# Family/group games for Christmas get-togethers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 11, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650 "2007-12-11T20:28:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/1 "2007-12-11T20:28:15Z")
My family likes playing board games, but we haven’t had a new one in a while. What are your favorite board or card or similar-type games for play in a group? Ages don’t really matter. No one will play trivia games with me any longer, so they’re out. Otherwise, it’s an open field. Previous favorites included: Trivial Pursuit Apples to Apples Tripoli Scattergories Pictionary Balderdash Boggle And probably others that I don’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/2 "2007-12-11T20:41:21Z")
Taboo? I love that one. ] _eta_ --what about SceneIt? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/3 "2007-12-11T20:44:46Z")
I like to play a game I call: **Dysfunctional Family Bingo** Instead of the usual Bingo Numbers, it is each square is filled with conversations/arguments/yearly cliches/etc… you _know_ will come up. Theoretically, there are 24 squares, with the middle being FREE. But you can modify this to suit your own family’s personal pecadillios. I can usually get five across within the first hour of the yearly _It’s Ground Hog’s Day Massacre All Over Again \* at either parental units houses. Dinner is good for cover-all’s. Naturally, this is played mentally as it is a little odd to shout " BINGO" in the midst of passing the gravy while the MIL says, " I didn’t put out all the decorations this year ( le sigh)" and " I hope there is enough food_…(le Sigh)"\* [size=1]yet, there is no room on the table for any additional item with it being crammed with dishes of overflowing holiday gutbusting semi-edibles. This is always followed by, “So much waste. You didn’t eat enough. I cooked too much.” It’s like dining with a [Flagellant’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellation) (on both sides of the family.) Guilt: It’s what’s for Dinner! ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/4 "2007-12-11T20:47:12Z")
Apples to Apples and Taboo are both great. Both already mentioned I know, but they’re good enough to have repeat mentions. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/5 "2007-12-11T20:48:29Z")
Cranium. I loves me some Cranium at Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/6 "2007-12-11T20:58:40Z")
UNO is fun, and Scrabble is a classic. How about Clue? ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/7 "2007-12-11T21:00:07Z")
Sequence is a favorite in my family. It’s appropriate for all ages, from younger kids (all you have to do is be able to match the card in your hand with the one on the board) on up. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/8 "2007-12-11T21:14:02Z")
We’ve done a Murder Mystery in a Box of couple of times. It’s a lot of fun. Penny ante poker is popular too. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/9 "2007-12-11T22:10:55Z")
Another vote for Cranium, make sure you get the original (colorful box) version for multi-generational play. They’ve released a new black, silvery and white box that’s adult, nothing dirty but minus the fun physical stuff and silliness that the kids could participate in of the original. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/10 "2007-12-11T22:16:31Z")
Another vote for Cranium. Plus my family plays poker. I am the reigning poker champeen, which frosts my brother’s shorts exceedingly, so at least one poker game is guaranteed, once the little shavers go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/11 "2007-12-11T22:45:03Z")
Uno has a newish version out – Uno ATTACK! – that’s tons of fun. Depending on the ages, Catchphrase is also a good group game, as is Phase 10 (it’s a little more complicated, though, and can take a while). Our family is a gaming family, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/12 "2007-12-11T23:01:30Z")
If Trivial Pursuit is out, [Facts in Five](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facts_in_Five) might be, too. But it’s a ton of fun. Basically, someone draws a category card and five letter tiles. So if you drew “vegetables” (and the categories are nowhere near that straightforward) and the letters A, B, C, D, E, then you’d have 5 minutes to write down words that begin with those letters, e.g. artichokes, asparagus, beans, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, corn, cress, dandelions, edamame, eggplant… The fun begins with the arguing! Is dandelion a vegetable?!? Isn’t “edamame” a name of a variety of soy bean, so it shouldn’t count! Etc., etc., etc. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/13 "2007-12-11T23:26:57Z")
Scattergories is a must in my household. We generally have to devise some sort of means to muffle the buzzing of that infernal timer, though. A clear tupperware dish works fairly well, but a loose pile of placemats will do in a pinch. Pictionary is also tons of fun. My brother and I aren’t allowed on the same team versus Mum and Dad; the two of us think so alike that we crush them every time. We usually attempt to get at least one Monopoly game going. It’s kind of funny because Dad and I like wheeling and dealing, but have to go to great lengths to get Mum and Bro to start trading. We end up making them offers heavily lopsided in their favor just to get the ball rolling. This year should be especially difficult because all four of us now know that the orange properties are far more valuable than they look on paper. Bro and I have been known to dig out my shoebox of old Magic: The Gathering cards and shuffle them up into two huge decks of totally random cards. The game either ends very quickly or turns into a three-day marathon epic conflict. Good times. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/14 "2007-12-11T23:54:06Z")
How many people are we talking here? Age ranges? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/15 "2007-12-12T02:56:33Z")
Favorites in my family include: Encore: the original version, not whatever revamped version is out now. Memory Madness: most fun when it causes a huge fight over answer acceptability Scattergories Beyond Balderdash Apples to Apples Phase 10 Cranium Facts in Five sounds fun; I wonder if I can give it to someone for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/16 "2007-12-12T02:59:37Z")
And yet another for Cranium. I’ve played it with college students and faculty members during Welcome Week festivities and I think I enjoyed it more than the kiddies. (Age is actually an advantage when you get questions like "Hum _Nights in White Satin_ 😛 .) ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/17 "2007-12-12T03:04:52Z")
[QUOTE=Kat] Facts in Five sounds fun; I wonder if I can give it to someone for Christmas. [/QUOTE] Google it. Amazon was one of several sites from which it could be purchased. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/18 "2007-12-12T04:22:40Z")
What is Apples to Apples? I’ve seen it in stores. Is it good for kids and adults to play together? I’d suggest Taboo and Scattergories. We’ve always had fun with both of those. ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/19 "2007-12-12T08:32:46Z")
We love a good game of **Catchphrase** and you can play it with random numbers of players. It gets loud, though. The kids in our family gathering like to play **Dutch Blitz** , which is a card game where you have to be a fast mover. **What’sit** is good, but it’s kind of limited in numbers, and sometimes the phrases won’t be familiar to the kids. Same with **Buzzwords**. It’s usually best to put younger members with older ones, just to mix the knowledge pool. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650/20 "2007-12-12T12:10:00Z")
Puzzles! Puzzles are awesome at big, casual family gatherings because you can set them up at an out-of the way section of the main gathering area and people will sit down and work for a while and then wander off. It’s a great way to having conversations with people in passing–like in-laws and neices/nephews–that maybe you don’t have that much to say to, because there is a task at hand, and it’s never awkward to wander away again if you get bored. Also, it gives you something to wander off and go DO if there are other conversations you don’t want to be a part of. Finally, it’s satisfying to see the whole thing come together over a couple of days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-group-games-for-christmas-get-togethers/429650.md?page=2)