Spice up game night with some lesser-known options.
With the recent lifting of some of Covid’s tight restrictions, I was able to get together with some friends to (responsibly) enjoy sunshine, good company, and of course – board games. I have been blessed to have the same group of four friends since elementary school, and games have always been a staple activity for the time we spend together. As you can imagine, after some time, all the traditional games became a bit boring and we began to search for quirkier alternatives. Check out this list below for five board games that have nothing to do with passing “go”, triple word scores, or having to say “sorry!” to your opponent – (okay, if you are as competitive as us, you may still have to do that last one.)
1. Sync Up
This game is a favorite amongst my friends. Our game set has been so well-loved that the box has ripped, pieces have gone missing, and the dry-erase markers have needed replaced at least three times. The premise is relatively simple: you want to be the first to reach the end of the spiraling game board, moving spaces by saying the same thing… at the exact same time… as your partner. It sounds simple, but each card has a different obscure category and prompts. The card category could be something like “Things You Find In A Bathroom” with the prompt “Brand of Shampoo.” In order to move forward, you would both need to say something like “HERBAL ESSENCES!” at the same time, without delay, after a count of three. You would be shocked at how absurdly different the responses can be!
For fans of games like Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity, What Do You Meme? is a modern twist on this kind of card game. A rotating judge draws a card that has a popular meme on it, and each player anonymously provides a card with a caption on it that best suits that meme. Sometimes shocking, sometimes heart-warming, and always hilarious, this is a great choice if you feel like a good laugh.
3. Pit
Pit is LEGENDARY in my family. The name cannot be mentioned without stories of endless evenings playing around my great-grandmother’s dining room table. This wildly fast-paced game mimics a trading floor. An opening *ding* of the included bell begins the game, and chaos ensues. The goal is to “corner the market” by obtaining 9 cards of the same suit and ringing the final bell. Needless to say, this is not a particularly quiet game. One night, as the legend goes, my great-great-grandfather emerged from upstairs and confiscated the bell mid-round without uttering a word and retreated back to his bedroom, as he had decided the noise was to be over for the evening.
Perhaps the simplest of the games on this list, this dice-type game is portable, easy, and leaves you at the mercy of two tiny rubber piglets. You simply roll them as if they were dice and score points based on which position they land in. Positions rolled more frequently score lower points (like trotter or razorback - pig on its feet or laying on its back), while more difficult positions (like leaning jowler - pig resting on shoulder and ear) can gain you up to 15 points. The aim of the game is just to get as many points as possible. This one is a fast favorite, fun for kids and adults alike.
5. Codenames
Best for people who love all things witty and wordy, this game requires “spymasters” to get their partner to guess all of their assigned words before their opponents – without guessing the assassin word in the process. Tiles with a variety of words are laid out on the table in a grid formation, and the spymasters receive a card indicating which words belong to which team. If you guess the other team’s word, they still get credit for it, so precision and strategy are key! It is helpful to know your partner well and have a glass of wine in hand.
Every day can start to feel the same when we are all stuck in the house, but by switching up your game choice, you can bust the Groundhog Day blues!
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