# What is the worst board game you have ever played? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 4, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868 "2018-01-04T20:40:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/101 "2018-01-09T16:12:59Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > My name is not Candice, but that is my strategy. I make it a clear condition of any in-game deal I make: if you break the terms of our agreement, I’ll spend the rest of the game trying to make you lose, even at the cost of mine own win. It’s important your would-be betrayer knows the cost of betrayal. Even ignoring the meta-game, that is a good strategy, since it reduces the chance of a betrayal in the first place. It also encourages making short-term, well-defined agreements as opposed to indefinite-duration, vague ones (for example, one-turn movement agreements in Diplomacy vs promises not to attack each other). The meta-game comes into play as other players learn you’re not bluffing. It’s not just a matter of breaking a deal. Candice becomes your enemy for the duration of the game if you attack her in any way - even if you never had an agreement to not attack her. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/102 "2018-01-09T16:36:21Z")
One of my favorite moments in a game was when I made a deal with someone not to attack each other. Later in the game I played a card that forced a confrontation between us, and he got mad at me for breaking the agreement. I pointed out that the text of the card specified that it forced **him** to attack **me** , so technically he, not I, was breaking the agreement–but I forgave him his trespass. He was pretty impressed when he figured out what I’d done. Still beat the pants off me, though :). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/103 "2018-01-09T16:49:10Z")
The first time I ever played Settlers of Catan, I went in with the clear goal to ensure that one particular player didn’t win. It wasn’t a revenge thing; I just thought that she could use a bit of ego-deflation. Of course, the result was that I ended up winning. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/104 "2018-01-09T17:07:10Z")
BTW, I happen to go to(and frequently volunteer at) a local gaming convention called GameStorm, and [here is a list of games in their Game Library.](http://www.gamestorm.org/explore/game-library/) Any of these bring up bad memories? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/105 "2018-01-09T21:49:10Z")
What I hate about Monopoly is that it is invariably all against one. Oh hey I’m about to go bankrupt so I’ll sell you all my properties for $1 so you can beat Candice. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/106 "2018-01-09T23:04:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The first time I ever played Settlers of Catan, I went in with the clear goal to ensure that one particular player didn’t win. It wasn’t a revenge thing; I just thought that she could use a bit of ego-deflation. Of course, the result was that I ended up winning. Two birds. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/107 "2018-01-09T23:33:17Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > What I hate about Monopoly is that it is invariably all against one. Oh hey I’m about to go bankrupt so I’ll sell you all my properties for $1 so you can beat Candice. Wow. You play with assholes. I’ve never had that happen to me in a Monopoly game. So far as I can, that’s allowed, as long as you’re selling unimproved properties. (Not that it matters much, but if you’ve got houses and hotels, you gotta sell them first before making the deal.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/108 "2018-01-09T23:39:09Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > What I hate about Monopoly is that it is invariably all against one. Oh hey I’m about to go bankrupt so I’ll sell you all my properties for $1 so you can beat Candice. Back when I attended a boardgaming club of sorts, a guy pulled that move in a game called [Bootleggers that I was about to win.](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12477/bootleggers) He was not welcome at my table after that. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/109 "2018-01-10T00:15:27Z")
Somebody gave us a travel game called **Blokus**. Five minutes in, I asked the wife to hand me the trash can. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/110 "2018-01-10T00:45:53Z")
I wouldn’t call it the worst game I’ve ever played, but Love Letter is a popular game I don’t like. Everyone is dealt one card and then on their turn they draw a second card and play one of them. You’re trying to not get eliminated and to have the highest possible card when the round ends. The cards have various powers. My problem is your choices are too limited. You have two cards and you have to play one of them. And many times the cards will force you to play one of the two you have. It’s also possible to get a hand of two cards that are unplayable. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/111 "2018-01-10T01:29:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Somebody gave us a travel game called **Blokus**. Five minutes in, I asked the wife to hand me the trash can. Maybe you should have given that game another five minutes. Because it’s an absolutely **great** game. Can’t recommend it highly enough - at least the 2-player version, which is what you had. (Never played the 3-4 player game, can’t speak to that.) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/112 "2018-01-10T02:14:07Z")
