WIZARDS AND WEREWOLVES

Your family is sure to have a howling good time playing a magical glow-in-the-dark capture the flag style game called WIZARDS & WEREWOLVES from Starlux Games. As the sun sets and the moon begins to rise get outside for some fun playing in the dark. Glowing playing field markers, crystals, and wrist bands make this fantasy themed game perfect for playing at dusk on a summer night.

Starlux Games provided ageekdaddy.com with WIZARDS & WEREWOLVES to try out and my kids along with some of their neighborhood friends spent an evening running around the backyard enjoying themselves playing this game.  With an all-ages format, the game is exciting and enjoyable to play for children, teens and adults alike. Screams filled the night air arising from our backyard as it filled with wizards being hunted by werewolves. These weren't the sounds of horror and pain though but rather were squeals of enthusiasm and enjoyment as the kids raced around playing the game in the twilight.

Starlux Games is launching WIZARDS & WEREWOLVES as a Kickstarter campaign beginning June 4, 2019. If you nab a game for yourself on the first day of the campaign from the Kickstarter Page it will be available for 33% less then eventual retail price when WIZARDS & WEREWOLVES becomes available at retailers. After opening day it will be available for 20% off thereafter.

GIVEAWAY

In addition to providing us with a game to review, Starlux Games also provided ageekdaddy.com with one to giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a Wizards & Werewolves game when the Kickstarter orders are delivered. That is expected to be in mid-August.

Our WIZARDS & WEREWOLVES game winner will be randomly selected  from all eligible rafflecopter entries submitted via the form below by  11:59 pm ET on June 10, 2019. If we do not receive a response from the selected winner within 48 hours or an entry is deemed ineligible than a new winner will be selected from a review the Twitter Retweet aspect of the giveaway. Must be a legal resident within the continental United States over the age of 18 years old to participate. No purchase necessary. Each household is only eligible to win once via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Starlux Games will be responsible for delivery of the prize. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE GAME

Beware the Werewolf's curse! It turns friends into foes and will destroy you too -- unless you find the Moon Crystal first!

All players start as Wizards except one: the Alpha Werewolf. This player hides the Moon Crystal within the playing field marked by glow-in-the-dark boundaries then howls to start the game. Wizards search for the crystal and if one of them touches it they end the Werewolf curse to win the game.

As the Wizards are searching for the crystal, the Alpha Werewolf tried to BITE (tag) them. Tagged wizards become Werewolves too. They join in the hunt for Wizards too. The Werewolf team wins if all the Wizards are converted into Werewolves.

WIZARDS AND WEREWOLVES takes 20 - 90 minutes to play and is recommended for 4 - 10 players over the age of 8 years old. As players become comfortable playing the game added levels of complexity can be added. Antidote crystals that let Wizards heal Werewolves during game play and character cards that provide players with unique abilities are also included that can be thrown into the mix.

WIZARDS AND WEREWOLVES provides a unique twist on the classic Capture the Flag style game that makes for a wonderful outdoor group activity. In addition to be entertaining it provides exercise that is not only healthy but great for getting players tuckered out before bedtime. Keep that in mind parents!

My kids and their friends were so excited about the glow-in-the-dark aspect of this game and running around outside at night that they were thrilled to play WIZARDS AND WEREWOLVES. Because the rules aren't overly complicated it is really easy to just jump into playing this game making it nice to play with friends and family on the fly. It really is a fun way to pass some time.

Thanks to Wholesale Halloween Costumes for providing us some wizard and werewolf outfits to wear. Having fun with costumes isn't limited to Halloween. Getting dressed up for family game and movie nights to make the moments extra special is something we do throughout the year.  Wholesale Halloween Costumes always provides great selection and service. Whether you are looking for a costume for a school project, cosplay event, or masquerade party head over to wholesalehalloweencostumes.com to see what they have to offer.

MAKE YOUR OWN POKEMON SHOES

My kids are really into Pokémon and are really excited about the new movie Detective Pikachu. So I know they'd adore this do it yourself idea that my friends at Wholesale Halloween Costumes shared with me which allows you to make shoes that look like the Pokémon character Pikachu. Any kids who is a fan of Pokémon will be sure to exclaim PIKA PIKA if they spot someone sporting these Pickachu inspired kicks.

