Board Game Pieces

[mmcv]

Hey folks,

It's been a couple of years since I was active here. The reason for that is two tiny humans who have largely obliterated any time I had to paint or play.

However! The oldest of those tiny humans is at an age where he has been showing more of an interest in board games and have been playing a good few with him lately.

One of his favourite this week has been Tigers and Lambs which came with rather cheap, barely painted MDF counters.

Aha, thinks I, here is a good excuse to dust off the old paintbrush and make some proper counters from the pendraken range. Perhaps even start training a little apprentice in the art. I will most certainly be putting in an order for some tigers and sheep.

Where I need the help of the esteemed members of this forum are what other classic games are there that I could expand this to? I'm aware there are fox and geese and fox and hound games so that feels like a good excuse. 

I have an MDF viking longboat game I'm going to try soon that might benefit from a crew of real vikings.

Any other child friendly games you know of that might tempt tiny fingers to flesh out my order?

(And to prevent me buying an army I likely won't get to for years)

[Big Insect]

I am sure there is a game about hungry pigs, but not sure how 'liitle people' friendly it is, or even how it is played, sadly (not much use really 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

King otlf Tokoyo
Hey That's My Fish
Round The World race game
Pass the Pigs

[Ithoriel]

A friend had a Noughts and Crosses set he'd made which had resin mini versions of the Lewis Berserker/ Warder/ Rook Chessman chewing the edge of his shield as playing pieces. One set in white and the other in dark green. His kids loved it.

Something similar with, appropriately themed to your children's interests, 10mm minis perhaps?

I am sure there is a game about hungry pigs, but not sure how 'liitle people' friendly it is, or even how it is played, sadly (not much use really 

Do you mean "Pass the Pigs?" The game where you roll a pair of small plastic pigs instead of dice and the way they land gives you a score and you can keep rolling until you choose to stop, and keep your total points for that round, or make a roll that ends your turn and you lose your point for that round? My kids loved it but choking hazard and the frustration of losing points might make it unsuitable for young kids. Also the implications of the "Makin' Bacon" roll might require a rewording. Unless you want to use it as an intro for a "When a mummy pig and a daddy pig love each other very much ....." conversation.

[Orcs]

AH! Tiny humans. They swallow everything - Time, marbles toy car tyres, Lego bricks, and anything else they can get in their mouths.

They also empty your wallet of your figure vouchers fairly fast, but no way as fast as an ex-wife ( I am not Bitter )

They do have some advantages, They understand toys, so when you ask for trees, figures etc for Birthday, Christmas, Fathers day they will eagerly want to get them for you ( although  you may have to provide the funds for this until they are old enough to be sent up chimneys)- are you sure we don't do that now?

But it will give you an excuse to buy some wargames related stuff.

My 4.5 year old Granddaughter has a puzzle game called "Cats in boxes". on lower settings she can do it, on the highest level I got stuck.

[mmcv]

Thanks for the suggestions, some interesting ones here.

I came across one called Assalto (also German Tactics or Officers and Sepoys) that is ripe with opportunity for tiny men to be used. And there's a fort to defend. 

Possibly slightly complex for my 4 y/o right now but maybe soon...

Then it's only a matter of time before I have a proper wargaming apprentice! 

[Radar]

Don't forget Escape From Colditz! Although might need to wait a few years. Foundry make a very beautiful, and expensive, box of counters for the guards and prisoners.

I replaced the counters on Games Workshop's Warlock board game. No idea what happened to it, managed to pick up a mint copy recently.

As an aside: played Escape From Colditz with Pat Reid in the 80's at one of the GW conventions in London (horticultural hall). Plus only recently one of my school friends nonchalantly told us that his grandad was involved in the escape plan to build a glider at Colditz. Met his grandad a few times, but only in my 50s did Bruce tell us this!