I have far too short an attention span to abide bored games for long. I own none.
Under certain circumstances, such as power outages, hurricanes and family reunions, I can be coerced into playing.
Although my personal favorites are Operation (I like games that buzz!) and Mouse Trap, I notice most adults do not indulge in these anymore. Evidently, I like to play games that require some sort of manual skills.
Scrabble cures insomnia.
The only way I play Monopoly is to cheat like a lyin’ dog-zilla. Keeps me interested.
Don’t you think they should change the name of Monopoly to “Microsoft?”
In no particular order:
[ul]
[li]Backgammon[/li]
[li]Civilization[/li]
[li]Balderdash[/li]
[li]Robo Rally[/li]
[/ul]
and, as an honorable mention, even though it’s not a board game … The Great Dalmuti
This my lovely wife’s favourite game. We’re getting a tournament going at our Hallowe’en party, apparently. What she doen’t realize, of course, is that while her friends are intellectual university-types who are there for stimulating conversation, mine are pipeliners who are just there to get pissed.
Thanks for the reminder. My wife and I have Mouse Trap at home, and have been meaning to play it again. When I was a kid, I used to love putting the whole thing together and setting it off. The actual game could go jump off a cliff; I just loved watching the Rube Goldberg contraption.
Trivia For Dummies.
My husband is not much of a trivia person so I thought this one might be fun since he could play and have a chance at winning. Well turns out this is the most fun game I have ever played. The trick is not knowing the answer but being the first to know the answer. Last time my sister and brother-in-law came down after we put the kids to bed we broke out the board games. We usually play Monopoly but this time it was Trivia For Dummies. We had a great time, it was so much fun. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves pressure and excitement in a game.
Therapy - the idea is to psychoanalyze your friends. We always have a ball playing it, but it’s best to play with a group who have cast-iron egos. Sample question: “Who in the group do you think is most likely to be hiding a deep, dark secret.” You think of your answer, then the group (or the individual) has to try and figure out who you chose.
You should only play Scrabble with Satan if you’re willing to lose. Dang. AND he hogs all the Es.
You have been warned.
As for odd board games…I like Cosmic Encounter, too. I took the precaution of photocopying the rules and making up six booklets (the unexpanded game allows up to six players) and thus the game goes much more smoothly. In fact, I think that this is a good idea for ANY game that’s not widely known. Most people know the basic rules of Monopoly and Scrabble.
I like Dune as well, it’s held up very nicely. I’ve got a few more odd board games, I’d have to look on my shelf to list them all.
Uno, the card game, is best with three people. If you have more than three, make sure that you switch seats every now and then so that the same people don’t always sit next to each other.
Settlers of Catan rules. We have Seafarers* too, and both the 5-6 player expansions, though 3 or 4 player Settlers is still the best. I insist on waiting for Staedte und Ritter to be released in English–playing with the German version means everybody just fights over the translated rules. Waiting eagerly for Spacefarers,, too.
Castle of Magic is a great favorite in our circle.
Anybody ever played Bitin’ Off Heads or Devil Bunny Needs a Ham by Cheapass Games? Probably not enduring classics, but hell, two or three bucks for a game? Who can complain?
I’m suprised nobody’s mentioned Othello along with all the mentions of chess and backgammon
UBI - by the makers of Trivial Pursuit (with a geography twist). UR: Royal Game of Sumer - an interesting game for two based on getting your chips off the board before your opponent. Blocking moves and killing moves combine with the throw of dice to make a fast moving and exciting game.
Also like the classics like Monopoly, Risk, and Parcheesi. Card games are played more often (Hearts, Cribbage, Pinochle, Gin, Poker). Best card game is double or triple solitaire where two or three people play Klondike on their own layout but build on a common foundation. We don’t take turns (too civilized!) but begin the mad scramble to unload all our cards once everyone has dealt their layout. We’ve played this with up to 6 or 7 people who were willing to get on the floor and risk bruising from arms flying.
My mom is a real trooper (she was the one who taught us a sense of competitiveness and fair play - sometimes difficult for a child to learn). Once in a while she’ll play Scrabble with me. Now, English is not her native tongue so exchanges like this often occur:
Mom puts down vire.
Me: What’s that?
Mom: Vire. Vire. You know. You put da vire in da vireplace.
On the other hand, she kicks my ass in chinese checkers every time. And she takes no prisoners in UBI or UR.
