Chutes and Ladders? What kind of rubbish title is that? We call it Snakes and Ladders. Also, it's Cluedo, not Clue. (And while we're at it, it's Where's Wally?, not Where's Waldo?).

I want to answer all of the questions now (actually, I really want to go play a board game now - forget about the questions. ) Anyway I have stuff I should get done before I take that much time. I just had to say something to this:

You know, one could feasibly create Narniaweb Monopoly....

That would be awesome. I love Monopoly. (Although we don't always play it by the correct rules ... ) I have the Narnia version. The Lord of the Rings version is great. It has special rules that allow for a shorter game. When the ring makes it all the way around the board, the game is over. Now I really want to play Monopoly.

@W4J I do have a travel game of Snakes and Ladders.

Oh my goodness SL, you have Masterpiece. We have my mom's copy from when she was a girl and we love it, but I've never seen it anywhere else.

I picked it up at a thrift store for a few dollars and it's mostly complete, but it is missing two portraits. Everything else is there...can one play with missing portraits? One is a Van Gogh and I can't remember what the other one is. Furthermore, is it fun?

SL: We really must have a game night sometime and we will have to play Scotland Yard and 221B Baker Street.

Count me in! Would that there was an easy way to do that over the net though

and I have a question, is your Othello game based off the play Othello?

To be honest I'm not really sure! Like many of the others though I got that one from a thrift store and it's missing two chips, rendering it largely unplayable. I wish I could find two replacements, it looks like a really fun game.

Like W4J I really enjoy playing Risk too, although it's been a very long time since it last hit my table. My brothers won't play it because it tends to get overlong for what it is. I've got 3 variants on Risk too; Castle Risk, LotR Risk, and Risk 2210. If I ever get to Australia or you ever get to the US, W4J, we should set up a Risk game night. Silver the Wanderer, you're invited.

Here's a funny Risk commercial

Chutes and Ladders? What kind of rubbish title is that? We call it Snakes and Ladders. Also, it's Cluedo, not Clue. (And while we're at it, it's Where's Wally?, not Where's Waldo?).

Not sure about Chutes & Ladder/Snakes and Ladders (which I think originated in India well over 100 years ago if I read correctly) but Cluedo/Clue is pretty interesting story. Apparently way back when the game was first marketed it began life in England and went by the name of Cluedo, which itself was some kind of pun on the board game Ludo (Latin for "I play"), which is what folks in the UK call Parchisi. I've read that at the time they taught Latin regularly to schoolers in the UK and everyone got the pun, although I'm not sure they regularly teach it anymore. Long story short they wanted to market it in the US but no one here got the pun because while we have Ludo we call it Parchisi, and so Cluedo as a name would have made little sense. So for the US release they renamed it Clue, which kept with the game's mystery theme and everyone was happy. The irony of Clue/Cluedo is that while it was patented by an Englishman in the UK it was published (if I read correctly someplace) in the US before it hit the UK. Weird, eh?

Chutes and Ladders? What kind of rubbish title is that? We call it Snakes and Ladders.

I do as well just because in the board we had it was snakes, and that was the first one I played... I don't know why the rest of my countrymen prefer chutes... snakes are cooler anyway

I've played both Chutes and Ladders and Snakes and Ladders. Essentially same game save for title and artwork.

Also some variations of well-known games I've played include Up-Words (3D version of Scrabble), Bible Trivia (don't mess with me on this game. I'm a walking Concordance) and even Bible-opoly.

One of my favorite board games that I don't get to play often is Cranium. I'm suprised no-one's mentioned this one yet. You get some pretty intense and weird stuff in there that sometimes nobody has a clue about what you are trying to do.

One thing I don't like about Trivia and general knowledge games is that the games get very dates very fast. You have to know the year of the release of the game to you know what kind of trivia is in there.

SnowAngel!! You know there's at least two Tom Clancy board games, right? The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising.

No I did not. They look kind of cool.

I've seen copies of Sequence at the thrift store. If it's as good as you say I might finally give in and pick it up. Not familiar with Domination, but Ten Days in Europe appears to be a really popular game as well. Did you know there's a Ten Days in Asia, Africa, and US too?

