<p>I need to get some board games for the kids to play when there are just 2-4 of them. I’d like something not quite so slow-moving as Scrabble, but <em>not</em> a game that’s better for a big party, like Cranium. Any ideas?</p>
<p>For what ages?</p>
<p>How old are the kids? Are they boys, girls, or mixed?</p>
<p>Mexican Train Dominoes is really fun for all ages (college age to adult played it at great length over last Thanksgiving vacation). </p>
<p>Old but classic and also good for all ages is Cribbage. Kids can learn this starting at age 8 or younger.</p>
<p>Scattergories. Young kids can participate along with teens/adults. </p>
<p>Trivial Pursuit.</p>
<p>older high school through college boys and girls</p>
<p>Apples to Apples is not a board game exactly, but it’s a hilarious card game.</p>
<p>boggle is always fun (if you have a scrabble-loving crew)</p>
<p>and i’ve heard risk is a perennial favorite (although i’ve never played it)</p>
<p>(I’m 16 btw)</p>
<p>“Taboo” is a good game. It’s good for big groups, but you can also have fun with only two players.</p>
<p>Scattegories is fun, also, but I don’t remember how old I was when I played it.</p>
<p>Settlers of Catan - Played enthusiastically by college students and adults in my household.</p>
<p>^Omigosh, my kids love that game; D discovered it at college.</p>
<p>Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Blokus, Killer Bunnies, they are all great.</p>
<p>Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase are both fun and played a lot by this age group, but they’re both best with larger groups. </p>
<p>With 2-4 kids, card games are probably a good bet. Games like chess, checkers, or Go are slower but good for two people. Pictionary is OK with 4 but better with 6+. Unfortunately, most games are geared toward two players or a larger group.</p>
<p>I find Upwords moves faster and is more fun than Scrabble. I like Pick Two as well. For four people, my favorite is bridge, too bad so few people play it any more. Five kings, Quibbler, Uno are all decent card games. My younger son likes Risk - I hate it. The boys also play a lot of Magic.</p>
<p>We get a crew of cousins together every other year and Uno goes with us every time. They make some wicked team rules and other variations when the groups need some leveling.</p>
<p>i enjoy trivial pursuits (especially the fun editions-like the 90s version) as well as
scene it!</p>
<p>Wahoo is a great board game for four players. It’s easy to learn, pretty fast moving, and lots of fun.</p>
<p>Another vote for Settlers of Catan and Apples to Apples. I would have said Scrabble, except that you used it as an example of what NOT to play. Risk is another favorite of my sons and my friends.</p>
<p>If you invest in a couple of decks of cards, there are hundreds (at least) of possible games. Hearts and Spades are both perennial favorites. If you want to jump into the deep water and play one of the two greatest games of all, get Sheinwold’s “Five Weeks to Winning Bridge” and learn contract bridge. That and chess are the only two games I have never tired of playing.</p>
<p>“Set” is a fun game that is different - it doesn’t involve vocabulary.</p>
<p>On the rare occasions our family is all together, we enjoy Pictionary.</p>
<p>Imaginiff is an easy to learn, fun board game for families or close friends - you need to know some things about the people playing - Imagine if Sally was a vacation? a rock song? would she be a cruise or a beach trip or a shopping spree in NYC… you get the idea.</p>
<p>I actually have “Set”; I’ll have to dig that out of the back of the closet. We quit playing it because D is like this super speed demon, and it isn’t any fun playing with her because she always wins…handily. Now that she’s married and moved away, the rest of us slowpokes could probably enjoy it again.</p>
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<p>Are these complicated/difficult to learn?</p>