Tell that to the Israelis and Palestinians who play Scrabble every weekend in Tel Aviv.

I have banned myself from Scrabble. I am a sore loser in general, but nothing gets my goat more than being so far behind that I can't possibly win, but the winner wants to keep playing. I'm often staring at something like XYJEEEI.

That point happens to be when the board moves, catastrophically, on its own. Weird.

Man, I love Scrabble - but the trash-talking is half the fun! All the "dammit you stole my word!!!" and purposeful boasting that surely, yeah, "EZ" is a word! while unable to keep from laughing at the very end of the game when there's no space left... yeah, I love Scrabble.

Never did like "Monopoly" though, because similar to real life Monopoly the game is pretty well decided early on but it takes FOREVER to actually finish off the losers.

Ahhh_Ennui: I'm often staring at something like XYJEEEI.

That point happens to be when the board moves, catastrophically, on its own. Weird.

Well, you could be looking at
EEEEEEE (you tube, link pops) and a nuclear war goes off...

/quit shaking yer eyes! You're always shaking yer eyes!!

My parents stopped playing Trivial Pursuit with me when I was about 12. I have a knack for remembering useless information. Well, it's useless until I play Trivial Pursuit. I haven't lost at that game in 20 years, yet I still make less than $50K. Go figure.

Guess I'm not TOO smart, am I?

Cheer up emo kid. The only rule we have around here is "no thinking and drinking" -- meaning, if we're going to be drinking, only games of chance and luck are allowed.

Sounds like a typical board game play at my house.

ecmoRandomNumbers: My parents stopped playing Trivial Pursuit with me when I was about 12. I have a knack for remembering useless information. Well, it's useless until I play Trivial Pursuit. I haven't lost at that game in 20 years, yet I still make less than $50K. Go figure.

Guess I'm not TOO smart, am I?

Ha, that's me in a nutshell!

Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

My friends and I play risk. Actually, we play several versions of it. And we end up playing it like diplomacy, so backstabbing and general asshaterry are common.

nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

It took us two farking hours to read the directions to that damn game, only to get through the first turn and everyone go "screw it"

nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

We had the most fights playing Diplomacy and Monopoly. Diplomacy was a game where you had to stab someone in the back to win. We played both for hours.

/shouldn't there have been a Nanny State reference in the post?

Kommunaut: My friends and I play risk. Actually, we play several versions of it. And we end up playing it like diplomacy, so backstabbing and general asshaterry are common.

Diplomacy is a fantastic game. I think Axis and Allies is far superior to Risk, so if you don't have it, pick it up.

"How do those Parker Brothers sleep at night?"

/QIJIBO

"They rip out its heart in a seething cauldron of rage"

Exactly. Because if that didn't happen, no one would have an excuse to kiss and make up.

Author is probably a kwyjibo .

nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....



FTFY

itazurakko: Man, I love Scrabble - but the trash-talking is half the fun! All the "dammit you stole my word!!!" and purposeful boasting that surely, yeah, "EZ" is a word! while unable to keep from laughing at the very end of the game when there's no space left... yeah, I love Scrabble.

Never did like "Monopoly" though, because similar to real life Monopoly the game is pretty well decided early on but it takes FOREVER to actually finish off the losers.

My family is a devil-worshiping cult. or seems like it in their lust to constantly play that game.

1) it takes too long
2) getting monopolies is a biatch, since no one wants to trade...ever.
3) eventually they get bored and randomly trade monopolies to get one side of a board.
4) and entire side can bankrupt you, and who ever gets the properties before go, or who ever goes last after monopoly trading is over wins, because they don't need to mortgage anything.

my niece got Settlers of Catan for Christmas. I thought that was a pretty good game.

Ah Scrabble. My mom was a teacher/librarian, needless to say she always cleaned our clock. I taught me to just enjoy playing, and to not bother trying to win. I usually try to play the word "EFT"* at some point, occasionally I get to relish somebody challenging it and losing their turn.

* the larval stage of a salamander or newt

nuclear_asshat:
Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like [Axis & Allies].....

Fortunately, everyone else gets bored by day 2 or so, leaving the backstabbers to stab each other.

I always hated monopoly and I used to quit after a short while. who would have guessed I'd turn out to be such a loser.

isn't this the same guy that said people were idiots for worrying about financial privacy, and published his bank details in a column to show he was right...and then got scammed for 500 pounds the next day?

Ah yes, wikipedia shows he's just a plain old douche douche as well(new window)

nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

I retract my previous insinuation that I hate monopoly the most. Thanks to you, my repressed memories came back. I'm giving you my therapist bill.

I fear a game of Monopoly at my house. My wife's friend has a habit of offering up worthless trades and taking over 15 minutes haggling when she has the dice (I'll give you Baltic and my get out of jail free card for you're Park Place and Indiana. What do you mean it's not fair? You're just being stupid!) Makes me want to stab someone.

KWYJIBO and EMBIGGEN should be allowed, they are perfectly cromulent words.

