Thanksgiving Weekend = Fun Board Games

As our Thanksgiving weekend draws to a close, we’re very thankful for the time we’ve had to spend together as a family and with extended family. We’re also happy to have played a number of fun board games together that we’ll look back on fondly for years to come.

Our relaxing times began on Wednesday the 27th. The kids were out of school for the holiday break, I was done with work at noon, and we were also celebrating Trevor’s birthday!

Before going out to dinner to celebrate that night, Trevor, Caleb, and I got in a few games of Dominion with a good friend. We also played a couple games of RoboRally with one of Trevor’s friends that afternoon.

We first played a standard game – where everyone works to navigate their robots through a few checkpoints. Then we played a War Zone level – where you work in teams trying to knock out the other team’s robots. It’s the first time we’ve played a setup in RoboRally without worrying about checkpoints. Both ways are a lot of fun – each with their unique strategy. Great afternoon.

On Thanksgiving day we spent the day at grandma’s house with extended family (uncles, aunts, cousins) for great food and lots of visiting. We also played a number of “Minute to Win It” challenge games that grandma had pulled together. From picking up nuts with chopsticks and placing them on popsicle sticks in our mouths to guessing the number of bells in boxes, we had a lot of fun. A marshmallow war also broke out in the kitchen after the marshmallow dish toss.

Telestrations is the Big Hit
That evening we played a couple gut-busting games of Telestrations that left us all in stitches. And mom declared Telestrations to be her new favorite party game! We haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. So great!

We’ve learned that the funnest games of Telestrations are those where there are lots of people (12 player party pack is the best) and it’s a mix of adults and kids. The more people in the mix inevitably means that more changes will take place along the way. And throwing kids in the mix that may not understand as many words or drawings creates hilarious results.

Telestrations was such a big hit, that dad’s brother and his wife hit a few stores the next day just to buy a copy of Telestrations for their family (yes, the Telestrations Party Pack).

We also got in a game of Tapple and Timeline to wind down the evening.

That night one of the cousins, Jake, came back to our house to stay the night and get in more board game time. And the boys weren’t disappointed at all – getting in games of Rattus, Smallworld, and Yinsh before crashing.

More Fun on Friday
On Friday our extended family got together again for official family photos and then wound up again at grandma’s house for the afternoon. While the ladies were busy with a baby shower, dad, Trevor, Jaden, Caleb, and cousin Jake (as seen in our Code 777 review) hit the basement for a long afternoon game of Battlestar Galactica!

The last time we played Battlestar Galactica was a year ago after Jake had returned from his service as a missionary and we’ve been anticipating another play ever since. Since it does take a couple/few hours to play, this weekend was the perfect time for it. And we had a blast!

Battlestar Galactica is a cooperative board game with a hidden traitor or two in the midst. And it’s funny that everyone secretly (and later expressly) wants to be the traitor (in the case of Battlestar Galactica, a Cylon). I have to admit that when I peaked at my loyalty card and saw “You are a Cylon”, I was very pleased. I held out for a very long time before revealing myself as a Cylon and Trevor revealed soon after. At that stage it was clear that Galactica was doomed. So fun!

After more coming and goings and visiting we introduced grandma to Roll Through the Ages and wrapped up the evening with The Resistance: Avalon.

Unfortunately, extended family had to head home on Saturday and dad got a bit sick, so it turned into a more kick-back day watching some great college football games. But still so nice just to be with family.

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend with your family as well.