In Eight Games different board gamers share the eight games they’d select in eight different situations. The games are not explained, but the links are given to Board Game Geek listings for you to find out more.
This month Denholm Spurr, designer, director, actor, lefty, lover; General Assistant at StuffByBez.com; playtester for David Turczi; reviewer for Zatu Games…. chooses his Eight Games.
Denholm Spurr
1: A game to take to granny’s house:
A family friendly afternoon.
Photosynthesis
BGG Listing
My granddad REALLY hates board games… but he loves gardening. So perhaps a game like Photosynthesis could tempt him into the path of light and suddenly he’ll realise that board games are GREAT! In Photosynthesis you control a species of tree in a forest, growing in the sunlight. Larger trees give you more life points and also cast shade on your opponent’s trees stunting their growth. The game has a unique shifting sunlight mechanic, which really immerses you in the theme. I hope this will have a similar effect on grandpappy!
2: A game to take to a restaurant:
Play around the drinks and cutlery.
Chubby Bunnies
Chubby Bunnies involves stuffing marshmellows into your mouth one after another followed by saying the phrase “chubby bunnies”. Any player who cannot say the phrase or swallows any of the marshmellows is eliminated. The last player standing is the winner. A game perfect of a night of fine dining at the Ritz…
3: A game to take to a reunion:
Some people you want to chat to, others… not so much.
13 Dead End Drive
BGG Listing
Reunions are melting pot of old lovers and rivalries. Which of the class has hit the big time? And whose greatest achievement was being awarded Most Liking to Be A Supermodel at Leavers Ball? Reunions can make you feel… frankly murderous. So what better game to play than the reunion at 13 Dead End Drive where various friends and family of the recently deceased Aunt Agatha attempt to topple each other — literally — in order to inherit her vast fortune. It’s fundamentally a roll and move but with a unique twist and some awesome death-inducing components. Brings back childhood memories…
4: A game to take to a primary school:
Arm yourself with multiple copies and take over a whole classroom.
Century: Spice Road
BGG Listing
5: A game to take to a youth club:
Hook in the next generation of board gamers.
Citadels
BGG Listing
Not only is Citadels extremely portable (you’ll often find my guilty of having a copy in my pocket “just in case”), it also plays well at larger player counts and is highly interactive. Players are trying to build their medieval cities by paying gold to play cards from their hands. The interesting thing is that each round is like a new generation with a new King and other shifting roles. Therefore turn order and available actions keep changing. Citadels is a great entry-level game. Why not immerse yourself in the world fully with an array of silly costumes. Highly recommended.
6: A game to take to a job interview:
Demonstrate your best qualities and answer questions while you play? (This really should be a thing).
Funemployed
BGG Listing
What better way to get to know your future employee/employer at a job interview than this hilarious social game about a job interview? Each round, one player is the employer who is on the look out for a new employee in their given industry (a new nanny, for example, or hairstylist, or regime dictator…). Players swap cards from their hands with those available on the table, then use these cards to explain why they are the best candidate for the job. It’s a great ice-breaker and will showcase your (and your interviewer’s) sense of humour.
7: A game to take to a hospital:
No brain-power needed.
Ticket to Ride Legacy (home-made)
Either as patient or visitor, you would most likely hope/expect a visit several times across your stay. So where better to play a legacy game than from the hospital bed? Each time you play a legacy game, you intrinsically and permanently change the game board, conditions, rules or actions. Your decisions from the last game affect how you play the next one. Sadly there’s no Dice Hospital: Legacy (yet). You could certainly plump for the most successful of legacy games Pandemic: Legacy but that would be too obvious, right? Time for some shameless self-promotion. Why yes, I have made a legacy game, thanks for asking. One of my favourite games of all time is Ticket to Ride, it is a near-perfect game and has that quality which makes me say “yes” if anyone ever suggests playing it. So I set myself the task of seeing whether the legacy format could work with Ticket To Ride, and even if I say so myself, it really does! Sadly, Days of Wonder haven’t called me to sign my design (yet) so until then you’ll have to contact me directly to have a playtest. It’s also got a cool magnetic board, perfect in case that broken leg accidentally knocks the board flying!
8: A game to take to a cabin in the woods:
You have lots of time and lots of space.
Mysterium
BGG Listing
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