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Playmakers — Nothing beats fun of old-fashioned board games

Thanksgiving to New Years is "game time" for our large extended family and friends. We like board games and card games alike. Some of our favorites: Settlers of Catan, Life, Scrabble, Loaded Questions, Monopoly cards, It Came to Pass, Uno, Pit, Ziggety, Rook, Quiddler, Five Crowns, Great Museum Caper, Sequence, Othello, Parcheesi, Chronology, and Phase 10.

We're always on the lookout for new games that accommodate 4-6 players or more, but look forward to a few rounds of each of our traditional get-together games.

Ah! and how could I have forgotten that time-intensive tradition (which I usually win...lol) of playing Risk. :o)

The thing about board games is that they are cross-generational.

Rummy-0 or Rummy Cube is a good one for all ages, as is Dominoes. We enjoy playing Phase 10 and a myriad of other games.

I will say that the Wii better for family interaction than the hand-held video games.

Great article. My mother bought us Settlers of Zarehemla three years ago and we love it. Our friends in Texas just recently purchased their own Settlers game, and called us for answers to a rule. It is so fun to have families interacting!

There is nothing better for a family to do together than play a game in which all are totally involved. Out favorite game as a family is Pinochle. It has been our tradition for many years. When we have someone new join our family, we teach them how to play Pinochle. Many good memories have been made around the kitchen table playing this game. We have been in the "Game Night Games" store in Salt Lake, and find it very impressive.

I may have to look into some of the games mentioned in the article. I've heard of some but have not yet tried others.
Here are some that me and my family like.
Fun for 4-8 players (works with 2-3, but more fun with more people):
Citadels, BANG!, Incan Gold.

A classic that not many have heard of: The Farming Game (and The Construction Game)

Some 3-6 player ones (works with 2, but more fun with more people):
Thurn and Taxis (might just be up to 5), Alhambra, Zooloretto

I think it's good to get your brain thinking in different ways by trying different games. Plus you tend to not get sick of a game as easily.

Happy Gaming!

My wife told me she attended one of those SimplyFun home parties and played a bunch of their games. She said it was the best home party she's ever been to. Next time a neighbor or family member invites her, I'm tagging along, because I love a good game and she said these were all original, easy to learn and fun to play.

Has anyone else been to one of these parties? How available are they in Utah?

About a month ago I had a friend in the Ogden area invite me to a home party for SimplyFun. I'd never heard of them before, but my friend said I would have a fun, fun time. She was right. An older couple from Tremonton came to her house and set up a display of all the games they have in their catalog. Then we played about 10 of them and everyone was laughing and talking and having a good time. The guy was a hoot as he interacted with all us women who were there.
I bought a lot of fun things for Christmas this year for my family and I'm looking forward to playing more with them in the weeks after Christmas. I like the idea of a weekly game night at our house, and I'm going to try it. Maybe, even my husband will want to join in with us.

Thanks for an enlightening article.

We love the Wii! We hook it up at get-togethers and have everyone up and bowling or playing tennis or boxing. When I say everyone, I mean everyone from 3yo to 83yo. It's excellent how often people at either end of the age scale win. :o)

When we do racing or something a bit beyond the skill of the wee ones they get controllers that aren't plugged in and teamed up with an older buddy to "help" control the car or whatever.

Of course, we also enjoy board games some of which have survived several generations Sorry, Rich Uncle, Masterpiece, and Waterworks. Then there are those games like Dominoes and Contact that aren't board games or card games.

8 or more. My vote is Apples to Apples though Catch Prase is good too.

maybe that's why we haven't really enjoyed apples to apples, we weren't playing with enough people. it hasn't seemed very fun when we've played with 3 or 4.

Having been an avid customer of Game Night Games and having a large game closet myself, I must add my two cents. I agree that Dominion is a great game with several different games to be played in one box. The box states it is for 2-4 players but just last night we played with 5 and it was great fun. I agree that Ice Flow is a beautiful game and very strategic. For those that have Pandemic, you should try out the new release of Ghost Story. Same Co-op feeling only instead of battling disease, you battle ghosts. One last thing. If anyone is interested in just trying a game out, once the Christmas season is over, Game Night Games hosts open gaming on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Community is great and it is a great way to see if you like a game before buying it.

Game Night Games is great to try out games, but if you live on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, the new game store Epic Puzzles and Games on 5600 West and just off of 3100 South in West Valley. They also have open game nights, and they are brand new, and they are the only game store like that on the west side of the valley. Stop by and see them.

Gamester Mom, thanks for the tip about open gaming nights at Game Night Games. Sounds like fun.

Do any of you game players know of a good source for finding old games that are no longer published/produced? I've been looking for a game I used to play as a kid that took a lot of dexterity called Chop Suey.

Ebay is a good source for games, old and new.

I was up in Boise over Thanksgiving and a family member had several of the Simplyfun games, we played EYE TO EYE for hours and had so much fun we played it again the next night. I highly recommend this game to anyone (all age groups) We did play others and they were fun but we always went back to EYE TO EYE.

I'd never even heard of Settlers of Catan until a friend invited us over to play, a few months ago. Lo and behold, my daughter and son in law played it the first time, that same night at a different house. I bought it for my son in law as a birthday gift that he really appreciated.

We also enjoy playing 2-person games like Stratego, chess, checkers, backgammon, Battleship, mancala, Twixt, and Othello.

Thanks for the heads up. For some reason I hadn't thought about eBay.