All the Games on Our Shelves

  We've had an extended time with extended family, involving four generations staying at our house, so obviously a lot of gaming has taken place.  We started with Mind the Gap , which some of us northern California folks REALLY like and thought would be a particularly appropriate game with which to start the family visit -- a generation-based trivia game.  Not everyone was as much of a fan, but that's OK, as we certainly have plenty of other games from which to choose!  Below is a picture of family members who were gathered together; the group ranges in age from 0 to 85. Next game is one that is a time-honored tradition in our family: Rook .  EVERYONE likes Rook ! Qwirkle is a favorite of Al and Jo, our Michigan guests, and do they ever know how to maximize their play!! Then a card game called Dutch that our middle son learned in Thailand, ironically enough. The next one, Skull King , is a favorite of David's.  This game is very similar to the games Up an...

  I've labeled this game as a "bonus" rather than adding it to our count since it belongs to our son Caleb and is therefore not a game on OUR shelves.  Caleb introduced us to this game last week Sunday, and we happily played it again this Sunday.  To be honest, when I first saw it I wasn't all that interested, and it looked to me like a really weird idea for a game.  But after playing it I found it to be one of the best resource-management games that I've come across in a long while.  (My brother loves the game too but is especially geeking out over the cool cards containing facts about birds, so I imagine any birders might be drawn to this game for that reason.)  The elements of the game, not only the playing pieces but also the rule book, are super high quality, and therefore nice to handle.  Below is a picture of the initial set-up with cards dealt and ready to go. Here's a closer look at the initial set-up: Here is a closer look at some of the...

I never give up on a game.  This one has been on my shelf (in 6 different houses now) for FORTY-TWO YEARS!  I bought it when I was in junior high.  I don't even know how I was able to afford it.  I must have saved every penny of my babysitting money for a very long time.  I was a fanatic about all things Tolkien, and so I had to have this game.  It has never been played.  It's gorgeous, and it's in nearly mint condition.  I simply didn't know any gamers when I was that age.  I was not able to figure it out on my own, and even if I had been, I would have had no one to play it with.  Despite all that, it was important enough to me to have this that I spent what was probably all the money I had on this game when I was a kid.  Someday I hope to play it, and despite the fact that I haven't done so yet, after 42 years there it certainly deserves to be counted as a game on my shelf!  Obviously it was the 1970s, and obviously ...

 This game, Walt Disney's Mary Poppins Carousel Game , has been on my shelf since I was 5 years old.  Today is my birthday, and during the dinner celebration I was asked about my memories of birthdays past.  As kids we didn't often have "friend birthdays;" normally it was immediate family or extended to aunts, uncles and cousins.  I do remember, though, that for my 5th birthday my mom hosted this big party including all the neighborhood kids.  A boy named Doug who lived across the street a few doors down gave me this game.  (This might be proof-positive that I NEVER get rid of games!)  I'm sure I haven't played this since my age was in the single digits!  But when I mentioned it over dinner, one of my boys said, "We should play that when we get home!"  And so, we did.  It just seemed especially appropriate tonight.  We each chose a character and got started.  It's basically a matter of rolling dice and moving ahead, but th...