Author Topic: Board Game Suggestions?  (Read 45175 times)

APowers

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #50 on: December 18, 2014, 11:30:41 AM »
Every year on black Friday we host an open house dedicated to games. If you like word games, Taboo is really fun, although you really need at least four people (unless you don't mind switching teammates each round).

Another game we play as a family is "dictionary." For each round, one player picks an obscure word out of the dictionary, making sure no one knows the definition. The other players each write down an invented definition, and the person who chose it writes down the real one. You get a point for each person who votes for your definition and a point if you vote for the real definition. If nobody votes for the real one, then the person who chose the word gets a point for each player (minus himself). Very mustachian because it just takes pens, paper, and a dictionary.

+1 for Dictionary. Great family game.

swick

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #51 on: December 18, 2014, 12:06:03 PM »
After posting this question, I rifled through my parent's TV cabinet and found my old 1979 version of Clue.  We played last night.  Stupidly, I got competitive and well, smack talked and won.  DH seemed to take it okay.  Anyway, it was Col Mustard in the billiard room with the wrench. 

Slightly off topic - but it sounds like you need to examine why you are playing board games and the personalities of those you play with. If the "point" of playing is to "win" then you are setting yourself up for frustration and hurt.

In our vows we said "whatever happens in game, stays in game" That being said, while there are times when we are highly competitive and tease, it is tempered with the desire to "manage" game play so it is more about the experience and having the fun of playing while cultivating relationships with a group of people. This might mean not fully optimizing when you can, adjusting strategy depending on the experience or game preference of the person you are playing with.

My husband and I have very different ways of thinking and therefore games we are each better at. If he slaughtered me every single time we played one of his games - I just wouldn't play (and he has a gaming group he goes to to play the super heavy strategy games I don't like) Instead, he chooses moves that helps me learn and results in a "close" game - and eventually I get good enough on my own that I actually offer a challenge without holding back. If it was all about "winning" and not having fun playing, we would never have played a game more then once or twice (horrible return on investment)

We have a friend we game with who "Has" to win, he'll study games we play on his own and develop a fully optimized strategy. It gets to the point where he is just no fun to play with, you know you are going to lose going into it, you don't get a lot of social interaction because he is busy calculating all the odds and trying to come up with the best move all the time. We have gotten to the point where we will only play high luck games with him.

Playing boardgames is a lot like life should be, more about the journey then the destination:)

Prepube

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #52 on: December 18, 2014, 12:12:45 PM »
Cribbage.  You can carry a cribbage board everywhere, and can play with 2 to four players.  Its my go-to game no matter where I happen to be. 

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #53 on: December 18, 2014, 12:41:57 PM »
I'll second the importance of knowing the personalities and reasons for playing.  If a person who is competitive and loves to rub the other person's face in it plays with someone that doesn't handle losing very well, it could be trouble. 

From the Monopoly and Risk examples, my first impression was that your husband thought games took too long (which would make me tend strongly against the Power Grid suggestion even though I personally love the game).  But after the chess story it sounds more like the competitive personalities might be the bigger issue.  That makes me think that the suggestion of a cooperative game like Pandemic or Forbidden Island might be the best.  Monopoly Deal is a card game that is surprising well-received by the Monopoly-hating crowd, probably because it is much more fast paced and shorter than it's namesake, but it is better with more than two people and can be a little mean for someone that doesn't lose well.  Trumpet is a cool game that I haven't heard mentioned. It is a card and board game that is quick to play and quick to learn if you already understand things like following suit and trumps.  It has been discontinued though so you'll have to pay way too much for it on eBay or find it at the Goodwill (like I did).   

Dyk

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #54 on: December 18, 2014, 12:57:44 PM »
Sol has great points, that you are playing to have fun, and it's fun if someone loses all the time.

Our answer, as Dalmuti just mentioned:  Cooperative games.