Want to make your own Pokémon Shoes? Here are the diy directions that Wholesale Halloween Costumes shared with me:

Supplies:

• White canvas shoes 
• Acrylic paint – Yellow, black, white, red, pink 
• Felt – yellow 
• Paintbrushes – skinny and wide widths 
• Yellow shoelaces 
• Needle and thread 
• Painter’s Tape 
• Pencil 
• Pikachu shoes template PDF

Step 1:

Remove the shoe laces from the shoes. Then cover the rubber soles of the canvas shoes with painters tape. It is recommended when you are all done to replace the white laces that came with the shoes with yellow ones.

Step 2:

Cover the canvas parts of the shoe in yellow acrylic paint to mimic Pikachu’s yellow fur.

Step 3:

Once dried completely, it is time to draw on Pikachu’s facial features. Download this free Pikachu template to use as your guide. If you have artistic abilities it is a nice example to replicate.

If you are like me though and aren't artistically inclined here is a way to create the image without having to rely on freehand drawing. Flip over to the back of the paper the template has been printed out on. Outline with a pencil the template's shapes. Flip the paper over and place it on the top of the shoe. Outline the shapes on the template again with a pencil. This should transfer the graphite you added on the backside of the paper onto the shoe.

Voila! You know have Poakchu's face looking back at your from the shoes. Next use a fine tip paintbrush to provide some color to the facial features. Outline the graphite with black acrylic paint. Once that layer is dry, add a white dot in acrylic paint on each of the black eyes and a pink tongue on the mouth. Once all the paint is dry remove the painter’s tape.

Step 4:

Cut (4) pieces of yellow felt in the shape shown. Paint the tips black with acrylic paint. Sew or glue these ears onto the canvas shoe as Pikachu’s ears.

Step 5:

Re-lace the shoes with the yellow laces to match the shoe's newly painted canvas.

There you have it! A pair of custom made shoes that will delight kids who love Pokémon and make them the envy of the playground. Thanks to Wholesale Halloween Costumes for sharing this fun idea with us!

Costumes don't have to be just for Halloween. Themed family fun nights watching movies and playing games together are a great time to get into character that can provide good times throughout the year. We recently had an entertaining evening playing a Marvel super heroes role playing game dressed up as our favorite Avengers for example.

Comic cons, parties and other special event also provide fun opportunities to get dressed up in costumes beyond traditional Halloween activities. Check out all the Pokémon, and other themed costumes, available from wholesalehalloweencostumes.com all year long. They always have a great selection to costumes and accessories, masks, as well as decorations to help set a mood or enhance a theme for an occasion.

HOW TO PLAY TOP TRUMPS

Top Trumps is a great card game for kids. It is both educational and entertaining combining informational facts, stats and trivia with strategy as players try to trump each other with their top cards. Whether enjoying for a family game night or taking on the road  to amuse children while traveling, Top Trumps is always a fun game to play. We've played Top Trumps numerous places including over a picnic table while camping, in our car while on a road trip, and on a playground during a family reunion. A deck of Top Trumps cards is very handy to have around.

There are a wide range of themes to card decks designed to be appealing to young players. Deck themes include animals (Bugs / Cats / Dogs / Predators / Sharks / Snakes), history (Ancient Egypt, Greek Mythology / United States Presidents), movies (Despicable Me, Harry Potter, Fast & Furious), places (Countries of the World / National Parks / Space) and vehicles (Airplanes, Fastest Train, Sports Cars) among other topics. There are more than 50 Top Trumps card game decks to choose from.

My kids enjoy delving through Top Trump cards examining all the impressive imagery and information contained on each card. For example for the Dinosaur pack every card features a realistic illustration of a specific type of dinosaur including Barosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Velociraptor. Thirty dinosaurs in all!

Each card contains unique information including a paragraph highlighting important details about the featured dinosaur and playable game stats such as height, weight, and killer rating. Killer rating for example is the likelihood of which species would win in a dinosaur fight. Carnivores like a T-Rex score a 9 out of 10 while herbivores such as a Styracosaurus score a 2. Each card in the Dinosaur deck also has a Meat-O-Meter which measures what dinosaurs like to eat when it comes to carrion and plants.

