Any women here who like board games?

[kavalkada]

So, I have a confession to make. Pandemic made me a board game addict. I always loved board games, but I haven't played them for a really long time. So when lockdown started I bought few to play with my six year old son and husband. Unfortunately, it turned out that I'm the only one in my house who really likes them, the two of them could happily never ever to play again.

I know there are solo games, but I like to play with other people. Luckily, my husband's best friend likes to play them, so I play when he comes along. I'm still gathering courage to play in the public board games playroom (and it is a little bit hard to find time with one year old).

So, any more like me? And important question - how do you persuade your family to play with you?

@KihoBebiluPute

we are a family who love boardgames and play them extensively. today we have a gaming day scheduled and will be doing one long game (either Star Trek Ascendancy or Terraforming Mars probably) and a few shorter games.

other recommendations to add to your wish list:
Azul
Imhotep
Santorini
Isle of Skye
Photosynthesis

I also play remotely via zoom. i don't play anonymously with strangers on public platforms much. I have tried it but it's just not nearly as enjoyable if there's no human contact. With a zoom chat in one window and a board game online site in another it becomes a properly 3Dimensional experience (well maybe 2.8 as not quite as good as the real thing)

I have played Azul and it is great, I agree.

I'll check the rest of your recommendations.

I wish I had enough money to buy what ever I want. Last birthday I wrote list of board games for all those who were planning to buy me a gift. I have a feeling I'll do the same this Christmas. Now if I could just find enough place to store them.

I see people on Internet who have hundreds of board games and I always wonder how big their houses must be to have just one room dedicated to board games (but it would be heaven to have it).

I love them! DH is happy to play them with me, but I’m very competitive and I don’t think people enjoy playing with me.

@Nittersing

How to get your family to play with you...

The internet goes "down"
The power goes "out"
Bribery- cook a phenomenal dessert and have an early dinner with plenty of time to have dessert and a game before bed.
Invite kids friends and parents over for a game night.
Ask for a new "family" game for birthday/ mother's day/ Christmas. Insist that teaching you how to play it and having a game (or 4) with you is part of the gift.
Have "game day" as a day each school holidays. We also have puzzle day and new book day too.

I love your family.

Forbidden Island is fun and Betrayal brilliant but you need a few players. I love board games! I haven’t played any in a long time though, badly sleeping kids get in the way.

The Arkham Horror card game is fantastic and you can play that one player and if you get someone to join in you can do two player!

Other good games I’ve got - tales of the Arabian nights, alien frontier, cosmic encounter, surprisingly the sons of anarchy game is great! Mansions of madness, ghost stories - but it is insanely hard, city of horror for zombies... all the rest are still in boxes from when we moved and there’s so many I can’t remember them all!

I do! We play weekly over FaceTime with my brother since lockdown, we can play Catan, 7 Wonders and ticket to ride online. I also bought Quirkle and Agricola recently but didn’t know you could play Agricola online.
I used to go to a monthly games night run in a wine shop

Hi OP, fervent board gamer here! Agree with PP suggestions but I also wonder if it's worth working on your husband a little more:) there are so many different styles of games - it might be that he's just anti-game in general in which case fair enough, but I wonder if maybe he would just prefer a different kind of game? Personally I hate Pandemic/Carcassone/Catan etc (I know, I know! Clearly something wrong with me, my husband loves them all and so does the rest of the world apparently) but I need a really strong theme to enjoy a game, it's all about the story for me. My favourite games include Sherlock Holmes consulting detective, Chronicles of Crime, Mansions of Madness etc. I love a deduction game! I also love Eldritch Horror, Star Wars Rebellion and War of the Ring (wouldn't recommend for beginners but just to give some examples of non-deduction games that have a very strong theme). Just a thought - wonder if it might be worth lining up a few web pages on Board Game Geek of different types of games to show your husband before purchasing and see if there are any that pique his interest? Then you could have a fellow live-in gamer (providing you would enjoy any of his choosing of course)!

I do and we have simplified some of the games to indoctrinate our 5 year old. She loves king of Tokyo, forbidden island and camel up

It was dp's thing first but he has paid attention to what I like in games and bought with that in mind. Ganz schon clever is my most recent favourite

My DB pays for premium on boardgame arena (online), we do weely zoom calls with my other brother and sometimes other family members. it's great and I'd like to continue long term.

*weekly

Found my tribe!

We played Catan and Dragonwood last night, plus several rounds of Sleeping Queens with 8yo.
One of the best things about the evenings drawing in is board games.
Ds1 generally opts out now (nearly 14) though.

I also love a jigsaw but literally nothing else gets done when I have one on the go so try to limit myself...

It's not so much that he doesn't like them, but he likes running and computer games more, so board games are low on his list of priorities.

