The Board Game Thread

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Filsdepac introduced us to a simple party game that we enjoy with friends when we get together: Wits and Wagers. It's a kind of trivia game, but one wins by betting on the guesses of others, so even trivia morons can win. It moves fast and a game can be completed easily in under 30 minutes.

There is a new version of this, I believe called I Bet You, I bought it for a family gift this year for Christmas, I would check for sure on the title but I already wrapped it.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

My FIL proclaimed himself to be one of the best Monopoly players. I didn't really care one way or the other, but he started in with this whole "let's play and I will prove it" nonsense.

My FIL also claims to be very good at Monopoly. A couple of years ago I was so sick of hearing him go on and on about how great he was I set it up on a family vacation. I was able to get 3 monopolies and absolutely crushed everyone. He got upset and said I am better at playing real life monopoly. I have not let him live that one down.

[ERCougar]

There is a new version of this, I believe called I Bet You, I bought it for a family gift this year for Christmas, I would check for sure on the title but I already wrapped it.

Wits & Wagers was just barely rereleased in a deluxe version, so I doubt you're talking about the same game. Agreed--it's a great trivia game.

[ERCougar]

OhioBlue, you have inspired me. I will be a good sport. Since I will be in Utah for an eternity starting next week, I will invest in one of these games, read the rules, and then make a valiant attempt to explain the rules to my in-laws, BILs, and SILs. I am praying the game pieces are all color coded and have very large numbers and letter on them.

Please make a suggestion. Here are my criteria:

1. Can purchase it most places, not specialty shops
2. Fun for everyone
3. No yelling, buzzers, or acting things out
4. Requires more skill and less luck
5. Lasts about an hour, maybe a little less.

Now that I think about it, those are also my lovemaking requirements.

#1 is going to limit you. You're gonna have to swallow your anti-geek pride and step in. Europeans view boardgames as nearly works of art. Creators of boardgames (Reiner Knitzia, Klaus Teuber, etc) are household names. They expect great components. None of this comes cheaply and they don't mind paying $30 for a game, which is still a fairly cheap form of entertainment. Americans expect to pay $5-10. Walmart can't afford to devote shelf space to a product that's not going to move, and a $30 game is not going to move in America. The other advantage to going to a good game store is that they'll usually have knowledgeable workers who know the different games well and can steer you towards a game you'd like. They also will generally have open copies that you can take a look at and get a feel for whether or not you'd like it. It's sort of liking shopping running shoes at Wal-mart or at a specialty running store. A good store in SLC is Game Night Games--doesn't have a D&D, nerdy feel, like some stores have. OhioBlue could probably tell you a place in Utah County.

That said, it may just not be your thing. If you've played Settlers and genuinely don't like it, you've given it a shot. To overuse the cheese analogy further, Settlers is the Camembert of games--it's a well-made game with a good mechanism and most people who are going to like boardgames will at least sort of appreciate it. There are lighter games that are easier to get into (Ticket to Ride is one that comes to mind), but I'm not sure you'll like those either. Risk and Monopoly are not good examples of good boardgames--they're long, they eliminate players, there's nothing to do or think about when it's not your turn, they're almost entirely luck-driven, etc. They've obviously tapped into some market, but they don't represent boardgames well, IMO.

I get that boardgames are geeky. I'm not really too concerned about it because it's a fun way to spend time with friends (plus, I could beat about any of you at basketball, so I'm comfortable with my geeky side... ). I obviously like talking about them, just as you like talking about food or fashion or whatnot. It's fun to connect with some other people on here who "get it" so I've already spent way too much time on this thread.

[Pheidippides]

Hey I have no problem with people who don't care for boardgames. And I'm not often going to pick boardgames over something like a game of basketball (or a round of golf). To each his/her own. As much as one side of my extended family loves all varieties of skiing, I'm probably never going to enjoy it, regardless of the pressure they bring.

For me it happens to be a fun way to get friends/family together and engage the old noggin. And some of the boardgames mentioned in this thread are pretty fun to play--so much so that most people I introduce them to, once they get over the 'boardgames? really?' phase, they end up going out and buying some for themselves. Plus it's also inexpensive entertainment.