So how do you play a game of Top Trumps? First you gather 2 to 10 players to compete against one another. Then you follow these 7 steps for playing the card game:

1. Shuffle and deal all cards to players face down.

2. Each player holds their cards so they can only see their top card. Don't let other players see your card either.

3. Player 1, the first person to the left of the dealer, chooses and reads what they believe is the best statistic listed on their top card and places it in the center of the players.

4. Each player reads out the same statistic on their top card and places it in the center.

5. The player with the highest value wins all the cards in the middle and adds them to the bottom of their own stack of cards.

6. This player gets to choose the statistic for the next round and the game goes on.

7. The person who eventually wins ALL of the cards is the winner!

To make the game even more competitive and add some more strategy to it, instead of just looking at one card at a time in your hand eliminate the no peek rule. This means players can look at all the cards in their hand when choosing which cards and stats to use. Once the basic Top Trump rules have been mastered this is a nice way to take game play up a notch.

We always have a good time playing Top Trumps. Plus my kids are learning while having fun. Featuring impressive eye-catching illustrations and photography and intriguing trivia, Top Trumps gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being a top-notch game that combines educational aspects with recreation.

For more information about how to play the game or where to purchase Top Trumps decks, head over to toptrumps.us. Also thanks to Wholesale Halloween Costumes for providing us with the Jurassic World masks and AtmosFX for the dinosaur digital decorations seen in the background.

HOLIDAY OFFICE DECORATING FUN

Decorating the office for the holidays is a big deal where my wife works. They have an annual contest this time of year where each department decorates their work space and it is not just for bragging rights. Big prizes are at stake including time off and cash bonuses!

I helped my wife brainstorm ideas for this year's competition and we came up with the idea of "Welcome to the Movies" with each cubicle in their department decorated with a holiday film theme. Everyone picked a favorite movie which included A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone and Elf. They also threw some classic TV specials into the mix including A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Complimenting the theme they created a ticket booth and a concession stand. I found some cutouts online of the classic "Let's go to the Lobby and get ourselves a treat!" ads that used to be played on screens before movies started promoting theater concession stands to spruce up their display. My wife complimented their concession stand display with some boxes of movie candy we picked up at Walmart. I got to eat the candy as my reward for helping out.

To help their theme really stand out, I reached out to my friends at Wholesale Halloween Costumes who donated some outfits to help out with adding extra holiday cheer to my wife and her colleagues' entry in their office Christmas decorating contest. Characters from these movies came alive when the judges strolled by to see the department's entry in this year's holiday decorating contest. These costumes really made a difference helping their "Welcome to the Movies" contest win a first place ribbon.

Halloween isn't the only holiday where you can have fun wearing costumes. From the Grinch to Santa Claus, Wholesale Halloween Costumes has lots of outfits and suits to help make Christmas festivities extra jolly. They also have a great selection of costumes for numerous other holidays and special occasions including Easter, the Fourth of July, St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras, Free Comic Book Day, Talk Like A Pirate Day, Thanksgiving, and of course Halloween. Check out everything Wholesale Halloween Costumes has to offer over at www.wholesalehalloweencostumes.com

Not only was their a lot of fun involved with this holiday contest, but my wife walked away with an extra day off and a Target gift card for her efforts in her office's holiday decorating contest. She's having herself a very merry Christmas this year! Happy holidays to you and your family as well!

HALLOWEEN WAGON DECORATING

When my kids were younger we got a lot of use transporting them around the neighborhood in our family's wagon on Halloween while trick-or-treating. I never thought about incorporating the wagon into their costumes when they were little though. Wish I had after looking at these wagon decorating ideas supplied to me from my friends over at WHOLESALE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES.

Transform a wagon into a dump truck, fire engine, magic flying carpet, princess carriage, pirate ship or a spaceship. Whether participating in a costume parade or trick or treating, what child isn't going to be delighted to ride in one of these decorated wagons for Halloween?! Not only are these a great costume accessory but I'm sure the mom or dad who craft up the decorated wagon will get a lot of attention and praise as they pull it around with kids in tow.

