Chip Theory Kids Collection: A Parent's Buying Guide
By Chip Theory Games | Published: 2026-09-14
Category: Buying Guides
A practical parent's guide to the Chip Theory kids collection, with decision rules for choosing kids board games and family board games that actually fit your table.
Quick answer
If you want the simplest possible start, buy Tangram Adventure: it is a single-player-friendly puzzle game with a low price and no expansion required. If your family already plays Chip Theory Games titles, add Cheeses of Tamriel as a cheap expansion for an existing character rather than as a standalone kids game. The Chip Theory kids collection is small, so buy for the specific child and table you have, not for a shelf of matching boxes.
The Chip Theory kids collection is not a giant product line, and that is actually useful. It means you can decide quickly instead of comparing dozens of near-identical boxes. The real question is whether you are buying a first puzzle game for a child, a small add-on for a family game you already own, or a durable upgrade that makes an existing game easier to play together.
This guide gives you decision rules rather than a ranked list. You will see what Tangram Adventure and Cheeses of Tamriel actually contain, where each one fits, and when you should skip both and put the money toward a playmat or draw bags instead. Prices below are catalog prices at the time of writing, and Chip Theory Games runs frequent discounts, so treat the comparison price as a signal of value rather than a permanent number.
What is actually in the Chip Theory kids collection
The kid-friendly end of the Chip Theory Games catalog is led by Tangram Adventure, a shape-arranging puzzle game where each puzzle is an animal, object, or environment. Colored dots show where shapes go at first, then hints disappear or turn black, and eventually only outlines remain. That built-in difficulty curve is the main reason it works for a range of ages: a younger child can start with visible clues while an older sibling plays the same box with no hints at all.
Cheeses of Tamriel is not a kids game in the same sense. It is a 20-cheese expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, aimed at players who already own that game and want more character flavor. It belongs in this guide only because it is inexpensive and family-friendly in tone, not because a five-year-old can play it alone. If you are shopping for a child with no Chip Theory Games collection yet, Tangram Adventure is the cleaner first purchase.
- Tangram Adventure is a Base Game with a catalog price of USD 9.98, compared with a catalog comparison price of USD 19.95.
- Cheeses of Tamriel is an Expansion priced at USD 4.97, compared with a catalog comparison price of USD 9.95, and it requires the base game to be useful.
Decision rules for picking the right box
Start with who will open the box. If the answer is one child playing quietly at a table, Tangram Adventure fits because the puzzle loop is self-directed and the hint system lets them self-correct. If the answer is a family that already owns The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era, Cheeses of Tamriel is a low-cost way to add variety to a character you already play. If the answer is a group of four who want a shared board, neither product is the right centerpiece.
Next, check your table. Tangram Adventure is a compact puzzle box that needs only enough space for the outline cards and loose shapes. Cheeses of Tamriel needs the full footprint of the base game already set up. That difference matters more than price when you are deciding what to buy for a small apartment or a home where the dining table gets cleared every night.
- Buy Tangram Adventure first if the child has no Chip Theory Games products yet.
- Buy Cheeses of Tamriel only if you already own The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era.
- Skip both if your goal is a large-group party game rather than a solo or two-player activity.
Where upgrades and accessories fit for families
Once a family is playing Chip Theory Games regularly, the practical purchases shift from new games to comfort items. The Too Many Bones Double-Sided Playmat is a 34 x 48 mat that positions Gearloc mats, loot, and dice around the Battle Mat, Baddies, and Encounters, with room for upgrades like the Adventure Mat. For a household that plays on a shared table, a mat is often a better spend than another small expansion because it protects components and speeds setup.
The Elder Scrolls: BotSE Deluxe Draw Bags are another family-friendly upgrade: they keep enemies organized and reduce the pile of loose tokens that tends to appear mid-game. These are not kids products and they do not make a game simpler to learn, so treat them as second-stage purchases after you know the game is staying in rotation.
- A playmat is worth it if your table is used for meals and gets cleaned constantly.
