Best board games Xmas 2017

sawtooth

sawtooth

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What old or new games will you be playing this Xmas with the family?

Scrabble is an old favourite and we played that a few times this week already.

As for something new and untried, Game for Fame got good write ups - anyone tried this?
 
Up at the In-laws, if we start feeling too cheerful, we crack open a game called Squatter from the 70's.
It's a bit like Monopoly but it's based around Australian sheep farming.
You get a few pens of sheep and a bit of cash and make your way around the board.
There's usual hazards of needing to repair fences, pay for sheep dip and rams, paying income tax, replacing your haystack after a fire, getting struck down with fleas and worms and other such things that affect the value of your fleeces when you land on a Wool Sale space.
You then sell some sheep at a profit ( sometimes) or buy some at a loss( more usual).
You have to improve your pasture to fatten your sheep and eventually irrigate all your land. All this costs extortionate amounts of money which you generally only have for a very short time before someone lands on a General Drought square.
Then everyone loses 1/3 of their wealth and sheep and the whole thing starts again.
It really and truly is the most depressing game in the world and we use it as a threat, much like the Bogeyman.

If you ever get a chance to play this game - run!
Run like the wind, for the hills, for your life...
Forget the death sentence - get them to play Squatter for the rest of their lives and they'll top themselves within a month...
Merry Christmas:mad:
 
Carcassonne is the Christmas tradition for me and the Mrs. Looking forward to a game of that tomorrow night along with the chocolates and decanter of port.

Santa's bringing Operation for the little 'un - good grief she's crawling off the wall just now. Amazing times. :)
 
Missis Ts ma and pa always used to get the general quiz out which after about five mins ended up in the worst kind of cheating you could imagine, usually off pa in law who thought it was hilarious. Night ended with everyone falling out with one another.
one year he bought a quiz which was done on a vhs cassette. Took about 3/4 hour to get through four questions. I thought i was gonna die that year.
They are coming tomorrow for dinner. No quizzes this year.
 
Only one board game worth playing

Super Cludeo challenge
 
Recently been introduced to a game called Catan, which was originally called Settlers of Catan, and have got it under the tree for the kids. Would highly recommend it.
 
Totally my subject!

Picking from:

Carcassonne (have to choose from about 10 expansions)
Catan (with or without seafarers expansion)
Sushi Go
Tokaido
Takenoko
Rattus
Mysterium
Munchkin
Ticket to Ride Europe
Pandemic
Forbidden Desert
Forbidden Island
Alhambra
Castle Panic (my highest recommendation)
Tsuro
Incan Gold (great game)
Welcome to the Dungeon

That’s all I can remember off the top of my head...

If any I recommend Catan fo 4 people, Incan Gold for 6 and Castle Panic for cooperative.

If your really curious check out https://boardgamegeek.com/ and use it’s advanced search function.

Pick a weighting from 1-3 and rated 6 plus. Usually yields playable games for family groups. Add in an age range for families with younger children.

It’s a super tool for finding new games to play.
 
Last edited:
ScienceBoy said:
Totally my subject!

Picking from:

Carcassonne (have to choose from about 10 expansions)
Catan (with or without seafarers expansion)
Sushi Go
Tokaido
Takenoko
Rattus
Mysterium
Munchkin
Ticket to Ride Europe
Pandemic
Forbidden Desert
Forbidden Island
Alhambra
Castle Panic (my highest recommendation)
Tsuro
Incan Gold (great game)
Welcome to the Dungeon

That’s all I can remember off the top of my head...

If any I recommend Catan fo 4 people, Incan Gold for 6 and Castle Panic for cooperative.
Click to expand...
:confused: Have you not heard of Monopoly, Cludeo and Scrabble ?:mmm:
 
richart said:
:confused: Have you not heard of Monopoly, Cludeo and Scrabble ?:mmm:
Click to expand...

We try play games that meet three criteria in our group.

1. Your in the game right to the end, no elimination (like monopoly)
2. Has a good balance of strategy and luck
2. Doesn’t rely heavily on intelligence or knowledge.

Mysterium is a bit like a combination of Cludo, Dixit (one I forgot to add to my list) and Scotland Yard (also a good game we have!)
 
"Cards against humanity". If you are PC it's not the game for you. Apparantly it is quite popular down under.
 
ScienceBoy said:
Totally my subject!

Picking from:

Carcassonne (have to choose from about 10 expansions)
Catan (with or without seafarers expansion)
Sushi Go
Tokaido
Takenoko
Rattus
Mysterium
Munchkin
Ticket to Ride Europe
Pandemic
Forbidden Desert
Forbidden Island
Alhambra
Castle Panic (my highest recommendation)
Tsuro
Incan Gold (great game)
Welcome to the Dungeon

That’s all I can remember off the top of my head...

If any I recommend Catan fo 4 people, Incan Gold for 6 and Castle Panic for cooperative.

If your really curious check out https://boardgamegeek.com/ and use it’s advanced search function.

Pick a weighting from 1-3 and rated 6 plus. Usually yields playable games for family groups. Add in an age range for families with younger children.

It’s a super tool for finding new games to play.
Click to expand...

I'm a fan of board games and boardgamegeek - always on the lookout for charity shop bargains - especially the 1960s/70s Waddingtons and Parker ones - and have a few of those you list. My Mrs gets cheesed off with me when I come back with yet another board game. My first (after Monopoly, Cluedo and Careers) were Railroader and Campaign. Don't play Campaign so often these days but used to enjoy it with my lad. Railroader has disappeared long ago - more's the pity as it#s rare these days.

That said we had great fun playing Call Em All and Categorically Speaking yesterday with daughter and her new beau - really inexpensive WHSmith games you should grab if you see them. Both dead simple and a laugh.
 
So how did all our gaming go this Xmas period?\

Broke out Mysterium for two games and a quick game of Love Letter.

Walked the easy level of Mysterium and messed up the medium level on the last hurdle.

Wife romped away with the game of love letter.

This Friday we are hosting the in laws for a tex mex night where I’m suggesting sushi go party, trying a new menu. Followed by Incan Golf probably.

New Years off to friends house for 4 hours of party games like cockroach poker (its ace!), Coup, Cash & Guns (not my fav) and maybe something new.
 
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