I have been a gamer from as early as I can remember. Not a video gamer but a board/card gamer.
When I was a little kid I played games like Sorry, Trouble, Hungry Hippos, Aggravation and Perfection. I remember hanging out with Kellyanne in our basement playing card games like Speed and Crazy 8’s passing our time on hot days in the summer. As I got older I graduated to playing board games like Monopoly, Risk, Game of Life, Stock Ticker, Clue, Pay Day and Careers. My eldest brother Keith would always play with us younger siblings; he is 9 years my senior.
Our family also grew up playing cards, Scrabble, Mastermind and Cribbage. There was always a game of something going on before supper, after supper and especially on school holidays. Every Christmas we would go to my Grandparents house on Christmas Eve before midnight mass. I remember two things vividly; we would get to take and open one present AND we would play Up and Down the River. My dad would deal cards to everyone forwards, backwards, in groups of three or four cards and never deal it out wrong. He would become animated, make funny faces and drum his fingers on the table. My grandmother would often cheat, sneaking out a bid after everyone else had done so. Grandpa would usually fall asleep in his chair. Great memories.
Here is a quick tutorial for Up and Down the River
When Chris and I got married, we had a few decks of cards, Chris’s bookcase games (mostly war related), Risk, Monopoly, Clue and Chris’s Dungeons and Dragons stuff. I don’t remember playing games too often in our first few years of marriage with the kids arriving almost back to back. It wasn’t until we moved to St. Albert when Thomas was in kindergarten that we started to purchase and play games.
Friends of ours that live in Beaumont were ahead of us in the new age of board games. They introduced us to these games; games with more strategy and no one gets eliminated. After playing a new game with them, we often purchased the game. Settlers of Catan, Carcassone, Ticket to Ride, Princes of Florence, Citadels, Puerto Rico and Bonanza were some of our first purchases. Some of these games have expansions or another version of the same game. We own 4 Ticket to Ride games and 5 Settlers of Catan games.
Most of these games start at Age 8 and some suggest Age 12. Our kids started with games like Ticket to Ride, Trans America, Pirates Cove, Coloretto, Frank’s Zoo, Mama Mia, Bang, and Bonanza.
These days we have certain favourites and there are games we only can play when we have more people visiting. I tend to like games where there is no bidding and they involve remembering or planning ahead. Chris likes strategy types, bidding and more complex games.
Some of my favourites are: Five Tribes, Elfenland, 7 Wonders, Kingsburg, Patchwork, and Gardens of Alhambra
Some of Chris’s favourites are: Puerto Rico, Niagara, Stone Age, Machi Koro, Power Grid and Suburbia
Some we both like: Splendor, Princes of Florence, Imhotep and Alhambra
If you refer to the first photo above of our games shelf, we try to sort the games by number of players and alphabetize each section. The top left shelf has two player games. Below that is four player games. On the bottom are small packaged games. On the top right side is the up to five player games, below them up to six players and then ones with more than six players. On the bottom right shelf are our old school games.
Having as many games as we do, we often have to reread the rules to remind us of what we are doing. Initially when we get a game we often watch a “how to play” video on Boardgamegeek.com or dicetower.com.
Recently, I decided to start a journal of sorts writing down which games we played, on which date, who won and who was playing. Perhaps, if we find we haven’t played a game in a long time, we will decide to sell it or give it away.
We continue the family tradition of playing games sometimes on weekends and with friends. The friends we play with these days like lighter games as there tends to be a bit of cheating if the gaming gets too serious. During the holidays we play everyday as a family with a different person getting to choose the games each day.
We don’t buy as many games as we used to but there is a store in St. Albert that we like to go to when we make trip to Edmonton. Mission Fun and Games has all the latest games and a great supply of puzzles. They also have a website, boardgames.ca, with an online store. No, I don’t get any kickbacks from mentioning them. I just know that sometimes it is hard to find a good place to buy games.
Perhaps for the upcoming holiday season, you will think about purchasing one or two of the games that I mentioned. Games are fun, build on math and problem solving skills, and allow families to spend quality time together.
Our family truly believes that a good board game can never be boring. If I can answer any questions about any of our games for you, don’t hesitate to ask.