Hey everyone! So, the freakin' holidays are upon us, and that normally means that families who are trapped inside together will be dusting off some classic board games in order to torture one another with forced joviality.
So, my plan here is to look at some of the common board games people will be dusting off this holiday season, and give you some things to watch out for and tips to surviving them!
Right, let's just get this one out of the way straight out of the gate! The trick to surviving Monopoly, and holidays as a whole, is to not play freakin' Monopoly.
This game was actually designed by satan himself to leave you wanting to never see the people you are playing with it again, and turns people into duplicitous, avaricious cheats! Burn this game before the holidays start, then feign ignorance when the family can't find it!
Ah, Trivial Pursuit, a stalwart of the board game world! Nothing screams family fun quite like being made to feel braindead in front of your family and friends!
Be very wary of people who are keen to play this one, as that is normally a signifier that they are going to be insufferably up-their-own-ass if they win; although, at the same time it will also be a much sweeter victory. It's a high-risk, high-yield game.
Clue, or Cluedo if you're British, is one of those games that people find themselves playing despite the fact that no one really ever enjoys it. My best advice for this one is to just cheat in any way you can, then at least the game will be over faster.
Sure, there are some people who say they enjoy it, the sort of people who take far too many notes and like to think of themselves as Sherlock Holmes, but these people are just plain weird. Sorry Clue fans! Not the people who are fans of the film though, you guys have nothing to be ashamed of, that's a damn good film.
Okay, I've got a soft spot for Charades, although it has the capacity to get very out of hand and very competitive very quickly, so always keep your wits about you!
Also, another key thing when it comes to Charades is team management. Everyone has family members who are renowned for being terrible at Charades ⏤ looking at you Beryl ⏤ so make sure you plan out a surefire way to keep them off your team when the time comes!
As a kid, I used to love playing Risk, I'll admit it. However, this is one of those games where you have to really get on board with it ⏤ get it?
Risk is one of those games that you really have to commit to, and explaining the rules to someone who isn't really paying attention can be like pulling teeth! Although, if you do play it, you do get the added bonus of seeing which of your close family members turns into Stalin when the chips are down!
I mean, Mousetrap? Eww, just no. Save yourself the heartache of setting up this ludicrous game and pick literally any other game...even the agony of Monopoly is better than the nose-bleedingly annoying finickiness of Mousetrap.
Playing Mousetrap is about as enjoyable as actually sticking your tongue in a Mousetrap. Although, if there are some parents who you know who are in your bad books, this would be a great game to get their kids for Christmas!
Personally, I can find myself taking board games a little too seriously, so it might be a little hypocritical of me to suggest that I'm a delight to play board games with. However, I know that despite the inevitable arguments, we will still end up playing a few board games this holiday season.
Let me know what games you and your family friends normally enjoy playing over the holiday season, or what games you always end up fighting over!
Love to you all,
Aunty Acid.