We got Sequence at a local farm store back in 2000. It's another game we sometime take on trips. We play Sequence a lot, especially when grandparents visit. It easy to teach the younger kids and a lots of fun for everyone. When I was younger I would be so busy talking I would forgot to draw, but somehow I still managed to win.

Domination is really fun. We found ours at a True Value in Kansas, I think Mom paid $15 for it. We'll probably play it on my birthday, since it's one of my favorites.

Mom originally got Ten Days in Europe for the younger kids to help with geography. But all of us enjoy playing it. We've been looking for Ten Days in the USA, but haven't found it for a good price yet.

SnowAngel

1. What is your favorite board game? Probably...risk. THough we hardly ever finish a game.
2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly? I don't really play monopoly, but I pick girly pieces on those rare occasions, you know like the iron. I'm a girly-girl sometimes, what can I say?
3. Trivial Pursuit: Love it or hate it? Never played it, think it might be fun.
4. What three boardgames would you take with you if you were deserted on an island? Urm...Risk. Monopoly. You'd have plenty of time then....
5. What color do you like to use? (pawn, token, armies, etc.) Red.
6. Who do you like to play as for Clue (or Cluedo)? Scarlet, the young pretty one. Lol.
7. Given the choice would you rather play a game that exercises your brain (like Chess, Mahjong, or Go) or is more simple fun or has storytelling elements (like Life, Battleship, or Sorry!)? Generally the more fun, story ones...especially if I'm tired...
8. Chess or Checkers? Chess. It has so many different pieces that it's always interesting.
9. Name a board game you've always wanted to play but never got around to: What is that called...oh, Scene It! I haven't seen enough movies to play it, but if they made one for Narnia, LotR or Star Wars, say, then I'd have a blast! I did play something like that for Andy Griffith, which as fun.
10. What board game do you play more than any other? Uh...chess? I don't know...I like board games but we kinda go in spurts in my family: play, play, play or let the boxes gather dust on a shelf for three months. And it depends on what we're playing then.

1. What is your favorite board game?
From my childhood it was I think it was either Chutes and Ladders or Candyland... now it's probably Monopoly.... no take that back. Taboo!
2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly?
We actually only had the "Here and Now" edition so I was the plane, but when I went to friends houses with the classic board I was the money sack
3. Trivial Pursuit: Love it or hate it?
Never played it. but I like trivia stuff, so I'd guess I would like it?
4. What three boardgames would you take with you if you were deserted on an island?
welllllll, I guess it would depend on how long i would be stuck there... if it were a big group I'd take Apples to Apples, Taboo, and Monopoly cuz those can go for a long time (speaking of which, what is the "real" way to finish a game of Monopoly??? whenever I've played people just get bored and let the person with the most total money win).... and if all else fails, a deck of cards
5. What color pawn do you like to use? I always try to get blue, but normally end up with yellow or green
6. Who do you like to play as for Clue (or Cluedo)? Mrs. Peacock... or Professor Plum
7. Given the choice would you rather play a game that exercises your brain (like Chess, Mahjong, or Go) or is more simple fun or has storytelling elements (like Life, Battleship, or Sorry!)?
Ummmmm both??? It depends on how much time I have
8. Chess or Checkers? Checkers because I actually understand it... It's kinda funny when I play chess though cuz I can never seem to remember how to play and just wing it (and loose ) every time
9. Name a board game you've always wanted to play but never got around to: Mousetrap (actually I've just always wanted to set up the board and see it in action) and "the Grape Escape" (because play-doh was banned from our house)
10. What board game do you play more than any other? Taboo

Fun topic!

Growing up, we played a game called Easy Money, which was a Milton Bradley game very similar to Monopoly. I actually never played Monopoly until I was much older. (My usual piece in the standard game is the car). Just this weekend I played Monopoly iwth my little niece and nephew (the Star Wars edition).

For some reason I played more board games in college and the following years than as a kid. Go figure.

Risk was an exception to that; my older brother had one of the early sets that came with wooden (rather than plastic) pieces for the armies.

We played an Avalon Hill game called Merchant of Venus so much that we completely wore out two different sets. It's a trading game focusing on buying and selling goods and establishing trade routes between different planets. The planets were randomly placed so the trade routes were different each time.

