# Great Board Games and Card Games



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Hello guys. I am looking for a really good board game to bring on my choir tour. Something fun, but also average to slow paced and mentally challenging without being too steep of a learning curve. I learned of this one called "Pentago" and bought it. That might be a good bet since its "seconds to learn, years to master" is more than two players, very mathematical. 

But, that's my agenda. I think games are pretty great and I don't play enough of them or have enough people to do them with. Which games do you enjoy playing? Recently, I finally got with it and learned how to play Mancala, which is a really neat game and very ancient. There is a version of Dominoes I recently played called Muggins, with my father. 

As for card games, historically I have shied away from them, because so many fast paced games I am unable to keep up with and just start feeling lost in. Hearts is a favorite because I stand a chance. 

There is a great and ancient eastern game called "Go" that would really be a great one to get more involved in. Chess would also be one to work at. 

Any experts want to talk about the games they like and have played or currently play? Or anybody really.


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Visually speaking and in the tactile sense, the game pieces are very fun to geek out about.


----------



## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

^^Which game pieces are you referring to?

I recommend The Settlers of Catan.
http://www.catan.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

You can't go wrong with the classics, chess and bridge.


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Art Rock said:


> You can't go wrong with the classics, chess and bridge.


True. Not an "expert" but have spent a lot of time playing card and other games.

There's cribbage (bit English possibly) for a card game.

One that can be mentally challenging is Scrabble.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananagrams Banagrams is a slightly looser version of Scrabble


----------



## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

Go is s fun game with very simple pieces and board setting to play. It's very complex strategy actually, and will make you feel a little oriental.

For community fun how about Domino can do. 
or... Mahjong.


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Trouble with Mahjong is a) building the walls b) deciding on the rules.


----------



## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

If you've ever enjoyed dungeons & dragons type games, or like toungue in cheek nerd/sci-fi/fantasy type humor (Terry Pratchett and the like), then you might enjoy a game called Munchkin. It's a card game, and I'm not good at explaining it but it's quite fun!

Cranium

Risk, this is higher on the tactical scale, a more serious game.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Acquire and Bazaar*



Lunasong said:


> ^^Which game pieces are you referring to?
> 
> I recommend The Settlers of Catan.
> http://www.catan.com/
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan


I second _Settlers of Catan._ It is part of a new school of board games called Eurogames.

One of the great board games designers was the late Sid Sackson.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Sackson

One of his most successful games is _Acquire_.

See: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/prod/acquire

Another fastenating Sackson Game is _Bizaar_.

See: http://www.eaglegames.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GRY033


----------



## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

I played a lot of *Backgammon* in my twenties but lost interest, always thought I'd come back to it sometime, but has not happened yet. Other than that the only "board" game I've been in to has been Darts, mostly because my 7 through 9th grade maths teacher threw professionally and made us subtract for the opponent in our heads (no writing), and he was very stern if anyone cheated... 

/ptr


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

arpeggio said:


> I second _Settlers of Catan._ It is part of a new school of board games called Eurogames.


But the true Eurogame geeks tend to dismiss Settlers, preferring instead games like Agricola, Puerto Rico, etc.

The best, according to the geeks (I'm just happy with chess myself):

http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

A card game we call 'One-Two-Three' is great for a family or group of students (up to 5 players). It may have another name.

It's a long game, but can be abridged. Players are dealt one card each - the next round two - and so on up to ten. They have a pile of matches that they conceal in their hand. It's a whist type game where you follow the lead to gain 'tricks' but the point is guessing how you'll do. For round one, if you had the Queen of Spades & decided you'd make one, conceal one match in your hand & throw it on the table when everyone else makes their bids. If you're right you earn ten points + one for the trick. Someone else who bet none & got none would score ten points. Ten for being right, plus a point for the trick. If you're wrong in round nine but won eight tricks you'd score eight.

Trumps for round one/ one card are Spades. Round 2 = Hearts. Round 3 = Diamonds. Round 4 = Clubs. 5 spades 6 hearts 7 diamonds 8 clubs 9 spades 10 hearts - THEN another round where everyone gets ten cards, but this time, no trumps - 10 diamonds 9 clubs 8 spades ... and so on back down to one. The winner is the one with most points. 

