This topic came through a comment. After Kristen and I did our Table Top Picks, Ashley, commented wondering about travel board games, and what we would recommend. So I’m going to pull into that topic and see what fun games are out there that we’d recommend.

Hanabi

Why? Hanabi is a fast game that works well for groups as small as two and plays up to four people. It is a deck of cards, and you could easily play it sitting on the ground or at a picnic table. It comes in a nice compact box, as it is a card game, and is fast to pick-up and difficult to master. It’s a memory based game where you can give clues to your fellow players about what cards they have in their hands, and they i n turn do that for you, as you try and complete a collection of fireworks. It is a fun and different game in that you can’t see your hand, so you need to remember and have a bit of luck.

Zombie Dice

Why? It’s another small game that comes in a tube that can easily fit into a couple holder. You are playing as a zombie trying to collect up thirteen brains. You draw three dice at random, roll them, and any brains you can keep and add to your collection, but you have to decide how much you want to push your luck. If you roll three shotgun blasts, you are dead(er) and the brains that you collected that round go away. It plays fast, the rules are simple, and anyone can pick it up. No table is needed just a flat enough surface to roll some dice. You could even play this in a car, just get a dice tray and you have a good safe spot to roll for your BRAINS!

Love Letter

Why? This game comes in a tiny little bag and you can easily fit it into your pocket. Waiting in line for a concert, but the gates don’t open for a bit? Sit on the ground and play a few hands of Love Letter. Now, Love Letter does come with some little cubes that can be used to help keep track of score, but people should be able to remember who is in the lead and who is trying to catch up. It’s a game of deduction and seduction as you work on eliminating the other players each round while trying to stay in the game and have the highest value character card at the end, so you can get your Love Letter to the Princess. It’s fast and easy to play and a lot of fun, definitely very high on my list of travel games.

Sushi Go!

Why? Sushi Go! is a game that I have not played yet, but having watched it on Table Top and given it to a friend who hasn’t brought it over to be played, it looks like a good game. You need a little bit of space as you draft cards to make sets and get the most points, but the box is compact and it would be an easy game to play while sitting on the ground, so you don’t need a table for it. The art is very cute, and  it’s a game that can require some strategy, but is very fast to play.

We Didn’t Playtest This

Why? It’s a very fast game and a small deck of cards. It is also a good game for if you are traveling with a large group. While some of the other games have player limits, We Didn’t Playtest This really doesn’t have those limits. The game goes so fast, and people get eliminated so quickly that you can play multiple rounds and just hope that everyone can get a turn in those games. It’s a silly game with odd rules and some fun expansions. I’d lean towards recommending We Didn’t Playtest This Legacy as that has lasting affects that continue from game to game that just make it weird.

Cards Against Humanity/Apples to Apples

Why? It’s a bunch of cards in a box, you don’t even have to take them out of the box to play, you just need to remember which side of the box you are drawing cards from. I went with both games here because if you are traveling with your family, you might be more apt to bring Apples to Apples. If you are traveling with your friends, Cards Against Humanity would probably be the preferred game. Both games work off of the same premise of someone is it, says a word or a phrase, and people have to try and get the person to pick the card that they lay down which can describe, be similar, just be funny, or just be oh so wrong when answering the question or matching up with the phrase.

There are a good number of games that you can take with you while you travel. What is your favorite game to bring in vacation?

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