Board Games....... (1 Viewer)

[Outbackjack]

We went to a small get together last night with friends. The hosts broke out some board games (Balderdash, so drawing game, etc).

It really was fun and different than just hanging out and talking. Despite not playing a board game in probably 15 years, I really enjoyed it.

We had some high schooler kids with us and it was fun to hang with them too in that format.

We are reciprocating the party in a few weeks and thought we’d try some too.

Does anyone on SR have any recommendations of simple and fun games t I could buy?

Cant be “adult” as we’ll have kids with us.

Thanks in advance,
Outback

 

[sonicboom]

Connect 4 and Battleship, played them during work when things got slow. If you like drawing games, you might like Pictionary.

 

[RazorOye]

the best place to check things out is BGG - BoardGameGeek forums. It's got a ton of information, though the interface of the forums is a bit old school. There are all sorts of sorting options. And there are a ton of list reviews, print reviews and video reviews.

For video reviews, I recommend Shut Up & Sit Down. They are probably the best video-based board game review site. Tons of content.

Finally, our local shop has a pretty good website to search new games, re-released games, age, group, etc. It's a great store - I don't expect you'll be buying from them, but it's an easy interface to scroll through. The store/site is 401Games.

We have a ton that are enjoyable and we play - how big is the group and what are the age ranges? There are games that take 10 minutes and some that can take a couple hours.

 

[SystemShock]

Chug-a-lug
Cards Against Humanity
Jackbox

Jackbox Games

www.jackboxgames.com

 

[RazorOye]

I should add two more things.

First, the boardgame subreddit can be helpful. Here's a link to that subreddit with the search parameter "family" sorted by relevance r/boardgames > "Family" (e.g. Let's talk about our favorite Family games!)

Secondly, the makers of Cards Against Humanity is releasing a family version in the fall. But, right now, you can download an early copy of the game for free - it's a lot of fun and family safe. There are some PG-13 possibilities, but it's pretty tame and a lot of fun.

And, did I mention... Free? But you do need a printer.

Link: https://www.cardsagainsthumanityfamilyedition.com/

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

Was going to suggest "Joking Hazard" (based on the "Cyanide & Happiness" series) but that's definitely not for teenagers in the company of their parents.

(The Game of) Life isn't bad. Can usually be played in 30-45 minutes. I'd probably avoid something like Monopoly that can go on for eons unless you set a number of rounds in advance.
And, if you are getting tired and want to politely hint to your guests to leave, just break out the ole Dungeons and Dragons set and watch them scatter.

Have Fun!

 

[Outbackjack]

Man this is great!!

I have the old school games.....Monopoly, Scrabble, Battleship, Operation, Clue, Connect 4, UNO......

Those are fun time killers with the family...but with friends coming over, might need something that naturally brings more talking/laughing.

Maybe 6-8 of us, including teenaged kids.

Very informative thread.....thank you!!!

And my goodness Oye......you are the GameMaster Commander!!!

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

You already mentioned UNO - that might be the best universal game out there
Also second for Pictionary

 

[buzd]

We’ve been plying a bunch of games in the evening (4 of us). I get a lot of games from Kickstarter, so they aren’t really mainstream, but we recently picked up Betrayal at House on the Hill which is really fun, scary, and totally different every time. It’s a little more than casual, but it’s great and it doesn’t take forever.

Recommended.

 

[StudioSaint]

We went to a small get together last night with friends. The hosts broke out some board games (Balderdash, so drawing game, etc).

It really was fun and different than just hanging out and talking. Despite not playing a board game in probably 15 years, I really enjoyed it.

We had some high schooler kids with us and it was fun to hang with them too in that format.

We are reciprocating the party in a few weeks and thought we’d try some too.

Does anyone on SR have any recommendations of simple and fun games t I could buy?

Cant be “adult” as we’ll have kids with us.

