(non video) Game suggestions for college students

[scrapquitler]

DD is turning 18 in two weeks, and is a college freshman, living in the dorm. She and her group of friends are definitely on the geeky side and easily amused. They are a very tight group, they are all in a special program at school and they are housed together in a "living/learning community" so they all have several classes together in addition to living together. She told me last week that they were jousting with pool noodles while riding their scooters in the common area of the dorm (so now you get an idea of the maturity level LOL).

Among the group of friends, they have a number of games, which they play often: cards against humanity, Jenga, Munchkin, apples to apples, headbandz, cards, frisbee, lawn darts, backgammon, etc.

I was thinking that I would like to buy a couple of new games for them to have to choose from. Some of the ideas I had were cornhole (but I can't find a set for less than $50, so that's not going to happen), toss across, ring toss, a new game I saw on TV this week called Bounce Off.

Do any of you have any good suggestions for me? Or are any of my ideas really horrible given the other kinds of things they like? Games that can be played multiple players or teams would be better than games for 2 or 4 people.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Werewolves of Millers Hollow (got it on Amazon) is a riot and not like any game you've ever played (unless you've played Mafia)

Also, Anomia is fun, lots of laughs, and super easy to learn.

 

[Happy Snowman]

Quelf!!

 

[jen73]

http://www.amazon.com/Cards-Against-Humanity-LLC-CAHUS/dp/B004S8F7QM

our daughter who is a senior in college took these her first semester and what an ice breaker...They STILL play them.

Warning...not for the faint of heart or anyone who is uptight...lol

Edited to add...I see it's already mentioned in your original post, my bad...lol

 

[MamaLema]

DS just started college and he loves board games and so do his friends. Around their college there is a place called Snakes and Lattes. Basically you pay $5 and you play any kind of board game you want without a time limit.

They spend hours there every Fri night.

Just realized I didn't answer your question, just felt happy there are other kids out there that still like board games

 

[sailorstitch]

Duck, Duck, Go! sounds just right for them.
http://www.apegames.com/ddg.html

Do any of them watch the TV show Castle? Even if they don't, this game is super fun!
http://www.cryptozoic.com/games/castle-detective-card-game

Double Double Dominoes
http://www.calliopegames.com/read/44/double-double-dominoes

Feed the Kitty!
http://www.gamewright.com/gamewright/index.php?section=games&page=game&show=199

sailorstitch

 

[Caseheidi]

We play lots of games, and attend game nights with large groups. I think these may be some good choices. You can find some good reviews, and sometimes watch them be played on YouTube (check out Table Top with Wil Weaton)

Played Telestrations with a mix of adults and teens, ant it was great fun. Kind of a cross between pictionary and Telephone.

Other games we love include:
Dixit
King of Tokyo
Resistance
Bang

 

[Carriemel]

I know in college - 20 years ago - we played an AWFUL lot of UNO and Yahtzee.

Pictionary can be done in teams...

LCR is fun, and you can have a lot of people playing it.

There's a game called "What", here's the description:

What? Game is a hilarious party game of who said what. Players are asked to write humorous responses to questions and situations, and everyone must guess who wrote what. There is no need to be truthful!!! There is no need to be tasteful!!! Feel free to be as silly or as funny as you want...honesty is not the best policy in this game.

 

[MrsPete]

We're a board-game family, so I understand your quest! I'm also trying to convince my youngest to apply to live in a similar living/learning community next fall when she goes to college -- I feel sure it would be an ideal situation for her!

Back to your question -- two games my family has enjoyed over the last year:

Citadel. Role-playing game with the most beautiful set of cards. Medieval in theme. Players compete to build themselves a "citadel, village, safe place". Plenty of re-playability and possibility for adaptation to suit your own needs. I think up to 8 people can play this game, making it very attractive for a dorm situation. Bonus: It's very small, which is nice for a dorm room (and nice if you're mailing it). If you choose this, I strongly suggest that you buy another 1-2 sets of "gold" and the plastic sheaths for the character cards, which will get lots of use.

