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7 Cool Board Games No Summer Day is too Hot for!

July 15, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

When we think of summer, we just want to go away. But what if that place was full of your old best friends? They say adults don’t play anymore. Well, they just need a better reason to play, that’s all. And long summer days are the perfect excuse to leave your mature expression behind, start living, and start laughing. No summer day is too hot for the coolest board games on the planet. Here is a list of suggestions that is guaranteed to turn good friends into best friends

1. Time’s Up!

Rumor has it that this is the funniest game you’ll ever play, especially the Deluxe edition. It is delightful to watch couples scream at each other while trying to act out the stupidest clues in order to get the other one to guess a childhood celebrity they probably never heard of. Players take turns attempting to get their partners to guess famous titles of songs, movies, art, etc. During the first round, almost everything works. But after that, it’s all about finesse, baby!

2. Cranium

A bit of everything for everyone should be the motto of this incredible board game. Cranium has got a bit of it all: charades, drawing, acting, modelling clay and general knowledge. This dynamic nature helps even the shiest players let their hair down. Great team game!

3. Loaded Questions

There are 4 question types to embrace: Hypotheticals, Anything Goes, No-Brainers, and Personals. This is a game of great debate and bubbly conversations. There are also Reversal spaces, where the roller is supposed to write an answer down, and the other players must guess what s/he wrote. If there’s bonding you’re looking for, Loaded Questions is the best medicine.

4. Curses

One player must basically acquire a list of curses, which stand as rules. He has to accomplish feats while following these rules. They get more rigorous as the game unfolds. But the game is highly influenced by your mates.

5. Apples to Apples

This is a game of absurd yet funny comparisons, where the roller’s goal is to choose the Red Apple card his hand that best describes the word selected on the Green Apple card. See the adjective and decide which one of your “noun” cards matches according to your criteria, whatever they are..

6. Size Matters

According to publisher TDC Games, this game is definitely challenging for anyone’s imagination. Released in 2006, it challenges adults to come up with the “longest, fattest, sickest, and generally biggest things in life.” It emphasizes our obsession with size. Everything can be and has to be quantified somehow. Maybe Size Matters will raise some questions post factum.

7. Cards Against Humanity

Well this one here is like the morbid version of Apples to Apples. No logic matched answers and no guarantee for decency. In a nutshell, the player holding a black card asks a question, and the other players must provide their funniest answer. This game is full of mismatches made in heaven!

We all need some time to rediscover our friends. Why not give them a call? A truly funny board game is the best pretext for breaking any potential distance. Because when people start playing anything, the stake will instantly turn them into what they really are: a bunch of people who are young at heart.

Fun and Cheap Things to Do on a Rainy Day

June 4, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

Having fun in the sun is easy peasy and when friends gather for a loo out nothing can go wrong. But what about the rainy days that seem to drag on forever? There is no mingling, no going out, no prancing in the sun- and when you’re left all by yourself at home, you need to get creative and simply enjoy yourself with what you have.

Personally, I love it when it’s raining outside and I’m safe inside, but there aren’t many things that one can do on rainy days. Here are some of our ideas to keep yourself busy:

1. Bubble Bath Heaven

When it’s pouring outside and all the happiness seems to have gone with the sun, a bubble bath is the perfect way of relaxing and forgetting the bad weather. Gather together all your scented candles and bath salts, mix together a handful of body soap, some sugar or honey, and one egg white (to make the bubbles last longer) and let the water run. After you have drawn your bath either enjoy a classic movie on your laptop or listen to some relaxing music. You’re bound to love it.

2. Have a Wine Party

Invite your friends over for pizza and wine while you make the atmosphere as cozy as possible. Prepare some appetizers, have towels at the ready and spend some quality time talking to your closest friends and colleagues. You can ask each of them to bring their favorite wine and have a contest!

3. Play Board Games

It doesn’t have to be Monopoly or Scrabble (although they are classics and should never be discarded) since there are so many board games to be played nowadays: The Settlers of Catan, Clue, Catchphrase, Dixit or even Anatomy! You’re in for an evening of laughter and enjoyment with your friends. And if nothing else works, try mime! That always cracks everyone up.

4. Romantic Dinner Party

When was the last time you surprised your significant other with a candlelight dinner, fancy music and elegant attire? Prepare something yummy and set the table for two (candles included), prepare the atmosphere with the perfect music and set aside a movie if the evening is going right. Or you can also make a nest somewhere in the living room with cushions, pillows and covers so you and your lover can enjoy meaningful conversations over a glass of Chardonnay.