For us it was either Sorry! or Milles Bornes. Each would nearly lead to violence when sent back to the start or hit again with another farking "stop" card.

Monopoly and RISK have destroyed more families than any war ever has.

Don't forget JOZXYQK.

Doublek111: We had the most fights playing Diplomacy and Monopoly. Diplomacy was a game where you had to stab someone in the back to win. We played both for hours.

/shouldn't there have been a Nanny State reference in the post?

Too obvious if you want to start a fight over the best board games of all time.

I am a big believer that there is a lot of learning in game playing. Cards, Dice, board games, etc. I learned more about World War 2 from war games and computer games (C-64, Amiga) then I ever did in school.

I'd donate games to public schools if they actually took time out of boring the shiat out of those kids to let them play.

Unfortunately, most modern video games are interchangeable. No more cut scenes where you actually learn anything.

Maddest I have ever been was Playing Panzer General and having 20 straight turns of bad weather. farking random my ass.

Just last night my family played "Don't break the ice" and after the 4 year old went to bed it was Chess time.
/loves a good board game
//will pwn ur face in Quake, too.

I got ZYGOMORPHY in a triple word score

/obscure?

Donald_McRonald: Author is probably a kwyjibo .

Actually, the author makes plenty of money making fun of all Americans as Kwyjibos.

/Unaware that Jeremy Clarkson did anything that wasn't Top Gear at this point

simpsonfan: KWYJIBO and EMBIGGEN should be allowed, they are perfectly cromulent words.

Never before has a Fark handle been so truthful

/Lookout! A wild Kwyjibo is on the loose
//Or something like that

Watch "Craziest" (new window)

"Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" on a triple-word square FTW!

/yes, I did quadruple-dip into the bag.

No Such Agency: I usually try to play the word "EFT"* at some point, occasionally I get to relish somebody challenging it and losing their turn.

One of my memorable moves was "japan" on the triple word score. It was challenged ("You can't use proper nouns!!!") but hahaha, the non-proper-noun version with a lowercase j means "lacquer."

I'll have to remember EFT.

As a kid moving across continents I remember once having about 3 months of minimal possessions waiting for our stuff to arrive (yay for sea shipping) and we played endless games of UNO. Pretty much any game, half the fun is the trash-talking during, getting all crazy play-acting mad when someone thwarts you or whatever... good times.

I love "Pictionary" and "Taboo" too.

I do know that Voltaire makes me hate myself.

Nobody ever finds it suspicious that I just happen to have Travel Scrabble (and the scrabble dictionary) with me and am perfectly willing to play a game at any time.

Kommunaut: nuclear_asshat: Scrabble is for pussies. Nothing turns nice people into complete asshole backstabbers like this game.....

My friends and I play risk. Actually, we play several versions of it. And we end up playing it like diplomacy, so backstabbing and general asshaterry are common.

diplomacy by itself is fun, a group of coworkers and i played it over the course of a month or so, submitting a turn before close of business each work day. theres way too much scheming involved in that game to allow players a whole day to cook up plans, so i don't recommend playing it that way

but i agree that monopoly sucks. there are ways to play it that speed it up, especially if its just two people, but my ex gf used to always get so lucky and be on her way to bankrupt me so often that i would quit after 15 minutes. it destroyed our relationship that game did. it definitely wasn't the fact that i violently threw the board across the room, nope. all the game's fault.

mrwombat: Nobody ever finds it suspicious that I just happen to have Travel Scrabble (and the scrabble dictionary) with me and am perfectly willing to play a game at any time.

Oh man. I'm going to be taking a long plane trip with some relatives soon, I'm thinking I NEED to get this.

I do have a magnetic "Othello." Also "Rummikub."

One of my memorable moves was "japan" on the triple word score. It was challenged ("You can't use proper nouns!!!") but hahaha, the non-proper-noun version with a lowercase j means "lacquer."

My personal best was "proteins". Used up all my letters with a triple-word score to boot!

This is why my family only plays Jarts!

No Such Agency: Fortunately, everyone else gets bored by day 2 or so, leaving the backstabbers to stab each other.

fernandez: It took us two farking hours to read the directions to that damn game, only to get through the first turn and everyone go "screw it"

You are missing out. I don't know who you are playing with, but setup doesn't take that long, and game turns don't last that long either. You really need to play with a couple experienced players and the game moves much faster.

Russia/Germany/Britain can be played by newbs. U.S. and Japan need to be played by people who have some experience.

cherryl taggart: This is why my family only plays Jarts!

Jarts is for wimps. Real men play Lawn Darts.

kericr: Unaware that Jeremy Clarkson did anything that wasn't Top Gear at this point

Clarkson has been writing for the Times for a loooooong time. Heck, he's been in journalism for at least 25 years now.

My family never fought on game night, but we were an incestuous lot,

Best. Game. Evar.

Without clicking on the link I somehow knew that Jezza had written that.

Rail Baron is the superior game