get through to the end. As with Amanita’s past work, it takes place in an absolutely gorgeous hand-drawn world, but the action is a bit more cerebral this time around.

Games of Thrones: Tale of Crows

Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows is a game where you don’t actually do very much. It fits snugly into the idle genre, where the idea is to set plans in motion and then see how they play out. Here, you’re put in charge of the infamous Night’s Watch from Game of Thrones. It’s sort of a management game. People come to you with problems, you’ll have to send rangers out on scouting trips, and kingdoms from around Westeros will ask for your help. All of these things take time; you might have to wait a few hours before a group of rangers sends back a raven detailing their battle with some wildlings. Tale of Crows is a game full of death and danger, but it’s also surprisingly soothing. And it fits neatly into your life: all you have to do is play a few minutes every so often to see the story unfold.

Grindstone

Grindstone was one of Apple Arcade’s best launch titles, a game that takes the addictive nature of match-three puzzle games and blends it with absolutely brutal fantasy action. Imagine Candy Crush by way of Frank Frazetta. Since then, Grindstone has received a steady stream of updates that have only improved the experience, with plenty of more levels, weapons, and enemies to keep things interesting.

Reigns: Beyond

Across its first few entries, the Reigns series has been all about exploring stories in a fantasy realm. It plays out sort of like an interactive version of Tinder: as you push through the story, you’re constantly confronted with options, and you either swipe left or right to decide what to do. Reigns: Beyond takes this same formula and blasts it into space, while also adding a musical element. You’re the captain of a sentient ship, guiding a crew through the cosmos while also booking gigs for your intergalactic rock band. It’s silly and strange, and almost impossible to put down.

Roundguard

The classic puzzle game Peggle is one that feels timeless, and yet Roundguard has managed to put a fascinating new spin on the formula. Essentially, the game takes the peg-breaking action and melds it with a fantasy roleplaying game, where you’ll fight monsters and use spells, while still firing little balls to clear out the level. The two elements fit so well together it’s a wonder no one has tried this before.

Skate City

Skateboarding games were thrust back into the spotlight this year thanks to the remastered collection of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games. But Skate City remains the best approximation of the sport on mobile. It simplifies things, with a side-scrolling perspective and swipe-based controls, but it manages to capture the feeling of exploring a neighborhood in search of new ways to pull off tricks. It has also grown since launch, with the addition of new cities like Miami.

World’s End Club

Famed Japanese writers Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kazutaka Kodaka are known for some incredibly dark games, including the Zero Escape and Danganronpa series, and World’s End Club on Apple Arcade fits into that mold very nicely. At the outset of the game, a small group of students awakens in an underwater amusement park and they all have to fight — or work together — to find a key to escape. The twist is that they only have an hour, and only one person can actually get the key. Imagine The Hunger Games as a psychological thriller, and you’re partway there.

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No. 8 Oregon women keep focus on USC with several marquee games coming up - The Register-Guard

2020 in review: The 8 Oregon education stories that defined the year - OregonLive

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Think of any major event that shook the state in 2020 and its impacts on education were immense.

School districts started the year with grand aspirations for a $500 million cash infusion from the state’s biggest-ever tax increase only to scale back those plans and haphazardly adopt distance learning models as coronavirus began to spread and the resulting stay-home orders squeezed state tax revenues.

Protests against systemic racism and police brutality led students to organize demonstrations, sometimes in the face of intense pushback from their own communities. And voters weighed in on education measures across the state, from construction bonds to funding for teachers.

Here are some of the key education stories that defined the year:

Oregon’s school reopening guidelines among strictest in the nation, for a time

The Oregon Department of Education released its first guidelines for how and when schools could allow students back into classrooms in early June. Over the next several months, state officials revised those benchmarks three times until Brown announced in late December the benchmarks would become guidelines rather than rules.

Throughout the year, the governor’s reopening metrics, among the strictest in the nation, became a source of consternation for local school officials and parents alike. Administrators, particularly in the state’s rural reaches, complained of a whiplash effect as Brown and state schools chief Colt Gill introduced iterative updates with niche carve-outs and exceptions.

Many parents became similarly irritated that the state gradually eased restrictions on businesses including hair salons and bars as schools mostly remained closed in the months following Brown’s initial order.

The governor reversed course in late December, allowing local school officials full discretion to reopen. But Portland-area districts say it’s not likely they’ll offer in-person instruction until nearly February at the earliest.

Dozens of parents and students rallied at Revolution Hall in Southeast Portland on Dec. 6, pushing for Gov. Kate Brown to order the state's public schools to offer in-person education for families and educators who feel safe returning to classrooms. Weeks later, the governor announced the state's reopening guidelines would become advisory rather than mandatory.

Parents, students and teachers adjust to education in the time of COVID

When school closures thrust Oregon families and educators into distance learning, few had experience with it.

Teachers and administrators struggled to track down students who were difficult to engage during even the best of times. Families scrambled to find child care as educators remained reluctant to return to school buildings.

And although parents, students and teachers notched some small wins throughout the year, the vast majority say distance learning doesn’t hold a candle to the traditional, in-person classroom experience.

