Family Game Night!!! At it again! :P

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Family Game Night!

Just spent a C-Note on amazon. So - very YM congruent. 

After the glut of upwording, we moved on, maybe up to about 2 months now and have been playing Catan. The amazon C-note went to the Catan extension and the explorers and pirates expansion and the extension for that too - should arrive by Friday. DD wants us to bubble up with her BFF&family for a bigger game night with 6 people. We'll be trying that in about a month.

DD and DS have been leaning into game night - with extensive menu planning, drinks, etc. We've been playing 1-2 times per month, and I'm wondering if weekly would be too much? I want more! But don't want it to lose it's sparkle either  .

Are you gaming? What are you playing? How often do you play?

[tcu2003]

My kids are younger, but we were doing regular game time more often earlier this year when both kids were home from school/daycare. We still do it, but not as often, and their attention spans are shorter, so we usually play more than one game.

[steph08]

We spent a lot on games at the beginning of quarantine, but my kids are 4 and 6, so our game nights are different.

Sleeping Queens, Sum Swamp, and Mancala were big hits.

[Deleted]

DS and DDIL are now into Terraforming Mars. Before that it was Western (?) Trail. I can't believe how elaborate the rules are. DS keeps having to explain them to me.

[debthaven]

Personally Catan bores me to death, but 2 of my 4 kids and all of DH's family love it!!!

Have you tried Codenames? We love that! Also Bananagrams (great stocking filler!)

But we don't play that often since the kids don't live at home anymore, although we always play when we're all together. 

We are also backgammon freaks here, but that's just two people at a time. 

[Cookies Galore]

Codenames is a great game. We have the pictures version.

I like to play goofy or trivia games over long strategy games (big ol' snooze for Catan), so for our in-person bubble we'll play Monikers, Poetry for Neanderthals, Trivial Pursuit, Superfight. Those kinds of games.
Jackbox makes it really easy to play with more friends online.

[Lizard Queen]

My youngest got into Monopoly for a while. When my family used to like each, and get together regularly, we would play poker, and also--the funnest with a group of tipsy cousins--pictionary.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Sept 30, 2020 14:19:04 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Personally Catan bores me to death, but 2 of my 4 kids and all of DH's family love it!!!

Have you tried Codenames? We love that! Also Bananagrams (great stocking filler!)

But we don't play that often since the kids don't live at home anymore, although we always play when we're all together. 

We are also backgammon freaks here, but that's just two people at a time. 

oh! thanks for mentioning code names. With just 3 we couldn't do it so I forgot about it, but with the 6 person cohort!

.....looks like I'm going to spending more money on games!

I will so banangrams for a stocking stuffer this christmas!

[debthaven]

True 3 for Codenames isn't ideal (there's a way but it's not the same and we've never tried it.)

[Clifford]

We usually go for UNO, Bananagrams, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (awesome for 2ppl who aren't in the same house), and EXIT - a single use escape-room-style puzzler. 

I'll plug EXIT here for a moment. It's great for 2-4 people. Maybe a bit tough for 6. About $10 a box, just know that there are difficulty levels.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Sept 30, 2020 12:16:14 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

 DD wants us to bubble up with her BFF&family for a bigger game night with 6 people. We'll be trying that in about a month.

Using the Catan extensions or trying codenames with a larger group is off the <gaming> table.

 DDs BFF has direct covid exposure. Unsure if DD's last visit exposed her or not, she is getting tested today.

DDs BFF is in law enforcement, and exposure was a coworker. Not sure about her testing protocols, when we will hear results.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Oct 2, 2020 13:25:05 GMT -5 Clifford said:

We usually go for UNO, Bananagrams, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (awesome for 2ppl who aren't in the same house), and EXIT - a single use escape-room-style puzzler. 

I'll plug EXIT here for a moment. It's great for 2-4 people. Maybe a bit tough for 6. About $10 a box, just know that there are difficulty levels.

Thanks Clifford! I'll look into exit. Bananagrams is going into DDs stocking for christmas. We go for phase 10 rather than uno.

