Card Games: (I know they aren’t strictly considered “Board Games” but I’m including them because I keep them in the same area and consider them an equal opportunity at game night.)
Do Over –I'm still wrapping my head around how this game is played... it seems too simple, and yet...
Dutch Blitz – You will want a sturdy table for this one! This game is very stressful. It’s like a faster paced version of Slap Jack meets solitaire, meets a shark’s feeding frenzy. Also, if you’re playing with a very competitive person, the stress level will amp up to eleven. That being said, it’s super fun!
Izzy – This is actually a puzzle, but I didn’t want to make a category for just this game. The puzzle is intriguing because there’s more than one way to correctly put it together, and yet you can still end up getting it wrong in the last few tiles. Each piece is square, and depending on what way you play the puzzle, you have to match the sides, white to white/black to black or white to black/black to white. While it seems like a really simple concept, things get tricky quickly.
Phase 10 - an escalating series of goals that makes me thing of Rummy on 'roids.
Ruckus – The cards for this game are so silly. It’s kind of like go fish… but not really.
Set - Matching with a side of stress
Uno – I debated on whether or not to put this in the “Classics” section. I feel like it’s one everyone knows. Whether they love it or not is a different story.
The Classics: (These are the games I grew up knowing – the ones that had been around for an age longer than I had at that point – they may not be favorites, but they are definitely known)
Chess – The wooden set spends more time on our shelf than it does being played. Earl’s tried several times to teach me how to play, and while I understand the principles in theory, applying them in an actual game tends to get me flustered.
Clue – I really enjoy this game. It’s why we had a Clue Party! And even if I’ve sat through games where it has taken forever to get to the correct accusation, and that one time where Dave solved it in 2 turns.... There is something that makes every game equally as fun as the last.
Dominoes – We have a travel set of double 12s and I love their carrying case.
Life – This is, admittedly, my least favorite of the “classic” board games. I think it’s partly because I never felt like and of the “Lives” I could possibly end up with where what I wanted them to be? I’m not sure. We generally bust out this game once I’ve forgotten how unsatisfying it usually ends up being.
Monopoly – This game, sadly, get’s over looked often for something that does not take so long in the scheme of things.
Parcheesi – Moment of honesty: I’ve never played this. I don’t know how to play it, and I’ve never given it a go. We got the game from Earl’s mother when she was cleaning out a closet – so I don’t feel too bad about not playing it. If someone wants to sell me on why I should put aside my wariness and try playing, be my guest.
Sorry – A rather simple game, this one is one of the things I remember vividly about staying with my grandmother over the summers as a young child. My version is newer; the pegs feel more plastic-y than hers did, and the cards still have that thick over-layer of shine. But every time I crack open that box, set it up and play, I’m reminded of those summers.
Dice Games: (Other games use dice, but these use them as the main focus of play.)
Dicecapades & Expansion Pack – You’ve not really understood how much fun you can have with over 100 dice, until you’ve played dicecapades. It’s a drawing, memory, thought, math, physical, trivia, word game and the dice control every aspect. Can you run through five rooms in your house in 30 seconds? Can you remember 20 Disney character names in 30 seconds? Can you draw “judgement”?
Yhatzee – I considered putting this in the “classics” section too, but I decided it was better placed in the dice games. I really enjoy how this game is all about judging your roll and the statistical probability that you’re next rolls will get you a better score for one of the sections. It’s a game of chance…. but also a game of decisions!
Party Games: (These are the games that need more than a few players to make them the most fun!)
Apples to Apples – I love the subjectivity associated with this game. If you know the other players well, you have a much higher chance of winning rounds – for instance, knowing that one person has a serious soft spot for puppies and Clark Gable will obviously be a shoe in if you have those cards and she drops something along the lines of “adorable”, or “Scrumptious.” If you ever play with me, “Charging Rhinos” will win every time.
Befudium – A game of idioms, this was put out by Miriam Webster. A combination of hangman, Pictionary, charades and taboo – depending on the roll of your die – this game forces you to get others to guess the idiom on the card you’ve drawn. Is that strange squiggle a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Are you acting out “kicking the bucket?”
Bubble Talk – This game is a lot like Apples to apples. Except, instead of a green adverb, you have a picture, and instead of red noun cards, you have cards with speech bubbles on them. Play works the same way, with one person playing the top picture card, and the others putting down the bubble card they think is most likely to get the biggest laugh/be the best fit with the picture.
The Charades game – This game is rather fun because it’s a very old version of the game. Everything is from the 60s and 70s. So most of the things we read and have no idea what they are…. making the whole thing that much more difficult.
Gotcha! – A game of ever changing rules, this one can get really confusing really fast, and that just means the buzzer is going to get hit more often. At any given time you might have to whisper, play air guitar and/or fist pump before you play a card, blow a fist before you draw a card and compliment the player to your left before the player to your right finishes their turn. You might be disallowed from saying anyone’s name, or you might have to use someone’s name whenever addressing them, or point to the person you’re talking to. It’s a fun, but very hectic game.
Trivia:
Bezzerwizzer – This trivia game is really fun, it’s range of questions is really broad, and while, it really does work better with a larger group of people (especially multiples of four), the questions are interesting to simply play as a quick back and forth.
Seinfeld Trivia Game – This is your general trivia game, simply Seinfeld themed. It was a gift for Earl. I myself have yet to watch much of the show – I’ve just never been able to get into it.
Smart Ass – We got this for Christmas and haven’t really had a chance to play it. However, the back assures us you can be a dumbass and still win….
Word Games:
Bananagrams – Like individual scrabble games played from one pile, this game’s creators had a lot of fun with the banana-related theme.
Konexi – I love this game… it’s like scrabble meets a jigsaw puzzle, meets JENGA! The slowly built tower resembles a tree after a while, and watching as you try to place a letter on the unsteady branches is always a “hold your breath” sort of moment!
Scrabble – This classic word game is always fun. Earl and I tend to come out pretty even when we play, but that doesn’t detract from the fun.
Scrabble Flash – These digital cubes are an interesting take on the word game genre. They’re great for a quick game while alone, and I think they’d be great for entertaining kids.
