I know there's a boatload of fellow Hunger Games fans on this site, so I'll share something I just heard about this morning. There's apparently a Hunger Games board game out there, although from what I've read it doesn't take place in the arena at all, but rather is a sort of contest to achieve the highest rating for the Games and to build alliances. Or something. I'm not certain why one would go through the whole spiel of making a game based on the books and not go towards the combative portion since that's what the books are all about, but who knows? Just figured I'd share.

So thanks to the Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader game on Facebook, I've been really enjoying Trivia games again. I'm not very good at them at all, but they're fun to play. So I decided to go out and buy Trival Pursuit and I wanted the plain ol' boring classic edition. However, what I actually bought was a variant called "Bet You Know It"
http://www.amazon.com/Trivial-Pursuit-B ... B0036RKKM2
It is so bizarre compared to the regular board, and it involves betting with chips by you and your opponents on whether or not you get the answers right. If you accumulate enough chips, you can buy pie pieces that you can't seem to get the answer to.
This one is fun, but I sure would have liked the classic version better.

Never seen that version of the game before. Sounds like an interesting variation if you're a gambler.

Speaking of Trivial Pursuit, I played the Star Wars DVD version with my brother and his 2 kids (ages 10 and almost 13) during my visit last week. The DVD clues come into play when someone's playing for a wedge. It was great fun; my nephew (who is quite a fan) won, but just barely.

We also played Monopoly. Now there's a game that has lots of different variations. We played the Star Wars version (naturally ) and one called Dog-opoly. This latter one (unlike most adaptations I've played) has different cards and rules (not just different pictures or descriptions, but actually changing things like property costs and rents, and amounts due or received on the cards).

Monopoly is a game with a reputation for taking forever, but it happens that both times someone got the equivalent of the Park Place-Boardwalk monopoly early in the game (along with enough other scattered properties to hinder trades among the rest of us trying to secure our own monopolies), so the games weren't very long and went as you might expect.

Just throwing this out there: what's your strategy for winning monopoly?

Most of the time I try to get the dark blue (Park Place-Boardwalk) and yellow and/or red (don't remember those property names ) monopolies, but more recently I've been trying to change up my tactics

Just throwing this out there: what's your strategy for winning monopoly?

Not to play.

I'm sorry, I know it sounds callous of me, but I really cannot stand that game. If you ever find yourself in Walmart or Target and you happen by the toy section it's worth it to pick up a copy of Monopoly Deal. It's a Monopoly-themed card game that gets Traditional Monopoly's point across in a tiny fraction of the time it takes to play the former. And it costs all of $5.

And I know this bit of news is going to excite stargazer . Board game publisher Fantasy Flight Games is doing a reprint of Merchant of Venus. To get a functional set of the original anymore requires eBay and about $200 (at minimum) so this should end up being a fraction of that. Figured you'd like to hear the news, my friend. As soon as I saw it I thought of ya!

Just throwing this out there: what's your strategy for winning monopoly?

Not to play.

I'm sorry, I know it sounds callous of me, but I really cannot stand that game. If you ever find yourself in Walmart or Target and you happen by the toy section it's worth it to pick up a copy of Monopoly Deal. It's a Monopoly-themed card game that gets Traditional Monopoly's point across in a tiny fraction of the time it takes to play the former. And it costs all of $5.

Yeah I have some relatives who bring Monopoly Deal into town and play it once in a while, but in the times I've tried to play it, it didn't make much sense to me. I suppose I just rather play the original instead *shrugs*

Awwww! It seems a bit convoluted at first, I'll admit that. You just want to make sure and try to get 3 complete sets of properties. Of course all those goofy "Sly Deal" and "Dealbreaker" Cards can really make anyone's day go wrong . Just remember that you can only have a maximum of 7 cards in your hand at the end of each turn, and that you have only 3 actions per turn. And above all outlier, always, always, always make sure to put down any money you have into a pile as soon as you can. That's your insurance policy against the troublemakers you're playing against. And remember, if you don't have any cash on hand you can always turn those unused hotels, houses, and Sly Deal cards into cash themselves!