Three pages in, and no one has mentioned Arkham Horror? To be fair, the game gets a lot of good reviews (who ARE those people?), but here’s what the negative reviews on Amazon say, quite accurately: [Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Fantasy Flight Games A Call of Cthulhu Boardgame, Arkham Horror: The Classic Game of Lovercraftian Adventure](https://www.amazon.com/Fantasy-Flight-Games-VA09-Arkham/product-reviews/1589942108/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&reviewerType=all_reviews#reviews-filter-bar) It’s a horror alright. I have never been so bored in my entire life. I stuck with it for about 6 hours (it was a Christmas present for my son, so he and his dad and I tried to play it), but then I just couldn’t take it anymore. I think my son tried on several occasions to interest his friends in it, but they were too smart to get sucked in. Ultimately he didn’t mind that much, because even at the height of his HP Lovecraft phase, he didn’t find the game irresistible. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/113 "2018-01-10T02:47:35Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Three pages in, and no one has mentioned Arkham Horror? Because this is about the worst board games, not best ones. Think you got lost or something. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/114 "2018-01-10T03:10:04Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Yeah, I’m pretty sure the only point to Candyland is to teach small children how to follow rules and how to act when they win or lose. Remembering what it was like to be 4, I actually loved Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Rules a 4 year old can wrap his head around and it’s pretty and there’s candy. Sure, it’s a pure game of chance, no strategy, but it is a great introduction to games for kids. For the nostalgia benefit, I enjoy playing it with nieces and nephews. However, a game I loved that is actually just awful is Go For Broke. When I first saw the game I thought it was awesome, it had lots of cards and things to do, but when me and my friends played it, it’s like a five hour slog where you spend half your time at the casino gambling away $1000 at a time trying to lose a million. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/115 "2018-01-10T03:26:14Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Maybe you should have given that game another five minutes. Because it’s an absolutely **great** game. Can’t recommend it highly enough - at least the 2-player version, which is what you had. (Never played the 3-4 player game, can’t speak to that.) Hmm. I’ve never heard of this game, but it looks like a beautiful game, looking at Youtube videos. Sounds like it may be a fun one for the kids and help build some kind of abstract thinking skills. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/116 "2018-01-10T03:52:42Z")
Depending on your definition of board game(and for that matter your definition of “played”); Harpoon. We had a decent sized group of folks who met to play games. It was a great group, we played all kinds of games, and people picked them up quickly. There was one guy who was a bit slower, and kind of socially awkward(which by the standards of a college gaming group is saying something). But he was a nice guy and tried really hard so it wasn’t a problem. Except his favorite game was Harpoon. He would have it in his backpack every night I’m pretty sure, and when there wasn’t a strong feeling of anything else to play, he would suggest it. First of all it was two player which is weird for a gaming group but a couple folks would try to learn it from him. I think I tried it like 5 times. But he couldn’t even start to explain how to play it. And he was so protective of his game nobody else was really allowed to touch the books, to try to figure it out themselves. I wasted 5 potential gaming nights getting nowhere on it. It became officially known behind his back as “that miserable pile of Chits” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/117 "2018-01-10T04:19:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Because this is about the worst board games, not best ones. Think you got lost or something. Welll, now I have an answer to my question, “Who ARE these people?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/118 "2018-01-10T05:58:09Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Welll, now I have an answer to my question, “Who ARE these people?” 😛 It got some enthusiastic endorsements in the “2 player game” thread. I think “these people” are most people who’ve played the game. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/119 "2018-01-10T06:19:19Z")
I think they were talking about the card game version in the two player game suggestion thread, though Arkham Horror the board game plays just fine with two people. I like Arkham, but the first couple games were definitely a struggle til we got the flow of the different phases and how to cast spells and so on. ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2018, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868/120 "2018-01-10T07:40:30Z")
I suppose it should be expected, but there’s a lot of games in here that I love and am a bit surprised would be on a “worst ever” list: - **Shogun:** long, yes (in fact, I think I’ve only managed to play it three times because of this. But being unable to play kingmaker feels like a feature to me, not a drawback. The cube tower can be a bit wonky though (it is hilarious when your armies “get lost” and show up to an unrelated battle three turns later) - **Battlestar Galactica:** Another game where the only drawback I can think of is “too long,” or maybe perhaps that there’s a bit too much randomization in the card drawing. But I adore games with traitor mechanic, and I’ve had some great games over the years involving false accusations and the ensuing chaos. I find **Avalon** to be an easier game to get on the table since it’s shorter and has simpler mechanics (and no player elimination), but BSG is one of my faves. - **Ticket to Ride:** Another one I’ve had a lot of good experience with, since it’s got enough depth to engage me but is also simple enough I can play it with my less board-game-inclined friends and family. I’ll agree that’s it’s basically 100% distilled Euro-style, for better or worse. If there’s anything I dislike it about it, it’s that most of the game is just passively hoping that someone won’t steal the location you really need. - **Blokus:** Ah c’mon man, Blokus is awesome. My own least favorite game would likely be Munchkin, for what it’s worth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-board-game-you-have-ever-played/805868.md?page=7)