Clue/Cluedo, Sequence, 221B Baker Street, and others were among our staples as well. And I believe Ryadian's father may still have a copy of Masterpiece somewhere.

Chess or checkers? Depends on my mood. Checkers is much more relaxing. Same goes for which kind of game I play, in general (simple or complex).

The last few years I've been introduced to a lot of young children's games (like Sorry!, Chutes and Ladders, Mousetrap, etc) thanks to nieces, nephews, and little kids of friends.

Well, let's see. I don't get the chance to play board games very often any more, but I do love to play them. Let me rack my brain a bit:

1. What is your favorite board game?
Probably CLUE. I'm the master of it.

2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly?
I usually change it up, but mostly the car (I like to "drive" around
the board )

3. Trivial Pursuit: Love it or hate it?
Just like it.

4. What three boardgames would you take with you if you were deserted on an island?
Hmm, that's a toughy. Let's see... probably Monopoly, Sorry, and
Scrabble.

5. What color do you like to use? (pawn, token, armies, etc.)
Blue or green.

6. Who do you like to play as for Clue (or Cluedo)?
Mrs. Peacock (again, it's a blue piece).

7. Given the choice would you rather play a game that exercises your brain (like Chess, Mahjong, or Go) or is more simple fun or has storytelling elements (like Life, Battleship, or Sorry!)?
If I find the game to be fun and worthwhile, I don't really care.
Although, I tend to get a headache if I play Scrabble too long

8. Chess or Checkers?
Either or.

9. Name a board game you've always wanted to play but never got around to:
Oh gosh. Well, I think I'd have to get back to you on this one.

10. What board game do you play more than any other?
CLUE is a big one, but lately, when I have the time, I have really
been getting into Scrabble.

Over the weekend my folks and brothers were going through one of the storage sheds in the back of their property and came across several of my old boardgames, including one I thought I'd never see again. It's called Civilization: The Board Game and is based on the PC game of the same name. And look at this bad boy! Sporting over 600+ plastic miniatures and a game board that dwarfs almost everything else I own this thing is an absolute monster!

It's too big for my game table, even! Only my dining room table will support it...now if I can just find people who want to play it with me...any takers?

Also found by my family were two older copies of Trivial Pursuit; TP 20th Anniversary Edition (with a nifty card dispenser in it) and TP: Genus IV. Any takers for a game?

We played an Avalon Hill game called Merchant of Venus so much that we completely wore out two different sets. It's a trading game focusing on buying and selling goods and establishing trade routes between different planets. The planets were randomly placed so the trade routes were different each time.

Merchant of Venus is one I have been looking for. It's still quite popular in board gaming circles but can be prohibitively priced since they don't make it anymore. And the theme just sounds so very cool!

It's been out of print for so long folks are making their own custom copies, apparently, and upgrading the graphics in the process...

The "re"-designer/"re"-printer says he's using Monopoly money as a temporary substitute for galactic credits. Would that I had the skill to do this kind of thing...

Thanks for those Merchant images, Shadowlander! Makes me want to play it right now. Incidentally, I think you'd enjoy that game.

I have several long-time friends who like to play what we colloquially call 'wargames.' (Ryadian's father is one of them - and he's big into Civilization).

Years ago they played a Napoleonic-era game called Empires in Arms that took hours and hours to play, often spread out over weeks or even months of occasional sessions. One participant constructed a massive game board (stored in his garage) that preserved the location of the dozens of little markers between sessions; that saved the trouble of recording all the postions and recreating them each time they got together. But while I'm vaguely familiar with the game, I've not actually played it.

1. What is your favorite board game? Oh, wow. I'm not sure I even remember. It's been so long since I've played. Maybe Monopoly? Apples to Apples is my favorite game, but it's not a board game. At least, it doesn't have a board.

2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly? I think I always played the dog. I might choose something different now. Maybe the wheelbarrow. That one sounds interesting.

3. Trivial Pursuit: Love it or hate it? I've always wanted to play it! (The people I know don't much like board games. )

4. What three boardgames would you take with you if you were deserted on an island? Monopoly. Scrabble. And Sorry. I've only played about 4 total games in my life, sadly. The other one is Aggravation, and that one is too... Aggravating.

