Brilliant board games

[Ophy83]

Does anyone have any suggestions for really fun board games?

This Christmas we've decided to have Christmas dinner early evening rather than at lunchtime and to spend the day playing fun games (games after dinner doesn't work for me as at that point I get sleepy and just fancy vegging out in front of the TV!)

Games we already have and love include:
Sounds Fishy
The Chameleon
Ransom Notes
What do you meme?
Classics like Stockmarket/ Risk/ Pictionary/ Monopoly/Jenga /Taboo etc

Pandemic
Carcassonne
Ticket to Ride
Uno (we bought some of the expansion packs which make the game far more lively).

Azul and Azul Queen's Garden. Both brilliant!

Banagrams
pictionary air
Labyrinth
Cleudo
UNO no mercy

if it’s less than 4 we love rummikub but that’s a chill game rather than lively.

pandemic’s lost its appeal since the actual one happened and YES to exploding kittens being boring.
always used to be recommended on here and finally bought it and we were like ????

Cockroach poker, Saboteur, Sheriff of Nottingham, King of Tokyo, Dixit, Pandemic, Lords of Waterdeep, Dominion, 7 Wonders, Horrified, Carcassone, Love Letter, Hit Z Road

Should’ve given it longer. It’s brilliant…we have every expansion pack though

My kids absolutely adore Exploding Kittens, and Zombie Kittens too.

There are kid versions of Cards Against Humanity the whole family can play.

Exploding Kittens is an amazing game. Can't understand how anyone couldn't enjoy it. OTOH, I can't understand why people are recommending Herd Mentality which is just plain old depressing and dull. So I guess we're all different.

Are card games allowed? I would recommend Skip Bo and Flip 7. Also Codenames which is neither card nor board really.

@Screamingabdabz I couldn’t agree more: Exploding Kittens. We were all cringing because it was so awful.

We love Codenames and Linkee in addition to others already mentioned.

If you don't mind if no one is speaking to eachother ever again by dinner time - Unstable Unicorns.

If you don't mind getting your head around some slightly more complex rules, and would like to link to the special day when Our Lord Incarnates Upon the Earth (our Lord being the Tentacled one who lives many fathoms beneath the deep as described by Lovecraft, whose rising shall bring about the End of All) - but in a fun and cartoonish way - Cosmoctopus

If you just want to be silly - Cards against Humanity - Family Edition

If you want a game that will fill a few hours rather than just 45 minutes - Ark Nova

I'll add Rumikub and Sky Jo, a new card game I just learnt but is very fun!

Quacks of Quedlinburg is my favourite. Or the board game of Jaws. Both work well if you have a younger DC (say 7 upwards) who wants to join in but can't always manage the harder games, as well. My 9yo (and the rest of us!) adores both.

Throw throw burrito or Happy Salmon would wake you up a bit and break up the sitting around the table games. Mind the ornaments if you play Burrito but younger / slightly more boisterous members of the family will LOVE it 🤣

Fans of exploding kittens here ,it's strategic as you get to know what each card can do
It's also fast paced so of all things it's not boring

Also highly recommend gubs.

Camel up hasnt been mentioned. I think it's very clever you bet on which colour camel will win each round then eventually the game

We like cooperative games - less likely to end in arguments! Favourites are Just One Word, Word Slam and The Mind. Have fun!

Having read a description of Exploding Kittens I don't think it would be for me, I dislike fast paced games, too stressful and I am rubbish at strategy as can't hold many steps in mind and think far enough ahead, especially against DH who is strategy mastermind. Uno is about my limit for card strategy games. I also don't like games where someone can go out quickly because I don't find it very fun sitting around watching everyone else play.

I like games which give you a sense of progression e.g. collecting things or building something, I like games which have pretty art or an intriguing sort of story, and I like games which force absurdity or a range of different combinations. I like wordplay or communication games.

Santorini is another good one we like - it is strategic in that you build up little towers and have to simultaneously try to be the first to get your little figure to the penultimate level of the tower, and block other players from doing so. But I mainly like it because it builds up a pretty picture which is reminiscient of the real Santorini, and because it comes with cards which shake up the rules which you can add after you've played a few rounds, which keeps it fresh and means you can tailor it to different abilities (e.g. giving younger children more "powers" and the adults have to work around these).

Not sure if I've missed it but the best game - no rules and no real set up, can be played by 2-8 ish people of any age and is massively competitive - is Who Finds it First.

Basically 9 large tiles covered in little pictures are laid out, 4 little tiles are drawn out the bag and whoever finds the matching picture on the large tiles wins and gets to keep the little tile. We usually play to whoever reaches 30/50/100 little tiles first depending on how much time we have. Incredibly absorbing for competitive families.

We love Ticket to Ride, Splendour, Lost Cities, Exploding Kittens, Uno No Mercy, Qwirkle, Bananagrams, Scrabble, Articulate.

Thanks all! I have made some purchases (Ticket to Ride, Mysterium, various card games etc) and will be browsing through more of these later today. At this rate, everyone in the family from dd10 to MIL85 is going to be given a game amongst their Christmas presents!

Some that have been mentioned are ones that we have that I hadn't put in the OP e.g. Taco cat goat pizza, the burrito throwing game, labyrinth, carcassonne- I can verify that they are family favourites and a lot of fun!

This sounds like a perfect Christmas day!

Another vote for Herd Mentality.

Recently played Block Happy (card based game) which we liked.

We also like:

Hues and Clues
Really Loud Librarians
Blokus
Codenames
Splendor
Sequence

My favourites are Qwirkle, Azul, Splendor, Yahtzee and Scrabble.

Think words is fun

Following this with interest because we’re a game loving family too.
How old are your children?

I have bought forest shuffle for dd and I. I am not sure if I need to buy the expansion packs? Or if it’s ok to play as it is?

Risk is popular here (older teens) and I still think monopoly is the best board game but everyone else refuses to play.

Hi, wondering about Ransom Notes for NYE - party with both 50+ and our grown up kids with mates: too embarrassing? Or just right?
Thanks in advance