Awesome one with kids:  Castle Panic
Without kids and/or older kids:  Pandemic, Forbidden Island and Forbidden Dessert.  The Forbidden games can be bought inexpensively, and are fairly short.  If you have never played cooperative games everyone works together against the board and the clock to beat the game.  I have found it's harder to find a standard 2 person game that is more fun for the wife and I to play after we put the kids to bed.

swick

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #55 on: December 18, 2014, 01:05:16 PM »
Awesome one with kids:  Castle Panic
I totally second Castle Panic! It is the first co-op game we ever bought and has always gone over well. Best gaming memory ever is my aunt (in her late 60's and quite religious) at our wedding, throwing both her fists up in the ear and shouting " I KILLED that Orc" :)

Bob W

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #56 on: December 18, 2014, 01:33:27 PM »
Be really creative and invent your own mustachian board game.   You could even put up a post asking what should be included in the game.

Of course mustaches should be worn by everyone while playing.   Think of it as a cross between Life and Monopoly with a mustache twist. 

The goal would be to be the first to FIRE but everyone could win as well if they FIRE.   Would help you teach concepts to the 9 year old.

The game pieces can be junker cars, bikes, shoes a hammer etc..

You could have a few card piles to draw from determined by a roll of the dice.  Piles could be "keeping up with the jones,"  "face punch,"   "consumerism,"   etc... 

Might be a fun game.   I'll bet you could have lots of suggestions for design etc.. If you threw up a post and could be playing by xmas.


Professor Ecks

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #57 on: December 18, 2014, 01:35:33 PM »
I used to play most weekends with some hard-core gamers, but there were frequently newbies joining the group, which allowed us to identify several games that were welcoming enough for new players yet fun enough for seasoned players. These might be a good place to start.

1. Stone Age - gather resources, use resources to by cards or buildings. It sounds kind of lame, but is really fun.
2. For Sale - Use cash to bid on properties. Then sell propeties for cash. Quick and easy, but surprisingly engaging.
3. Fresco - You are assisting a painter. You shop for paints, combine paints to make more valuable colors, then paint the chapel.
4. Ticket to Ride - As many other people have mentioned it's a really good game for situations like yours.

Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Dominion and others are all good, but have tended to lose their replayability over time for various reasons. One thing to be aware of is that other than maybe Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, you are going to have to go to a board game shop or shop online to get a lot of the games mentioned. They aren't sold in the Walmarts and Targets.

purplepear

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #58 on: December 18, 2014, 01:44:40 PM »
Another vote for Settlers.

There's also a card came that we like to play called Munchkin. Goal of the game is to get to level 10 by killing a monster. You level up when you kill monsters or get certain cards. There are race and class cards, as well as armor and weapons you can equip. Players can help each other out or sabotage each other... I know all that sounds complicated, but each game you start as a simple Classless Human. Lots of math when calculating attack damage, which could be educational. Plus the cards are hilarious. Check it out!

+1 for Munchkin

It's super fun and the cards are hilarious. It can be as competitive as you want it to be (I prefer as much back-stabbing and betrayal as possible). And as someone else mentioned, there are a few "adult" jokes (like a card called "Spiked Codpiece" that gives extra bonus to males)... but I don't think it's inappropriate for kids. There's also a ton of expansion packs if you get into it. But just the basic starter game is great.

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #59 on: December 18, 2014, 01:45:47 PM »
A good one in my experience for involving people who don't like board games is called Dixit. Beautiful artwork, very flexible for the crowd (can be silly and family friendly, or you can go dirty with your adult friends ;) )

I second/third 7 wonders, Settlers, Dominion, Pandemic. In a similar strategy/building vein, you could look at Ora & Labora (You have a piece of land that you can build up and add more to; things you build help you trade up resources to ultimately get victory points. Many strategies to win.) I hear it is similar to Agricola by the same authors but I never got the chance to play that one.

If you're looking for something less complex or storyline-centric, I got my family a game called "Ingenious" a few years ago that has been fairly successful. Scrabble, is of course a classic. No home is complete without Scrabble. Bananagrams is a fun, fast variation on scrabble (it's like playing scrabble with yourself, for speed, and you get to constantly rearrange it.) Set is also fast (it's a pattern-finding/matching card game...)

I've had pretty good luck browsing game stores for small, quirky games in the past. We got someone "The Impossible Machine" for Christmas last year, which is basically a Rube-Goldberg machine building game, with the goal of contributing the most parts to the machine. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be widely available.

RWD

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #60 on: December 18, 2014, 02:19:12 PM »
Another vote for Settlers.

