For as long as I can remember, my family and I have played board and card games; it is one of my favorite things to do. We play all sorts of games from strategy to knowledge to just fun. These are some of my favorite all-time games, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
- Telestrations
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Telestrations has to be one of my favorite games. While the instructions say “4-8 players,” for you to get the full experience of this game, it is best enjoyed if you have the maximum number of players. Telestrations is a cross of the children’s game Telephone and Pictionary. Each player is given a “secret word” (or sometimes 2 words) and writes it on their drawing pad. Depending on the number of people, players either draw their “secret word” or pass their pad. Play alternates between either drawing the word or guessing the drawing from the previous player. Play continues until each player receives back their pad. Then you show the group all the drawings and guesses made. By this point, you will probably be in tears because you are laughing so much (I usually am). There are alternative rules to the game where there can be a winner, but I have never played that way. The version with no winners makes for such a perfect game; it’s social, it’s fun, no trivia knowledge is needed. You will be laughing while playing this game, no doubt.
- Catch Phrase
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Catch Phrase is another favorite of mine. To play this game you have a partner or partners (depending on how many people are playing), and you are trying to explain a word or phrase to them before the time runs out. This word or phrase is already chosen by the piece of paper in the disk that is being passed around (that’s the version I have; there is a digital option, too). You are not allowed to say any part of the word or phrase. Once your team gets it correct you pass to the next person and they now try to guess the next word, with this continuing until the timer runs out. When the buzzer sounds you do not want to be the team holding the disk; this game is a fast one, as you only need 7 points to win. This game, like Telestrations, provides many laughs during gameplay.
- Ticket to Ride
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Ticket to Ride, designed for 2 to 4 players, is an amazing strategic game. You have to build train lines from one destination to another before you or other players run out of train cars; the lines you are completing are from one city to another on a map of the United States. At the beginning of the game, you are given specific routes that you must complete to gain points. No one else knows the routes you need to complete; one potential complication is that some routes overlap, so other players might build on the same area you needed. This would force you to find another way to complete your assignment. When the game is over, everyone totals up their points (longer routes are worth more if completed, but routes not completed are subtracted from your total) to see who emerged victoriously. This one takes approximately an hour to play.
- Forbidden Island
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Forbidden Island is a fun board game because the players play as a team. You are trying to work together to collect treasures and get off the island before it sinks. Each player has a different ability that helps them in the game. The island continues to sink during the game, making it very difficult to finish the task of escaping. This game is still one of my favorites despite my family and I have only won once or twice out of all of the times we have played the game.
- The Game of Life
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This game has always been an all-time favorite of mine. I grew up playing on my dad’s 1960s version of the game. If you do not know how to play, it’s one of the more simple games; you spin a spinner and move that many spaces. You try to get a good job so you can make money and pay debts as they pop up during the game. This game is less strategy (there are few decisions to be made, as the spinner controls your fate for the most part) than some, but is quite enjoyable regardless of player age. Your goal is to accumulate the most wealth by the end of the game and retire to “Millionaire Acres.