<p>The monopoly “piece” thread got me thinking how while I played Monopoly a MILLION times as a child and then Monopoly Jr. with my kids when they were little, I actually these days HATE playing Monopoly! Requires too long of a commitment than I am willing to give to a game! (I do remember as kids we would often have a game set up for days playing on and off before someone would actually win)</p>
<p>Since my kids are all still big game-lovers, got me thinking about games of old and then the newer games. What were your favorites “then” and what are your favorites “now”???</p>
<p>Then: As a very young child Candyland and Piggly-Wiggly (remember?!). Middle aged child, I think Life (the excitement of a high salary!!). Young adult - Pictionary (Trivial Pursuit was kind of fun, but often TOO hard). These days: Whoonu (Cranium game), Bananagrams type games.</p>
<p>And I’ll have to throw in a vote for favorite games played with my kids when they were young: Game of The States (they STILL like to play this! Haha), Mall Madness, Pretty Pretty Princess!</p>
<p>Clue when I was younger (always a big fan of Harriet the Spy), Trivial Pursuit later and now Settlers of Cataan. DH and I often play a round of Bananagrams in the evening.</p>
<p>My favorite is not a board game, but when we get together with kids / grandkids, we like it the most. It is Black Jack, it is fun. I requested it as a birthday present.</p>
<p>My all-time favorite since I was a kid is Scrabble (perhaps because I almost always beat my older brothers) but my current favorite is Blokus (kind of like Scrabble but without letters! )</p>
<p>When we were first married, my H and some of his friends played RISK through the mail - snail mail mind you! - literally, one at a time, they would choose a move and mail it out to all the others - they all kept a board set up to track the moves. It was crazy and awesome!</p>
<p>Mouse Trap, although mostly I just set up the gizmos and ran the marble through. I wasn’t allowed to have Candyland because my mother thought it would encourage tooth decay. </p>
<p>These days, it’s Backgammon, but I end up playing online because no one wants to play in person any more. :(</p>
<p>New Christmas game that was in constant use while the gang was all here - “Ticket to Ride.” This game involves some strategy, only lasts about an hour, and everyone wanted to play again…and again!</p>
<p>As a kid, Candyland & Chutes and Ladders. Although as a parent I HATED Candyland. My kids wanted to play it over and over… ugh. I also liked Operation (the one where you had to use tweezers to remove the little pieces). And I also liked to set up Mousetrap and just run the ball through. Don’t think we every actually played the game. Also played a lot of backgammon, Scrabble, and Yahtzee with my friends in high school. We also have this game called Elixer (kind of wierd little card game full of odd magic spells, etc.) that is a family tradition whenever my nieces and nephews are around.</p>
<p>Now we play a lot of Parcheesi. D1 (age 23) asked for her own set for her birthday last week. She and some high school friends living in her city get together every couple of weeks at someone’s apartment for a game night. D2 likes chess. And we often get out Apples to Apples when we have a crowd. Any trivia game is also a winner in our household. The original Harry Potter trivia board game practically got worn out at our house.</p>
<p>Can you tell we like board games? It is one of the “tests” of significant others for my kids – they have to like this traditional family dessert we make, and they have to like to play board games. :)</p>
<p>“Ticket To Ride” was our game of the season last year - thanks to a CC parent recommendation!</p>
<p>Yes! Mouse Trap - and never to actually play, just to set up and run the ball! I also loved Operation - though was terrified of making the buzzer go off. Another game that made me anxious as a child - BoobyTrap - when that trap would go off I’d jump!</p>
<p>Another popular game with my 2 oldest kids that I didn’t mind playing cause it was quick - Don’t Break The Ice. :)</p>
<p>Rail Barons, Empire Builders & Eurorails - these games are like Monopoly but by building railroad lines across the country/continent. Not a quick game - these games last for hours!</p>
<p>It all started with my father, who was a railroad enthusiast & bought the first Rail Barons/Empire Builders games. My family played into the wee hours on holidays & recorded the name of the winner in the top of the box. When my S1 & S2 were little, they became the “bankers;” as they grew older, they joined the ranks of the rail barons. My father passed away in 1999 but his legacy lives on in the box top & in another generation of Rail Barons.</p>
<p>Sportsmom, it is this chocolatey pudding/cake combo. Made with marshmallows and sugar dissolved in water, cake batter dropped on top, then baked in a casserole dish with the top on (sort of steamed). Served with vanilla ice cream or cream over the top. Very sweet. Made mostly for special occasions, sometimes if someone in the family has just had a bad week.</p>
<p>Another vote for our current favorite, Settlers of Catan. I will have to look into Ticket to Ride. Apples to Apples was a favorite for family gatherings for a while.</p>
<p>We have always been a big board game family - Scrabble and Clue are still liked. Pente and Racko for quick games, Boggle, Connect Four, and all the variations of Parcheesi - Trouble, Aggravation, Sorry. My mom was big on Chinese Checkers and card games. Monopoly and Risk I don’t like.</p>
<p>I used to stack the cards for Candyland so my kids would win quickly.</p>
<p>I am a total Ticket to Ride addict. Between me and the friend I usually play with we now have all of the versions. Each version introduces nuances that keep it fresh.</p>
<p>I also love Settlers of Cataan. Currently spending far too much time playing Scrabble with friends through facebook.</p>
<p>A 2-person game I like a lot is Lost Cities. Apples to Apples is a great group/party game. I’m very fond of Trumpet, which I think is unfortunately out of print.</p>
<p>I really am not a fan of Monopoly or Risk. But I like most board games, including most of those mentioned. Love Boggle and Yahtzee and most card games.</p>
<p>Sportsmom, you haven’t met my ex-H. He likes neither (should have tested him on these things before we got married!).</p>
<p>I do like Risk, although it takes soooo long. That is a game we might take on a vacation, set up on a table, and play every day for several days. We used to take a lot of cross country ski vacations with our kids. We would ski in the morning, but they weren’t up for all day on the trails. So we would play games or do jigsaw puzzles in the afternoons.</p>
<p>Another vote for Settlers of Catan. We’ve played this game for about 12 years. It was great when my kids were teenagers. They taught their friends. Now we play at least once a week with another couple. It is not so difficult to learn that you get turned off by it, and it is complex enough that it takes you awhile to learn various strategies–so it stays interesting. My daughter plays this regularly in college, where she is regarded as a board game genius. It helped that she played hundreds of games with her family and friends growing up.</p>
<p>Carcassonne is another great game. Unlike Settlers, it can be played with 2 people. </p>
<p>I think one of the best things we did (accidentally) as parents was to get hooked on board games. We spent a lot of time with our kids playing games, and it was fun, even when they were at less than optimal communicative stages.</p>
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