X-post: board game for family with young adults and teens?

[Halftime Hope]

Any experience with any of the following games? (for 2 adults, two young adults, one mid-teen)

 

Dominion (I think we'd have to have an expansion to play 5 peeps)

Ticket to Ride (maybe Europe, for the extra features?)

Pandemic (+ expansion -- On the Brink, not sure if needed for 5 players)

 

My preference would be for something that plays relatively quickly (30 minutes-1 hour), something that plays well with 4 people, but can be played with 5 (there are 5 of us when everyone is home), and isn't just about luck.

 

In strategy-type boardgames, we already have Catan (+ Cities and Knights, which we are going to figure out over break), Puerto Rico (not a fave, since you can't tell who is ahead until the points are actually counted), and Shadows over Camelot (we've really enjoyed the co-operative play element, but it plays better with 6-7 peeps).

 

We might also consider some other kind of game (non "euro-strategy", I think that's what they are calling the kind of game listed above). We have Quelf, Cranium, have done A to A to death in youth groups, and really enjoyed Things.

 

Thanks for your opinion/input. : )

[rieshy]

This is a different sort of game from the ones you listed, my teens and I just got it this week and had fun: Liebrary.

 

It fits in your time limit.

[Brenda in MA]

Not specifically a board game, but we've been enjoying Bananagrams. The double set works well for a larger group, and you can play in 30 - 60 minutes. There is a bit of luck involved in which letters you draw, but this game really helps you to think about words and how they are constructed. It is a little like scrabble, but it plays much faster and keeps everyone involved.

 

Brenda

[Mama Lynx]

We are big fans of both Ticket to Ride and Dominion. I personally love Ticket to Ride. Both would fit your requirements nicely.

[Bootsie]

Pandemic is a good option if you are looking for a "cooperative" game. Instead of competing against each other, players must work together to prevent the pandemic. It isn't a game that you can just sit down and start playing--it takes a bit to figure out what you are doing, but it is enjoyable for teens and adults.

[Kendall]

Ticket to Ride (I would not start with the Europe)

 

My guys really like playing with the 1910 expansion with Ticket to Ride, but they liked it before the expansion as well. The expansion gives more tickets to choose from and also provides duplicates of the original cards but in a larger size. About an hour depending on how alert people are to whether it is their turn or not:).

 

My sons have played Dominion with 5 without the expansion but they say it is definitely not as good that way.

 

My 13 year old says to try St. Petersburg. You'll need the expansion to play with 5 people. 45 minutes to an hour to play. You can tell who is ahead.

 

HTH,

Kendall

[aggieamy]

Carcassone fits your requirements and is lots of fun.

[Belacqua]

If you're in the mood for goofball foolishness, there's always Killer Bunnies.

[Nscribe]

The good old traditional game, Life. Actually it makes a great conversation starter with teens.

[Kathy in Richmond]

If you're in the mood for goofball foolishness, there's always Killer Bunnies.

 

Belacqua - I think that was one of the games my kids had fun playing at camp. Would the blue starter deck be enough for the four of us, or should we get one or more of the booster decks, too?

[Shelly in VA]

Love both of these! They've been our two favorites for the past 6 months or so around here. The first time we played both, it took quite a while, but by the second time around, everyone knew what they were doing and the games are always pretty quick now.

 

Nertz is a simple and fun card game for really any number of players, with 3 or more being the most entertaining. It is a speed solitaire type of game, and while I know there are commercial decks available, we play with regular card decks (1 per player, with different backs for counting points at the end of each round). Rules can be found here: http://www.pagat.com/patience/nerts.html.

 

We also like logic-type games (Blokus, Dizios, Qwirkle) that can be multi-player.

[Belacqua]

Belacqua - I think that was one of the games my kids had fun playing at camp. Would the blue starter deck be enough for the four of us, or should we get one or more of the booster decks, too?

 

We found the Killer Bunnies starter deck sufficient while we were getting the hang of the game, and it would probably be just fine indefinitely, but it is a tease. Some of the cards refer to various weapons and strategies that are revealed only in additional decks.

[Deniseibase]

You might consider 7 Wonders. You can't tell EXACTLY who is ahead until the end, but you can get a pretty good idea, and it plays much, MUCH better with 5 than Dominion, Ticket to Ride, or Pandemic. It plays quick, about 30 minutes once everyone has learned the rules. I have played about 60 new board gmes this year - I am the secretary of a local board game group, have run board game clubs for kids, and help organize a yearly board gaming convention - and 7 Wonders is the BEST new game I have played this year.

