Board Game Brainstorm

[moominmuppet]

Trying to think of Games I'd particularly like to own:

I most definitely, really, really want to get myself an Icehouse/Treehouse set (In general, I'm in love with Looney Labs, and would happily collect all their games)
Ticket to Ride
Chez Geek
Othello (one of my all-time favorite games, but I only have an annoying little travel-board right now, and it's hard to flip the pieces.)
Checkers
Chinese Checkers
UNO
Trivial Pursuit
Scene It

By popular recommendation (or poking around online):
Apples to Apples
Taboo
Balderdash
Scattergories
Dirty Minds
Munchkin
Gene Pool
Cranium
Illuminati
Cosmic Encounter
Ingenious
Carcassonne

Have:
Mancala
Stratego
Can't Stop
Backgammon
Mastermind
Parcheesi
Yahtzee
Sorry
Battleship
Connect 4 (although Battleship and Connect 4 are both miniature travel size)
Chess
MindTrap
You Don't Know Jack
Peg Solitaire
And, of course, a few decks of cards

Guess whose parents passed on most of the family games to her?

Becca Has:
Pente which is fun and quick, and I enjoy a great deal.

I tend to get frustrated with word games more quickly than other types. I'll enjoy a few games of Scrabble or the like, but I hit burn-out point much faster. (Hmmm -- just realized that this doesn't apply to games in which word definitions matter -- I enjoy those. It's coming up with specific words for certain lengths divorced from meaning that fried my brain extra-fast)

I rarely get all that into war games like Risk. I think Settlers of Cataan is the closest I get, and although I enjoy it, it's not one I find myself randomly craving.

I particularly enjoy logic games, trivia games, abstract strategy games, and games that are quick and easy to pick up and play.

From the above list and notes, any suggestions for other games I should check out or be reminded of?

To be absolutely clear, this is a request for assistance brainstorming, not a request for presents.

Comments

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

Scrabble is a math game more than a word game. I'm terrible at it but pretty good with actual word games without math.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

*nod* I'm much better at things like Balderdash.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Not in years, but it looks like a good addition to the list

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

I love Taboo. It works best when you share a lot of the same culture as the people around. (I played with some other Cambridge people, and the word "hall" came up, and the reader said "Formal... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_Hall)" which wasn't on the card, and everyone said "hall" straight away.)

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

hee!

[chameleonpixie.livejournal.com]

I love Chez Geek.

Do you like Scattergories?

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever played it, but from looking online, it looks like the kind of thing I'd enjoy.

[calebbullen.livejournal.com]

Scattergories ROCKS!

[brujah.livejournal.com]

I love Balderdash!

[jajy1979.livejournal.com]

Anna and I have:

Chez Geek (we still need block party)
Munchkin (definately recommend this for current or ex-gamers)
Chess
Monopoly (classic)
Risk
Stratego (no one has beaten me since 3rd grade at that)
Trivial Pursuit (6th edition)

We're looking for:

Othello (now that you mention it)
Can't Stop (again, now that I recall it)
Scrabble
Upwords
Ma-jong (aka Shang-hi, aka chinese tiles)
Enchanted Forest (remember that game from when I was little?)
Life (the old version, not the new)
Battleship (traditional)

We've debated:

Dirty Minds

Sadly the world of board games isn't too great right now. So many are actually movie or video game basis that they're not all that fun. I also detest much of the commercialization associated with them. On the plus side Anna working at B&N means that we get ready access to a rotating stock of games that occasionally pan out to something decent, plus the discount.

When we're in Nashville we'll go raid the puzzle store and the toy and book stores (they have a B&N) for board games. You're going to be there between the 19th and 22nd right?

Eh, in comparison to your burning out on word games, I burn out on trivia games fast since I don't find them very challenging. Ego or no, it usually takes you or Dad to give me a run for my money on most Trivial Pursuit games, and I think I still have a winning percentage in recent years. I know more than a few of my friends who dread the idea of playing me in general trivia.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Dirty Minds does look amusing, as does Munchkin. Adding those to the list.

I've never been all that fond of Monopoly, Risk, or Life. I can take or leave Scrabble and UpWords (although I prefer UpWords to Scrabble). I have a very, very vague recollection of Enchanted Forest, but not enough to recall whether I liked it.

Sadly the world of board games isn't too great right now. So many are actually movie or video game basis that they're not all that fun. I also detest much of the commercialization associated with them.

Agreed. Exactly how many CSI games do we need?

Oh, Gene Pool looks kind of interesting...

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

You're going to be there between the 19th and 22nd right?

Yup, that's the plan. And I'm fine with bringing stuff up for Matt.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Cranium looks like fun

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

How could I forget Illuminati??

fnord

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Cosmic Encounter sounds nifty, as does Ingenious.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Rec from Upeer:

If you want to try a very good game, try Carcassonne. It's a German game, but readily available at a hobby store in English. It's a simple tile laying game with a lot of complex strategy. It's also pretty cheap, I just bought a copy for $20.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

The icehouse pyramids are a lot of fun (especially for the game that uses Tarot cards). However, my favorite of the newer games is
Settlers of Catan, which is a brilliant game, and you can get expansions so it works for as many as 6 players. The seafarers expansion is particularly good.

[zen-pop-culture.livejournal.com]

I just got Apples to Apples and Dirty Minds for my birthday, and I love them both! I also got Loaded Questions for Christmakuh, and I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it but it was quite entertaining and we all played for three hours when I opened it.

[moominmuppet.livejournal.com]

Huh, I could totally see that being entertaining. It reminds me of the "Book of Questions" we used to play around with in high school.

[zen-pop-culture.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was! But the questions were far less loaded than those slam books--no drama-generating or (really) deep-reaching stuff. Mainly, it was just fun and quirky.