We are addicted to vintage games. We love the dice, the game pieces, the spinners, the boards--pretty much any part of a game that can be put into a bowl, used as jewelry, or propped up in a bookcase. But sometimes, instead of hinting at how wonderful its parts would be as decor, a game just begs to be played.
We both come from game-playing families. My childhood was spent in a rotation of Uno, Monopoly, Clue, Rummy, Life, and Checkers (both traditional and Chinese). I was an occasional player of Careers and Girl Talk (oh, those pimples!), an undefeated beast at the Sweet Valley High board game and Scrabble, and spent many nights with my grandparents learning the subtleties of Oh Heck (or variations on that name) and poker (which I then taught to my friends at school, much to the consternation of a particular administrator who shall remain nameless). My partner in crime grew up on a diet of Phase 10 and Payday, along with the other games listed above (we had very similar childhoods in some respects). And so, we have an enormous collection of board games. When we have time, we like to have a good, old-fashioned Game Night.
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| I suggest that it was the Blackbird girls, in the kitchen, having Game Night! |
Game Night means no television. We clean off the kitchen table, each select a few games from the stack, gather a ridiculous amount of snack foods (often involving cheese) and cold Cheerwine, and play each game once until we've made it through the stack. We eat. We get silly. If we like a game, we keep it. If not, we put it up for sale and hope that it finds a more deserving home. Our most recent Game Night was a mixture of duds and gems, with the real highlight being a 1960s Barbie, Queen of the Prom board game that I found (complete!) at a thrift store. The box has seen better days, but the board is fabulous. After a hard battle, my compatriot earned the title of Prom Queen (I was Prom Princess, which is almost as good!). I demand a rematch. [It just proves that the wrong boyfriend really can keep you down.]
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| Get the boy, get the dress, get the crown! |
We also played a round of Sorry! (another thrift store find). That one wasn't our favorite, but the box is so classic that it's hard to part with. Alas...you can't keep them all.
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| Not so fun... |
Scavenger Hunt is a board game that involves going to houses to find items on your list (while avoiding dogs and angry neighbors). We just knew that this game was for us--a board game for junk-loving people. But, with 12 years of college between us, we eventually concluded that the game makes very little sense. It just has too many flaws. I think the rule-writers might have been hungover that day at Milton Bradley. That game--not a keeper.
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| You get to find things in other people's attics! |
The Magnificent Race is a 1975 spin on Around the World in 80 Days. You have to travel by various methods (boat, hot air balloon, etc.) to make it around the world before the villain, Dastardly Dan. Beware! Dastardly Dan is automatically entered in every race, and with an advantage over you. This one was fun, but took a long time to get through. We might try it again when we haven't already been at it for 4 hours....The graphics are fun, though.
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| You have to beat Dastardly Dan! |
Now we just have to find this one, The Great Wall Street Board Game, just because it looks so cool:
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| I must have this board! |