I'm just holding out the suggestion that some of you may enjoy playing some games you haven't played before, with people who don't make up cheesy house rules, and that dont take 8 hours to play after the prerequisite instruction manual reading. Games that involve nearly all tactics and strategy and only minuscule amounts of luck, and have no serious design flaws.

Or you might not.

I am not allowed to play board games. Self-imposed restriction. I never lose. And when I lose, I either get cranky, or I cheat next time.

I have not lost a game of Monopoly or Risk in ages. Mostly because I have endurance and a solid grounding in statistics and finance.

I lost a game of Settlers once. But it was to a fellow economist, who recruited the entire table to have a forced trade embargo on me. I literally kicked him out of the house. I was on no sleep for 36 hours, in my defense.

[TripletDaddy]

#1 is going to limit you. You're gonna have to swallow your anti-geek pride and step in. Europeans view boardgames as nearly works of art. Creators of boardgames (Reiner Knitzia, Klaus Teuber, etc) are household names. They expect great components. None of this comes cheaply and they don't mind paying $30 for a game, which is still a fairly cheap form of entertainment. Americans expect to pay $5-10. Walmart can't afford to devote shelf space to a product that's not going to move, and a $30 game is not going to move in America. The other advantage to going to a good game store is that they'll usually have knowledgeable workers who know the different games well and can steer you towards a game you'd like. They also will generally have open copies that you can take a look at and get a feel for whether or not you'd like it. It's sort of liking shopping running shoes at Wal-mart or at a specialty running store. A good store in SLC is Game Night Games--doesn't have a D&D, nerdy feel, like some stores have. OhioBlue could probably tell you a place in Utah County.

That said, it may just not be your thing. If you've played Settlers and genuinely don't like it, you've given it a shot. To overuse the cheese analogy further, Settlers is the Camembert of games--it's a well-made game with a good mechanism and most people who are going to like boardgames will at least sort of appreciate it. There are lighter games that are easier to get into (Ticket to Ride is one that comes to mind), but I'm not sure you'll like those either. Risk and Monopoly are not good examples of good boardgames--they're long, they eliminate players, there's nothing to do or think about when it's not your turn, they're almost entirely luck-driven, etc. They've obviously tapped into some market, but they don't represent boardgames well, IMO.

I get that boardgames are geeky. I'm not really too concerned about it because it's a fun way to spend time with friends (plus, I could beat about any of you at basketball, so I'm comfortable with my geeky side... ). I obviously like talking about them, just as you like talking about food or fashion or whatnot. It's fun to connect with some other people on here who "get it" so I've already spent way too much time on this thread.

OK, I will go to a specialty shop. Hopefully, it isn't called The Android Dungeon (worst board game store....ever).

I have played Settler's before...a few times. We even played once at Lake Powell, where there isn't much else to do in the summer when you aren't in the water. I just don't enjoy it.

I don't think boardgames are nerdy, necessarily. I am not sure it is any cooler playing trivia games than it is playing board games. Also, I play video games here and there, which have a nerd component to them, for sure.

If you guys recommend one that you think most people will love, then maybe I should bite the bullet. Also, it occurred to me that pretty much everyone else in that house LOVES playing these type of games, so just because I might not dig it doesn't mean everyone else won't. Just try to pick one that isn't too long.

[smokymountainrain]

I hate board games.

I like trivia games.

Amen and amen.

[smokymountainrain]

wow.

after reading through this thread, I realize I need more friends like Grace, DDD, Surfah and cougjunkie.

Everybody I know, from my spouse to friends to relatives to enemies who consider themselves friends or relatives absolutely loves board games.

Friggin' sucks.

[RobinFinderson]

Trivia games are a fun way to show everyone how smart you are. Plus they have a life outside of family home evening (the architecture students, for a while, tried to compete at trivia nights at Anna Liffey's in New Haven, where we always lost badly). I still go through periods where I watch Jeopardy and shout answers at the television.

I have never played with Euro-style board gamers that got upset with losing. This in spite of having attended numerous board game festivals, which are events designed to facilitate anonymous board game hookups. I have met a lot of nice board game players, but not since my Axis&Allies days of high school and college have I met the angry throw the board off the table types.

