Easter Monday was a bank holiday so the topic is a day late
I am also reasonably sure you all understand enough German to translate the title.
So I am not sure if we’ve had this one in any iteration. I was going to write “best dumb games” but decided on the other term I have heard. It sounds a bit nicer… and if we have it maybe we can do with a refreshed list of new games joining the ranks of silliness.
First a definition? Or an attempt?
What type of game am I talking about?
rules light
anyone can play
not much thinking required during the game–in fact too much thinking is bad
high level of silliness is preferred
So with that said: what are some favorites you put on the table when you want to play games and the aim is to have lots of laughter and shouting?
I’ve played Kakerlakenpoker (Cockroach Poker) which feels as if it ought to be in this category but needed more thinking than I expected.
I know someone who is reliably worse than random at 6 Nimmt. But that does remind me of Push, a very basic push your luck game which would definitely fit in here.
For me, Bier & Bretzel is something that you can play while consuming said Bier & Bretzel.
Hot Streak is the most obvious one for me, followed by:
Liar’s Dice
Puerto Banana
Can’t Stop
Push It! and PitchCar - best flicking games ever!
On the higher end:
History of the World - imagine Small World but historical. The thinky bit is when you draw a card from the top of the deck, then you decide if you want to take this civilisation or pass it onwards. But most of the time, the joy of this game is to roll dice as your civilisation expands and everyone reacts at the outcome.
Mysterium (except for the ghost player, who is often myself) - a bit more engagement required but the table can sit easy and have a grand time deducing the ghost’s clues.
Tales of the Arabian Nights - my character beat up a beggar and got ensorcelled. For years, he travelled from Ethiopia through the Middle East and onto China. From what I heard, he was still wondering bewitched somewhere in China to this very day.
For me this involves games that have zero “mental load”. A few simple decisions, no big player boards to get in the way of your food.
Definitely Hot Streak, everyone play Hot Streak. Choose two pieces of cardboard as bets, then sit back and drink/eat/yell. Flip 7 is extremely good in the pub, and only needs a yes/no Diamant, also only needs a yes/no Skull, the one with beer mats Cash n Guns, you will have to occasionally put down your beer to point a foam gun at people Courtisans, to an extent (put your 3 cards down each round, that’s it) Spots might be good (choose 1 of 6 cards, roll some dice)
Crossing works here. Place a bunch of gemstones on some mushrooms then at the count of 3, everyone points at a mushroom. If you are the only person pointing at one, you get the gemstones, if two or more are pointing at one, they get nothing. Add more gemstones to all the mushrooms and go again.
You can also point at another player’s stash to steal what they have taken. Or you can cover the stones in your stash to permanently bank them, but you sit out of the next round. Game ends when all the gemstones are collected, and you get points for sets of colors, and extra points for the clear stones. Silly game.
My favorite “beer & pretzel” game is to drink a beer while eating a pretzel. It has both solo and multiplayer options available – but NOT co-op.
My definition is probably a bit more stale than others’ because I haven’t actually had opportunity to do a B&P game night in years. I may soon, as part of a work trip, and so this subject has sort of been on my mind.
First thoughts:
Men at Work – A wonderful dexterity game with enough rules to be interesting but not to the detriment of having fun.
Celestia – I’ve never actually played Diamante (I own Incan Gold), but Celestia is my choice for Diamante-alternative. Unfortunately, having a hand of cards precludes it from strict beer & pretzel territory
Codenames – not really any components to hold and you can teach anyone to play in a few minutes, I think. Best yet, people can drop in and out as long as you maintain enough players
There are others as well, but nothing concretely tested in actual play around my table. Maybe Cash n Guns, KIng of Tokyo, Crokinole, Klask, ICECOOL, Coconuts, Tokaido, Kabuto Sumo, New York Slice, Welcome to the Dungeon
A lot of dexterity games in there, but I feel like those are the obvious ones.
