Tag: Awards

The Spruce Adds Castle Panic

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The Spruce seal of approval next to the Castle Panic box

We’re ecstatic to share the news that The Spruce recently added Castle Panic to their list of Best Games! Not only did Castle Panic rank in The 11 Best Cooperative Games but it also was the Top Pick for Best for Families!

The Spruce is a prestigious lifestyle website that helps 385 million annual readers find the best products for their homes, from gardening, home improvement, and cleaning products to décor, furniture, and gifts. If you can find it in your home, The Spruce has a review to guide your decision making.

They research, test, and review independently, following a rigorous editorial process. So, readers can depend on an unbiased recommendation from them. Adding to their credibility is their impressive social media presence: 561K Instagram followers, 742K on TikTok, 868K on Pinterest, and 1.3M on Facebook. The Spruce doesn’t sleep on getting the word out about the amazing products they recommend. Check the main page out as well as the article that lists Castle Panic, and start sprucing up your home!

My First Castle Panic Wins PAL Award

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PAL Award seal next to the box for My First Castle Panic

We are so thrilled to announce that My First Castle Panic has won the PAL Award (Play on Words.com). The PAL Award was established to recognize “exceptional toys, games and books/media that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language” and is led by Erika Cardomone, MS, CCC-SLP. Erika’s training as a speech-language pathologist and her 15 years of working and playing with children has prepared her to analyze and offer keen insights on how products can support learning and communication.

When Ms. Cardomone saw My First Castle Panic, she recognized the ongoing developmental focus on the game. Her review specifies the way My First Castle Panic helps children sequence information, use temporal words (such as first, next, then, and last), tell stories, and develop language generally. She also notes how the cooperative nature of the game encourages conversation and strategic planning. You can read her full review here.

It’s an honor to be included in such a stellar group of products and to be acknowledged for the language support inherent in My First Castle Panic. We feel seen!

Castle Panic Earns Mom’s Choice Award

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Mom's Choice Award seal next to box for Castle Panic Second Edition

Castle Panic® has earned the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award®. Having been rigorously evaluated by a panel of MCA evaluators, Castle Panic is deemed to be among the best products for families.

The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost.

“We are thrilled to earn the Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence Seal of Approval,” says Anne-Marie De Witt, co-founder of Fireside Games. “We know all the great things the MCA does to connect consumers, educators, and caregivers with the best products and services available for families.”

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five (5) identical samples for testing. Entries are matched to evaluators in the MCA database. Evaluators are bound by a strict code of ethics not only to ensure objectivity, but also to ensure that the evaluation is free from manufacturer influence. The five evaluations are submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final review and approval.

“Our aim to introduce families and educators to best-in-class products and services,” explains Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards. “We have a passion to help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value. The MCA evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists; but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.”

With the evaluation now complete, the testing samples of Castle Panic will be donated to schools, libraries, hospitals and nonprofit organizations.

About the Mom’s Choice Awards®

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 55 countries.

Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media look for the MCA mother-and-child Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality products and services for children and families.

Learn more about the Mom’s Choice Awards by visiting their website: www.MomsChoiceAwards.com.

My First Castle Panic Earns Mom’s Choice Award®

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Mom's Choice Award Gold Medal

Fireside Games is honored to announce that My First Castle Panic has earned the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award®. Having been rigorously evaluated by a panel of MCA evaluators, My First Castle Panic is deemed to be among the best products for families. 

My First Castle Panic BoxMy First Castle Panic - Whole game

The Mom’s Choice Awards® has named My First Castle Panic as among the best in family-friendly media, products and services. The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost. 

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five (5) identical samples for testing. Entries are matched to evaluators in the MCA database. Evaluators are bound by a strict code of ethics not only to ensure objectivity, but also to ensure that the evaluation is free from manufacturer influence. The five evaluations are submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final review and approval. 

“Our aim to introduce families and educators to best-in-class products and services,” explains Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards. “We have a passion to help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value. The MCA evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists; but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.” 

With the evaluation now complete, the testing samples of My First Castle Panic will be donated to schools, libraries, hospitals and nonprofit organizations. 

About the Mom’s Choice Awards® The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 55 countries. 

Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media look for the MCA mother-and-child Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality products and services for children and families. 

Learn more about the Mom’s Choice Awards by visiting their website: www.MomsChoiceAwards.com. 

Hot Diggity! We Won!

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Hot Diggity Award Winner Seal

We’re thrilled to announce that My First Castle Panic has been awarded a Hot Diggity Seal of Approval!

Hot Diggity Awards image large

 

The Hot Diggity Seal of Approval is awarded to the best products for families and pets. Their seal “signifies innovation, quality, entertainment and/or educational value, and a commitment to excellence.” Thank you to the team at Hot Diggity. We are honored to be chosen!

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing your preschoolers play My First Castle Panic independently for hours, you’ve got to check it out.

Hotshots Nominated for Origins Award!

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Origins-Award

Origins-Award-Academy

Origins Award Nominee

 

 

The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design has just announced the nominees for the 2018 Origins Awards and we are incredibly excited to say that Hotshots has been nominated in the Family Games category!

Hotshots-Game-Layedout

 

It’s an honor to have our game recognized and we couldn’t be more proud of those brave, little, cardboard, firefighting heroes! They’re in some good company too. It turns out several of our games have also been nominated for the Origins Award including: Castle Panic, Bears!, The Wizard’s Tower, and The Dark Titan (which won the fan favorite award in 2016!)

We’ll see how it all works out at the Origins Game Fair coming up in June, and don’t forget, attendees to the show can vote for their Fan Favorite in each category!

Congratulations to all the nominees! You can see all of them in every category here.

Dastardly Dirigibles Gets FatherGeek Seal of Approval!

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Father Geek Approved

Our Steampunk card game Dastardly Dirigibles has already received some really great reviews, including one from the crew over at FatherGeek.com. They took a look at our game recently and gave it their official seal of approval.

Father-Geek-Logo

If you’re not familiar with Father Geek, Cyrus and his gang put a unique spin on the typical board game review. After a detailed overview of the game, the final review is actually 3 perspectives from different groups.

The Child Geeks give their thoughts as a group of younger players. The Parent Geeks give their feedback as adult players who may or may not consider themselves gamers but definitely view the game as a parent. Lastly, the Gamer Geeks take a more hobby-oriented view of the game since these are veteran players with a lot of experience.

In order to get the Father Geek Approved badge, a game has to be approved by all 3 Geek groups and we are very proud to say that Dastardly Dirigibles did just that!

Father Geek Approved

Each group had some great comments on our splendid construction creation.

  • The Child Geeks noted. “Each time you play a part, everyone else gets to play a part, too. This means that playing parts on your turn is not always a good thing.”
  • The Parent Geeks commented, “I like how the game subtly opens up to you. I thought it was just a race, but now I see it has more to do with pacing and positioning than anything else.”
  • The Gamer Geeks were intrigued as well saying, “This is a solid game. Light but it has depth. You need to be strategic about your card playing timing and always have a backup plan.”

Our favorite comment comes from Cyrus, Father Geek himself, in his description of the gameplay.

“The game forces players to play cards, but it does it in such a way as to make it feel like it’s doing you a favor.

‘What’s this? Your opponent just played an engine? Guess what? You can, too! Yeah, we’re all winners!’

The game just sold you a beautiful lie, and you’ll buy it each and every time, too, with a smile. When you are forced to play a card, you are also forced to change your Guide sheet in a way you may not particularly want.”

You can check out the entire review for yourself, and if you’re intrigued, feel free to grab a copy!

Dastardly Dirigibles Game Review