Board Games

[LadyGaGasPokerFace]

We usually get a family board game at Christmas. I’m just after ideas really. Dds are 13 and 11. We’ve a full to bursting cupboard of board games, but we rotate them and they do get used.

Any good ones or new ones about at the minute?
Is rummikub any good? We bought Catan last year, but that’s a slow burner.

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MNHQ Update
This thread is a little out of date now, but if you've landed here while on the hunt for board game recommendations, our guide to the best family board games has been recently updated to reflect current availability and popularity. It includes a wide range of options suitable for kids and adults of all ages. We hope it's of some help!

Which ones do you like now?

Do you want a quicker game than Catan? We like cooperative games but lots take a while - I like Pandemic and escape room games.

We like fluxx, that is quick and fun.

Labyrinth is good
family pack of cards against humanity
monopoly empire is really fast paced and each game is 20 mins and cut throat!

This is excellent, but better with over 4 players

www.amazon.co.uk/SmartGames-30-Seconds-UK-edition/dp/B07YLZCHZZ

Rummikub is brilliant bought it last Christmas and we have all enjoyed it even ds who is 7
Very easy to pick up and gets quite competitive in this house

We love Rummikub! I used to play it when I was younger and bought it once my kids were old enough to play. Cludo is good and they have different themed ones now

We played accentuate last week. Haven't laughed so much in a long time!

We also love ticket to ride, takanoko and love letters.

Have they tried Colt Express?

We love Rummikub! Ticket to Ride and Game of Life are also lovely family games.

Some good ones are -
Ant and decs Saturday takeaway
Taskmaster
Tickets to ride
Forbidden island
Cluedo - mysteries or various themes
Smart arse
Trivial pursuit
The mind - card game but so hilarious and difficult
Exploding bunnies

@Blueuggboots
Just read reviews on accentuate and it said younger DC may not get films as too old.

Does it matter that much do you still get points for the accent

Do you have Azul? Really good game and not difficult to learn.

Splendor is another family favourite.

Telestrations is our absolute favourite. It is SOOOO funny and so much fun. Best for 4 players+ though.
Our whole extended family loves it so much that we bought the party size as well.

My DS got Monopoly Builder recently which is a nice twist on Monopoly - you build tall buildings instead of putting houses and hotels on properties. It's also a lot quicker and the game ends whenever someone builds a penthouse on one of their buildings so it doesn't drag on like conventional Monopoly can.

We were laughing so much at the accents it didn’t matter about the film bit!!

Thanks for the suggestions.

Our remit is not long long games. We can tolerate Trivial Pursuit, Cluedo is great, Game of life always gets finished. Monopoly gets left as that drags on, Catan we left as that dragged on. We like Uno and rummy for short games.
I don’t get Avocado smash, Exploding kittens and Pit.
I’m sure I’ve left some games out.

I like the sound of Rummikub. I’m going to look at the link above.

Thank you!

Agree Azul is lovely. Through the Desert? You take turns placing camels in convoy over the desert. Or Takenoko is cute and fun, Reef? You make a reef and have to get certain combinations of colours. Tokaido has just had a reprint and is nice. Sushi goes fun and quick to learn.

If you like a more complicated saga then Dinosaur Island is bloody amazing. You use your scientists to gather DNA and then use the DNA to create dinosaurs for your theme park than have visitors in, but if your threat level (determined by your dinosaurs) is higher than your security level than visitors get eaten. It is BRILLIANT.

the sequel has recently come out and I have it as my Christmas present from MIL so it is sitting on top of my wardrobe but I can't play it yet and I can't wait to get it out!

I bought the Christmas edition of Articulate last year and it was a surprisingly huge hit with my 12 and 16 year olds.

Noted the recommendation for telestrations, that is fun.

We like the series of games that comes in tiny boxes that are mostly quick to play. Deep Sea Adventure is good.

Also Cards Against Humanity. Family edition of course with the kids.

You can get a free app to play Rummikub on your phone/tablet so you can try it out before you buy it!

You could try Camel Up - its brilliant for all ages and quite a quick one.

Another vote for Rummikub.

Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza is a simple and silly card game that gets everyone laughing, my 70 year old parents enjoy it as much as my 7 year old daughter.

If you want something a little more serious and strategic but not overly long or complicated then Carcasonne is really good.

Articulate is great fun for a crowd.

Ok Play is a great twist on connect 4.

Another alternative to Monopoly is Monopoly Deal which is brilliant fun and takes 20-30 minutes to play. It's advertised for 8+ but we play 2 or 3 games of it in an evening with our grown up kids. It's basically a card game based on the original but quicker and more fun and ideal as you don't get fed up of it! I've not heard of Monopoly Builder but that sounds good fun too.

Would second Azul if you don't have it. Easy to learn, simple but quite a bit of strategy to think about.

Others I can think of
Quacks of Quedlinberg
Sushi Go/Party
Blockus
Quirkle