5. Bake Cookies

You don’t have to be a master chef to enjoy baking- there are countless easy and delicious recipes that you can try out at home. Cookie batter or a simple cake isn’t that difficult to prepare and with a preheated oven you can work wonders.

6. Dance Around the House in Your Underwear

We’re never too old to be silly and being silly isn’t that bad when you think of it. In actuality, some of us need it from time to time in order to recharge our batteries. So when you’re alone and it’s raining, put on your favorite throwback playlist and dance around like you just don’t care.

7. Have a Film Marathon

Whether series or classics like the Godfather trilogy (or why not, all 8 Harry Potter movies), you can definitely find enough popcorn for all of them. Maybe some nachos and dip, cushions and blankets to snuggle with and a warm atmosphere and you’re all set! There are so many trilogies, and movie series that you can watch that you might actually look forward to the next rainy day. Depending on your top movie picks, you can create thematic nights, have your friends over and make the most of it.

What you need to do now is decide what you want to try out first!

What Are You Playing With? 5 Fantasy Series Inspired Board Games

January 24, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

It is no news that in the last years, science fiction and fantasy as genres conquered the world of literature, cinema, visual arts and Internet fun. Adapting fantasy written series for the silver screen and for television is a common trend and it made billions of dollars world – wide, while collectibles, fanfic and inspired-everything gathered also billions of fans.

Today we will talk about fantasy series inspired board games, as once you turned off the TV or left the cinema, you still long for spending more time in a certain universe and board games creators understood that better than anybody. While Game of Thrones card games and board games and extensions are internationally famous and quite complex to play, there are, of course, other book series that got adapted and became entertaining board games to keep you hooked on the universe some brilliant writer managed to create. Here are only five of them.

1. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Ankh-Morpork

If you are not familiar with Pratchett’s universe, you really should, as it is considered the funniest fantasy series of all times. It all happens on the Discworld and the characters and stories kept people hooked on the author’s humor and writing style for years. The Ankh – Morpork board – game takes place in the city – state with the same name, you are given a certain character and personality and your goal is to reach your game goals, while trying to prevent your opponents from reaching theirs. It is an incredible journey in one of the vastest, most mind – blowing fantasy universes ever written in this world.

2. Harry Potter Mystery At Hogwarts Game

Now the famous Harry Potter series inspired a lot of board and card games and this one resembles Clue a lot, as it transports you into the Harry Potter universe, while you have to solve mysteries and work your way through a very compelling story. It is a strategy game based on classic mystery solving older games, but it deserves its place in the list of fantasy series inspired board games because it is exciting and can keep you entertained for hours.

3. The Lord of The Rings Adventure Board Game

In case you didn’t know, there are also two The Hobbit board games but the Lord of The Rings comes in many shapes and challenges. In case you are addicted to Tolkien’s universe, you can buy them all and play them all, as this particular one can be integrated in the Hobbit series. It may take you months to build the entire complex realm, play and try to win, as the rules are complex and not always well understood by the players and it takes a while to figure out what is going on. An everlasting challenge, we might say.

4. The Hunger Games: Training Days

The Hunger Games books and movies are a contemporary success and it was only logical they would end up as board games. This one is quite appreciated by the players, although you can also find other board and card games inspired by the series. This challenges you as a Tribute and pushes your skills enough to learn strategy and survive the tasks and even win a few rounds. It is well – made and seems to be favored by families and large groups of friends.

5. Twilight Board Game

Of course there are Twilight Saga inspired board games! Based on the popular books and movie series, this is a trivia game, not a strategy or mystery one, so if you are a true dedicated fan, you will win by answering questions related to the movie. Unfortunately, if you browse users’ reviews on Amazon or dedicated sites, you will find out they were a bit disappointed about this game, as it wasn’t as challenging as they would have hoped and it seems it has some additional questions and tasks that are poorly related to the Twilight universe. Others had a lot of fun with it, however, so it all depends perhaps on what your expectations are.

There are, of course, other fantasy series inspired board games for you to play, independent novels even, not to mention board games inspired by comic books and superhero franchises. It is lovely to see people so engaged with a story, a realm, a plot or some characters, that they just want them to become constant parts of their lives.