Games We Play

LUCY BURDETTE: We had our grandkids visiting for plus minus a week in July. Most of the time they are way too busy to sit at a table and play a game. (They are nine, seven, and three, and love swimming, boating, jungle gyms, anything active.) But one morning Miss Thea and I needed something to do, so I rustled through the stack of the games we kept from when our kids were small. I wanted to play Parcheesi, but when I opened the box, the board was there, but not a single playing piece. 

So we grabbed the next one down, Life. We had pieces and money and the board, but no instructions. I was able to Google it and get a loose idea of how to play. It was quite interesting to explain to Thea about the different jobs and how much you might earn and how much you could then afford for buying a house. She traded away the opportunity to be an artist for police officer. (Ha! I don’t think they make enough money to buy the mansion that she is yearning for.) She also really wanted this log cabin and desperately wanted to get rid of the split level.

I remember playing multiplayer games of Pounce when we would have beach weeks with our relatives. (That’s solitaire with the lead cards put out in the middle so that everybody could play onto them hence the name pounce.) Lots of slapping of cards and yelling. It’s a very good memory!

Do you still have games from your childhood or your children’s childhood? What are your memories of the favorite games you used to play?

How Competitive Are You?

 RHYS BOWEN: I have a confession to make: I am very competitive. Always have been. Always wanted to be top of the class in school, to win the ballet competition. I entered strange competitions as a child: I won a cash prize for my essay on why I liked a department store.  I was a really keen tennis player in my youth--played for my school, my college, but then later in life did not enjoy league tennis because it was so competitive, so perhaps I'm mellowing.

When I am playing any family game I want to win (this became ridiculous when I played Trivial Pursuit with my kids and they ended up handicapping me by having two of them reading out clues from different categories at the same time. And me: Iceland and 1934. Kids: rats!

And I regret to say that I have created competitive children. Two were elite athletes, playing for college and one for the US. But the others are just as competitive. Daughter Clare came home from school furious because she didn’t get a perfect score on a test in driver’s ed and she thought the instructor’s answer was wrong. It was a pass/fail course. It didn’t matter. But it did to her.

Over the years we have had endless family competitions: volleyball, corn hole, bocce ball as well as the games we play on holidays--Taboo, Reverse Charades and the Name Game--the current favorite. Everyone writes the name of a famous person on  a piece of paper. The reader reads them all out and we try to guess who chose which name. It sounds simple but the names are really creative and funny.

You should have seen the family when we went to a fun park with go-karts, water boats, mini-golf etc. The intensity to win as they drove those go-karts!  (especially the sons-in-law) This summer we’re all going to San Diego for a week on the beach. I imagine there will be plenty of beach games, swimming races etc!

Our strangest competition: when the first grandchildren were babies I bought a wooden puzzle of sea creatures you had to lift out with a magnetic fishing rod. The adults (especially the males) turned this into fierce competition as to who could lift all of them out and then put them all back first.  We had crackers one year with racing wind-up penguins in them. Endless races across the dining table.

But just the other day I saw a picture of a competition I would never want to enter: competitive ironing. That’s right. Room full of ironing boards and women ironing. It was for a Miss America pageant long ago when ironing was a skill of every good housewife.  I would be dead last!

So how about you? Is your family competitive? What is the strangest competition you have ever entered?

LUCY BURDETTE: Yes competitive! But sheesh the first thing I thought when I saw this post was that I better get my answer in before Hank did, LOL. And I know not to play scrabble with this JRW crowd either. My family was pretty competitive, I can remember playing rounds of board games like risk and monopoly, which my older sister almost always won. We also played giant games of kick the can while on vacation with all of the age groups represented. Teams would do anything to get near enough to home base to  kick the can and free their imprisoned teammates. I can remember things like adults driving a car near the can so other team members could drop out of the passenger side and take the guardians of the can by surprise. Or dress up in costume and pretend to be a random passerby, and then burst into a mad dash to the can.