Universal preschool measure wins big

In early November, Multnomah County voters overwhelmingly approved a tax on high earners to fund free preschool for every child age 3 and 4.

Backers say the program will be funded at a level that allows every family access free care by 2026. Until then, county officials and campaign organizers say they’ll focus on enrolling Black, Indigenous and other children of color.

The effort garnered national attention. One of its main tenets, the guarantee of a wage floor for preschool teachers, was lauded by activists for its focus on a workforce traditionally composed of women of color. Feminist blog Jezebel even named the folks behind the Universal Preschool Now campaign among its most important people of 2020.

Seniors forge ahead

The last few months of high school are rife with milestones. Prom. Graduation. One last summer with close friends.

The pandemic changed the way Oregon’s high school seniors experienced those seminal moments, some of them opting to skip them altogether. The Oregonian/OregonLive spent three months speaking with teens on the last legs of their high school journey.

These are their stories:

Students lead Black Lives Matter protests

The end of the pandemic-made-virtual school year was close when George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis.

The resulting wave of protests against police brutality and systemic racism galvanized students in Portland and beyond. At Wilson High School, Black students saw renewed interest in their struggles. Black Student Union President Aslan Newson reminded her peers about the lunch-hour walkouts and community meetings she and several more Black, Indigenous and other students of color had staged in the previous year.

“So many people had been asking me, ‘What are you feeling? What should we do?’” Newson told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “It makes me feel like people aren’t doing the work. And when I say ‘people,’ I really mean white people.”

And unlike previous protests against police brutality and systemic racism, this year’s demonstrations spread beyond Oregon’s urban and suburban cities.

Thirty miles from Portland, a group of St. Helens High School students staged their own Black Lives Matter protest. Days after the teens promoted the event on Facebook, residents of surrounding Columbia County began issuing threats against anyone who might participate, convinced by conservative media and online rumor mills that Portland-based activists would descend on the rural community.

Distraught by the event’s cancellation, St. Helens High senior Savannah Manning detailed her disappointment in a lengthy Facebook post that went viral and led several neighbors to resume the march after negotiating with local law enforcement.

Hundreds gather in front of the Columbia County Courthouse, the end point of a Black Lives Matter march that began at Lewis and Clark Elementary School about a half mile away on June 3, 2020.

Cops in schools reevaluated

Days after protests began in Portland, the state’s largest district announced it was ending the presence of armed police officers in its nine high schools.

Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero said Portland Public Schools would instead invest in social workers, counselors and culturally specific supports for students. The announcement spurred a domino effect as districts across the state began reassessing their relationships with local police departments.

In Salem, the police chief and superintendent agreed to pause the presence of armed officers in schools. Beaverton district officials began surveying families on the school resource officer program in November, as well.

Guerrero’s decision marked the final chapter in a longer saga that began in late 2018 when the city police bureau asked the Portland school board for $1.2 million for the program, prompting outcry among parents and student activists.

Protests spur school renamings

Portland’s protests against police brutality also galvanized activists calling for city leaders and school district officials to address racial inequity.

Students began circulating petitions to rename various buildings, chief among them Wilson and Madison high schools. Dani Ledezma, Portland Public Schools’ senior adviser for racial equity and social justice, soon announced the district was adopting a fast-track process to do so.

Months later, principals at both Wilson and Madison announced efforts were underway to rename their buildings. In early December, the renaming committee at Wilson announced it had settled on five potential new namesakes, all of them trailblazing Black women.

On Election Day, three in four Portland Public Schools voters approved of the district's $1.2 billion construction bond, which will pay for extensive renovations to Jefferson High and pump millions into tech and accessibility updates at other schools.Photo by Eder Campuzano/Staff

Portland Public Schools passes its largest ever construction bond

A billion-dollar property tax measure, in this economy?

In early January, Portland Public Schools was planning how to best spend a $39 million infusion of state cash and pitch a $1.4 billion measure to remake three high schools. By late March, the district was in budget triage mode, drafting various scenarios for the coming year’s spending as state tax revenues took a nosedive and scuttling much of its plans for the November ballot.

Months later, the pandemic’s immediate financial fallout proved to be minimal. And district officials forged ahead with a modified, albeit still lofty request for voters.

The resulting bond measure focused primarily on a massive rebuild of Jefferson High and the creation of a Center for Black Student Excellence in the historically Black Albina neighborhood. District officials also asked voters for tens millions for technology and curriculum upgrades and about $260 million to finish projects originally approved in 2017.

Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure, with 75% saying yes on Election Day.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook

Eder is The Oregonian’s education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.

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8 lucky New Year's foods from around the world - Fox News

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For many of us, a traditional New Year's feast is comprised of Champagne and whatever confetti happens to fall into that Champagne while we're drinking it. But for lots of revelers around the world, New Year's is a time to eat symbolic (and perhaps more substantial) treats.

Cultures from nearly every continent celebrate the New Year with their own unique foods, many of which are eaten in the hopes of bringing luck, good health or prosperity in the near future. For example, the Japanese slurp long noodles in the hopes of living long lives; the Italians eat coin-shaped lentils as a way to welcome wealth; and the Dutch munch on fried dough to ward off the knife-wielding goddess Perchta, lest she slice open their stomachs and their innards spill all over their nice New Year's outfits.