- Draw bags help most when setup and teardown are the part your family dreads.
Decision rules: what to buy first
- Rule 1: Match the box to the child, not the brand: If the child wants to play alone or with one adult, Tangram Adventure is the right first buy because the puzzle loop is self-directed and the hint system does the teaching. If the child wants a shared board with siblings, neither Tangram Adventure nor Cheeses of Tamriel is the centerpiece. Buy Tangram Adventure for solo puzzle play; look elsewhere for group games.
- Rule 2: Never buy an expansion before the base game: Cheeses of Tamriel is a 20-cheese expansion for The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era. Without that base game, the box has nothing to attach to. The same logic applies to Too Many Bones: Carcass (The Survivalist), which assumes you already own Too Many Bones. Expansions only make sense once the matching base game is on your shelf.
- Rule 3: Spend on comfort once the game is in rotation: If your family already plays regularly, the Too Many Bones Double-Sided Playmat and The Elder Scrolls: BotSE Deluxe Draw Bags solve setup and cleanup problems. If the game is still new, wait until you know it will stay on the table before buying storage and surface upgrades. Upgrades are a second purchase, not a first one.
- Rule 4: Treat catalog comparison prices as a timing signal: The catalog shows Tangram Adventure at USD 9.98 against a comparison price of USD 19.95, Cheeses of Tamriel at USD 4.97 against USD 9.95, and the Too Many Bones Double-Sided Playmat at USD 29.98 against USD 59.95. These comparisons show current value, but they are not permanent prices. If the price is close to the comparison price, waiting for a sale is reasonable.
Product facts that matter for parents
- Tangram Adventure: Each puzzle is an animal, object, or environment to explore by arranging shapes to cover an outline. Colored dots give clues at first; in harder puzzles some dots disappear or turn black, and eventually all hints disappear and only outlines remain. The disappearing-hint system lets one box serve a younger beginner and an older child at the same time, so you get more years of use before the puzzles feel solved.
- Cheeses of Tamriel: This expansion offers 20 unique cheeses from the world of The Elder Scrolls for your Betrayal of the Second Era character. You cannot eat them, but your fictional characters can. It is a light, low-cost add-on for an existing game, not a standalone activity, so it only makes sense if your family already plays Betrayal of the Second Era.
- Too Many Bones: Carcass (The Survivalist): Carcass is a Gearloc who scavenges, skins, and stuffs his way to fortifying supplies, and he comes with the classic Gearloc accoutrement: character mat, Gearloc chip, skill dice, and stat dice. If your older kids already play Too Many Bones, a single Gearloc expansion adds a new playstyle without buying a whole new game.
- Too Many Bones Double-Sided Playmat: The double-sided playmat is 34 x 48 and provides positioning for your Gearloc mat, loot, and dice as the party surrounds the Battle Mat, Baddies, and Encounters, with room for upgrades like the Adventure Mat. It defines the play area for a family game night and keeps components off a bare table, which reduces lost pieces and cleanup time.
Who this collection fits
Best for
- Parents looking for a first solo puzzle game for a child, with Tangram Adventure as the low-cost entry point.
- Families who already own The Elder Scrolls: Betrayal of the Second Era or Too Many Bones and want small expansions to refresh play.
- Households that play on a shared table and want a playmat or draw bags to keep components organized during family game nights.
Not for
- Buyers who want a single box that entertains a large group of children at once; the kid-friendly lineup is built around solo or small-group puzzle play.
- Shoppers who do not own the matching base game for an expansion such as Cheeses of Tamriel or Too Many Bones: Carcass (The Survivalist).
- Families looking for a first board game with no reading or puzzle-solving interest, since the collection assumes some patience with shapes and rules.
Buy Tangram Adventure if you want one inexpensive, replayable puzzle box for a child, and add Cheeses of Tamriel or Too Many Bones: Carcass (The Survivalist) only when the matching base game is already in your home. Once your family plays regularly, a playmat or draw bags will do more for your game nights than another small expansion.