On a more serious note, I was very competitive in school too. I think it was fifth grade when I received a report card that had two B’s on it (the rest A’s.) I went to the teacher, crying. She agreed to change my gym grade from B to A-. (Honestly, it wasn’t because my parents were ogres!) And to be honest, to stay in this writing profession, you have to be willing to compete hard with a million other writers. The great thing about our Jungle Red family is that we’ve figured out how to support each other at the same time!

HALLIE EPHRON: I am not competitive.

Stop laughing.

Seriously, I hate board games. Hate card games. I play Candyland with my grandson only under duress. I will NOT play Scrabble with my husband because he always… gets the good letters. All I get are vowels.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Right, Hallie. It’s the GAME’S fault. :-)  But I don’t play Scrabble with Jonathan because he’s too good. I mean--he is incredible. Words on many levels.  I can beat him at every other game, though, just saying. So he won’t play with me, either. We do compete on the Sunday NYT Spelling Bee word, though. (ANd FYI, I STILL insist Provolone is a proper name, and should not count. Anyway.)

(Have you played Code Words? It is SO much fun! We play it with the kids and grandchildren, and it’s amazing. Very brain-twisting.)

Okay, yes, I am competitive, but I kind of don’t look at it that way. I like to do the best I can possibly do at whatever it is, is more how I see it. I understand, though, that psychologically it’s not always ….the most rewarding thing to do. 

I well remember, word for word, a conversation I had with my mother when I was in high school. She told me: Honey, it’s better if you don’t always win. And I was absolutely baffled. I said: Why?  

And she said: someday you’ll understand.

JENN McKINLAY: I am actually not competitive at all. Weird, right? I have always played games for fun not to win -- much to the chagrin of my volleyball teammates. If I (or anyone else) hit the ball into the parking lot or the duck pond, I thought it was hilarious. The men used to get mad at me, but I wore them down. Finally, one of them admitted that while we were the losingest team in the league we were the most fun and laughed through the whole season. Sometimes we were laughing too hard to play -- you can’t beat that with a trophy.

Also, I love board games but mostly because of the ridiculous antics that come with them. Hooligan 2 came out wearing swim goggles, potholders, and a clothespin on his nose when he had to give his Ti Tia a winner’s foot massage at Monopoly! Hilarious!

As for writing, I am mostly competitive with myself and am constantly trying to write a better story, a tighter mystery, or try on a new genre. I genuinely believe that there is enough room at the table for everyone and if another author enjoys brilliant success, it reminds me that I have that potentiality, too.  

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Posting next to last to prove my point. Not competitive. (So that makes three for and three against, right? Julia can tip the balance! Seriously, having grown up with a brother ten years older that was the BEST at everything, there didn't seem much point. I'm terrible at sports (always picked last) so no fun competing there, either. I do want to write the best possible books, but that's because I don't want to disappoint myself or my readers. But I love love love trivia, so if I ever get to play on a pub team again, you'd better watch out! 

RHYS: So, dear friends--how competitive are you? And what is the weirdest competition in which you've taken part?

Have You Got Game?

JENN MCKINLAY: We recently had a cold snap here in AZ, and by cold I mean the highs were in the low fifties. Yes, yes, I know, this is nothing for you northern folks, why, it’s practically T-shirt weather. Whatever. Because we live in the land of sun, when we hit our third day straight of rain, we were perplexed. What do people do when they can’t be outside all day? I even work outside on a cushy lounge chair on the patio most of the time. We were boggled.

Speaking of boggle, it occurred to us that this was the perfect time to dust off the old board games. I mean you can Netflix stream yourself into a coma to pass the time, but every now and again it’s nice to connect with your people over haggling for rent, the correct spelling of a word, or some queen to rook trash talk, am I right? Of course, finding myself on the losing end of a chess match was not how I pictured my day going, but hey, at least there were snacks. 