There's also a card came that we like to play called Munchkin. Goal of the game is to get to level 10 by killing a monster. You level up when you kill monsters or get certain cards. There are race and class cards, as well as armor and weapons you can equip. Players can help each other out or sabotage each other... I know all that sounds complicated, but each game you start as a simple Classless Human. Lots of math when calculating attack damage, which could be educational. Plus the cards are hilarious. Check it out!

+1 for Munchkin

It's super fun and the cards are hilarious. It can be as competitive as you want it to be (I prefer as much back-stabbing and betrayal as possible). And as someone else mentioned, there are a few "adult" jokes (like a card called "Spiked Codpiece" that gives extra bonus to males)... but I don't think it's inappropriate for kids. There's also a ton of expansion packs if you get into it. But just the basic starter game is great.

I've played Munchkin once. I liked the instructions and cards, but the endgame was agonizing. No one managed to get too far ahead and due to the usual backstabbing we ended up with all the players stuck at level 9. Every time someone had a chance to make it to level 10 someone would play a card that made it impossible. The number of cards for harming others was disproportionate to the number of cards that could be used to help yourself. Eventually I played my cards to help someone else win because it just wasn't fun anymore.

Goldielocks

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #61 on: December 18, 2014, 04:53:17 PM »
For 2-5 players, my brother is obsessed with the game Agricola. It's interesting and has a lot of different paths/strategies even without expansion decks. His son started playing around 10 years old if I remember correctly.

i like Agricola, but the rules are a  bit complicated for my kids (who like monopoly).    AND there is frustration that you never get to build what you are setting up -- the game is intentionally too short to accomplish what you try to at first.

Settlers and Ticket to Ride are big hits here all around.

Goldielocks

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #62 on: December 18, 2014, 04:55:49 PM »
+1 for Settlers of Catan.

Hah, I came here to suggest Settlers.

That said, if your husband hates monopoly and risk, he probably won't like Settlers.
I, too, hate Monopoly and Risk is designed as a game to end all marriages (after Axis and Allies, of course).  But Settlers of Catan is a huge winner!

Plus one for Puerto Rico -- wow, that game is very, very good for strategy games.   My kids can play, but at 9, the youngest will need a helper or a "handicap" to compete better with the others.

Thanks all, for the ideas.  I will look into Munchkin and Pandemic, too.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2014, 05:04:36 PM by goldielocks »

JGB

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #63 on: December 19, 2014, 07:45:50 AM »
Hah, I came here to suggest Settlers.

That said, if your husband hates monopoly and risk, he probably won't like Settlers.

I hate Monopoly and find Risk pretty tough to stomach more than once a year or so.But I enjoy playing Settlers almost weekly.

TerriM

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #64 on: December 19, 2014, 07:56:35 AM »
+1 for Settlers of Catan.

Hah, I came here to suggest Settlers.

That said, if your husband hates monopoly and risk, he probably won't like Settlers.
I, too, hate Monopoly and Risk is designed as a game to end all marriages (after Axis and Allies, of course).  But Settlers of Catan is a huge winner!

Plus one for Puerto Rico -- wow, that game is very, very good for strategy games.   My kids can play, but at 9, the youngest will need a helper or a "handicap" to compete better with the others.

Thanks all, for the ideas.  I will look into Munchkin and Pandemic, too.

I like Puerto Rico a lot despite the setup time, but I don't think it's a good three player game (for OP).  I've always found it better with 4-5 players.

Dee18

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #65 on: December 19, 2014, 05:13:45 PM »
Not a board game but fun for all ages is Yahtzee...and scoring involves easy math.  My daughter says that's where she learned to add.  Now she's about to go to college as a math major :)
And +1 for set.  My daughter always beat me at this because she's much better visually than I; same for Tanagrams. 

justajane

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #66 on: December 19, 2014, 06:00:22 PM »
We enjoy Blokus, which has been suggested already several times.

In addition, the whole family loves a German board game called Viva Topo! (http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Grande-Games-358RGG-Viva/dp/B0018PW2AC). It's a simple game but very well made with wooden figures. It's a real blast, and even though the age range is younger than your son (4+), honestly I enjoy it as much as the younger kids. The goal is for the mice to get to these stations and get the most cheese before the cat eats them. Simple but lots of fun, and it requires a decent amount of strategy and higher level thinking.

