I’m a big fan of Balderdash and Scrabble. Occasionally when my friends and I get bored, we make up new rules, the most entertaining of which was Scrabble using only words which might be considered dirty in some way. Hilarity ensued.
Anyone tried Thud yet (the boardgame created by Terry Pratchett)? I’m intrigued, but as the box doesn’t give details of the rules I’m not willing to buy one until I know how the game goes.
This is my kind of thread…
My favorite board game depends largely upon the motives I have for playing. If I’m up for a battle royale of wits and intelligence, then by far the best games are Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, or Chess. The only problem is that no one I know will play Scrabble with me anymore since I have this bad tendency to double everyone else’s score. 
However, for pure simple hilarity nothing beats Balderdash, or, even better, Beyond Balderdash. Especially if the game begins at midnight and continues until half past four. Scattergories and Pictionary are fun too.
Any board game that is subtitled the “Star Wars version,” however, just makes me drop my head in shame.
Liar’s Dice is a board game by Milton Bradley (since bought out by Hasbro, I understand). It is now out of print. Admittedly the board is only used to keep track of what the bet happens to be, so this may fall more with “Yahtzee” and other dice games.
Essentially, you and up to 5 others roll 5 dice each (1 = wild) and then bet on how many of a certain number were rolled (given everyone’s hand – e.g. a bet might be that there are 12 three’s.) Play pases to the left, and players must raise the bet (e.g. 13 three’s or 12 fours) or call the bluff. The loser of the bet/bluff will lose a few dice. Then you repeat.
Simple rules, fairly fast-paced, up to 6 players, excruciating decisions on whether to raise the bed or call the bluff… I think this is the perfect party game.
So, of course, it had to be discontinued. 
:mad:
I’ve just had a fab idea for the next Londope…
Has anyone ever played Zobmondo ? I’m talking about the original version, which is the second one on the page I linked to. It’s an hilarious game. You have to answer “would you rather” type questions like “Would you rather spit every time you speak or be spat on every time you’re spoken to?” or “Would you rather have totally white eyeballs or a transparent nose?”. It’s a good game for socializing and some interesting conversations can start.
I’m not sure if “board” really counts, but several friends and I really love Boggle. And not the four-across version, but the five-across, which Parker Bros has sold under various names – Big Boggle, Boggle Deluxe, etc. Good good good.
Only because I was too busy playing the game!.
Yes , chess by a mile.It is the only form of relaxation I know - and yes , I AM including copulation - which the stresses of daily life cannot invade.
And contrary to popular opinion , it is a game which attracts a great diversity of characters.
Second would be Triv , cos I’ve never lost a game of it.
(Not played too many , either).
Well, if you are going to be a masochist about it.
Lok
I don’t know which actually came first, but Liar’s Dice is also known as Call my bluff, which I believe is still in print.
In the interest of getting people weaned off of the bad games that tend to be popular anyway, and onto the good stuff that no one seems to know about, here are some suggestions:
If you like Monopoly, you might enjoy Acquire, which is faster and less luck dependent.
If you like Risk, you might enjoy Vinci which is like risk, but faster and without as much luck, and with a neat system of rising and falling empires. Or you might enjoy Diplomacy which has no luck at all, and is nice and long, and full of backstabbing. Or at least try Risk 2210 which adds some more strategy and cuts down the time to a reasonabe level.
If you like Life, try Careers, which has a neat “make your own victory conditions” component.
If you like Balderdash, Taboo, Scattergories, and the like (none of which are bad, but just for comparison) try Apples to Apples. A great party game where you try to play the best noun from your hand to match the adjective on the table, and each player gets a turn as the judge. Find out which is more Touchy-Feely: Bill Clinton, Micheal Jackson, Giant Squid, or Pond Scum.
If you like chess, but aren’t a fanatic about it, you might enjoy Nightmare Chess, which adds funky action cards to the classic game.
If you like Axis & Allies, God help you… Just kidding. Try Samurai Swords, it’s more of the same, but better.