Pandemic. Also a role-playing game, this game is unique in that the players are all working together: Either all the players win, or the disease wins. Players cooperate by considering one another's "abilities and strengths" and instead of trying to thwart one another, they set one another up to fight the disease. Again, lots of re-playability. Since every player chooses a different "role" each time, the game will change each time.

Neither of these is a cheap game, but they're also not games that'll be played twice and then given to Goodwill. These are the games that'll be enjoyed for years to come.

Two more thoughts:

Do they play FourSquare? A good bouncy ball and a roll of duct tape could give them a physically active game that will invite in lots of friends.

You mentioned CornHole. I think you're fortunate not to have found a set. I say this is too large to earn a spot in a small dorm room.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Have they tried Mexican train dominoes? My family loves playing it and a game can last for a good 5+ hours depending on how many people you have playing.

http://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Train...527491&sr=8-1&keywords=mexican+train+dominoes

 

[Tinijocaro]

We're a board-game family, so I understand your quest! I'm also trying to convince my youngest to apply to live in a similar living/learning community next fall when she goes to college -- I feel sure it would be an ideal situation for her! Back to your question -- two games my family has enjoyed over the last year: Citadel. Role-playing game with the most beautiful set of cards. Medieval in theme. Players compete to build themselves a "citadel, village, safe place". Plenty of re-playability and possibility for adaptation to suit your own needs. I think up to 8 people can play this game, making it very attractive for a dorm situation. Bonus: It's very small, which is nice for a dorm room (and nice if you're mailing it). If you choose this, I strongly suggest that you buy another 1-2 sets of "gold" and the plastic sheaths for the character cards, which will get lots of use. Pandemic. Also a role-playing game, this game is unique in that the players are all working together: Either all the players win, or the disease wins. Players cooperate by considering one another's "abilities and strengths" and instead of trying to thwart one another, they set one another up to fight the disease. Again, lots of re-playability. Since every player chooses a different "role" each time, the game will change each time. Neither of these is a cheap game, but they're also not games that'll be played twice and then given to Goodwill. These are the games that'll be enjoyed for years to come. Two more thoughts: Do they play FourSquare? A good bouncy ball and a roll of duct tape could give them a physically active game that will invite in lots of friends. You mentioned CornHole. I think you're fortunate not to have found a set. I say this is too large to earn a spot in a small dorm room.

I've been wanting pandemic for some time now.

I just spent a half hour reading reviews on Amazon for Citadel and I'm sold! Sounds like a cross between Carcassone and Werewolves and maybe Dominion.

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[mom2cookies]

flux ( card game. My young adults and their friends really love it )

 

[clarabelle]

I have never played -but my D says that "Settlers of Catan" is big at her college

 

[bjscheel]

I like Bananagrams!

 

[scrapquitler]

Thank you all for the great suggestions!

For her birthday, I have decided to purchase Anomia, Flux and Bounce Off. I'm going to keep this thread in mind when it's time for me to do some Christmas shopping, because there are definitely other possibilities.

And thanks to those who mentioned LCR and Bananagrams. We have both of those and I will see if she wants to grab those when she's home later this week.

 

[olwyngdh]

Robo-Rally is awesome. So are DungeonQuest, Cosmic Encounter, Arkham Horror, Chaos Marauders....

What about Roleplaying games? D&D is classic, but there are a lot of games that are not campaign level that can be played in an evening. Paranoia comes to mind.

Best bet is if you have a game store that isn't a video game store nearby, go in and tell them what she likes and ask for suggestions. The geeks at the counter will fix you up!

 

[Tinijocaro]

Thanks for the thread-I just ordered Pandemic, Citadels, and Love Letter. Love Letter is a gamble but after reading a bunch of reviews, I thought I'd try it. I love getting new games! I had a GC for $50.00 for Amazon. I also ordered sleeves to protect the cards.

OP-I think your dd will love Anomia. I just saw that they now have a party edition. I'll probably get that for my family for Christmas. After playing the original deck for a couple years the answers become predicable.

 

[ksjayhawks]

Liars dice.
Perhaps a book about different card games.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I know it was mentioned already, but Cards Against Humanity is hilarious.