There are a lot of games that I enjoy playing with my family but I am going to stick to my top five. I will tell you a bit about them, then why I like them.

 

Firefly

For one, I LOVE the show. So much that my daughter’s first name is Serenity and it isn’t because she’s serene.

Firefly the game is pretty amazing. You pick a ship, hire a crew, and cross the universe completing jobs and getting paid. We have so much fun with this game that we don’t play until someone wins, we play until we get tired (like it’s past our bedtime) then we count up our winnings. It takes about two hours minimum. Our longest game to date was five hours with four players. I am pretty sure my mother-in-law won that one by puttering around the edges of the game.

 

Obsession

This is a newer one for us. You start as a down and out family trying to improve your prospects in Victorian England. This game is 16-20 turns where you host activities, build up your house, and compete for the catch of the marriage market.

This one is luck as much as skill and a better option on weeknights with a 30-90 minute play time.

If you like Downton Abbey and board games, this one is a must.

 

Forbidden Island

This one is a co-op game. As the game progresses different tiles “sink” cutting off access to parts of the island, so the players have to work together to collect all the treasures and escape the island. We love playing this one with the kids. Everyone has a blast, even when we don’t make it off the island.

 

Wyrmspan

Dragons… need I say more?

Okay, I will. This game is pretty cool. You are an amateur dracologist trying to entice dragons to come live in your sanctuary. Over the course of the game you build up your caves and earn more dragons and powers. This one is about 90 minutes and while it is 12+ kids as young as 8 can play with some help.

 

Exploding Kittens – and more

This quote from the BoardGameGeek site says it all: Exploding Kittens is a kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette. Players take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten and loses the game. The deck is made up of cards that let you avoid exploding by peeking at cards before you draw, forcing your opponent to draw multiple cards, or shuffling the deck.

The game gets more and more intense with each card you draw because fewer cards left in the deck means a greater chance of drawing the kitten and exploding in a fiery ball of feline hyperbole.

It is a game that anyone from 7-70 can play and have a blast. We have put that to the test!

 

What are your top five games? Leave a comment below!