Thanks in advance,
Outback

If you have 6 or more people, I recommend Celebrity. You don't need to buy anything to play it. You can play just the first round for a quick game or all three rounds for longer games. The first round is a public figures trivia guessing game which can include charades. The second round adds in memory. The final round is straight up charades and memory.

It can be a lot of fun and you can play with as many people as you want. Here's a site that has the basic guidelines. You can modify it as much as you want to tailor it to your group. You could even allow people to draw clues if the group has fans of Pictionary. Whenever my friends and I play, we use the criteria of at least 2 other people knowing the name you're writing down and we all write down names before randomly drawing teams.

Fun Games to Bring the Whole Family Together for Some Friendly Competition

The top family games are appropriate and entertaining for all ages. We researched the best board, drawing, and dice games for family game night.

www.tripsavvy.com

ETA: It's technically not a board game, but I still recommend it. I play board games with friends too. We play Celebrity when we have groups too big for board games or when we want to play a game while also having the freedom to spread out and move about.

 

[sonicboom]

Break Out is a fun one. Not sure how you set it up, but it's like a trivia game. It's done through your computer.

 

[RazorOye]

but we recently picked up Betrayal at House on the Hill which is really fun, scary, and totally different every time. It’s a little more than casual, but it’s great and it doesn’t take forever.

Recommended.

excellent game

some other favorites for family/teen range that we've played

Forbidden Island/Desert/Sky (3 different games - each is a little more complex - we have Island and Desert but not Sky) - co-operative and fun
Pandemic - also cooperative (way popular before COVID)
Codenames (they have Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney licenses and more)
People are saying Exploding Kittens in places - I find it waaaay too simple with not much replayability - Sushi Go! or Sushi Go Party! is a great one for passing card/deck game
Carcassonne
Ticket to Ride (Europe seems to be more popular for older kids and adults and it's standalone - not an expansion - we have the basic version)
Lost Cities
Jamaica
Citadels
Azul (great game, but really a 2 player)
Love Letter (despite the concept and title, a group of teen boys ended up loving this strategy game - easy to play, cheap)
5 Minute Dungeon is simple and fast - we have the Marvel version of it. Not complicated, but quick
7 Wonders
Santorini - easy and fun and colorful. Easy and more complicated mode with Greek gods and goddesses

those are the ones I'd recommend off the top of my head, but I'm probably missing some obvious ones. As I think of them, I'll add to it.

prices on the games above range from around 10 bucks up to around 60 dollars

 

[buzd]

excellent game

some other favorites for family/teen range that we've played

Forbidden Island/Desert/Sky (3 different games - each is a little more complex - we have Island and Desert but not Sky) - co-operative and fun
Pandemic - also cooperative (way popular before COVID)
Codenames (they have Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney licenses and more)
People are saying Exploding Kittens in places - I find it waaaay too simple with not much replayability - Sushi Go! or Sushi Go Party! is a great one for passing card/deck game
Carcassonne
Ticket to Ride (Europe seems to be more popular for older kids and adults - we have the basic version)
Lost Cities
Jamaica
Citadels
Azul (great game, but really a 2 player)
Love Letter (despite the concept and title, a group of teen boys ended up loving this strategy game - easy to play)
5 Minute Dungeon is simple and fast - we have the Marvel version of it. Not complicated, but quick
7 Wonders
Santorini - easy and fun and colorful. Easy and more complicated mode with Greek gods and goddesses

those are the ones I'd recommend off the top of my head, but I'm probably missing some obvious ones. As I think of them, I'll add to it.

Thanks. That’s a good list. Will check those out.

 

[zeetes]

i don't have the attention span for board games, but i love me some operation.

 

[RazorOye]

Thanks. That’s a good list. Will check those out.

I went back and added urls to the game titles - they are all amazon links and I was grabbing them quickly - so be sure you vet the vendor(s) and such.

Happy to answer questions on any of them.

There are some in another tier that I think are a step more complicated, but also good, as well as some that are primarily 2 player (but still simple) worth checking out, too

E.g.

Splendor
Jaipur
7 Wonders Duel
Arboretum
Hanamikoji