I’ve been contemplating challenging Molgrips to RISK but we’d need to buy it…and then I saw Risk Godstorm and I got all excited.

Pretty big fan of Scrabble!

I used to like Risk when the pieces were little coloured bits of plastic but I think they changed them to be soldiers and horses and such crap 🙁

Got very much into Carcassonne whilst at uni, very easy to pick up! though it’s not much of a 2 player game..

I’m terrible at Risk, so you’ll beat me easily.

You might even say I’m Risk averse.

I used to like Risk when the pieces were little coloured bits of plastic but I think they changed them to be soldiers and horses and such crap

Hmm, interesting insight into the mind of Barnes there 🙂

Diplomacy

http://www.leisuregames.com/

I used to shop there a fair bit. I can’t access the site at the moment (net filter at work) but I remember them having a fair few reviews. Also check out http://www.boardgamegeek.com/ for some ideas.

Try a few off beat games, whilst they may take a little longer to learn they really do pay off in the end.

For a quick win pick up a copy of fluxx, it’s a brilliant little card game and you’ll go through the planning and scheming of risk without the ‘luck of the dice’ arguments.

Got very much into Carcassonne whilst at uni,

Carcassonne rocks. Also enjoying Ticket To Ride a lot at the moment.

Also partial to the odd Backgammon here and there.

Smash Harriott. If you aint played it you aint lived!

If the question is “what board game do you recommend,” incidentally, the answer is Settlers of Catan. It’s about as ubiquitous in board game circles as Monopoly is amongst non-gamers.

Another vote for Backgammon.
Need to use the doubling cube though!

I’ve got no idea how backgammon works!

I play a lot of backgammon – made my own board a while ago and now it lives in the local pub. Monday night is games night, mainly BG, Crib and Dominos.

I play a lot of backgammon – made my own board a while ago and now it lives in the local pub. Monday night is games night, mainly BG, Crib and Dominos.

Interesting you should say that abt the pieces SofB because I’m the exact opposite I want the cute horses and canons to stomp all over Mol’s countries, umm parade in front of Mol, move on the board.

I love Scrabble too, I used to spend my summers playing my mother on the front porch, but Mol is not so keen and so we play Upwards some as he likes that better (I think because he can win that one).

Haven’t played it in decades, but in work the other day we were talking about Escape From Colditz. I used to love that.

Does chess count..?

Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs, definitely!

molgrips – Member

I’m terrible at Risk, so you’ll beat me easily.

You might even say I’m Risk averse.
And yes molgrips, you might indeed…

For more than two – Scrabble
For two – Backgammon
To end in a fight – Trivial Pursuit

I’ve obviously not had enough board games in my life as every other one mentioned I seem to have to look up! I blame it on growing up with 4 sisters in American backcountry

Ah Trivia Pursuit! That’s the game Mol and I flirted over first. 🙂 😉

Ah Trivia Pursuit! That’s the game Mol and I flirted over first

Lucky I wasn’t playing, it would have ended in a big argument & you’d never have spoken again!

Backgammon is ace; really tactical but you can learn it in about five minutes, the actual gameplay is really simple.

but Mol is not so keen

I am! I like Scrabble! Just out of Upwords and Scrabble I prefer Upwords.

How on earth do you fight over Trivial Pursuits? You either get it right or you don’t.

Monopoly on the other hand, that’s a different board game altogether. It’s because you don’t just lose, you get sucked into a long drawn out death where the writing is on the wall, everyone can see that, but you keep fighting, and they keep putting in the boot, squeezing every last drop of air from your choking gasping struggling body… until you finally drown on IOUs.. destitute.. debt-ridden.. it’s pitiful.

Settler Of Catan
+1

ooh, I used to love Escape From Colditz

Mol, from your description of Monopoly, it sounds remarkably similar to the state many countries now find themselves in. So you could have fun AND learn about macro-economic policy. How exciting!

monopoly…i never ever got a chance to buy park rd !!!! 👿
more like old bent rd ! 😉

I enjoy Scrabble, not a board game but as anyone played a card game called Racing demon, other halfs family play it and it can get a bit heated

Settlers of catan. Great for long slow summer evenings

Chess

I’m looking forward to my daughter being ready for a game of Ludo, or the more ‘sophisticated’ version Pachisi / Parcheesi (a bit more strategy than Ludo as you can create ‘blocks’)

Settlers of Catan looks very interesting. Civ in board form?

And I’m not fooled Mol you’ve made many excuses when previously asked to play Scrabble… tired, headache, not enough time…. 😉

Two things with Settlers,

It needs three or four people, it doesn’t scale very well with two, and

It involves trading with other players, which is a bit of a culture shock to anyone used to ‘traditional’ games. Not that this is a bad thing, it really means you’re playing ‘together’ rather than the old “play your turn, wait bored for 20 minutes, play your next turn…” mechanic that you’re probably used to.

Settlers is the classic ‘gateway game’ – it’s the one most widely used to transition from non-gamer / ‘traditional’ gamer into playing games that, well, aren’t crap.

Mousetrap

There are some classic games being mentioned here! I’m also a fan of Upwords 🙂

Trivial Pursuit
Carom
Go (but I’m rubbish at it!)