My favorite three board games - @phctop3 contest
With so many great games out there, how do you choose? What's more, if you're reading this post and you're scratching your head trying to remember the last time you played a board game, you are long overdue, my friend. Board games are a blast. They bring together friends and family for fun and laughs. They shake you out of your doldrums and help you reconnect with your fun side. What are you waiting for? Get out a board game and round up a few people and play.
Several months ago, a friend of mine launched a regular game night. She would announce the upcoming event once or twice a month on a Friday night, and we would all bring snacks and play for hours, listening to a great music playlist and laughing until we fell off our chairs. Yes, board games can be that fun!
So, the challenge for this #phctop3 contest round is to pick three top favorites. This was not easy for me! I love so many of them. But here they are, the three that made the cut!
Ticket to Ride
I'm pretty sure this is my number one favorite right now. My family and I get really competitive and we have a blast.
You build train routes across maps, which actually feels adventurous. Meanwhile, though, your opponents are doing the same thing! You have no idea what their plans are, or whether they have their eyes on the same routes as you do. So there's a delicious combination of strategy and luck that makes a board game special.
There are several different editions of the game, with different maps from different places around the world. The geography aspect makes it really fun for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it makes you aware of cities in the world that you may have only heard of, but suddenly you actually understand where that place is and in rough relation to other places. Also, there are small, crowded geographic regions where the routes are short and longer routes out in remote places where you feel like you are pioneering as you build your train routes.
I love the suspense that is constant in this game, as you try to attain your goal while also trying to figure out what your opponents are up to. There's also a wonderful amount of strategy that makes this game a fun challenge. You make choices about different routes you want to build and try to pick the ones that will be attainable but also get you the most points.
I can't recommend this game highly enough! You can read more about it here.
Settlers of Catan
This is a truly awesome game and so much fun because you work like an old time settler to build settlements and obtain resources like sheep, bricks, lumber, and ore. It sounds so simple because in fact it is. But there's strategy involved, and enough variables to keep things really interesting. I love this game!
The thing that makes it fun is that it’s an immersive experience. You get into the language of it, and the imagined world. And while it's really not complicated overall, what you can do with it is really captivating. For example, you can earn and trade your resources to build settlements, but there are several different ways to do that, and different types of cards that come into play in the strategy of the game. There is also a dynamic of supply and demand that is really intriguing, and it is different every time you play.
You can read more about the game here.
Scrabble
Okay, I know, this is the game that needs no introduction. But maybe there is someone out there who hasn't played.
This game is fun for anyone, and I do mean that. We started playing with our kids when they were barely teenagers, and they did just fine. The goal is to come up with words that intersect with other words and also with high-point-value squares on the board. Each letter has a point value, and some of the squares you set the letters on have point values, so if you can (through a combination of skill and luck) get letters with a good point value and put them together in such a way that you optimize their value and get points by landing on high point-value-squares, you can do really well!
That is possibly the worst description of Scrabble ever! All know is that yesterday when my daughters and I were shopping at IKEA (which I blogged about yesterday, complete with silly pictures), I bought a Lazy Susan for the purpose of playing Scrabble.
Now you may be wondering what a Lazy Susan is. It's a turntable. You can set a board game on it, like a Scrabble board, and then you can easily turn it toward the person whose turn it is, so they can see the board right-side-up.
Thanks for reading, friends!
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STOPTicket to Ride sounds like a great game. I like building stuff and traveling so to build a track to a destination sounds like a great idea haha!
I have never heard of Settlers of Catan before but that really does look like a fun and immersive experience. Almost like a roll playing game meets a board game!
Of course scrabble is the original word game delight! Great idea to get a lazy Susan to help play the game haha. I like thr dedication 😀
Good luck for the contest!
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If you like building stuff, any of those three games would be fun for you. But I do especially like the role play aspects of Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan. They are both fun that way. It’s great fuel for the imagination.
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Anything that gets the imagination going is a worthwhile investment 😁
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I'm not sure you count this, although it is technically a board game. But my favorite game of all times, which happenes to be a board game too, is Go (Japanese) Weiqi (Chinese) or Baduk (Korean). It has become part of my spiritual path. If you like board games I can't recommend it enough.
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Hey @orlev
If you like the look of our contest then why not enter as well! You have a few hours until the deadline and there are steem prizes to be won. Here is the main post
We even supply a post template to make it easier to enter. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
We hope to see your entry.