Malaysia41

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #67 on: December 19, 2014, 07:03:48 PM »
We went with Settlers and Pandemic.  I would've gotten more but wow they ain't cheap. 

On my walk today I thought about making a derivative of the mustachian dictionary / flash card game - it's called 'analogy',  Each person gets three flash cards.  They write the beginning of a simile on each.  E.g. 'heavy as a(n)...'.  Then we shuffle and go through them.  Whoever comes up with the best analogy each round gets say, 3 points.  Second best gets 1 point.  Then onto next card.  Whadya think?

Tonight after dinner I'll propose we create a game too (MMM game about reaching FI proposed by Bob W.  I love that idea).   I remember as a kid my friend and I used to design games.  They usually weren't great, but designing them was a lot of fun. 

Last night we played Clue again.  DH tricked me into thinking he didn't have a particular weapon.  I made my accusation and he burst out 'Ha ha!' revealing the knife and smiling triumphantly.  Later I complemented him, saying he'd leveled up on his strategy card.   (I was buttering him up for more board games of course).

Yeah - the reason I want to play board games is to hang out together more.  It's so easy to isolate into electronics or videos. 

Malaysia41

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #68 on: January 20, 2015, 06:16:16 AM »
Well, since Xmas, we've played Pandemic once all the way through and Settlers of Catan twice. 

Who is totally loving them?  DH.  I never would have predicted it.  He really gets into them. 

 Last night he went nuts schooling DS and me playing Settlers.   

We've created a monster.  :). 

Thanks again for the suggestions guys.  This may turn into a weekly activity! 

vhalros

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #69 on: January 20, 2015, 07:14:03 AM »
Seeing this thread come up again, I though of another simple game I play sometimes. I call it "Telephone" (possibly needs a better name).

Basically, you have N players, each with N index cards. At the beginning, each player writes a sentence on the card. Then you pass the whole stack to the left. Then the receiving player draws a picture based on that sentence, and puts the sentence card on the bottom. Pass to the left. Write a sentence describing the picture. etc. (obviously you do not want to look at anything except the top card you receive)

Play continues until you have the stack of cards you started with. Then go around the table, showing the series of sentences and pictures you got. There is no "winner". It can be a lot of fun.

FunkyStickman

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #70 on: January 20, 2015, 07:24:53 AM »
Awesome! We're big into board games too... most of the top ones were already mentioned: Settlers and Ticket to Ride.

I'd also suggest King of Tokyo (easy for young kids to play, really really fun, up to 6 players)
Also Smash-Up is fun. Pandemic (also recommended already) is good, but takes a bit to get the hang of. We also have Manhattan, Dragon Delta, chess (even my 11-year-old plays), and a nifty little game called The Magic Labrynth that the kids love. Also tons of traditional ones, like Sorry, Scrabble, Life, Clue, etc. and lots of card games.

Out of all of these, I think I love King Of Tokyo the best.

RunHappy

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #71 on: January 20, 2015, 10:34:19 AM »
+1 for Settlers of Cattan

I am a big fan of playing Payday and Life.

These were family favorites growing up and us adult kids also still like them.

My older brother builds lego cars and machinery with his pre-teen.

Growing up my family had friday night "family night"  no TV allowed. We had some sort of sugary, special treat.

We kids learned to play cards (poker, solitare, etc), chess, and crosswords.

Le0

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #72 on: January 20, 2015, 10:36:26 AM »

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #73 on: January 20, 2015, 10:42:16 AM »
Carcassone. Easy to learn the base game, and it's incredibly easy to walk away from and pick up where you left off the next day.

ABC123

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #74 on: January 20, 2015, 11:22:11 AM »
I love the classic board games -- Clue is my all time favorite.  My 6 year old could play board games all day.  His current favorite is Life, but he has previously gone through phases of obsessing about Uno, Sorry, and Monopoly.  I hate Monopoly.  Thankfully, daddy got roped into playing that one with him most of the time.  He is very competitive, and does tend to get frustrated easily if he starts to lose.  But we have been able to have some good discussions with him about playing to have fun rather than playing just to win, and how to be a good loser. 

forummm

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #75 on: January 20, 2015, 11:31:46 AM »
Some good card games:
Euchre
Rook
Hand and Foot
Spades (this one has many rule variations across the country--pick the ones you like)
500 (like gin rummy, but cumulative point scoring to 500 and you keep playing cards and generating points during each round until someone goes out, so it's more interactive)

dantownehall

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #76 on: January 20, 2015, 11:35:18 AM »
I've been enjoying 7 Wonders lately - the last few games I had no idea who was going to win until the points were totalled up at the very end.