 

If however being able to tell who is ahead during the game is really important to your crew, I'd take a good look at Dream Factory. It's also better for 5 people than the other games you are considering. It might be a little harder to find, you'll need to get it from a specialty game store - you can find a list of reputable ones here - http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geekads/viewall/thing/904 I personally have ordered from Funagain, Boardsandbits, Cardhaus, and Thoughthammer and have never had any issues with any of those.

[8filltheheart]

We love Ticket to Ride Europe. It is fun w/ any number of players. The strategy changes between 3 and 4 players b/c w/ 4+players you can use double routes. FWIW, it is a fast game and can be played in under ~45 mins.

[Kareni]

I posted in your thread on the general board but will also post here.

 

If you like Things, you'd probably enjoy one of our favorite games which is ideal for four to six players. It's Wise and Otherwise.

 

From Amazon: "Voted a Best Party Game of the Year by Games magazine, Wise and Otherwise belongs next to Pictionary and Scrabble in your arsenal of fun. This creative, interactive game (read: everybody shouting, flailing, laughing) revolves around 500 cards, each emblazoned with five obscure and long-forgotten sayings from around the world. For example, one old Chinese saying is, "Don't add salt to a boatload of salt fish." One side of the card states, "Don't add salt to..." and it is the job of the players to devise probable endings. "Don't add salt to salty soup," for example. Or, "Don't add salt to the open wound." (The actual endings are listed on the flip sides of the cards.) A player wins points when other players vote for his or her special ending, or when the player guesses the actual ending, so the goal is to finish the proverb as convincingly as possible given the geographic region in question. Each elegant box contains one game board, 500 cards, six writing pads, six pencils, one die, and six player pawns. People who love language, oddly hilarious translations, offbeat proverbs, or just making people look foolish by guessing their very clever answers will adore this game. We predict: The one who plays this game ... will hear the laughter."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Halftime Hope]

It really helps to have your real world, family experience reviews: a family game night is a bit different than a game club night made up of adults who meet once a month. ; )

 

Thank you for the gift of your time posting this for me.

 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

[justasque]

I LOVE Pandemic. Nice for families because you have to work together. I have the expansion on order.

 

funagaingames.com is my favorite place to buy games, as they have outstanding reviews from people who KNOW games. Based on their reviews, I have found many hits for my family over the years.

[Teachin'Mine]

I posted in your thread on the general board but will also post here.

 

If you like Things, you'd probably enjoy one of our favorite games which is ideal for four to six players. It's Wise and Otherwise.

 

From Amazon: "Voted a Best Party Game of the Year by Games magazine, Wise and Otherwise belongs next to Pictionary and Scrabble in your arsenal of fun. This creative, interactive game (read: everybody shouting, flailing, laughing) revolves around 500 cards, each emblazoned with five obscure and long-forgotten sayings from around the world. For example, one old Chinese saying is, "Don't add salt to a boatload of salt fish." One side of the card states, "Don't add salt to..." and it is the job of the players to devise probable endings. "Don't add salt to salty soup," for example. Or, "Don't add salt to the open wound." (The actual endings are listed on the flip sides of the cards.) A player wins points when other players vote for his or her special ending, or when the player guesses the actual ending, so the goal is to finish the proverb as convincingly as possible given the geographic region in question. Each elegant box contains one game board, 500 cards, six writing pads, six pencils, one die, and six player pawns. People who love language, oddly hilarious translations, offbeat proverbs, or just making people look foolish by guessing their very clever answers will adore this game. We predict: The one who plays this game ... will hear the laughter."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

This sounds great! It reminds me of another good one - Balderdash. :)

[Kareni]

This sounds great! It reminds me of another good one - Balderdash. :)

 

You are absolutely correct! There are definite similarities between the games. I like them both.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[starwarsmomma]

Ticket to Ride (I would not start with the Europe)

 

My sons have played Dominion with 5 without the expansion but they say it is definitely not as good that way.

 

HTH,

Kendall

 

which expansion for that one? (already had ordered it before I realized I might need expansion)

[Kendall]

I'm asked my boys and they haven't played with an expansion. They just have tried to play the regular with 5. There is debate among my boys. After discussion, we ammend our comment to say that it is fun and playable with 5, it is faster and a bit better with 4. I found this thread which I did not read and we have not used that talks about adapting for 5.

 

 

 

http://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/1939/how-can-i-play-dominion-with-5-players-without-expansions

 

HTH,

Kendall

[Joan in GE]

One we bought 2 years ago that even my then 23 yo liked was Chinatown...and you can play with mixed ages, so 12-24 yo eg...it emphasized communication and bartering in a more interesting way than Monopoly.

 

That's from the German Amazon, though we bought it here, so it should be on the French one but I don't see it...don't know if you can track it down in the US. If not too difficult, it's worth it.

 

Joan

 

Oh yes, the younger ones like Ticket to Ride - there's even a Swiss version...