I am so sick of being the in-between age. In college, these are the two years before you turn 21, before you can order pitchers at Pegasus, before you can sake bomb.
But, it’s not all bad. I started to get over my hardcore party phase by the time I parted ways with friends at high school graduation. It seems understandable, considering I used to cradle Taaka Vodka bottles, slurring, “Taaka’s a girl’s best friend” despite serving as the Senior Class President.
Thankfully, I have matured, and so have my alcoholic practices. I prefer get-togethers to ragers, Jack Daniel’s to Burnett’s and board games to keg stands. Yes, board games. I am a self-proclaimed gamer.
You won’t see me playing Xbox Live, but Scattergories, Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase, Scrabble, Balderdash and Pictionary all top my list.
Now refrain from labeling me an old lady. I just like to drink with a purpose, a competitive motivation per se. Drinking games, whether they use playing cards or ping pong balls in the beloved collegiate sport of Beer Pong, grow old. Board games, however, are the future of college drinking. Just last Wednesday I played Pick-up Lines during a lovely gathering of friends for Wednesday Wine Night, which I would highly recommend as a hump day treat.
Here are, nevertheless, reviews of the best board games around – for your drinking pleasure.
1. Scattergories: A favorite of mine since childhood, Scattergories challenges your mind by demanding each gamer fill out a list of words that fit 12 categories using the same letter. Make sense? Here’s an example:
There is a list of 12 subjects, ranging from notorious people, cities, fruits, song titles among others.
Someone then rolls a lettered die to determine the letter. Let’s say it’s S. The timer starts, and everyone has to write down an answer that starts with S for each category. Using the above examples, I could write: Stalin, Sacramento, strawberries and Step by Step (double points!) Though the game becomes increasingly difficult as the drinking prevails, it only makes the competition fiercer.
2. Catch Phrase: I was introduced to Catch Phrase last spring, and I became obsessed by it. Usually I like to play with two teams (girls against boys; the girls always win). The game is a handheld, battery-powered device that features more than 10,000 catchphrases – popular words and phrases that have become permeated in our everyday language. One gamer holds the device, which has a built-in timer, and has to describe the catchphrase that appears on the screen without saying the word. Once a teammate successfully guesses the catchphrase, the next player goes. As many team members try to go before the timer runs out to get the most points. Drink after a victory!
3. Apples to Apples: This award-winning word game is based partly on wit and luck. Each person takes seven cards, each printed with a noun, such as New York City, the ’60s, Robin Williams and the NRA. The judge then places an adjective in the
center of the table. The players then browse their seven nouns and choose one that most accurately, creatively or comically matches the description. For example, if “crazy” was the adjective, someone might consider putting the NRA. The judge then gathers each player’s pick and chooses a winner.
If a board game doesn’t puzzle you the right way, consider throwing a dinner party. There is nothing better to me than having a get-together’s three essential ingredients: good people, fabulous food and stiff drinks. It’s simple to throw one: Get a small group together (too many mouths to feed can become pricey). Create a theme, such as Italian, vegetarian, Mexican or Iron Chef-style by having everyone design a dish around one ingredient. The hosts and hostesses will always purchase a majority of the food, but you can balance the checkbook by asking guests to provide the drinks. Don’t be afraid to delegate. You are hosting the function; who says you have to slave by the oven as well?