Board games...

[vvviola]

Last year I got everyone a board game (DH got Pandemic, DD1 got Sorry and DD2 got a Frozen themed collect-the-tokens game). It went down a treat.

I'd like to do the same this year, and include my DPs also, so any hints for the following...

DH: loves scrabble, trivial pursuits. Enjoyed Pandemic although it's a bit of a faff to set up. We took Risk out at the weekend and put it back again because it seemed a lot more complicated than we remembered! Has to be able to be played 2 player as it's usually just the two of us and a bottle of wine

DD1: Aged 9. Very competitive. No problem following complex rules, but really only has us and her sister to play against, so a family friendly game would be best.

DD2: Aged 5. Just starting school. Getting the hang of board games, but limited attention span. Always seems to win when we play Sorry.

My DPs: DM loves Scrabble. DDad plays what he's told . Ideally something that we could play on Christmas night after/instead of the traditional game of scrabble. We got them Cranium a few years back which was a hit, but might not be ideal now. No complex set up or rules - DM had a stroke a few years back and while she has recovered really well, complex rules might cause more frustration than enjoyment.

Any ideas?


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[Jenijena]

I think Carcassonne would work quite well. Tile based, not hugely complex to set up. Basically you take it in turns to put down a tile and to make a map. You have a limited number of figures and get points by claiming cities, roads, farms etc. Have played it with my mum and she did 'get it' and she takes a while to get things.

Agricola is excellent and your DP might enjoy but lots of faffyness. The app is just as good and automated!

[Jenijena]

Oh and I've only played it a couple of times but I played with an 8&10 year old - Machi Koro.

[justgivemeamo]

jenijena how is agricola different to carcassonne? and settlers of catan?

op we like ticket to ride, buying camels up this year.

[2014newme]

Qwirkle is good.

[SunnySomer]

Ticket to Ride Europe would probably really suit your DH and DD1. We love it. Works for two, but is livelier and more tactical with larger numbers.
How about Othello?

[SecretSaffron]

Dixit is a great family favourite here, but you need more than 2 players. Very simple and no setting up really.
Also forbidden Island
We have Settlers of Catan but it gets quite heated!
Ds2s favouritebis Gubs, which is a card game but great fun, and can be played with 2 players.

We're getting ticket to ride this year and a few new card games including sushi go which is meant to be good.

[MerlinsBeard87]

Also a recommendation for dixit. Also labyrinth, where you push the board to change the shape of the maze before each turn

[TheHobbitMum]

Ride to Europe, carcassonne or Catan? They are all great and we play them regularly with the kids x

[atticusclaw2]

I've bought ticket to ride and carcassonne today for the DC for Christmas on the back of the other board games thread.

[vvviola]

Great suggestions everyone! Ticket to Ride looks like a good option for DD1 (pity there isn't a Star Wars version, her year would be complete! ), and I think from the descriptions of Dixit it might work as a possibility for DD2 (seeing as we all play the game with her anyway, so she could have help). Although maybe Quirkle might be better.

Maybe Carcassonne for DH...

[atticusclaw2]

There is star wars carcassone - bought it today!

[vvviola]

Really atticus??!



I could be in line for "best mum ever" award this year...

[Jenijena]

Agricola has many many development concepts - the concept is to develop your land through agriculture to win the most points, but development requires on quite a competition for resources and the luck of the drawn in 'occupation' and item cards. It's way more tactical/strategic than the others I've played and I think pitched at an older age group.

I agree TTR would be good for you. For the Star Wars fans, Fluxx is a silly and fun game. Completely based on chance...

[atticusclaw2]

Really OP . I bought the main game and the expansion set (has Kylo Ren on the front)

[RattieOfCatan]

Carcassonne, no set up apart from putting the cards face down, very quick and easy to get (as long as you don't play with farmers the first few times) and great for two players. I've just bought DH Hive, it looks great but might need a bit of reading of the rules to determine each bugs abilities the first few times, we haven't had a chance to play it yet, no set up there really either. Powergrid is brilliant but does require a bit of set up, I think that's playable with two.

Catan is great, but does require set up and a little practice (and is more than two players).

Dominion is a card based game which is brilliant, again it requires a little set-up but it really is good fun and each card tells you what it does.

I've recently played a good game which was based around camels and betting, cannot remember what on earth it was called but it is very simple to play and relatively quick!

Also another game which I think was called Metro, it was based on building rail lines on a grid and linking them to end stations. Another rail-themed one that's great is Union Pacific.

[CharminglyGawky]

Rumicub (Rumikub?) is really good. Based on Gin rummy so quite easy to pick up and is fun.

Labyrinth was my fave game ever when I was little!

[Heirhelp]

21b Baker Street is a great adult game.

[GeekyWombat]

Hold on, Star Wars Carcassone?! to the Amazon wish list!

I'm all about Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan. Zombicide is a fun co-op game but it takes a bit of setting up.

[Chocolatecake12]

dobble is a great game and is quick and easy for everyone to play.
Also we have a game called tension which is great fun!

[GrouchingTiggerHiddenSomething]

Dobble is a great suggestion for your younger daughter.

Hanabi is a great cooperative card game which works well with 2 (or more), last Christmas we got Jaipur which is a 2 player game, we also have Lost Cities which is for 2 players.

King of Tokyo is DH's usual choice, dice rolling game where you are a monster trying to take over Tokyo - need more than 2 really but we play with 3 fairly often.

Munchkin is great fun, lots of different themes - if you buy one of the delux versions it comes with a board and little figures so a bit easier to keep track of who is winning (and gang up on them!)

I like Fluxx, we have the original, Oz and "Holidays" versions :) The rules keep changing though so may not suit you.

Love Letter is a great little card game which I don't think anybody has mentioned yet - our 7 year old quite often wins.

For a party game "Codenames" is great, 2 teams trying to guess which words on the grid belong to them without getting the opponents words - or the assasin - but you only have a one word clue!

[justgivemeamo]

Ticket to ride is an excellent game.

we really dislike labrythn here - find it irritating!

Like dixit although cant play that often...

love dobble - sleeping queens, Diamonack is also a fav - ( djeco game)

we recently got sushi go - seems fun so far.

For xmas am doing another huge stock up - with camels up - possibly forbidden island...Exploding kittens, and some others/

[TheoriginalLEM]

marking place - we got forbidden island last year its great and co operative. Fairly quick and can be played drunk!

[RaisingSteam]

I am so glad we found the board game thread last year. We did get ticket to ride Europe and having played Catan at friends that is on this year's list. DCs do love old school Monopoly as well, have done since about 8yo.

Not quite a board game but Mancala is good for 2 children if you can find a set. Easy to learn but gets quite strategic.

[LikeTheShoes]

Do not try to play Agricola with anyone under 45 15. It lasts forever and has about a million pieces.

Hey that's my fish is good for younger people.
Zombie Fluxx is a bigger hit than normal Fluxx here.
Loonacy is good too (very similar to Double though)
Mapominoes (we have Europe) is good too

I prefer Transamerica to Ticket to Ride (I like both though)

I love Survive.

Blokus is good too.