Mole Rats in Space and Dog Man - Attack of the Fleas

Games for kids!

Mole Rats in Space

Made by the creator of Pandemic, this 2-4 player cooperative game has players control the titular Mole Rats in Space whose plastic figures come with functional basket backpacks that can carry the items on the board. The goal is to get all of them and have everyone make it to the escape pod while avoiding the inexplicable snake infestation. It's snakes (and ladders) in space!

You each start with a medkit that lets you survive one snake bite. Get a second bite (or fall down a chute into space) and its game over for everyone! It's also game over if a snake gets to the escape pod, because they are super crafty.

The movement cards are key, everyone starts with one face up and these determine how many mole rats move how many spaces, then which snakes how many spaces. Left or right is the only choice. If whatever move lands on a ladder it gets closer to the escape pod. If it lands on a chute it goes down to wherever the chute leads. You will ideally be moving snakes into the chutes that toss them out into space. After completing your card, discard it and draw another then its the next players turn.

Fun but suffers a little with replayability since the setup is always the same.

Dog Man - Attack of the Fleas

In this 2-6 cooperative game each player plays as a character from Dog Man and must work together to get items and stop the robot dinosaur (Fleas is an acronym) before it gets to its destination. Oh and then everyone has to get back to the Dog Man's base in 3 moves to party.

No character is better than the other at anything (though some start in better spots) and moves are done just by flicking a spinner then hoping you land on useful items. You spin to move the dino as well before the turn passes to the next person. It's silly and fun but I don't think you'd play this more than a few times.