Games We Love

Robert and I LOVE playing games.  It's a great way to interact with each other without watching TV.  My family has always been big into games.  Each year "Santa" brings us a new family game.  It's a great tradition that Robert and I are already continuing.  So here's a list of some of our favorite games:

1. Phase 10 - A great standby.  I first learned how to play this game one summer in high school with Tarah.  Personally, I'm not a fan of playing it with more than 3 or 4 people though.  When it gets to be much more than that the game just seems to last forever.
2. Skip Bo- My family bought this game one time when we were visiting my great-grandmother Sweetie.  It moves pretty quickly, so you have time to play multiple rounds in case you're one of those people who feels the need to keep playing until you win. 
3. Quiddler - This is a newer addition to the family.  Santa brought it to our home for Christmas in 2012.  It seems to be a lesser known game, but so far everyone we have taught to play it has really liked it and caught on quickly.
4. Settlers of Catan  - I learned how to play this one in college.  I don't know why, but I always feel self-conscious playing strategy games at first.  With games that have quite an element of luck (Life, Yahtzee, etc.) you don't feel as vulnerable, but with a game like Settlers, I'm always afraid that seasoned players are critiquing my moves in their mind.  Regardless, after playing the game time and time again I really do like it.
5. Ticket to Ride - I played this game for the first time when Robert and I started dating.  It was visitation night in the dorms.  I went to Robert's room, and we ended up playing Ticket to Ride with his roommate Josh.  Since then, the three of us have also gotten Ticket to Ride on our iPhones and enjoy playing each other virtually.
6. Hand and Foot (Amazon doesn't have a link to the game if that shows you how unheard of this game truly is) - I was introduced to this one when I first met Robert's family.  To date, I haven't met anyone else that has ever heard of it.  It takes quite awhile as there are four rounds, but Robert and I like to play one round a night.  The game takes four nights that way.
7. Anomia - This was Santa's gift to Robert and me this year.  We really like it a lot.  The main downfall to it would be the fact that you have to have at least three people to play it, so the two of us can't play it on our own.  It's a word game.  I pretty much always love a good word game.
8. Monopoly Deal - Robert and Josh introduced me to this one as well.  I have fond memories of playing this game with Josh and Robert when I first met them.  Robert and I spent about two hours playing it in the dorm office one Saturday when he had to work all day.  We weren't dating yet so I'm sure I let him win.  I big positive about this game is that it's infinitely faster than the traditional Monopoly board game.

So what are your favorite games?