And of course, Catan and Carcassonne.

And whatever you do, don't get started on Magic: The Gathering.  Most anti-mustachian hobby/game ever!

cjottawa

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #77 on: January 20, 2015, 11:39:08 AM »
"Settlers of Catan" is a must.

For two players, the "Settlers of Catan Card Game" is excellent. I actually like it better than Catan.

"Pandemic" is my go-to co-operative, HOWEVER, "Flash Point: Fire Rescue" is another cooperative that's a bit quicker to set up and play and is more accessible. (less complex)

"Pandemic: The Cure" is a dice variant of Pandemic that's quicker to set up and play.

"Lords of Waterdeep" is EXCELLENT! It plays a bit like Catan on steroids... it has a "resource management" aspect like Catan (collecting cubes and money to complete tasks/quests) but adds a few layers. Easy to play and fun, very new on the scene which is why you don't hear about it as much as Catan.

"Love Letter" - Japanese card game, fast to play, very fun.

"Unexploded Cow" - just funny, easy, fun, fairly quick.

"Guillotine". Easy, fun.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #78 on: January 20, 2015, 11:45:05 AM »
Give Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan a try. They're good "gateway games" and can be played by 9-year-olds.

+1
Carcassone is especially good because you can play it 2 player.

We also really like Ticket to Ride and Castle Panic.
Don't discount classics like Rummikub, Scrabble, or Life.  Kids also seem to like Sorry.

Card games we like Fluxx, Skipbo, Quiddler, and Monopoly Cards (way better than the board game).

MgoSam

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #79 on: January 20, 2015, 11:50:53 AM »
I'm a fan of Saboteur. It's a card game that is similar to Mafia, except better as all players remain in the game until the very end. I've had someone tell me this isn't appropriate for kids as there is some deceitfulness in the game (there are 'villains,' and so they need to hide their identiy), so I would look at it before picking it up.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #80 on: January 20, 2015, 11:57:00 AM »
I'm a fan of Saboteur. It's a card game that is similar to Mafia, except better as all players remain in the game until the very end. I've had someone tell me this isn't appropriate for kids as there is some deceitfulness in the game (there are 'villains,' and so they need to hide their identiy), so I would look at it before picking it up.

Wait, do these people not remember being kids?

purplepear

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #81 on: January 20, 2015, 12:05:44 PM »

"Love Letter" - Japanese card game, fast to play, very fun.

+1 for Love Letter. Super fun, rounds go really quickly, 2-4 player, and only $7 on Amazon. Can't beat it.

Astatine

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #82 on: January 20, 2015, 01:35:18 PM »
+1 for Settlers of Catan.  The only downside is that it requires at least three players so if you and your son want to play alone, you can't do it.  There is a card-based version of the game for two players though it's a bit hard to find.  I think we picked up ours on Ebay.

DH and I played endless 2-player games of Settlers of Catan, including the island version, over the summer. My only recommendation is to not use the robber for 2 players.

Edit:

OK, now I've read through the thread, these are the games some of my friends and I play (in a largish group of 6 to 8, not sure how well they work for 2-3 players):

- Alhambra
- Tsuro
- 7 Wonders
- Dominion (might not be suitable for younger kids - I found the strategy/learning curve harder than for most other games I've played, but I do love playing it)
- Pairs (card game)
- Pandemic
- Carcosonne (only played this as a 2 player)

Card games with a normal deck of cards
- Whist (simpler form of bridge, I loved it as a kid but find it tedious now)
- 500 (was seriously addicted to this at university, played endless games)
- Gin rummy (there are many variants, some more fun than others)
- Hearts
Some people have mentioned Fluxx. I hate Fluxx cos I find it so tedious with zero strategy. I usually play one game to be social and then drop out.

