MSE Poll: What are your favourite board games?

JackoNWUK

Monopoly is a dreadful game. Scrabble can be a bit lacking in fun if one player is stronger than the other vocabulary-wise but there is a brilliant 'alternative' version called "Scrabble trickster" which helps to even up the odds by the addition of 'trick' cards. It also makes it more fun to play overall. It breathes new life into an old favourite.

Mnoee

I don't think Scrabble is just about vocabulary - it's noticing things like good placement to make multiple words, playing defensivly to not open up bonuses, whether to use higher scoring letters without a bonus or wait... I have played 'eel' three times in one game and still won! 

Linkee is a bit hit and miss - some of the questions are dire, but the concept is good (especially for only connect fans). We've only played the Taskmaster game once due to all the goings on, but it seems like great family fun. We seem to have broken Hive in that whoever plays first always wins, not sure if we're just misunderstanding the rules or if it's just a bad game. We enjoy getting some time away from screens, board games are great for that. 

YorkieB

Carcassonne is our favourite. We bought the basic game with River extension and have added another basic set, the Hills and Shepherds and Inns and Lakes. We amended a few tiles be painting out bits of roads so "farms" can be very large. We often play using three tiles rather than just the one.

NaughtiusMaximus

JackoNWUK said:

Scrabble can be a bit lacking in fun if one player is stronger than the other vocabulary-wise but there is a brilliant 'alternative' version called "Scrabble trickster" which helps to even up the odds by the addition of 'trick' cards. It also makes it more fun to play overall. It breathes new life into an old favourite.

Another way of making Scrabble more interesting and evening it up is to amend the rules and allow normally in-valid words such as names, brand names, acronyms, film/TV/music references etc.

ReecesWaffle

It’s got to be good old monopoly. Love the fights it causes and the drama 😂

WoozieSioux_tse

Love Monopoly, goes on for days sometimes.... Also enjoy Cluedo (very good at leaving false clues for others) and Trivial Pursuit, except for the sport questions....

Murphybear

duncanthedog said:

I do miss playing Mah Jong, the game not the patience, I know it's not on the list but still.
I have an antique set of tiles but nobody to play with

I love Mah Jong.  I learnt to play when I joined the local U3A.  Sadly because of the lockdown rules we haven’t been able to play for a long time.  Hopefully that may change this year. 

Murphybear

Catsacor said:

Scrabble and Scattergories, love them !
I wasn't really surprised that there weren't many answers on the list, seems board games are going out of fashion.

Catsacor said:

Scrabble and Scattergories, love them !
I wasn't really surprised that there weren't many answers on the list, seems board games are going out of fashion.

I think people play a lot of games online these days rather than in real life.  I play Scrabble online, me vs the computer.  it’s not the same as playing in my U3A group though, especially with the break for  tea and home made cake 

Way back in the 60s I used to play Monopoly with some cousins.  One of them wasn’t very good and she always suggested we have a cash handout after a while.  It made the game a bit tedious and the same person usually won anyway *


* sorry to say it was me 

justworriedabit

jasparules said:

I am LOVING the comments on Monopoly. I was astounded to see it ranked so highly.
Simply put, the game ends with one person feeling smug and everyone else hates them. HATES them. 
Other games I feel worth mentioning: Taxi, Bohnanza, Exploding Kittens, Cobra Paw, Rate my Plate...

It's just another game. Mine is snakes and ladders, easy on the mind, a bit of fun and a bit of cheating if 4 or more are playing.