It’s clear that board games are not as common for entertainment as they use to be. For some, it’s difficult for board games to grip their attention over the newest PS4 game. Now don’t get me wrong, I love an afternoon playing final fantasy as much as the next nerd but my nerd card would be revoked if I couldn’t get down on some Settlers of Catan. With so much of our time being spent with our eyes glued on screens of various sizes- phone, tablet laptop and TV, it’s refreshing to be able to engage in playing a game face-to-face. Nowadays there are all kinds board games that everyone can enjoy. Gone are the days Shoots and Ladders and Monopoly being your only tabletop option. To give you an idea, here is an epic list of board games that appeal more to an adult audience. 

Board Games

Telestrations-  A mix between telephone and pictionary, players are given a flip book and a card with words or phrases on it. You choose one of the words, then draw under a short time limit and pass. Players then rotate between guessing the drawing and then drawing that guess until the book reaches its original owner. If you’re looking for a fun simple game that people will understand in seconds and that gives an opportunity to draw goofy pictures and LOL, then Telestrations is your game.

Intervention- is a party game that highlights everyone’s worst habits. Each round, a card reader reads off a question card and everyone anonymously votes for the person who best fits the ridiculous description. Then everyone attempts to guess how many votes they received during that round. Each round is hilarious, inappropriate and all around absurd.

Wits & Wagers- is a trivia game where you don’t really have to know trivia to take the win. Each player writes a guess to a question like:  “In what year did the bikini swimsuit makes its first appearance?” or “ How many cups of coffee does the average American drink in a year?” and places it on the betting table. Think you know the answer Smartypants? Bet on your guess. Think you know who knows the answer to the question? Bet on their guess. Simply enough the game plays out by each person making their best guess to answer a question, then everyone bidding chips on which answer they think is the closest to being right. If you need a game to convince your family and friends to stop playing old trivia, add Wits & Wagers to your collection.

Liar’s Dice– this game was featured in Pirates of the Caribbean and How To Train Your Dragon and even the videogame Red Dead Redemption. There are even several popular drinking games centered around Liar’s Dice. The game is simple, each player is given five dice and a cup to roll and hide them with. Players begin bidding and going up in value like in poker. Players go back and forth e.g. “there are ten sixes”. However, someone can always contest the bid. When that happens, all the dice are revealed and either the bidder or the caller loses dice depending on who was correct. The bluffs and strategic play are similar to poker—I’ve even seen some scary-looking math equations that show the probability of certain values happening. The last player with dice is the winner.

Cards Against Humanity- The most popular one right now is Cards Against Humanity. The creator’s of the game describe it as a “game for horrible people” and out of all the games I’ll mention, it’s probably the most inappropriate. The instructions state that “the person who pooped last” is the one to judge first. Basically a much-dirtier version of “Apples to Apples” the judge turns over a subject/sentence card and the others play the card from their hand that they think is the funniest/best answer. The cards are hilariously inappropriate and things can get really weird, really quickly.

Board games have really exploded over time! There are so many different games, some that are tactical and test your intelligence and some are just simple fun. Either way board games have the advantage of bringing people together and there isn’t a better time to add a new board game to your collection than now. So get your friends, toss some dice, flip some cards and move some pieces.

***Bookmans is your stores to explore. If you are interested in an item mentioned here, give your local Bookmans a call and a staff member will be happy to check our shelves. What are some of your fave games? Tell us in the comments below!