board games and xmas

[racletteyum]

DH and I had a fight over xmas about board games. We loves them whereas I just dont see the point. He was very adamant that everyone plays board games over xmas - it's just what you do. I didnt grow up in the UK and honestly, I have never ones seen my parents play boardgames or any other adult. Is playing board games really such a thing in the UK?

I can't stand Monopoly either. Boring, and endless faffing about with money.

Y'all need to make monopoly more fun with wheel of fortune and stuff😂 i pimped mine up.

Oh! I forgot Above and Below.
That is an amazing game. My 7 year old loves it. It is a bit complicated for a child but after a couple plays, it is so fantastic. Definitely worth it.

Most games are around £40 to £50 so it's good to do your research, and you can usually watch them being played through in a youtube review vidoe before you make the purchases.

@SchrodingersImmigrant
Why? There are thousands of games out there.

Definitely working class family as a child and we always played board games and cards. There was always a new game at Christmas and we’d take them on caravan holidays.
DC are now adults and still love them. This year we’ve played Cards against Humanity and Exploding Kittens (not keen tbh). Articulate and Cluedo are my favourites.

I hate them! They are up there with zoom quizzes/any zoom social activity as forced fun which I avoid at all costs. I ll play if the kids want to obviously but I certainly wouldn’t suggest it.

[quote WhereverIGoddamnLike]@SchrodingersImmigrant
Why? There are thousands of games out there.[/quote]
I know, but i don't like to have stuff I never use (because pps are right and monopoly do get boring after while) so instead of just having them sat on a shelf, I pimp them out to make them fun again.

YANBU - I hate board games. I really get zero enjoyment from them at all...

My Christmas night is spent on the sofa watching tv, not playing games.

I can't stand Monopoly or Risk. DH and his mum and siblings are very into board games. I will play some but I am not as competitive as DH's family so pick the ones I play with them, so will avoid something like Monopoly. I like word ones like Taboo, Cranium or collaborative ones like Forbidden Island. Think I prefer team games rather than individual ones, probably because I would always lose on my own. I think one problem is that if you have not been brought up in a competitive household, so possibly didn't play by the exact rules etc so just made it fun, to then start playing with someone who is very competitive you just get annihilated every time you play with them. You need to find a game they haven't played before. So if your DH is a Monopoly expert I wouldn't necessarily start with that game.

DH's family have been playing via FaceTime during lockdown. Not sure whether that is something your DH could do.

I also like card games like Uno and Dobble.

@WhereverIGoddamnLike

I collect board game. Absolutely love them. However, if I went to someone house and they right our Monopoly and Scrabble then I would make excuses to leave.

Board games are a massive thing, but still quite niche. I have 47 of them. They're amazing; my kids and I have game night every week but the games are actually good.

Games like Yamatai, Small World, Champions of Midgard, El Dorado are great. If you're husband is a proper board gamer then excellent but if he is talking Monopoly then no thanks.

This!! Board gaming as a hobby has exploded in the last 5-10 years, there are hundreds of great board games that aren't the usual monopoly etc. If you look into it there's a whole world of fun games with all sorts of themes and mechanics etc - from silly party games all the way through to serious 8-hour session type games with complicated storytelling. There are euro-style games (revolving mainly around resource collection and allocation) and American-style games (which are more about the immersive themes and stories).

"Shut up and sit down" is a YouTube channel that does excellent board game reviews, or I'd also recommend Wil Wheaton's "Tabletop" YouTube series where he plays games with various groups to help you understand the gameplay and mechanics.

There's a whole world of fun out there!! I would implore anyone who hates monopoly and risk etc to have a look at what's available ☺️

We always do board games both at Christmas and big family meet ups,

I love board games. As we're in tier 4, we've decided to play every board game we own over the holidays. Keeps the two teenagers off screens for a bit.

My favourite is ticket to ride, I have to confess I usually take it on holiday (and aptly on long train journeys). Also like scrabble and Mr Lister which we gave as a Christmas present and has been enjoyed by all ages. Hotel Tycoon is also a shorter and more enjoyable version of Monopoly.