He plays sometimes with me, but with two small children there is never enough time, so I'm lucky if we play one game a month. I have more luck with my son, but not much more.

In their defense, I hate computer games and they would like to play with me, but it never happens - but I'm the worst computer game player ever and I'm sure they wouldn't get much joy from playing with me.

Me, but then me and my DH met at a board game club at work when in London, so probably to be expected I wouldn't have to persuade him to play. Not at the moment due to covid, but usually I find the right game can work really well with friends who don't usually play, and we often have games nights with a takeaway and a few drinks. Although not strictly board games, now about trying the Exit games with them?

We are addicted to Battle of Hogwarts and have to play at least once a week. New expansion due out soon.
And we’re getting Gloomhaven for my birthday later in Autumn, with a whole weekend dedicated to playing it.
DD (11) loves Hogwarts but it’s too much for DS (8). He likes quicker games - sushi go, go town, exploding kittens.
Does anyone remember Killer Bunnies? We used to play all the time and got it out recently but didn’t feel the love.
Pandemic is brilliant and we have played a couple of times in proper lockdown on zoom with friends who also had their board out.

I love love love board games but really struggle to get my family to play with me, the kids both enjoy games but can never agree on which one to play, and DH gets overly annoyed with them if they don't behave perfectly during the game (they'll never learn how to if we don't play with them, DH!!!!!!) so we don't play nearly as much as I'd like

Before lock down I did look in to local board game clubs, there are a couple but it's difficult to fit in with ferrying the kids around to their activities. I'm thinking about setting one up in a local pub but feel a bit shy about 'outing' myself as a gamer!

Me! Love them, always have.
I would suggest that maybe the 6 year old just hasn’t found the right games for them yet. At that age all mine loved Ludo and Snakes and Ladders, a lot of the Orchard Toys ones, but not much else. They progressed and now as teens we play games most free nights.
(As an aside, The Storymaster’s Tales - Weirding Woods game is really fun to play on your own and also multiplayer...I also know lots of people who play it with age 6 upwards.)

@Mol1628

I love board games. We have a board game night regularly me and my husband

We are currently re playing the battle of Hogwarts game with the expansion.

One of my children loves them too, the other isn’t as fussed but sometimes will play. I’m not sure there’s much you can do if someone isn’t interested.

Us too!! We LOVE Hogwarts Battle! Did you know there's a new expansion coming soon too?

OP, DH and I love board games. We had a board game cafe near us, but it closed after Covid. If you have one near you, definitely check it out - great way to find new games! Has anyone suggested Quacks of Quedlinburg or Patchwork to you yet? They're both really good! DS (6) has enjoyed Labyrinth Junior and Castle Panic Junior, so you could try something like those to tempt yours in? I think co-operative games are great for wee ones, because you win or lose as a team, so it's not so much them against the rest.

I love board games, trying to teach the 5 year old (DH and teen don't like them).

I like the idea of a board game playroom, never heard of them, wonder if there are any near me...off to Google!

We also love the Howard's battle game. Looking forward to the expansion!

hogwarts.... autocorrect!!!!

Love board games :) Agree it's hard to find time with kids, but my 6 and 8 yos are just starting to be interested in playing more interesting games, so fingers crossed we get to play a bit more...

Backgammon.....love it, have played it for decades taught my DS18 who in turn loves it. Scrabble and Boggle also favs in our house.

My DH got mr into them - we are big fans.

Agricola
Puerto Rico
Carcassonne
Catan
Fury of Dracula (DH, not me)
Mah Jong
Yedo
Shadows over Camelot
Citadels

You can play Agricola single player and there’s an app too so I’d try that.

I like Euro board games which age based on turn taking and worker placement.

Where are you based OP? If you’re SW London you could be our new best friend...

ARE based, not AGE based.

Our whole family like board games, we tend to the more traditional ones rather than big strategy ones. I like word games (scrabble, boggle) but always win so no one will play me any more!
Favourites here are cluedo, 221b Baker Street, labyrinth, dungeon, Tsuro (really beautifully designed game), Carcassonne, mastermind, rummikub. Fireball island is a lot of fun to play, like a more grown up Mousetrap with flinging fireballs at other players.
The kids have really enjoyed some of the Lego games too - we have pirate plank and Lego Harry Potter (very like labyrinth).
I'm now going to work my way through the other suggestions and make a Christmas list!

@Merryoldgoat

My DH got mr into them - we are big fans.

Agricola
Puerto Rico
Carcassonne
Catan
Fury of Dracula (DH, not me)
Mah Jong
Yedo
Shadows over Camelot
Citadels

You can play Agricola single player and there’s an app too so I’d try that.

I like Euro board games which age based on turn taking and worker placement.

Where are you based OP? If you’re SW London you could be our new best friend...

Unfortunately, we don't even live in the same country, but thanks for invitation. I'll definitely try Agricola.