board games Archives : The Retro Network

Dream Phone: Crushes, Clues, and Pure 90s Fun

Before smartphones ruled every conversation, Dream Phone turned sleepovers into neon‑pink mysteries, letting ’90s kids dial up clues, crushes, and laughter with a plastic phone that felt like the height of high‑tech fun.

Axis & Allies: When Strategy, Snacks, and All‑Night Battles Ruled Childhood

Mickey Yarber

Hey kids, gather round. Before video games took over every spare minute of free time, there was a board game that let you command entire nations during World War II. Axis and Allies put players

Ghost Castle: The Haunted Board Game That Turned Fear Into Fun

Mickey Yarber

In the mid-1980s, when board games were branching into three-dimensional designs and Halloween-themed fun was creeping into toy aisles, Ghost Castle emerged as a standout. Released by MB Games in 1985, Ghost Castle was more

The Spooky History of the Ouija Board

Mickey Yarber

So there’s no gray-haired psychic in your town? And you can’t sneak another call into the astrology hotline without your mom noticing the long-distance charges? If you need some answers in your life, and answers

Fireball Island: Treasure Hunts, Lava Runs, and Legendary Escapes

Mickey Yarber

In the golden age of 1980s board games, few titles captured the imagination quite like Fireball Island. Released by Milton Bradley in 1986, this wasn’t just another game, it was a spectacle. With its three-dimensional

The Retro Resurgence Podcast – Episode 15 | Retro Grab Bag Vol. 1

Chad Droze

Episode 15 comin’ at ya! It’s a special sweetened and condensed version of the Retro Resurgence Podcast. We try out a new type of format that we’re calling the “GRAB BAG”. Ken and Chad bring

Don’t Be Late! The Cultural Legacy of Milton Bradley’s Mystery Date

The Retro Network

Oh, the anticipation! Any minute, that door was going to open, and your destiny would take its form. Would it be the hunky bowler, that adorable ski boy, the beachgoing dreamboat, that dapper young dancer

Electric Football: The Buzzing Gridiron of Our Childhoods

The Retro Network

Ever since enterprising toymakers hit on the gimmick of combining electricity and sports, many a fan has whiled his rainy-day hours away over miniaturized electric versions of his favorite outdoor games. Few U.S. sports are

The Retro Resurgence Podcast – Episode 4 | Favorite Board Games

Chad Droze

Episode 4 of The Retro Resurgence Podcast has dropped! Ken and Chad welcome special guest Wyatt to the show. Ken gets us into the Halloween spirit by bringing up his Favorite Monster Cereals. Then, it’s

Marvel Announces Miniatures Game ‘Crisis Protocol’Earth’s Mightiest Core Box

The Retro Network

Marvel: Crisis Protocol Earth’s Mightiest: Core Box puts you right into the fight with the Avengers featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Captain Marvel, joined by Spider-Man. These heroes face off against the villainous

How Monopoly Helped Free POWs in World War II

Mickey Yarber

Park Place, Boardwalk, and a hidden map with a secret escape route? For Allied POWs during World War II, Monopoly games came equipped with real-life “get out of jail free” cards. During World War II,

Old Comic Book Ads: Halloween Edition

Mickey Yarber

Normally Gary is the host of this recurring feature, but I asked if I could step in and take a crack at it for an all spooky edition. He kindly obliged, so I pulled a

Yahtzee: From Yacht Parties to Living Rooms Everywhere

The Retro Network

A bejillion years from now, when archaeologists are digging up the suburban dens of our buried civilization, amid all the broken down ColecoVisions and My Buddy dolls, a Yahtzee box will be reverently dusted off and carted away.

Mouse Trap: Building the Game Was Half the Fun

The Retro Network

It may be time to revise the old maxim, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” The mousetrap in the board game of the same name may have

Risk Was the Board Game That Conquer the World One Roll at a Time

The Retro Network

Lay out the board, parcel out the territories, build up the armies, and commence global conquest. Even people who “don’t play strategy games” know Risk. Simple enough for a young mind to grasp, yet elaborate

Sorry!: The Board Game Where Payback Is the Point

The Retro Network

Woe to the unlucky Sorry! player, and the torrent of conflicting advice he hears from the little animated angel and devil that perch on either shoulder. Angel: “Show some sportsmanship! Prove you know the fine

Monopoly: The Game That Turned Kids Into Tiny Tycoons

The Retro Network

A board game that hinges on buying and selling imaginary real estate might not, at first glance, seem like such a shoo-in for the All-Star Toy team. Kids like to pretend, sure…they imagine they’re superheroes,