So, upon review, here are my top three board games - the big daddy of them all -- Monopoly! Honestly, I knew I had reached a new level of maturity when going to jail (three squares and a bed!) was a relief from being shaken down by a hooligan for rent. Next, is Scrabble. I have a friend who vets potential boyfriends by their ability with a Scrabble board. If they can’t give her decent competition, they’re outta there! And lastly, chess. It’s a fave, primarily because it fascinated me forever as something only really smart people could play, so when the hooligans came along, I put them in chess club in elementary school so they could teach me. Our favorite to play  is a wizard chess set from Harry Potter, natch.

Of course, dusting off our old games like Sorry (should be called Sorry, Not Sorry), Rummikub, and Sequence brought back a million memories of times spent together playing, learning how to be gracious winners and losers, and some epic marathons that lasted for days. Curious, I had to look up what the most popular board games are. See: The 10 Most Popular Board Games and How They Made Gaming Better Spoiler alert: chess is number one. Also are board games even still a thing? They are. A new trend that’s happening is board game cafes like Snakes and Lattes in Toronto. See more: Board Games Are Getting Really, Really Popular and their popularity is expected to continue to surge through 2023. 

So, apparently the gloomy weather, turned us onto something. So, what about you, Reds? Do you like board games and, if so, what are your favorites?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I love board games, I am SO guilty of it!  We played Risk , endlessly, through my 20s at dinner parties. (We were wild and crazy, RISK and fondue and Tavola Red. :-) ) 

I also love TRIVIAL PURSUIT, and um, what’s it called? Something where you have to recognize songs and lyrics.  Also FACTS IN FIVE where you have a grid of five across and five down, and each player picks a topic like rivers, song titles, Italian foods, politicians, dead architects, or whatever and you write those down the side.  And then the moderator picks five letters of the alphabet that you write across the top of the grid. Then you have five minutes to get each box filled. (Does that make sense?) A dead architect that begins with W, for instance.  I also adore Scrabble, until I played with Jonathan-- but he is too good, so, sadly, we had an earthquake (how did it happen?) and that was the end of Scrabble. I am a terrible loser. 

Oh--my grandkids love Settlers of Kataan (is that what it is?) and some game about trains where you have to build train tracks. SO complicated, and they all seem to be about economics. They also taught me how to play Magic, which is INCREDIBLY hard, and I swear to you they are making up the roles as they go to fool Grammy.

LUCY BURDETTE: We also played Risk and Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders endlessly as kids. And how about Life? Loved that one too--and multi-person wild games of Pounce aka Solitaire with friends. Nowadays my favorites are Bananagrams and Boggle. Though like Hank, and I suspect most of you, I do prefer to win:).

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Monopoly! Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, I love all of those. Gosh, Hank, I remember playing RISK in my twenties, it must have been a thing. My daughter and I both love board games but we have a hard time getting anyone else to play. And jigsaw puzzles--I even bought us one to do on Christmas, but of course we didn’t get to it. (Note for next year, I am really, really not going to spend the entire day standing up in the kitchen…)

Last year I pulled out our old backgammon board, thinking it would be fun to play, but I need a teacher!

HALLIE EPHRON:  I used to love board games - especially RISK, CAREERS, MONOPOLY, TRIVIAL PURSUIT. The truth? These days I will do just about anything (dishes, anyone?) to get out of playing a board game (though my daughter got us to play APPLES TO APPLES not too long ago and that was a lot of fun). I’m afraid my frame of reference has aged out of Trivial Pursuit. 

The games I still like don’t have boards. Charades! Bridge! Hearts! And anyone remember how to play I Doubt It?  Great for a tipsilated crowd.

RHYS BOWEN: I’ve just had the whole family here and we play endless games. Favorites among them are Taboo, Reverse Charades and Boggle. A new game this year was What’s on Your Mind? Everyone puts down a word association and if any match you get points. Grandson Sam and I were absolutely on the same wavelength. But my daughter bought a new game called Ridiculous Expositions. It was supposed to be mildly naughty but OMG it was DISGUSTING! Things you’d never want a teenager to hear. Needless to say it was not played again

Our standard is The Name Game. No board needed. Everyone writes down a famous person/character and we have to guess who wrote what. Always hilarious in my family when various teenagers come up with outlandish names.

