Board game talk

[Dan Dubeau]

Any other Board game peeps here?

A few of our household fav's are Catan (original), Splendor, Lanterns, and Azul. All similar resource building/trading games. Another fun one is Hues and Clues (colour description game), which is very interesting/fun to play with a mix of different brained types of people. Blokus is a pretty fun play as well. We rotate through regularly and usually try to have a boardgame night at least once a week. Never were the type to "let the kids win", which caused a lot of hurt feelings at times over the years, but now they're older it's open season on anyone which makes it pretty fun.

Anyone have their favourites? Or other games to recommend? Always looking to expand the game catalogue.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Any other Board game peeps here?

A few of our household fav's are Catan (original), Splendor, Lanterns, and Azul. All similar resource building/trading games. Another fun one is Hues and Clues (colour description game), which is very interesting/fun to play with a mix of different brained types of people. Blokus is a pretty fun play as well. We rotate through regularly and usually try to have a boardgame night at least once a week. Never were the type to "let the kids win", which caused a lot of hurt feelings at times over the years, but now they're older it's open season on anyone which makes it pretty fun.

Anyone have their favourites? Or other games to recommend? Always looking to expand the game catalogue.

I haven't heard of a single one of those games. Is it due to not having kids, or being socially isolated for years due to health issues?

I used to love Risk. And Trivial Pursuit. But was more into card games, poker, Euchre, Rumoli, and Canasta

 

[David]

Wingspan is a fun game.

 

[architect]

I try to host a monthly with the same group, but we are all busy so kinda difficult to keep a schedule. We have been playing Pandemic Legacy Season 0. It's a good series if you feel like not crushing the egos of your children but not avoid strategy. It's a cooperative game working together to fight against disease spread. The mechanics of success are designed with razor-thin margins so you always feel on edge. It's intended for the group to do badly but move forward, or even fail and forced to replay a campaign month.

 

[architect]

Another one we've enjoyed is the T.I.M.E Stories series. Over the years, we've sprinkled them in when we don't feel like the hardcore logical strategy games, so turn to more narrative driven, life choice decisions (like D&D). It's a cooperative game where you face ambiguous scenarios and make choices based on intentional incomplete or really subtle information, which is part of the narrative-choice mechanics. The additional spin to this cooperative game is everyone also has a solo objective, so one has to balance the objectives of the group with the personal. There's still a resource management component to the game (both solo and shared).

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I haven't heard of a single one of those games. Is it due to not having kids, or being socially isolated for years due to health issues?

I used to love Risk. And Trivial Pursuit. But was more into card games, poker, Euchre, Rumoli, and Canasta

I grew up more with card games too. Canasta was a family fav but have not played it in years since Mom died though. Kids are not big on card games yet, but the Wife and I will play crib every once in a while. Trivial pursuit was also a family fav, as well as Balderdash, Scategories, Cranium and Pictionary. Board games have come a long way since then. I think I've played Risk once or twice. I remember enjoying it, but also remember it being a loooong play, like monopoly. I've tried to find a copy at Value village for a while, but they're usually missing a bunch of stuff. We have a deck of trivial Pursuit 90's edition cards in the van for long roadtrips to break up drive. Kids are still a bit too young for it yet though. I also hated the original game as a kid, because I was just a bit too young for it at the time and don't have an encyclopedia brain, and would just get decimated everytime by my Dad and Older Sister who did lol. I like that they've created more modern versions over the years to cater to different generations.

If I had to pick one of my faves to recommend, I'd recommend Splendor as a great 2-4 person game that plays with different dynamics depending on the # of players. The Wife and I enjoy playing that one together quite often, as neither find the game play gets stale over time, and it's a quick setup and playthough. Easy to pickup gameplay, and engages your brain in different ways everytime.

Settlers of Catan (I have not played other variations) is a modern cult classic, but it plays better with more people. Lanterns is also interesting, but gameplay gets stale over time and it's not quite as strategic as I like so we go through phases of it. Every once in a while we'll bust out the old classics like Yahtzee and scrabble too. But I'm not a big fan of games of chance. I like strategy and thinking games more.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I grew up more with card games too. Canasta was a family fav but have not played it in years since Mom died though. Kids are not big on card games yet, but the Wife and I will play crib every once in a while. Trivial pursuit was also a family fav, as well as Balderdash, Scategories, Cranium and Pictionary. Board games have come a long way since then. I think I've played Risk once or twice. I remember enjoying it, but also remember it being a loooong play, like monopoly. I've tried to find a copy at Value village for a while, but they're usually missing a bunch of stuff. We have a deck of trivial Pursuit 90's edition cards in the van for long roadtrips to break up drive. Kids are still a bit too young for it yet though. I also hated the original game as a kid, because I was just a bit too young for it at the time and don't have an encyclopedia brain, and would just get decimated everytime by my Dad and Older Sister who did lol. I like that they've created more modern versions over the years to cater to different generations.

If I had to pick one of my faves to recommend, I'd recommend Splendor as a great 2-4 person game that plays with different dynamics depending on the # of players. The Wife and I enjoy playing that one together quite often, as neither find the game play gets stale over time, and it's a quick setup and playthough. Easy to pickup gameplay, and engages your brain in different ways everytime.

Settlers of Catan (I have not played other variations) is a modern cult classic, but it plays better with more people. Lanterns is also interesting, but gameplay gets stale over time and it's not quite as strategic as I like so we go through phases of it. Every once in a while we'll bust out the old classics like Yahtzee and scrabble too. But I'm not a big fan of games of chance. I like strategy and thinking games more.

Ooh Yahtzee used to be one of our fam favs as kids.

