Do you have enough board games?

Are your kids tired of playing the same board games and card games over and over?

When someone suggests playing Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, or UNO yet again, does everyone turn and run out the door screaming or cower in a corner mumbling strange things?

It’s not to say that you can’t have fun with your family playing these games, but if they’re the only games you have to choose from when someone wants to play a game, then we’d suggest you consider expanding your options.

A game for every situation

When someone asks us what our favorite board game or card game is we usually answer with “it depends.” It’s kind of like asking an economist a question – they’ll typically start with “it depends…” But it’s really true because there are so many factors to consider with board games. What games we like completely depend on the situation and mood we find ourselves in.

Because board games and card games are all about social interaction, the best board game really depends on the settings and players.

• How many players are there?
• How old are the players and what can they understand?
• How long of a game do we want to play?
• Do we just want a light game for fun, a deep strategy game, or a mental challenge?
• Do we want to just play one game, or multiple games, or one game multiple times in a row?

Once we’ve considered the situation and mood, then we can pull out a game that’s great for the situation and everyone can enjoy. And for that moment, it may just be our favorite game.

So do you have enough board games?

We don’t want that question to sound gluttonous – like we’re telling you to just buy, buy, and buy. But we do think it’s good to consider what types of situations the board games you have are good for.

A better question might be: Do you have access to a sufficient range of board games and card games that can be played when the opportunity to enjoy time together arises?

For instance, last week we had a number of friends over playing games. We had talked about a few games beforehand that would be fun to play. But when we had one more person come over than expected, we changed our plans and had a great time. Instead of a board game with limited number of players, we pulled out a few card games that play great with more people.

The same happens when we’re playing board games with the family. A couple weeks ago we bought a copy of RISK Star Wars: The Original Trilogy and were excited to play it. But that game really works best with 3 or 5 players because of the 3 different factions in the game. And we had a hard time rounding up the odd number of interested players those first few days. So instead we pulled out SmallWorld – a game that also has you vying for territories (in a different way from RISK) but has different boards depending on how many players you have. SmallWorld could fit exactly what we were in the mood for – some light, strategic combat around the table. And since it’s shorter than RISK, we even played a couple times.

Take a board game and card game inventory

As we’re approaching the gift giving holidays, now’s a great time to take a look at what family board games you have and figure out where you might have some gaps to plug.

If you’re a family of 6 like us, yet don’t have any games that allow for 6 players, then that’s a great place to start.

If your kids have hit a new stage of development, now might be a great time to branch into a new type of board game to try together.

Need help choosing?

And if you need help choosing a game, let us know and we’ll be glad to offer some board games and card games that might work great for your situation.

We’d also suggest you take a look at our list of Best Family Board Games and Best Family Card Games.

You can also look at our Find a Game tool that lets you sort our game reviews by different criteria – like age, players, time, and our average family ratings.

Or simply get out to your local board game store and have a blast exploring a huge assortment of games for your family.

Most importantly though is to just spend time with your family – so whatever you choose, have fun!