Periodic: A Game of the Elements | Periodic Table Board & Card Game About Atoms, Elements & Compounds | A Strategy Board Game for Gamers & Educational Science Game for Kids or Family Game Night

For a bit of context, we are definitely geeks and we homeschool our children. We are not heavy gamers, but we do like to play some lighter to mid weight board games. We really like this game! There are quite a few steps to remember and it can seem overwhelming at first, but that is true for a lot of games. We broke it down step by step as we played our first game, and the steps really started to flow the longer we played. I haven't thought about chemistry in quite a few years, so I was very rusty. The game does not require you to know chemistry to play, but I love how much chemistry my brain started picking up during our play. It isn't a comprehensive chemistry class, but it is a great and fun way to familiarize yourself and your children with the periodic table of the elements. The elements are grouped on cards in interesting and educational ways: The Curies discovered Polonium and Radium or most common metals in industry etc. While it is an educational game, we think the fun aspect stands on its own. We will be playing this game a lot because we have fun, but we are also excited that we will be learning while having fun! We own a few Genius Games now, and this one did not disappoint. We will definitely keep adding games from this company to our collection.

First I have to comment about other reviewers saying this is complicated. It isn't. At all. I suspect they are more the Monopoly and Scrabble type gamers. If you have played more medium weight euro style games this is going to be a breeze. The game is visually appealing with really high quality components. You are moving around the periodic table based on trends. So for anyone familiar with Chemistry, atomic number, atomic mass, radii size and ionization can all be seen by using the table. You use these trends to move to "research" and element. This is to complete goal cards to earn points. You can also earn points by ending a turn on certain element family groups that advance you along a point track. Not even remotely complicated yet quite fun, especially if you are using the game as a homeschool or enrichment activity. I have played multiple times with my 9 and 11 year old who took to it with no problem. My 9 year old was the one who read the instructions originally and taught the game. We also have Compound which is another great game but different enough that if you enjoy science based board games, then having both isn't redundant.

This game is amazing for getting familiar with the periodic table and understanding how to navigate it. The game rules are very easy to learn. I got this game for my 13 year old 8th grader because we are going into chemistry in a few weeks and I wanted him to get to know the elements and the table. This game exceeded my expectations and my son wants to play everyday. We absolutely love this strategy/ educational game. There is so much to learn while playing the game; the name of the elements, the symbol, atomic mass and number, what the elements are typically used for, the element groups and more. The most important thing for my sometimes reluctant learner is that it doesnt feel like a boring educational game and you dont actually need to know chemistry to play it. The board is strong so it wont warp and the game pieces are colorful and sturdy.

Periodic has great presentation from the color pallet chosen to the piece shapes. The game should appeal to players liking set collection with multiple paths to victory. The duration of the game is suitable for classroom use and works well for casual as well as experienced players. Periodic is nicely balanced and generates some surprises as folks reveal their hidden agendas at game end. Finally, the game stores well in the provided box and bags with no unnecessary insert for pieces to fall out of during transit. A couple of caveats to consider: the connection between game mechanisms and subject is weak (but not completely absent). The choice of a microscope for one of the pieces is quizzical. Perhaps a laboratory balance would have been better. These are small concerns however. Overall, this is a wonderful game.

This game was definitely worth it to play with teens that love science, or just to learn a new game that really makes you think. My 15yo wooped my butt while we were learning the game she caught on real fast, blew past me. I like how it makes you rrally think about the elements, their properties and how to move around the board by sharing and taking energy. It's great, just a real deep learning curve. If you like a challenge and don't mind taking some time to play, this is a good game to get lost in.

We really wanted to like this game, but the setup was so complicated, we never even played it. Maybe we aren’t the target audience? But so many fiddly bits we were overwhelmed before we even got started.

First I have to say this is a pretty game! I love the color palate found the game pleasing to look at. All the pieces are high quality. But mainly, WOW! can you learn a lot from this game! Obviously, just moving around the board gets kids familiar with the periodic table and all the elements. Then the goal cards teach kids what all the different elements can be used for. Next, the way you move teaches kids what is different about all the elements and how they are organized (atomic mass, atomic radius, periodic trends, etc.). I loved it! The game includes a booklet that dives even more into the science of the periodic table. This game is a teacher's dream. One could easily use this as the center of a unit study on the periodic table. I will say as far as game play goes, a thorough reading of the directions before starting is a must and having the directions handy when you first start playing is a big help. But 10 minutes into the game we no longer needed the directions. This game is by far my favorite of the chemistry board games we have played!

This game is way too complicated to be enjoyable. It literally takes 30 minutes just to set up, and we could never even figure out how to actually play. So frustrating, and not a helpful way to learn for my teens. Such a bummer. I gave 2 stars because it is good quality and nice looking.