I've heard of cards against humanity... It sounds like it would appeal to me greatly. I need to check out online versions to play against others online

 

[Doggggboy]

Ooh Yahtzee used to be one of our fam favs as kids.

I've heard of cards against humanity... It sounds like it would appeal to me greatly. I need to check out online versions to play against others online

You really need the right crowd for Cards Against Humanity. Not for the faint of heart. Or the Church choir group. Or sober people. Or decent people.
Maybe stick with Yahtzee.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Wingspan is a fun game.

Just looked it up, and I think I'll buy it. Looks interesting, and one we might enjoy. Thanks.

 

[Elektrishun]

Haven't played a board game in a couple decades. Outside of playing Cribbage with my grandparents my memories are always of friendly games turning into hard feelings. Then game pieces and sometimes the entire board being flung across the room due to someone being a poor sport.

RISK was a great game to demonstrate how quickly alliances can change despite iron clad verbal contracts.

My oldest son has played Cards Against Humanity with his friends and seemed to think it was a pretty good time.

 

[slow-poke]

We have been playing board games with the kids forever, and they still like to play when visiting and they are 25ish.

Most of the modern games are definitely more complicated and require more strategy than the likes of Monopoly.

A few of our favorites:

Catan
Seven Wonders (really good)
Carcassanne
Inkognito

More at the cottage, can't recall what's there.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I try to host a monthly with the same group, but we are all busy so kinda difficult to keep a schedule. We have been playing Pandemic Legacy Season 0. It's a good series if you feel like not crushing the egos of your children but not avoid strategy. It's a cooperative game working together to fight against disease spread. The mechanics of success are designed with razor-thin margins so you always feel on edge. It's intended for the group to do badly but move forward, or even fail and forced to replay a campaign month.

My Wife's friend group is all Respiratory Therapists and also fellow board game nerds. We usually get together once or twice a year for a cottage retreat, and lots of board game playing (ya, we're all nerds ). That game sounds like something they'd all enjoy, and my Wife would LOVE. I'm going to buy it for Her Birthday. Thank you. Really glad I started this thread, I knew it would dig up some gems.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I bought Carcassone a couple years ago, but it didn't have too much staying power. Took it to my Sisters cottage (she's also a board game nerd) and they really liked it, as well as Century: Spice road, so I left them both there.

 

[Elektrishun]

Any other Board game peeps here?

A few of our household fav's are Catan (original), Splendor, Lanterns, and Azul. All similar resource building/trading games. Another fun one is Hues and Clues (colour description game), which is very interesting/fun to play with a mix of different brained types of people. Blokus is a pretty fun play as well. We rotate through regularly and usually try to have a boardgame night at least once a week. Never were the type to "let the kids win", which caused a lot of hurt feelings at times over the years, but now they're older it's open season on anyone which makes it pretty fun.

Anyone have their favourites? Or other games to recommend? Always looking to expand the game catalogue.

Used to play a lot of UNO as a kid.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

We have been playing board games with the kids forever, and they still like to play when visiting and they are 25ish.

Most of the modern games are definitely more complicated and require more strategy than the likes of Monopoly.

A few of our favorites:

Catan
Seven Wonders (really good)
Carcassanne
Inkognito

More at the cottage, can't recall what's there.View attachment 59018View attachment 59019

I have not played any of the Catan variations, but wouldn't mind picking one up. So far the original Settlers still holds our interest, but do you have a fav you'd recommend for variation? My experience with variations and expansion packs with other games, is they lack the staying power of the original, and we just end up going back to the original.

Inkognito sounds interesting too.

 

[JustaDB]

Mah Jong, Pente, Rail Baron.

 

[Dan Dubeau]

Used to play a lot of UNO as a kid.

UNO was a fun one when the kids were younger, we don't play it much anymore. My Daughter used to keep an UNO reverse card in her pocket once in a while and would pull it out and "play" it sometimes when I'd ask her to do chores lol.

President (asshole) was always a good card game too, and we play a lot of Gin on fishing trips.

 

[JustaDB]

As an aside, whenever I/we go to a Toy Run, in addition to the stuffed animals for the girls & Tonka-style toys for the boys, we always pick up a few "board" games in a vainglorious attempt to get families to spend time together: Uno, dominoes, checkers, Yahtzee, etc. I have fond memories of my family growing up playing these games and fond memories of playing these games w/ our own littluns. Card games, too. Old Maid, War, Cheat, Speed and one more whose name escapes me now...

 

[slow-poke]

I have not played any of the Catan variations, but wouldn't mind picking one up. So far the original Settlers still holds our interest, but do you have a fav you'd recommend for variation? My experience with variations and expansion packs with other games, is they lack the staying power of the original, and we just end up going back to the original.

Inkognito sounds interesting too.

IIRC the Catan extensions are mostly for when you have more players or want to make the game a bit more tricky. The kids bring their BF & GF's in tow when visiting at this stage, so sometimes the expansion packs are required.

 

[architect]

My Wife's friend group is all Respiratory Therapists and also fellow board game nerds. We usually get together once or twice a year for a cottage retreat, and lots of board game playing (ya, we're all nerds ). That game sounds like something they'd all enjoy, and my Wife would LOVE. I'm going to buy it for Her Birthday. Thank you. Really glad I started this thread, I knew it would dig up some gems.

No problem! I recommend starting with the original (2008). I have another group that gets together only a few times a year that desires the "open season" head-to-head competition more so and we rotate through games like Azul (love the aesthetics). Coup is great if you like bluffing and deducing mechanics (Liars Dice). Rounds are fast, easy to learn, so fills a quick time gap nicely. We also use to play For Sale online, free online (boardgamearena.com) if you like auction/economy mechanics.