Here's my review of Monopoly Deal. Despite my dislike of basic Monopoly this is a really fun game and a great take on the original!

That's awesome news about Merchant of Venus, Shadowlander! Thanks! (I know several friends, among them Ryadian's father, will also be pleased).

Not to play.

I understand. Your reply reminds me of the end of the movie WarGames.

One possible answer to the Monopoly strategy question...

A statistically-minded friend has studied the Monopoly board and played a lot of games, and has concluded that the orange properties on the standard board (St James Place, Tennessee Avenue, and New York Avenue) are the best single monopoly on the board. This is due to the luck of the dice: they are all close to 7 squares past the Jail square, and 7 is the most likely roll on 2 dice. (And there are several ways players get sent to Jail, adding to the likelihood these properties will be landed on).

The monopolies on either side of these are also good.

Other notes: Boardwalk and Park Place are popular, but if other players have a monopoly you're less likely to win with them (they're only 2 spaces rather than 3). The smallest monopoly (Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues) usually is insufficient to win you the game alone. The railroads are a nice monopoly but offer no opportunity for growth.

shadowlander, thanks for the review. Now next time I'll actually be doing something other than collecting properties and throwing around random cards However, I still do like the original. Maybe deal is quicker, but suppose I still enjoy an outrageously long game of Monopoly (and normally, I am oddly good at making those shady deals ).

stargazer, interesting... I always figured that it would be safest to get monopolies on the properties with higher rent, but then again it is pretty easy to get in jail. I agree about the railroads though: they're nice in the beginning, but once all of the properties are bought, you don't profit as much anymore...

And I know this bit of news is going to excite stargazer . Board game publisher Fantasy Flight Games is doing a reprint of Merchant of Venus. To get a functional set of the original anymore requires eBay and about $200 (at minimum) so this should end up being a fraction of that. Figured you'd like to hear the news, my friend. As soon as I saw it I thought of ya!

Knowing Fantasy Flight Games, in the end you might have paid even more once they start churning out expansion after expansion Not even saying their regular games are on the cheaper side either

Knowing Fantasy Flight Games, in the end you might have paid even more once they start churning out expansion after expansion

Very true! By the same token though the base game should keep folks steady for a time. It seems like all the newer games have 10+ expansions each. We played our original Axis & Allies for years with nothing of the sort. Probably one of the best board game investments I ever made.

It just came to my attention that Stronghold Games now also claims to have acquired the valid license to reprint Merchant of Venus. Of course both companies are thinking they are the ones owning the valid license.
Where Fantasy Flight Games made a deal with Hasbro for the reprint, (now owner of the original publisher, apparently), whereas Stronghold games made a deal directly with the original designer of the game. Legal Battle ensues!

Also, Fantasy Flight has posted their box-art of the new Merchant of Venus, citing "2-4 players", meaning there will be an expansion for those 6 player battles of old.

1. What is your favorite board game? Clue
2. What piece do you prefer to play with in Monopoly? have no clue
3. Trivial Pursuit: Love it or hate it? na
4. What three boardgames would you take with you if you were deserted on an island? Clue Monopoly Battle ship
5. What color do you like to use? (pawn, token, armies, etc.) green
6. Who do you like to play as for Clue (or Cluedo)?Mustard
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!)?Fun
8. Chess or Checkers?Chess
9. Name a board game you've always wanted to play but never got around to: life
10. What board game do you play more than any other? Clue

Ryadian's parents hosted a good old-fashioned board game night last evening, and I thought of this thread. Games played included:

Merchant of Venus (we do have one good condition set that we use sparingly).
Settlers of Catan
Acquire - in which players build, buy stock in, and merge hotel chains
Munchkin - a card game that is a sort of spoof on role playing games
And Operation - the Star Wars version

A good time was had by all!

My boyfriend taught me how to play Cribbage and it's so much fun! It's both a card game and a board game. You play with cards but keep track of points on the board so I guess it counts as both.

My dad knew how to play and we had a board growing up. I can't believe I spent my entire growing up years never asking him to teach me how to play.