So if you're looking for a fun way to ring in the New Year that won't result in a pounding headache or confetti in your teeth, try one of the worldly delights below:

The Netherlands: Oliebollen

On New Year's Eve in the Netherlands, the Dutch traditionally prepare and eat oliebollen, or small doughnuts studded with dried raisins or currants. The tradition of eating oliebollen (literally "oil balls") is thought to have originated with early Germanic tribes as a way to ward off the pagan goddess Perchta, who would fly through the skies during Yule and slice open the bellies of disobedient tribespeople. Anyone who had eaten oliebollen, however, was spared, as Perchta's sword would slide off their full, greasy bellies.

THE BIGGEST FOOD FAILS OF 2021: TEETH-CHOPPED CARROTS AND TOASTED STEAKS

Spain: 12 Grapes

Lots of people sip Champagne to welcome the New Year, but in Spain (and in some parts of Latin America) they'll be gulping down the grapes themselves. According to NPR, the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight began in the 1880s as a way of "copying the French tradition of having grapes and Champagne on the last day of the year." The outlet adds that this custom was ultimately adopted by Madrileños, or inhabitants of Madrid, who would travel to Puerta del Sol "to see the bells chime at the turning of the year and, most likely in an ironic or mocking manner, eat grapes like the upper class." Today, this method still lives on, and residents can even purchase their 12 grapes in small tins, already seeded and peeled. (It's also sometimes said that the grapes must be eaten within the first 12 seconds of the New Year to welcome 12 lucky months.)

Italy: Cotechino con Lenticchie

Italians know a thing or two about preparing a feast, so it only makes sense that they'd whip up a mouthwatering cotechino con lenticchie for New Year's. This traditional stew is made with pork and lentils, which have been described as "two of Italy’s culinary symbols of good luck." For example, some Italians believe that pigs, who push their snouts forward along the way rather than backward, are symbolic of progress. As for lentils, they’re already shaped like miniature coins, symbolizing fortune. Therefore, eating this hearty dish on New Year's is said to ensure a prosperous 12 months.

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Berlin: Berliner Pfannkuchen

In Berlin, different varieties of jelly doughnuts known as a Berliner Pfannkuchen are purchased at local bakeries on December 31st and enjoyed later in the evening. According to The New York Times, some folks even eat these fluffy treats "to nurse [a] hangover the next day." And while the Berliner Pfannkuchen is usually filled with a fruit jam, like plum, apricot, or raspberry, be warned: History.com reports that it's "a common practical joke to fill some with mustard instead of jelly to trick unsuspecting guests."

Greece: Vasilopita

When it comes to celebrating New Year’s Eve like the Greeks, vasilopita is the dessert you should have on the table. Greek-American nutritionist Elena Paravantes describes this dish as a moist cake made with traditional ingredients like sugar, milk, eggs, and even orange and orange zest, although it can also be made with yeast for a "more bread-like" consistency. "Vasilopita is the Greek lucky New Year’s cake that has a coin hidden in it and is cut at midnight," explains Paravantes. "A piece is cut for each family member. If the coin is in your piece, you supposedly have good luck for the rest of the year." Many vasilopitas are decorated with the date of the New Year, but they can also be topped with sliced almonds or a simple dusting of powdered sugar.

Japan: Toshikoshi Soba

On New Year’s Eve, the Japanese savor a bowl of hearty soba noodles known as toshikoshi soba, or "year-passing" noodles. "The buckwheat noodles are longer than usual because the soba symbolizes longevity," reports The Chicago Tribune. "According to some historians, soba is supposed to signify strength and resiliency, since the buckwheat plant itself bounces back even after being flattened by wind and rain," adds The Japan Times, which also notes that the long noodles "may signify the [eater's] wish for a long life." (And if they're feeling superstitious, some diners avoid cutting the noodles while eating to ensure lasting luck. In other words, start slurping!)

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The American South: Black-Eyed Peas, Hoppin' John

It's common to see black-eyed peas on the New Year's table in many parts of the American South, often served alongside cooked greens, or as an ingredient in Hoppin' John (a Carolina dish of rice, peas and bits of pork). The theories behind these dishes differ, but according to cookbook author and New York Times contributor Jessica B. Harris, the African slaves en route to America survived on black-eyed peas, and later planted the hardy crops upon arriving, so "having some extra on hand at the New Year guaranteed sustenance provided by a new crop." Another theory suggests that black-eyed peas came to be came to be considered lucky sometime after the Civil War, when Union soldiers ate the rest of the Southern crops but ignored the peas, allowing the locals to sustain themselves. 

Ireland: Buttered Bread (and Banging Bread)

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According to historians, Irish households would sometimes leave buttered bread (or bread and butter sandwiches) on their doorsteps on New Year's Eve for local children to come and collect. In fact, the holiday is sometimes called "The Day of the Buttered Bread" in Gaelic. Another tradition reportedly involves banging a stale loaf of "Christmas bread" against the doors and walls of the house to scare away any bad spirits.

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