During the Christmas season, among the Quality Street wrappers left, right & centre and Christmas films watched only once a year, my family and I dug out some classic board games that would, hopefully, serve their purpose of entertainment and provide an alternative to endless technology. Some appeared as if they'd been left to simply grow dusty on the shelves over the years, replaced by the joys of Farmville, Candy Crush and other, one player, alternatives. Others were gratefully received Christmas presents from family and friends, eager to pass on relics. It was pleasing to see supermarkets still stocking such games, so the next generation can continue to experience what past generations so enjoyed. Each board game played, though individually unique, was similar to others in terms of the enjoyment, amusement & sheer fun.
Trivial Pursuit - if ever I saw a classic board game, that was one. And while the game certainly lived up to its name, the trivia can be daunting, especially in the old fashioned version of the game. Thankfully, an up to date version, containing modern day questions, was avaliable to buy. That isn't to say I disliked the older version - on the contray; I believe the old fashioned game board is far nicer than the jazzy, colourful, unnecessarily spiced up modern game board. However, I felt the newer version was far more accessible to all ages, with child and adult question cards avaliable. Everyone playing, adult and child, chose the child cards. I wonder what that says about intelligence and Trivial Pursuit questions. The idea of questions under different categories seemed innovative and stimulating, as opponents chose your weakest topic for your final question. The game is far more than just asking and answering questions, extending my knowledge about shoe makers, canoes & the Periodic table! Blockbusters: the Board Game was based off the popular TV show in the 1980s & 90s where teenagers would aim to move across a board full of letters (each letter corresponding to a question; of which it was the first letter in the answer). It was a relief to have the first letter of each answer, as insecure guesses that were clearly wrong could be ruled out. An element of pace and speed heightened tensions with the buzzer, with each family member making a, somewhat different, buzzer noise. The questions were of an acceptable standard; a good balance of easy-as-pie and more thought required. I particularly enjoyed blocking opponents from reaching their side, grinning in satisfaction as their route to victory become ever more challenging. For older family members, the timed, intense, gold run allows more challenges and eventual victory. Playing the unique tile game inspired me to watch some old clips of the TV show on YouTube. I'm sure the TV would have been on every time Blockbusters was on, had I been around back then. Bucket of Doom - where the doom comes to you! This, slightly inappropriate, game allowed everyone to imagine being in a life threathening situation with only a towel to save you. Or a match box. From the item and situation, bizarre stories formed, that somehow saved each of us from the impending doom. The more bizarre the better! Even the voting system was slightly odd - we chose our favourite story by pointing our elbow at the person, because, of course, it's rude to point. I believe this game is brilliant for storytelling and developing an imagination in fantasy adventures. When older, I'm sure the 'alternative' versions will only allow more laughter - with age appropriate groups. My personal highlight was saving a dog whom had fallen out the window of a 20 storey building by calling a very prompt taxi service which installed trampolines the dog could land on. The dog survived and the taxi service got some business. All my card read was 'prompt taxi service'. The story drove off in any direction I wanted it to. Though not played during this Christmas, Consequences (technically not a board game!) has always resulted in endless fun every single time it's played. And given we've played it at least 15 times over the years, it must be doing something right. Quite simply, the game involves making different stories. Each person gets a column of paper, where they write a man or women's name. This gets folded and the paper is passed around where a different person writes another person's name. Paper is continually passed round where a discussion and eventual ending are written by different people. At the end, all the pieces of paper are unrolled and read out. Given that each person has contributed to each story not knowing previous or future events, stories can be utterly crazy or highly embarrasing. Good - that is the point. This can be particularly amusing when certain people are combined together and the odd, impossible events that ensue. So, board games. Hopefully, not a thing of the past. Far more than just passing the time, far more than just having some fun. It's about those of all ages coming together and finding a common, social enjoyment,
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