Board games

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phinanciallyfit
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Re: Board games

Post by phinanciallyfit »

Shorty wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 4:57 pm Ha ha! wait until you see the expansion pack complexity - my wife won’t play. Very fun game.

Patchwork takes the cake for 2 people.
phinanciallyfit wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 3:21 pm
Shorty wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:53 am For 2: Patchwork

3+: Agricola, Dominion
I love Agricola, but was hesitant to recommend it as it requires a level of brain power that we struggle to have at the end of the day after kids are asleep! My husband would joke that it is very much like life... so much to do and so little time. Awesome game though.
I've only played Patchwork a few times at a game cafe prepandemic. I remember enjoying it, but not enough to buy it, apparently (I can't remember, but I know I didnt but it). We really like railroad ink for 2 players. If you haven't tried it, you should check it out.
mancich
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Re: Board games

Post by mancich »

Scrabble
Rummy
Mike Scott
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Re: Board games

Post by Mike Scott »

We have a huge stack of games that we rotate but generally we go back to some of our classics (Scrabble, Dominos, Rummy etc) and don't even bother to keep points when it's just for fun. We all enjoy Balderdash with a larger group. We stopped playing Solitaire together because my wife cheats and she won't play Scrabble with me if we are counting points :) One daughter has a thing for vintage and 3D board games and comes up with some interesting ones to sprinkle into the mix. Some of them are fun and some are just weird and complicated. Some of the more complex ones take a lot of concentration and time and are not relaxing if that is the goal. Our kids will play the card game Set for hours at a time but I just can't keep up the pace because it moves too fast. We enjoy the Fluxx card deck variations, the seeming randomness and sometimes make up new rules as we go along. We have ended up with music play lists to go along with most of the themed Fluxx games. We occaisonaly play "who can find the worst song on the internet game". The rules and points are entirely subjective but I usually win because I am old and apparently can remember this kind of thing. We only have two core rules which are "family friendly" and "no country music". We seldom get serious with games but a variation of "Spoons" which we call "chocholate chip cookies" will bring out the real competitive streak in most of us.
Da5id
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Re: Board games

Post by Da5id »

phinanciallyfit wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 3:21 pm
Shorty wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:53 am For 2: Patchwork

3+: Agricola, Dominion
I love Agricola, but was hesitant to recommend it as it requires a level of brain power that we struggle to have at the end of the day after kids are asleep! My husband would joke that it is very much like life... so much to do and so little time. Awesome game though.
I don't mind complexity in games (I've played a number of Avalon Hill games with thick rulebooks), but I find Agricola somewhat stressful. I have friends who feel similarly. In the game it somehow feels so life or death sometimes. I don't want to really feel the pain of a subsistence farmer!

To OP for a casual 2 player game I also like the card game Set.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Board games

Post by JupiterJones »

Kagord wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 1:49 pm Just curious, do any cribbage players say these phrases when counting?
"Two and that will do"
"Four and there ain't no more"
..etc
I don't, but by golly I'm gonna start! :sharebeer
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startwithtruth
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Re: Board games

Post by startwithtruth »

Lots of great games have been suggested. When choosing a game for group camping, keep in mind the other folk's experience and the type of games they prefer, such as duration, difficulty, social vs strategic and competitive vs cooperative.

Also, similar to how you usually put up a new tent in the backyard for the first time, try to learn a new game before leaving home, by reading the rules and possibly watching a video play through (google and boardgamegeek.com); then it's easier to teach it to group members at the campsite.

Here are a few lighter games we've found fairly easy to teach; they have relatively larger "bits", or cards & dice (better for travel than games with many tiny pieces). All of them play well with 2 people except Code Names, where you need the special version Code Names Dual.

That's Pretty Clever (we replay this a LOT, kind of addictive)
Code Names. Or, Code Names Dual (for 2 person play)
Azul
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lightheir
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Re: Board games

Post by lightheir »

Gotta mention this one - I'm actually shocked it's not super popular.

It's a card game (no board), but doesn't require any real space, is playable easily by 2 or more players (the more the better), has rules that are so easy that my 7 year old was easily able to play it without handicap her first time, yet despite its simplicity, can't be 'won' using any cheap trick or simple rule.

PIT - the card game

I'm hard to please with games, and this one was shockingly legit for how simple it was, and plays extremely well with groups regardless of ability. Get it, you can't go wrong, especially if you are short on space.