It's a simple but satisfying game, much easier to play than to describe!


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

GreenMamba said:


> But the true Eurogame geeks tend to dismiss Settlers, preferring instead games like Agricola, Puerto Rico, etc.
> 
> The best, according to the geeks (I'm just happy with chess myself):
> 
> http://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame


Play regularly with a gaming group at a game store on Fridays. We play all sort of games from miniature war games, board war games, role-playing games to Eurogames. I have never heard any of the Eurogamers I play with knock _Settlers_. Out of the thousands of games on Board Game Geek _Settlers_ still came in 100, which is not bad.

For the record I have played all of the following games in the top hundred and I like all of them:

_La Havre*
Command and Colors: Ancients_-Two Player Game
_Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage_-Two Player Game
_Memoir 44_-Two Player Game
_Ticket to Ride*
A Few Acres of Snow_-Two Player Game
_Battlelore_-Two Player Game-Although I like the game the miniature components are difficult to deal with. I actually made alternate components that are easier to handle.
_Civilization_-Great game. Drawback is that it is out of print and takes forever to play. Many years ago we managed to play a full game. We met Friday evenings at my home and it took several sessions to complete one full game.

I have never played _Settlers_ but I have seen it played at our Friday sessions. It looks interesting and the gamers playing it seemed to enjoy it.

*Best games for your group.


----------



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

no one plays poker or gin rummy? Gin rummy is way easy, poker obviously depends on your opponents. How about uno? hehe. And nobody mentioned good ol' reliable monopoly. It takes forever and brings out sheer viciousness in people! fun for all.


----------



## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Yes! Uno.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Skip-Bo, Phase 10 (that's a long one), and Dutch Blitz are favorite card games.


----------



## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

There's *Twaddle*: a word game that demands quite a bit of creative thinking, but more to the point is always hilariously funny.

*Boggle* is another, very different, word game which is very transportable, requiring only the main thingy (great description there I know...) paper and pen (or I guess iphones or whatever). It's certainly mentally challenging and competitive, as you have to try and bring the letters together to make more words than the other players.

I second *Risk*. Very serious game, but very fun and rather challenging, provided it doesn't get too competitive.


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

arpeggio said:


> Play regularly with a gaming group at a game store on Fridays. We play all sort of games from miniature war games, board war games, role-playing games to Eurogames. I have never heard any of the Eurogamers I play with knock _Settlers_. Out of the thousands of games on Board Game Geek _Settlers_ still came in 100, which is not bad.
> 
> For the record I have played all of the following games in the top hundred and I like all of them:
> 
> ...


I've played the Ticket to Ride app and it's kind of fun. From the BGG list, I've also played Pandemic.

I was more into war games, with the requisite trouble finding opponents .

I have never played Settlers and am not into Euros, but I have heard people dismiss it. Of course, it's relatively popular, and that often turns some purists against it, rightly or wrongly.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Although not the most intellectually strenuous of board games I recall with affection Go For Broke which was virtually the opposite of Monopoly - you start off with a bundle of cash and the winner is the first one who manages to blow it all, the main pitfall being that you would gain extra revenue in the meantime by winning on the horses, stock market etc by way of a spinner or drawing cards.


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I prefer those new cooperative boardgames! I'm not a competitive person whatsoever and I'll much rather fight the game itself, allied with my friends.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Nice addition, Xaltotun. I tend towards being competitive-- but I can greatly enjoy non-competitive activities.

If you're interested in trying something co-operative and not too fast-paced; as well as in learning something about the people with whom you're travelling, you could try "The Ungame."


----------



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Lunasong said:


> ^^Which game pieces are you referring to?
> 
> I recommend The Settlers of Catan.
> http://www.catan.com/
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Settlers_of_Catan


Whoops. I meant game pieces in general.


----------



## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

I enjoyed playing _Arkham Horror_ and the expansions, but they require a large table and time to set up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkham_Horror

Also, as mentioned earlier, _Settlers of Catan_, as well as _Puerto Rico_ and others.


----------