All right, Readers, your turn! What's your go to board game?

Get a Clue — Board Games in the Video Age

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: We’ve recently decided that Friday is pizza and board game night (no electronics of any sort allowed). The Kiddo is just the right age for one of my favorites, Clue. (Does anyone remember it? It was created in 1949 and has just kept on going…) Anyway, I went to our local game store to buy it— and was delighted to hear the owner say sales of board games are up. 

Huzzah! Are we turning back to actual games, played by actual people, with actual snacks? 

(The last part is of utmost importance here…)

As a mystery writer, I love Clue — a grand British manor house, lots of questionable characters (I’m always suspicious of Professor Plum), and
a murder to be solved. 

Last night, it started to rain as we played and the Kiddo declared, “This is perfect! ‘It was a dark and stormy
night…’" 

And so I ask my fellow
Reds — do you remember Clue? 

What were your favorite
board games as a child? 

And do you ever play board
games now?





RHYS BOWEN: My family has always loved board games. TABOO has been a favorite for a long while (you have to 

describe something without using a list of words. The grandkids are really good at it). 

But we used to love Clue when the kids were growing up. Scrabble, Boggle... anything with words these days.

I also belong to a board games group at my local AAUW chapter. Very therapeutic with lots of laughter. Our favorite is Cranium (see, we're brainy ladies) and also a card game called Quiddler.

HANK (MISS SCARLETT) PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, CLUE! 

Kidding me? We loved Clue and we played it ALL the time, with much delight, and I attribute my entire career to it.

Well, not really, but I am still enchanted, seriously, thinking about how it made us all think, and how it was different every time, and every time I hear the word "conservatory" I wonder if there's a secret passage.

I used to look back at the used score sheets, and remember how the stories turned out.

I scarfed up Miss Scarlett, wouldn't  play, I fear, if I wasn't her.  Funnily, now, I would pick to be Colonel Mustard, because he's the iconic one, right? Mrs. White, boring. Who was blue and black? Trying to remember...

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Dear Hank, er, Miss Scarlett — Blue is Mrs. Peacock and then there's Mr. Green. No black. (Or anyone Black, as Noel and Miss Edna would say.) So funny you loved Miss Scarlett (who doesn't?) and are now a Jungle Red! Did you all do funny voices? We do. Our Miss Scarlett sounds like Marilyn Monroe.



JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I love, love, love CLUE, although it's a bit of  hard sell sometimes with my family - I tend to win a lot (okay, almost always) and they say I have an unfair advantage. I always play Mrs. White, my son is Mr. Green (apparently Rev. Green in the recent updated game) the Smithie is Prof. Plum and Youngest is Miss Scarlett. The movie is an absolute hoot as well, if you haven't seen it.

We also love Monopoly. I don't think we've ever actually finished a game, but we always dissolve into shrieks of laughter and in-jokes during play.

Ross and the kids challenge each other to chess (which I am hopeless at.) Ross's favorite game is RISK, which is a bit too much like history class homework for me. The one game we two can agree on is Scrabble. He trounces me.

My favorite board game as a kid? THE GAME OF LIFE. Who didn't love getting assigned a career, collecting a spouse and children, and driving the tiny plastic car up hill and down on your way to retire in either Millionaire Acres or a refrigerator box?



DEBORAH CROMBIE:  Oh, I love board games! So does my daughter, but hubby HATES them, so daughter and I only play occasionally. Not sure about son-in-law--will have to find out. I loved Clue, and Monopoly, and Risk, and Scrabble. But my all-time favorite was Trivial Pursuit. Does that count as a real board game? I'm always tempted by the new updated versions, but don't know anyone except my daughter who will play with me.

Hank, of COURSE you were Miss Scarlet! 



SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Debs, we have the Disney Trivial Pursuit game! Love it!

Lovely readers, do you remember Clue? 

What were your favorite board games as a child? 

And do you ever play board games now?