h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry - not my place to laugh at you and your brother HI, but that *has* to be one of the most shocking outcomes from a boardgame I ever heard and I couldn't help myself.

Laugh away, it is hilarious. I think it's fair to say me and my brother have quite a unique relationship, though rampant destruction of property hasn't happened for a while. It was all due to the evil power of Monopoly

Yes, it's true, every single game of Monopoly I have ever played with my family and friends has developed into terrible arguments, and in some cases, hitting of persons. We bought a Star Wars board game from a Church jumle sale once for ten pence and when we got it home we foumd that we could'nt play it because of the rather involved nature of the instructions, if anyone out there has ever played this game and brought it to a satisfactory conclusion, please let me know.

Which one was it, "Rescue on Geonosis"? We have that one and it's good fun once you get it set up and know what you're doing... though in fairness the game play doesn't last as long as we like.

Monopoly is the one game I refuse to play. My sister and I totally sickened ourselves of playing it as kids.

When one of the kids brings home a boy/girl friend for parental approval (or is it the other way round?) - we submit them to Trial By Boardgame - to see if they make the grade.
Anyone who can handle my lot in the throes of sibling rivalry, maternal smartarsedness and paternal stupidity is in with a fighting chance........if they haven't already run away screaming for help.

I think we get out worst board game behaviours from my mother - who still makes up her own rules for Uno as she goes along.

The main problem about board games is that no one ever reads the rules, and so it falls to some self-styled arbitrator who is less drunk than the rest of the unwilling players. On Christmas Day, who the hell is actually going to pick up the rules and through the fog of Warninks Advocaar and Stella Artois actually apply them to the assembled, but intellectually challenged family members.

We played Monopoly alot as kids but never had any major dramas about it What is it with you lot?

We also played Mah Jong which was always fun for kids to set up.

I have a friend who is so competetive about Scrabble that I won't play with her. I think once people get to the I've won gloat you're not in gameland anymore

After reading this thread i decided to teach my 7 year old how to play Monopoly, and i was shocked at the result.

He lacked all understanding of negative equity and conveyancing, and to be frank, his attitude to 'getting the searches done' was cavalier. I had no choice but to give him a sound thrashing with a rolled up Financial times and send him to bed.

Kids 'eh?

There is a kids version of monopoly available, where instead of real estate investing, the game scenario is a carnival. Very simple to play, and the whole game can usually be played to conclusion in about 30 minutes.

That's my kind of board game!

I'd like to play Mah Jong but you need 4 people and Mrs G refuses to play any board or card games, which only leaves three of us.

I had a chess set chucked at me by a sore loser. Does that count?

There's a version of monopoly where the pieces are made of chocolate and you get to eat them, which limits the fighting by ending the game.

Big fan of monopoly, scrabble, Mah Jong and card games here.

Mostly used to go OK with my two brothers, although we were very competitive. Risk could get a bit personal as ongoing family feuds would be carried onto strategic decisions "you're only invading Japan because you can't handle that I'm better than you at football" that kind of thing...

My Grandpa was the worst at cheating at Scrabble. As his Alzheimers kicked in, more and more 'old scots' words used to creep in conveniently.

We had the Colditz game too. Too complicated.

sprout

Mah Jong is a true pain in the arse to put together. My partner dropped my Mah Jong bits all over the floor when we moved house a couple of weeks ago

I can't play Uno as it just makes me angry.

I like Monopoly though and am a ruthless scrabble player

Has anyone produced a Mah Jong pack of cards? Surely that would be easier than all that wall building?

You can't play mahjong without building the wall

But the wall is just a way of dealing out the tiles. It is incidental to the game. The game is all about what tiles you hold in your "hand".

But what will keep out the evil spirits?

Exactly - and the wall building is part of the ambience, no?

sprout