@Futurewolfie is out camping with his family this week, and I’ve been holding down the fort here at iSlaytheDragon.com all alone. (This is part of the reason posting has been light–I hope to have a review up tomorrow.) @Futurewolfie’s camping trip sparks this Friday’s Friday question: what is a good game to play with the family? Or, to ask it another way, what game should @Futurewolfie be playing (have played) this week with his family? Check out my answer below, and provide your own answer in the comments!
@FarmerLenny answers:
I offered it to him, but he turned it down, so it’s all his fault. Anyway, the game that has seen the most success with my family is Bohnanza. Bohnanza looks lame from the box (“Cartoony beans?! How can that be fun?”), but it’s a great way to get the family involved in conversation. Bohnanza is a trading game that rewards shrewd deals, even when they seem to offer you no benefit. Because of the planting/harvesting mechanism in Bohnanza, it behooves you at times to offer uneven trades (or even donations) in order to keep your own bean fields in a good state. All around, Bohnanza is a great game with lots of interaction (though I’m not sure how younger kids would do with it–my game-playing family is all older at the moment). The Resistance could also be a good choice, though it could lead to long-lasting family discord. On second thought, maybe The Resistance would best be left at home…
Discussion3 Comments
My vote would go to Mystery of the Abbey (which I conveniently reviewed today http://bit.ly/mQ3FNF). My gaming family is also older, but it does a good job of brining everyone in and it satisfies my gamer itch as well as my family’s “fun” threshold.
Nice review! That game sounds pretty fun. We played Mystery Express as a family over Christmas, but it didn’t go over too well. This looks more up our alley. I’ll have to get my family to give it a try.
I have a post (or 2) to write, but I will say that Kill Dr. Lucky went over very, very well. The Resistance was also played and enjoyed, but I learned that environmental conditions (IE distractions) can make it very easy for the spies with large groups (9-10 players)