The PHCTop3 Panel
Can I come to game night, too?? Such a blast to come together and enjoy some friendly competition. I love all of these choices, though I have never had the pleasure of playing the first two. They both sound like they would be awesome to try, especially with the right crowd of folks! I totally adore that you bought a Lazy Susan for Scrabble! Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for such a fun entry to the monthly contest! This should indeed be a competitive race to the finish with all of the awesome choices!
Yes! I’m excited to see who wins. What a clever contest. And now there are some great games choices to consider!
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I hadn't heard of the first two at all. The Ticket to Ride (other than reminding me of a Beetle's song) sounds like fun. Is the Settlers of Catan a little like Dungeons and Dragons?
Ha ha, oh yes of course. I can’t believe that song doesn’t come to mind every time I play! I have not actually played D&D, but I don’t think so. It really is not that much of a role play game. I hope I didn’t over-sell that aspect. Its primarily a great planning and strategy game, but you really get involved.
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Thanks for these awesome suggestions for our contest this month! We've given you an upvote and logged your nominations, ready for the dpoll - keep an eye on our blog for the dpoll post!
Remember to transfer 50% of the post payout as SBD to @phctop3 with a link to your entry in the memo, otherwise it won't be eligible. This is the minimum entry fee, there is no maximum. You can add as much as you like to your initial fee to give you bigger potential rewards.
Great choices @jayna
Ticket to Ride is a favourite of our Friday club. The teachers at our school go around to a local pub in Bucharest called Snakes and Wizards on a Friday after work. It's an awesome place full of boards games, arcade machines and table football. TTR is definitely the game of choice.
Settlers of Catan is a new one on me but I will check if Snakes and Wizards has it and get the guys on it.
Scrabble will be popular in the vote, for sure.
Nice job and best of luck.
G
Thanks so much, @phctop3! Definitely try Settlers of Catan if it’s available! I’m so happy to hear from another person who loves TTR. Isn’t it addictive? You would like Settlers of Catan if you like that one. They both have a similar enticing blend of luck and strategy.
So the 50% thing for eligibility in the contest is something I do like 6 days from now, right? (Sorry I’m kind of a ditz about this stuff!)
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Those look like great games! The Settlers of Catan would be something I would really enjoy. I will look into it. Thank you for sharing!!
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Let me know what you think, @foxyspirit!
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Will do!
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Monopoly.. Risk.. and Life.. and Chess if you count that
I love all of those too. They are classics!
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Nice selection of games Jayna... it goes without saying that scrabble was a big part of my upbringing ;-)
Awww snap... I went and said it anyway lol
Let me express my exuberant exultation for your excellent expression of all things 'board game'
;-)
Ha ha, yes, most things that go without saying are subsequently said! Which is hilarious. Meet me in Bangkok and we will play some scrabble together!
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Careers! Do you remember that game. I still have it from a long long long time ago.
hi @jayna, passing by your blog to say hi, I liked this one!
Very interesting selection. I did not know the first 2 board games, and scrable it's awesome.
I like the board games which you can learn new things from. Scrable helps a lot with vocabulary.
I use to play RISK, dont know if you know it. But my #1 board game which is also considered a sport and art is definitely Chess.
Very soon we will start seen all these board games on top of Blockchain, imagine you can earn tokens while you are winning in Scrable for example.
I hope this message finds you in good spirits, take care of yourself.
So good to hear from you, @el-cr! Haven’t connected with you in way too long.
I have played RISK, but I can’t remember the last time. Chess is awesome. My kids and my husband play sometimes, but it’s just best if I don’t. Ha ha.
Tell me more about blockchain board games. That’s intriguing!
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Hey @jayna
We see that your awesome PHC Top 3 post has reached 7 days old. Please remember to confirm your entry into the contest by sending half of your payout (SBD) to the @phctop3 account as your minimum entry fee. But don’t forget that you can send us as much as you like for a chance to win a greater share of the prize pool. There is NO MAXIMUM! Also, don't forget to send us your post URL in the memo.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We would be more than happy to assist.
Thanks for entering and good luck.
The PHC Top 3 Team
Oh yes! Thank you so much for the reminder! Will do that shortly.
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You're welcome. 😁
Awesome! Thanks for sending over your entry fee, just letting you know that I've added you in with your nominations now!
Good luck and keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming dpoll between 16th - 18th where we put it to the public vote and let the Steem community decide their top 3 :)
G
Ooh, fun fun fun!!!
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