Here are some handy diy tips courtesy of WHOLESALE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES for treating your kids to a sweet ride by tricking out the family wagon. By picking up some supplies and putting in a bit of time and effort you can easily do one of these ideas or use them for inspiration to build something unique yourself. Just click on the links below for step-by-step tutorials on Halloween wagon decorating:

DUMP TRUCK

FIRE ENGINE

FLYING CARPET

PRINCESS CARRIAGE

PIRATE SHIP

SPACESHIP

For those of us who aren't crafty WHOLESALE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES sells a wide variety of decorations and outfits. Check out what they have to offer!. They have a wonderful selection of costumes for both kids and adults and decorations for your house with prices that won't bust family budgets. From spooky to goofy there is something for everyone to provide a terror-ific Halloween at wholesalehalloweencostumes.com. And if you are looking for some help in setting the stage for a family movie night, birthday party, holiday soiree or a variety of other festivities head over to WHOLESALE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES throughout the year for great products to deck out your event. Having fun dressing up and decorating doesn't have to be just for Halloween!

DIY DECORATIONS FOR HALLOWEEN

When it comes to getting ready for Halloween, costumes normally are the first thing that pops into most people's minds … that and candy! But decorating home's inside and out has become a big part of this holiday season as well.  My friends over at WHOLESALE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES have provided us with 9 DIY Halloween decorating ideas that are great for transforming your home into a haunted house.  Click on the links below for easy to follow tutorials for crafting some spook-tacular Halloween props:

SPECIMAN JARS

CHEESECLOTH GHOST BUSTS

GLOWING MASKING TAPE HAND

GOTHIC BOTTLES

GLOWING HANGING GHOST

CHICKEN WIRE GHOST

SPIDER NEST WREATH

TOMB STONE

ZOMBIE HAND

Of course making your own Halloween decorations isn't for everyone. For those people who aren't crafty, which includes your very own geek daddy here, check out what Whole Sale Halloween Costumes has to offer. They have a wonderful selection of Halloween decorations with prices that won't bust family budgets. From spooky to goofy there is something for everyone at wholesalehalloweencostumes.com to help transform your home into a terror-ific haunted house for Halloween.

11 DIY CHILDRENS HALLOWEEN COSTUME IDEAS

The other night I was watching an episode of a reality competition game show on NBC hosted by Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler called "Making It."  The television show pits contestants against one another in challenges which have them make a variety of handmade projects which are judged so that each episode someone is kicked off the show until eventually only the most crafty person is left to ultimately win a prize. My interest was really captured because this episode of Making It was themed around one of my favorite times of the year, Halloween, and its contestants were tasked with creating diy costumes that would be fitting to wear to a holiday party.

With Halloween costumes on my mind, I started wondering about diy ideas for my own kids. So I reached out to my friends at Wholesale Halloween Costumes for suggestions.  Wow! Not only did they have some great diy Halloween costume ideas for children but also shared with me amazing instructions on how to actually craft them.  Check out 11 incredible costumes that with some time and effort you can make yourself for kids by clicking on the links below:

1. NEMO from Finding Nemo

2. DORY from Finding Dory

3. MAL from Descendants

4. PJ MASKS

5. PAW PATROL Police Car

6. PAW PATROL Fire Truck

7. KWAZII from The Octonauts

8. LEGO BATMAN

9.  LEGO SUPERMAN

10. Shopkins CHEEKY CHOCOLATE

11. SHERIFF CALLIE from Sheriff Callie's Wild West

Hope you found these diy children's Halloween costume ideas interesting and useful. I know I did! My family always enjoys putting together spook-tacular costumes And it is NEVER to early to start getting ready for the next Halloween.

Of course making your own Halloween costumes isn't for everyone.  If you aren't a crafty person, check out what Whole Sale Halloween Costumes has to offer.  They have a wonderful selection of already made costumes for both kids and adults with prices that won't bust family budgets. From spooky to goofy there is something for everyone to provide a terror-ific Halloween at wholesalehalloweencostumes.com.