A friend recently posted on Facebook asking if anyone had any board games that they’d be willing to donate for her High School. And while I like selling my games because that means I can get money or credit to buy more, it also feels good to give. So last night I went through my collection to find a few games to donate to the cause. So not really a point of sale, but still games that are leaving my collection.

Fae

Fae was a game that I picked up out in San Diego, I believe. It was one that I played at a game store out there and I enjoyed it quite well. Since getting it, I’ve played twice maybe three times. The game is good and interesting. In it you are getting circles of druids together to complete rituals. The color of the druid relates to a specific spirit or fae. Each player has a fae but it’s secret, so each ritual pushes scores higher for every color. You want to push yours high but without it being too obvious so other players try and tank it.

The game was a lot of fun when I played it. For me, though, the game play was just a little bit less than I’d have wanted and the set-up time was a little bit more than what the game was. I think for a High School group, though, it offers something different in terms of game play. The hidden aspect is going to be a twist that they might not have seen before.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Dead Men Tell No Tales is another game that I have enjoyed a lot. The game play is pretty straight forward and it is a completely cooperative game. You are pirates boarding a ghost ship. You have guardians to fight, treasures to get, and skeletal deck hands to keep in check. All while the ship is on fire and rooms are burning up. It seems like a lot going on, but it really isn’t and it works well.

This is a gateway plus game, I’d say. It’s kind of like Pandemic but just some more going on. I’d say that it’s more thematic than Pandemic as well. However, I find that I’d pull them both out in the same situation most of the time and Pandemic is faster for me to get to the table. Dead Men Tell No Tales will be more thematically interesting than Pandemic and probably better right now.

Munchkin Zombie

This one I was surprised that I kept in my collection as long as I did. Munchkin is an amazing gateway game. It’s something that very familiar with because it is a bit of a take that game. In it you are kicking down doors and fighting monsters. If you beat them you get rewards and possibly level up. You play down armor and weapons to be able to defeat them as well as boosts, but other players can play cards to make you weaker or the monster stronger.

It’s a game that helped me get into the hobby in some ways. Catan and Ticket to Ride are the biggest reasons I started board gaming, but Munchkin Zombie is more in your face. So it’ll be one that a lot of people will get it because it is simple and it’s goofy. I don’t want to play that many take that games anymore, especially Munchkin Zombie, but a good one for new gamers.

Lanterns

This is the only that I haven’t played. It was part of a Target Buy 2 get 1 Free sale, or something along those lines. I’ve see the game played, I forget if it was on Wil Wheaton’s TableTop or some other show. And the concept is interesting, you are completing a firework display by laying down tiles into a big communal grid. Depending on what color is pointed at you, that gives you a card and you are building out sets that give you points. Game play seems nice and easy and colorful.

I’ve just never gotten it to the table. is there a good reason as to why I haven’t, not really. I think it is a situation where I have other gateway style games that I like a lot, so when I consider pulling it off the shelf, I just go with one of those instead. I’d probably like it if I played it. It’s just one of those games that I can look on my shelf and know I can get it again pretty cheap if I really want to play it. So might as well let it go somewhere to get played more.

So I’m sad to see these games leave, but I love that I can help someone else out with getting some games played. I want more and younger generation of gamers. I think there are lots of younger gamers, but the more the better because that means in the long run the hobby stays strong and more interesting games are made.

What games would you give to a High School for gaming?

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