For adults, Cards Against Humanity is hilarious fun, but generally utterly inappropriate for kids.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2015, 01:53:13 PM by Astatine »

bugbaby

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #83 on: January 20, 2015, 04:04:33 PM »
Splendor - a sure winner - played with kids 7-10 and adults both apart and together. Easy to learn, hard to exhaust. 2-4 player. 

Also Quirkle and Sleeping Queen

cjottawa

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #84 on: January 20, 2015, 04:37:42 PM »
Splendor - a sure winner - played with kids 7-10 and adults both apart and together. Easy to learn, hard to exhaust. 2-4 player. 

Also Quirkle and Sleeping Queen

Ooooo YES to Qwirkle! There's a travel edition with smaller tiles that fits in a tiny little pouch. (identical game though) There are several Quirkle variants to consider too like Qwirkle Cubes.

ClaycordJCA

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #85 on: January 21, 2015, 01:58:29 AM »
Thinking back to when my son was 9:  Clue, Yahtzee, Life, Stratego, Sorry, Chinese Checkers, Checkers and Backgammon.

Moonwaves

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #86 on: January 21, 2015, 05:33:49 AM »
Glad to see someone suggested Dixit, that's great fun. And you can do lots of variations - I played with my sister and her family during the summer and we did one where you had to either mime or sing a song as your clue. Great fun.

Another one I played a lot over christmas at my sister's was Rummy Academy - kind of a similar idea to Gin Rummy in that it's threes and fours of numbers but way more intricate.

I also have to admit to a love of Top Trumps - the favourite this year during the holidays was a Narnia version. Terribly simple but lots of fun.

galliver

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #87 on: January 21, 2015, 01:08:09 PM »
This weekend we had some friends over for dinner and ended up playing several rounds of Bananagrams and Monopoly Deal afterward (we were in the mood for some shorter games). While it takes inspiration from the original, Monopoly Deal has a very different dynamic and is quick and fun and easy to pick up. You do end up hating the people you play with, though.

I also want to second Love Letter, I've played before and it was great fun.

Glad to see someone suggested Dixit, that's great fun. And you can do lots of variations - I played with my sister and her family during the summer and we did one where you had to either mime or sing a song as your clue. Great fun.

That sounds like a fun variant! We should try! :) Also glad to hear someone else has heard of it.

MgoSam

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #88 on: January 21, 2015, 01:24:05 PM »
I'm a fan of Saboteur. It's a card game that is similar to Mafia, except better as all players remain in the game until the very end. I've had someone tell me this isn't appropriate for kids as there is some deceitfulness in the game (there are 'villains,' and so they need to hide their identiy), so I would look at it before picking it up.

Wait, do these people not remember being kids?

I don't know, but as with all things related to parenting, I just nod my head and look for the nearest exit, bearing in the mind that the nearest exit might be behind me.

Malaysia41

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #89 on: January 21, 2015, 04:16:20 PM »
I love that this thread got resurrected.  After we've gotten used to playing games regularly, this'll be our reference when it's time to add to the collection.  The last two were pricey - so I'm thinking card games / games we can create may be next.

Astatine

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #90 on: January 21, 2015, 11:52:57 PM »
I love that this thread got resurrected.  After we've gotten used to playing games regularly, this'll be our reference when it's time to add to the collection.  The last two were pricey - so I'm thinking card games / games we can create may be next.

You might be able to fluke cheaper ones second hand or on eBay? The Simple Dollar blog (which I used to read about 5 years ago) used to have a couple of good blog entries on how to get board games cheaply, but I can't find the articles now (that blog is unrecognisable now and some of the old, better content seems to have vanished).

Or see if you have a local RPG/boardgame meet up group? That way you might be able to try out some of the games without buying and realising later you don't like them much.

whiskeyjack

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #91 on: January 22, 2015, 12:06:41 AM »
Our answer, as Dalmuti just mentioned:  Cooperative games.

Awesome one with kids:  Castle Panic
Without kids and/or older kids:  Pandemic, Forbidden Island and Forbidden Dessert.  The Forbidden games can be bought inexpensively, and are fairly short.  If you have never played cooperative games everyone works together against the board and the clock to beat the game.  I have found it's harder to find a standard 2 person game that is more fun for the wife and I to play after we put the kids to bed.

I came to upvote cooperative games.   We've played all of the ones mentioned here and they have been a real sanity saver because we have 3 kids of widely varying ages and skill levels. We've seen a huge reduction in the number of times someone has left the room in tears.