[pulmonarymd]

I think the best 4 person board game I have played is Blokus. Fun for even young ones. Great game

[Mrs. Dinero]

Spades and dominoes are our favorites. Left Right Center for a larger group.

[chiver78]

I havent been doing much of anything other than moving (twice this year) and plumbing issues in the new place. but, a favorite with my group is following the adult.rules of Sorry! instead of playing the single card you pick off the top of the deck, you are dealt five cards that you can choose what to play. same rules otherwise apply. it is a nice twist to a well-loved childhood game, for sure.

[mathsplosion]

In the spring, we got a subscription for a Hunt-a-Killer game.  Clues came monthly, so every month we had "murder night" with take-out and solving that week's task.  We liked it so much we ordered another one for the fall.  

[debthaven]

In the spring, we got a subscription for a Hunt-a-Killer game. Clues came monthly, so every month we had "murder night" with take-out and solving that week's task. We liked it so much we ordered another one for the fall.

Would have loved that if my kids still lived at home! Could also be a great idea for a student or young adult who lives with friends. 

[mathsplosion]

Oct 4, 2020 13:17:21 GMT -5 debthaven said:

In the spring, we got a subscription for a Hunt-a-Killer game. Clues came monthly, so every month we had "murder night" with take-out and solving that week's task. We liked it so much we ordered another one for the fall.

Would have loved that if my kids still lived at home! Could also be a great idea for a student or young adult who lives with friends. 

We like the monthly subscription, but we tried a single-box mystery this summer.  We played with some friends over video.  It was fun!  During play, we either took pictures and emailed or scanned clues into a shared folder so everyone could see. 

[debthaven]

That's a great idea too! 

Would you mind sharing the names of what you ordered? 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Oct 4, 2020 14:40:56 GMT -5 debthaven said:

That's a great idea too! 

Would you mind sharing the names of what you ordered? 

Yes - that sounds so fun! would like a specific recommendation so we could try it out -


Would work for only 3?

[Rukh O'Rorke]

We overdid on Friday - gamed until nearly 4 a.m. Madness! I felt wrecked all weekend, lol, and didn't do nearly any chores.  Although - possible something else was up. DD got a covid test Saturday, which was negative, but dr. say seems she had some other infection going on, so maybe my lackluster chore report was due to a very low grade infection?




I think we will move to almost every week, and hopefully - we won't get too crazy and stay up so late.
Also - will try to start a little earlier.

[jitterbug]

Our go-to card game with friends is Five Crowns. It's a deck you buy...a rummy sort of game. We play for a penny a point. During COVID, my husband and I have been playing the card game Quiddler several times a week. Kind of a rummy / Scrabble type of card game. Great for 2 people, but could easily accommodate more.

[chiver78]

I'm in a Secret Santa pool with some friends that I would normally be doing a White Elephant gift exchange at an actual party. looking for some gift ideas, was thinking a game. I've actually never been to this person's house to see what the family has for games already, which is tough. but, the couple is 42/44, with an 8 and 10yo sons, and a 1yo pup. she is a nurse, and COVID isolation has been rough on them. I want to find a fun game that might be new to all of them, something for my particular recipient, and something for the pup. bc ❤🐾 suggestions? the limit is $25, but I already know I'm going over with the pup toy and Dunkin Donuts gift card. it's fine. the reason I mention the limit is bc I would totally give a Carcassonne pack, but that is pricey with more than the intro pack.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

we really liked this one:


www.amazon.com/Wizards-Coast-266330000WOC-Betrayal-House/dp/B003HC9734
although more holloween appropriate...many different scenarios and  different things are valuable for such purposes. Would be great I think for 8 and 10.

[chiver78]

that sounds really fun! I'm going to nose around and see what people are doing with the price limit. bc legit, I'm putting a $10gc and a dog toy in the box as well. lol...

[chiver78]

I just thought of this again and checked. YASS! Black Friday sale, $29.49. sold! will add a DD gift card and a chew toy for the pup, and done.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

you made me start Christmas shopping!!


Picked up bananagrams, call of Cthulhu game (and book!), a D& board game, dice, dice tower, and some books.

It is begun!

[Rukh O'Rorke]

now - back to cooking!!