Group Games

When you hang out with other guys, naturally you blow each other up in a round of Halo, Star Wars: Battlefront, or the like. Right? But what do you do when you have women in the mix that don't play, or rather, "can't play," aka, suckage, get pwned, at video games? Don't worry, we can handle the situation! The solution? Classic, or as in this article, new group games!

Do you enjoy the game Risk, yet realize that game takes way too long to play? Do you enjoy Scrabble, but other people can't spell? Battleship or Guess Who, but more than one other players are present? I've come to enjoy several group games that happen with friends. Really, when you're married, you hang out with other people who are married too, so you need games for that. I'll be going over three and only three: Apples to Apples, In A Pickle, and Pit.

Apples To Apples

Ah yes. This little game I learned how to play about a year ago. I never heard of it then, but it's gaining in popularity these days. This is a game of words, with several variations, but I'll just go over the basic game. Each player gets 7 cards, which are all english NOUNS. Every card has a little description of it or fun remark. One person sits out each turn and becomes the judge. This entails the drawing of a green card, a DESCRIPTIVE word. This card has a list of synonyms for that word also. (See picture to the left) All of the other players lay down one of their cards they think the judge will pick. Maybe the judge will pick it because it's funny, true, or appealing to them, which has nothing to do with logic. It's a fun group game and I enjoy it a lot. I don't ever win these days, but that's what you get when you play with females. Who can understand them? All my humor is lost if Kung Pow isn't funny. You play to a set number of cards. Laughs abound for some comedic moments. There is also a juniors version for kids. This is for high school and up I'd say.

In A Pickle

Another card game (In fact, all three of these

games are card games!) dealing with english words. Foreign people will struggle with these games, this one more. There IS a difference between in and on. This is a game of nouns. Each person gets five cards in their hand. There are four cards laid out like a compass (North, south, east, west or your up, down, left, right...) and that is how you begin. You take turns, going left, like every card game in existence. What you try to do is put the noun already down "in" the card you place on top of it. EXAMPLE: Turkey is the card laid down. You put a card that says Mall on top of it. A Turkey in a Mall. You could get creative, say , a Turkey in a purse, and argue for pieces of turkey in a purse. You can also go the opposite way and stick the card under the last of the stack. Say, a Bone in a Turkey. You can interrpret the words as you pretty much like, encouraging creativity. When four cards are laid as a stack, "A Pickle" begins. Everyone gets a chance to top yours or the others card with something bigger. The winner of that pickle wins the set. You play to win a predetermined amount of sets. Simple, but fun. This game WANTS you to argue with people and makes them not just make stuff up. Logic vs Wierdos! This game was only $8 or $10.

Pit

What a wierd game this is. Clearly, this was made to encourage you to become a stock broker or something like that. You have to have like 6 people or more? I don't know. You each get 9 cards and your goal is to collect a set of 9 of the same items, or "corner the market." So once the dealer starts the game, you trade with each other until someone gets a set. You can only trade up to four cards at a time. Each set is assigned a certain amount of value, from 50 to 100 points. Some versions of the game have oil, gold, gas, silver and such. There is a 'Bull' card that can be a wild card and a 'Bear' card that is worth negative 20 points or something like that. I think I have the most fun with this game when I hold my cards and don't trade, killing the purpose of the game. You play to a set amount of points, say 500. That reminds me of 500 Rummy (what a good plain ol card game.)

I recommend In a Pickle and Apples to Apples for sure. You should try these games, maybe even buy them.