I'm also a fan of Quarto / all the games by Gigamic, but they are 2-person abstract strategy games.

Malaysia41

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #92 on: January 22, 2015, 05:03:21 PM »
I love that this thread got resurrected.  After we've gotten used to playing games regularly, this'll be our reference when it's time to add to the collection.  The last two were pricey - so I'm thinking card games / games we can create may be next.

You might be able to fluke cheaper ones second hand or on eBay? The Simple Dollar blog (which I used to read about 5 years ago) used to have a couple of good blog entries on how to get board games cheaply, but I can't find the articles now (that blog is unrecognisable now and some of the old, better content seems to have vanished).

Or see if you have a local RPG/boardgame meet up group? That way you might be able to try out some of the games without buying and realising later you don't like them much.

There's a cafe down the street that just extended it's hours to the evening - and often - board games happen after six. 

A local expat couple are big time board-gamers.  The wife told me yesterday that for Xmas vacation, they flew to the US with two suitcases and returned with 3.  The third contained all the boardgames their family had given them (from their amazon wish list).  She msg'ed me last evening to say they were there playing settlers and we could join in.  Unfortunately it wasn't good timing for us.  but...  we plan to head down there to night to play.  Super cool.   

The only problem is this: they're die hard Patriots fans.   That may get in the way.

big_owl

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #93 on: January 22, 2015, 05:12:28 PM »
Battletech

/endthread

DragonSlayer

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #94 on: January 22, 2015, 06:46:13 PM »
I love that this thread got resurrected.  After we've gotten used to playing games regularly, this'll be our reference when it's time to add to the collection.  The last two were pricey - so I'm thinking card games / games we can create may be next.

You might be able to fluke cheaper ones second hand or on eBay? The Simple Dollar blog (which I used to read about 5 years ago) used to have a couple of good blog entries on how to get board games cheaply, but I can't find the articles now (that blog is unrecognisable now and some of the old, better content seems to have vanished).

Or see if you have a local RPG/boardgame meet up group? That way you might be able to try out some of the games without buying and realising later you don't like them much.

It's not Simple Dollar, but SavingAdvice has an article:

https://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2011/05/03/107197_cheap-sources-for-board-games.html

And another from iSlaytheDragon.. This one's a bit more oriented toward board game hobbyists who are on BoardGameGeek.com, but the advice is still valid. There are also some more ideas in the comments.

http://islaythedragon.com/guides/board-gaming-on-a-shoestring/


pagoconcheques

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #95 on: January 23, 2015, 12:28:34 PM »
Two board games from the seventies we loved are Careers and the Stock Market Game.  You can pick these up on eBay for a few bucks. 

With three people and a deck of cards, it's hard to beat Hearts (unless you shoot the moon!). 

If y'all don't mind learning curves, it's hard to beat chess and GO once you get the hang of them.  These are also great games for young people to learn (as in really internalize) the strategies and tactics involved in considering lots of variables many moves into the future. 

If you like talking politics at all, or just making fun of our current legislature, I strongly recommend NOMIC.  It's free and you can download the rules from any number of places on line.  If you play NOMIC your kid will develop a deep (if cynical) understanding of legislation.  The trick to NOMIC is managing the paperwork--we've found that index cards work reasonably well but a shared word processing document is perhaps best. 

FunkyStickman

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #96 on: January 23, 2015, 01:19:16 PM »
Battletech

/endthread

I tried getting my kids into Battletech, but they weren't really into it... might not be old enough yet. I love it, though. Played all the Mechwarrior games as well cause I love big robots so much.

"I love big Bots and I cannot lie..."

FiguringItOut

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #98 on: January 23, 2015, 03:43:08 PM »
This is an awesome thread. We're not much of a board game family and I now realize part of the issue is that we could probably benefit from some games that "fit" us better.

Since my DH is of the "I need to win at all costs while mocking you" variety of player, I'm thinking cooperative games would be a safer bet ;-)

Malaysia41

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Re: Board Game Suggestions?
« Reply #99 on: January 23, 2015, 03:49:35 PM »
On New Year's Eve we played Cards Against Humanity.  I was crying laughing.  I won - cuz I clearly had the sickest mind of anyone at the table.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!