Since there are so many fans😁
Can anyone recommend 2 player games with good replay value? It seems pain in the arse to find good games for 2.

I love board games. They're extremely good for children. They teach turn taking, strategy, forward planning, how to win and lose with grace, increase confidence and wellbeing, improve familial relations and bonding, can help with literacy and numeracy, give children an opportunity to compete on a level playing field. I could go on.

It's fine not to enjoy them though but they can be a useful tool in all manner of ways.

We have many, many games. Some classics, some obscure, strategy, luck, silly, role playing, long, quick and so on. We can't wait until the pandemic is over to get back to the local games club. They have hundreds of games and 10 big playing areas. Plus a cafe attached.

We're about to play On a Scale of One to TRex which is more a card game and not my favourite but the children love it.

Also Balderdash is a sedate game where every one can sit wherever they want (you each make up definitions for words and everyone has to pick one, including the right one).

Ticket to ride and scrabble are both good for 2 players.

I bought Bibleopoly (no, we are not a religious home) and enjoyed the twist of being nice to each other not ruthless and also that it had a definite end, unlike manopoly

We love board games and have hundreds of different ones. They can be played anytime especially Christmas Day 😀

Where are you from, OP? Yabu to think of board games as a UK thing. I would say the spiritual home of board games is Germany or the US, in fact. V popular in this house, all year round not just at Christmas. If you don't enjoy them, though, why not just sit them out and take the time to do something you never get enough P&Q to concentrate on? Your DH ibu to insist you join in if you don't want to. But it's hard to believe there's not a single one you'd enjoy, unless he's fixated on playing something particular year after year.

Yep we love games.

We loved games before we had DS, but now we have just expanded our collection. We played 3 different ones on xmas day and another 3 yesterday. They doesnt have to be 'board' game necessarily like rolling a dice and going round a board. Yesterday for example one of the games was operation. Great quick, funny game.

I live in the UK but originally from New Zealand and I’d never heard of anyone playing boards games over Christmas back home. Maybe because it’s warm and sunny we were more likely to be outside in the garden, whereas it’s winter in the UK and boards games are one of the few things that can entertain everyone indoors?

My English relatives don’t play board games though but do often play cards instead.

We also love board games, but generally not the usual suspects mentioned above. For quick chatty games, try things like 5 second rule (5 secs to name 3 things that are green, 3 famous Michaels etc), Taboo (describe a word without using any of it's components or key things associated with it), Articulate (similar but with categories). Avalon the Resistance is a game a bit like werewolf online - great for analytical teenagers working out who is on the good team of King Arthur and who is on Mordred's evil team.

Sit down board games like Ticket to Ride Europe (building train lines based on cards you pick up), Settlers of Catan (collecting resources to 'settle' a land) and Seven Wonders (card collecting game based on 7 ancient wonders) all have loads of replayability and are good for adults and slightly older kids - Ticket to ride especially, which has been legitimately won by my then 6 year old.

Or if you don't like things compeitive, there are lots of cooperative games around now where you work as a team to defeat the game - Pandemic, Forbidden Island, Shadows over Camelot are three that we play most often. Castle Panic might be more suitable for younger kids.

We have loads more than this - I was brought up with board games and we still enjoy them now, with just family and with friends. And modern board games are so different to the traditional monopoly or scrabble - there's simply so much to choose from nowadays.

@SchrodingersImmigrant

Since there are so many fans😁 Can anyone recommend 2 player games with good replay value? It seems pain in the arse to find good games for 2.

Jaipur is specifically for 2 players. In terms of games that are good to play with just 2 (but can be played with more), I'd suggest Forbidden Island/Desert, Carcassonne, Fluxx, Takenoko, Concept, Elder Sign.

It is a bit of a tradition, yes, but I bloody hate board games so YANBU

Thanks both! I am going to keep a list!