5. What color do you like to use? In which game? All? Yellow I guess. Unless one of the other colors happens to be a really pretty shade or something. XD

6. Who do you like to play as for Clue (or Cluedo)? Oh, I think I played that game once. I probably played as one of the girls. Now I'd probably be Professor Plumb or something.

7. Given the choice would you rather play a game that exercises your brain (like Chess, Mahjong, or Go) or is more simple fun or has storytelling elements (like Life, Battleship, or Sorry!)? I like thinking games more. I've played Chess and Mahjong on the computer before.

8. Chess or Checkers? I've never played checkers. I played chess by myself on the computer.

9. Name a board game you've always wanted to play but never got around to: Most of them. XD Trivial Pursuit comes to mind.

10. What board game do you play more than any other? About the only game we ever play is Apples to Apples. It doesn't have a board, so I don't know if it counts. And I only play it when I'm at a friend's house or something. Yeah. When I'm older and have my own house, I'm gonna get some board games.

~Riella

I just had a game evening with my friends. We played LotR monopoly.

2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly?
Well, once I heard from my mom that she used to play the iron so she could hide it under houses, I thought that was a nice one. I also like the roadster. Tonight I was Galadriel. When I play Narnia monopoly, I'm Lucy's Cordial.

5. What color pawn do you like to use?
purple, pink, blue, or yellow

Monopoly. Scrabble. And Sorry. I've only played about 4 total games in my life, sadly. The other one is Aggravation, and that one is too... Aggravating.

Oh my...this hurts me just to hear. If it's a matter of not wanting to spend an arm and a leg, my recommendation is for you to go hit a local thrift store. More often than not Goodwill has some decent games in stock (and typically at least a dozen copies of Trivial Pursuit at any one time ), but you can find other games there like Parcheesi, Battleship, Life, Yahtzee, and Stratego. And all for less than a dollar. I get the idea that you'd really get a kick out of Clue!

I also like the roadster.

One of the reasons I dislike Monopoly so much stems from my youth when I (and every other kid at the table) wanted to play with the car. But only the most popular kids ever got it, so I usually just use the top hat since no one else will pick it up.

I'm going to use the opportunity of this thread to suggest board games for folks that might be looking for something fresh, new, and most importantly fun. For starters I'll talk very briefly about a wonderful board game called Ticket to Ride, which a few NWebbers have played and will likely back me up on as being a very fun and intuitive game.

Ticket to Ride (or TtR) pits players against one another as they try to complete train tickets from one US or Canadian city to another. Each ticket has a point value assigned to it, and the further away two cities are the more points the ticket grants if it is completed. Players use each turn trying to fill in routes between cities and collecting colored cards, which are used to claim those routes. At the beginning the game goes easy as the board is empty, however by the game's end the board is full and train routes are at a real premium and hotly contested!

TtR set up and in play. There are a few Route Tickets at the bottom which award points to a player once they're completed. On the far left are the cards players use to complete routes...note each card is different in color and you need a set number of them to complete a route. On the outside edge of the gameboard is the scoring track, which players use to keep track of who is winning.

Since the routes between cities are color coded and require differing numbers of trains (Boston to New York only requires two same colored cards, Miami to New Orleans requires 6) players will spend a great deal of time gathering up the right amount of colored cards. For instance, in the pic above, it requires 6 Red Train cards to complete the route between Miami and New Orleans, or 3 cards of any color to fill in the track from Vancouver to Calgary. In this fashion players attempt to make a "chain" of city to city connections to complete their routes. By the game's end it achieves an almost feverish rate as players attempt to gobble up the last remaining routes and thus complete their tickets. Any uncompleted tickets result in lost points for its owner, so finishing them is of the utmost importance! A typical game of TtR lasts anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, if there are lots of people playing. The game is remarkably easy to learn and addictive to play.

I have yet to meet a single person who doesn't love this game once they've played it. There's also newer versions of the game; TtR: Europe, TtR Marklin, and TtR: The Nordic Countries (which I'm told is wonderful for 2 player games). If you see a copy for a good price, I heartily recommend picking it up!