Game ideas!

Psymonkee

Psymonkee

Psymonkee

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Joined
24 Feb 2004
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St.Andrews
Hey,

Been tasked with trying to get my sister and brother in law some new board games the brief being:

Not really. We need easy to learn quick games. I like more complicated stuff but <BiL> loses interest if it's too complicated or he doesn't win a bit.
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I've got some ideas but really little idea what will actually click with him - best ways to deal with this given the proximity to Christmas? :p
 
I think Ticket to Ride bored him to some extent last year and they have Zombie Dice.

Fluxx is a good shout with plenty of different themes about too as is Love Letter (can't believe I forgot those!)

In the meantime I've gone with Exploding Kittens and Bang! The Dice Game (Yahtzee style mechanic/plays quickly)
 
Splendor is insanely simple and quick to learn.

Pandemic is a quick one to pick up that can be just hard enough to win that it makes you all want to celebrate when everything goes your way.

Castle Panic can be fairly fun as a quick to learn co-op game, my 11 year old niece mastered it within about 10 minutes.

Exploding Kittens is a very silly but simply fun card game to pick up on the cheap.

Forbidden Desert/Forbidden Island are easy to learn and good fun with 3-4 players.

Once Upon a Time is one of my favourite card games, you can either keep going for hours with each of your making the story so bizarre that the ending is impossible to reach or one of you can complete their story within a few rounds of the table.

If you go for Fluxx, go for Pirate Fluxx because it's so much more fun when you're all trying to talk like pirates for the extra bonus cards... even more so if drinks are involved.

If you can get a decent sized group together of 6 or more people, then perhaps try the card/dice games One Night Ultimate Werewolf or Bang!
Ultimate Werewolf is made even better with the mobile phone app that narrates all the instructions so you don't have to focus on learning a single thing and can put all efforts into messing with each other's heads.
 
if he gets distracted and doesn't like not winning try coop games like pandemic and forbidden island/desert as they require discussion and teamwork so you all either win or lose.
 
Any idea on how many players they'll be playing with?

I'd recommend Ticket to Ride and Splendour as fairly light games that are always a success with my non gamer friends.

As for the suggestions of Fluxx I'd say throw it in the box with Munchkin and set it ablaze in the depths of hell. Any game with such a reliance on luck that can on occasion vastly outstay its welcome is not a good game.

Edit:
I see he's tried Ticket To Ride. I've also had success with Lords of Waterdeep and non gaming friends. It's a light worker placement and has an optional expansion which beefs the game up a tiny notch. However make no mistake, expansion or not, it's a light game and may bore your brother in law that has a taste for deeper games.

Also if it's just the two of them playing then Star Realms is a simple but addictive deck builder at a very low price. Easily my most played game as it doesn't eat up a lot of time either.
 
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Chupacabra is a fun dice game

7 Wonders doesn't take much teaching and works nicely with 2-7 players

Small World is easy to teach and has the bonus of hidden victory points - plus you get to recycle your team if it's not going well.

Dixit if you plan on playing with a group - tends to work better with 4+ players

As Muz says, Lords of Waterdeep is a doddle to teach and good fun too. Tough to tell who's won until the end as a lot of the victory points are dependant on hidden info. It's a bit less competitive with 2 players (easy to avoid each other) but still worth playing - superb with 3/4 players

Dobble is about the easiest game to teach in the world (essentially a busier snap), but can be played by pretty much anyone - may lead to periods of furious concentration, followed by excessive shouting and flying drinks if you're daft enough to leave them on a table :D
 
Muz333 said:
Also if it's just the two of them playing then Star Realms is a simple but addictive deck builder at a very low price. Easily my most played game as it doesn't eat up a lot of time either.
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**** Star Realms to death with a hammer. If you're going to recommend that, recommend Ascension instead. Better yet, recommend Valley of the Kings.

If it's going to be groups (or at least 3), then the answer is Codenames.
 
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