For us, board games are a reason to sit around a table with friends for four hours and discuss family, politics and culture. If the conversation isn't engaging, you can focus on the game. If the game isn't engaging you can focus on the conversation and snacks. Board gaming, for us, is also about food, wine and salty snacks.

[ERCougar]

OK, I will go to a specialty shop. Hopefully, it isn't called The Android Dungeon (worst board game store....ever).

I have played Settler's before...a few times. We even played once at Lake Powell, where there isn't much else to do in the summer when you aren't in the water. I just don't enjoy it.

I don't think boardgames are nerdy, necessarily. I am not sure it is any cooler playing trivia games than it is playing board games. Also, I play video games here and there, which have a nerd component to them, for sure.

If you guys recommend one that you think most people will love, then maybe I should bite the bullet. Also, it occurred to me that pretty much everyone else in that house LOVES playing these type of games, so just because I might not dig it doesn't mean everyone else won't. Just try to pick one that isn't too long.

Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne. They're both short, easy to explain, and pretty light. Ask the person at the game store for similar games and they can recommend some others.

[RobinFinderson]

Has any of our serious gamers tried Die Macher or Indonesia? These are two games that, due to cost, length of game, and complexity, you will only find in elite gaming circles. I own neither, but play them both about once a year. If you get the chance to play one, jump at it.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I played a Niagara game that was fun.

[TripletDaddy]

Has any of our serious gamers tried Die Macher or Indonesia? These are two games that, due to cost, length of game, and complexity, you will only find in elite gaming circles. I own neither, but play them both about once a year. If you get the chance to play one, jump at it.

I will add expensive elitist European board games to your already impressive list of humble, inexpensive pursuits....I believe you called it "materialism."

[TripletDaddy]

Trivia games are a fun way to show everyone how smart you are. Plus they have a life outside of family home evening (the architecture students, for a while, tried to compete at trivia nights at Anna Liffey's in New Haven, where we always lost badly). I still go through periods where I watch Jeopardy and shout answers at the television.

I have never played with Euro-style board gamers that got upset with losing. This in spite of having attended numerous board game festivals, which are events designed to facilitate anonymous board game hookups. I have met a lot of nice board game players, but not since my Axis&Allies days of high school and college have I met the angry throw the board off the table types.

For us, board games are a reason to sit around a table with friends for four hours and discuss family, politics and culture. If the conversation isn't engaging, you can focus on the game. If the game isn't engaging you can focus on the conversation and snacks. Board gaming, for us, is also about food, wine and salty snacks.

In fairness, trivia games are also cool because you are basically making a game out of classroom information. Geography, current events, sports, history, arts, science, popular culture. In short, everyone is learning something new with every question. Strategy games are also educational and valuable, so I am not discounting those. Just pointing out that trivia games serve a pretty practical purpose.

In terms of conversation, you can generate conversation playing any game (or no game at all), when you are in a group. Board games have no special magic power to do this.

An example would be our recent thanksgiving dinner. We played Trivial Pursuit afterwards....busted out the original Genus Edition. One of the questions was "Who asked, "Have you ever been to Electric Ladyland?" Admittedly an easy question, but we started talking about Jimi and music for a bit and someone made a Wayne's World referece to Garth dancing to "Foxy Lady." In other words, conversation is spontaneous. You don't need to be havesting imaginary wheat to have good conversation. in fact, the way you present it, no wonder there is so much talking going on while playing these monotonous games.....the actual game is boring everyone.

[RobinFinderson]

I will add expensive elitist European board games to your already impressive list of humble, inexpensive pursuits....I believe you called it "materialism."

If you add 'camping equipment' to the list, all of my materialistic bases are covered. Photography, computers and software for art making, camping, motorcycling, and elitist board games (though in this last category we typically play other people's games, and only own a couple dozen ourselves).

Eventually I hope to add 'millionaire day-trader' to the list, but I still have a long way to go on that one.

On the trivia front, I certainly didn't mean to suggest that trivia games are any better or worse than any other games. In general, any excuse to get together and engage in some group mental activity is a good use of an evening.