(They now apparently sell several versions of this game, some of which have a large pad or other accessories, but trust me - the only thing you need is the cards, all the other accessories are NOT necessary for full fun.)
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Sandtrap
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Re: Board games

Post by Sandtrap »

Chess

j🌺
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Nicolas
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Re: Board games

Post by Nicolas »

mffl wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:42 pm Settlers of Catan was one of the first games of a new era. And it took until maybe 2005-2008 or so for this new era to really kick off. "Board games" these days are nothing like what we had growing up, and I think many people think of Monopoly when they think of board games
Catan and Monopoly were (are) both popular because they appeal to greed which is a powerful emotion in the human psyche. I favor chess which is based on war in the human imagination. I’m not otherwise warlike :D
Da5id
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Re: Board games

Post by Da5id »

Nicolas wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:21 pm
mffl wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:42 pm Settlers of Catan was one of the first games of a new era. And it took until maybe 2005-2008 or so for this new era to really kick off. "Board games" these days are nothing like what we had growing up, and I think many people think of Monopoly when they think of board games
Catan and Monopoly were (are) both popular because they appeal to greed which is a powerful emotion in the human psyche. I favor chess which is based on war in the human imagination. I’m not otherwise warlike :D
Catan is a pretty good game (though I played it too much in the 90s and burned out), but like many trading games not very good for 2 players.

Monopoly is not a very good game IMO. But I'm rather picky about games.
dboeger1
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Re: Board games

Post by dboeger1 »

Beensabu wrote: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:47 pm How has nobody said Risk? Risk! Only the best board game of all time. There's nothing like a friendly round of total and complete world domination. Pssst: Australia is the key.
Padlin wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:50 am Yahtzee was the default game in the campers for 20 years no matter the ages or number. Trying out Chess now.
I don't know why dice games didn't come to mind when I was writing my original response, but one that kind of combines Risk and Yahtzee into something really portable that works well is Age of War by Reiner Knizia. It's a small dice game published by FFG, and if I'm not mistaken, I believe it's essentially just a retheme of a game called Risk Express. Basically, it's a bit like Risk but without armies or a world map. Instead, there are cards representing different territories, and the different card colors are kind of analogous to the continents in Risk. You roll custom dice and try to match the symbols on the card to capture its territory. You can target territories held by other players too, but once someone captures a "continent", they lock it down for good. Once all territories are claimed, the game is over. The rolling is a slight variant on Yahtzee.

I was originally going to suggest King of Tokyo but I didn't because of all the cards and little components that could be lost in a travel trailer, but Age of War has significantly fewer pieces to lose and can be played inside of a box or tray quite easily. My wife and I literally played it in a tent at the bench. It's super easy, quick to teach, and usually quick to play, although it does preserve some of that Risk tension of players recapturing territories from each other in an attempt to capture continents, so games can stretch a little longer sometimes. I think it would work well for this kind of setting and for people familiar with Risk and/or Yahtzee.
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Boglegirl81
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Re: Board games

Post by Boglegirl81 »

Wow, thank you so much for all the suggestions! I have only heard of a few of these! I don’t have kids so maybe I’m just out of the board game loop!
mainiac
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Re: Board games

Post by mainiac »

Another vote for Cribbage, which is more fun than it has any right to be
Ha!

Now that we are empty nesters, we play lots of cribbage, rummy, triple Yatzee, Phase 10.

Mancala, Othello (I almost always win), Pente (my husband almost always wins).

For a group of four, we like the card game Pitch and and also the card game Wizard, which is basically Spades, with the addition of Wizards and Jesters to complicate the bidding. Another suggestion for Rummikub, which is the the game of rummy using tiles and players have the ability to use/change sets and runs already played.

Parks and Ticket to Ride sound fun, but pricier than I would normally pay for a game.
runninginvestor
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Re: Board games

Post by runninginvestor »

Monopoly has been posted a couple times, a fun alternative to the long game is Monopoly Deal. Card game. Easy to pick up and games are quick.
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rocket354
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Re: Board games

Post by rocket354 »

I'll repeat suggestions for Blokus, Azul, and Splendor. All can handle 2-4. Blokus has a good heads up version with a reduced board (just block off a 14x14 grid and having the starting squares 5 in diagonally, opposite) and it's just like Blokus Duo. Or you can do two-player with two colors apiece. For three player it's better if you block off an 18x18 grid and play. Those variants can be found via google search.

Codenames is a great game for 4+. Codenames Duet is a very fun two-player version. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like Codenames.

Agricola is good with 2-5 (in fact, 1-5, the solo game/puzzle is a lot of fun). But it's a little heavier. If you like heavy games, Through the Ages or Twilight Struggle are great two-player, but are also 4 hour, heavy games. If these are all new games to you, I suggest you try the lighter fare first, then if you take to it, try the heavier ones.

Boardgamegeek is a great resource for boardgames.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Board games

Post by JupiterJones »

Nicolas wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:21 pm Catan and Monopoly were (are) both popular because they appeal to greed which is a powerful emotion in the human psyche. I favor chess which is based on war in the human imagination. I’m not otherwise warlike :D
There was an interesting paper I read ages ago that compared the "big three" ancient games of chess, go, and backgammon. It outlined their fundamental differences in worldview (according to the author at least) and attempted to connect this to the cultures from which they sprang:

Chess: From India. War-like. Strong hierarchy based on royalty.
Go: From China. About forming groups and creating structure. Every piece is equal.
Backgammon: From the Middle East. Involves the idea of "kismet" where even the most skilled player is subject to the whims of fate.

Edited to add: I found the essay... https://www.kiseidopublishing.com/three.htm
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