The last year as seen us play loads of board games together as a family. We’ve found them a fantastic way of getting people of all ages together, laughing and bonding in a way that sitting in front of the TV just can’t compete with. We’re also using them as a bit of a stealth way of educating the kids. Whether it be understanding the concept of taking turns for the younger children, or building the older ones’ general knowledge, board games are an excellent way of doing both as a family. When I saw Smart Ass at Blog On I knew that it would be perfect for that general knowledge building for the older kids. It is a game that enables all of the players to shout the answers out and that is why it is suited for parties and large groups. Skill – Complexity Sometimes, two players answer the questions at the same time. Then honesty by players is needed in determining who gets the correct answer out first and the decision is adjudicated by the person who asked the question. However, an incorrect answer means that the player is out of the round. Once a player answers correctly, they can then roll the numbered die, allowing them to move their marker around the board. When you land on this space, you will skip the next round. If you would have been a guesser, you cannot submit an answer. If you would have been the reader, the player to your left becomes the reader for the next round.

As the game has an age of 12 and over and involves trivia and humor, it is suited for parties. One other aspect of the game is the fact that it is suitable for up to 8 players, which makes it perfect for party situations. This leads to some interesting tactical decisions. Do you wait to hear all four questions to work out the connection, or do you take a stab after two or three questions in the hope of guessing the link before the other players? You can only make one guess - if you’re wrong, you might help an opponent solve the link. Colourbrain simplifies the trivia format by making every question about colours. Each player holds 11 cards of various hues, and has to place down the correct cards to questions such as “What’s the colour of the lid on a jar of Marmite?” The questions are a mix of general knowledge and pop culture, so kids and adults can play together - there’s even a Disney-themed version of the game. Components: gameboard, 6 playing pieces and stands, 461 question cards, category die, movement die, instructionsEvery question has a numerical answer, and each player or team writes down a guess. These guesses are then arranged on the board from smallest to largest. Now comes the clever part.

Half Truth is a trivia game designed by tabletop titan Richard Garfield - creator of Magic: The Gathering and King of Tokyo - and Ken Jennings, the highest-earning contestant on TV quiz show Jeopardy of all time. Hard Ass – there are a separate pile of Hard Ass questions as this is effectively a bonus question space. Only the player who has landed on this space gets to answer the Hard Ass question. If they get it right then they can roll the Jumbo Movement Die again for a bonus move. If they answer incorrectly then play just moves on as if it had never happened! If multiple players guess correctly at the same time, the reader decides who answered first. If there is no way to tell who answered first, the reader uses a question from a Hard Ass card to break the tie. The first player to guess the correct answer gets to roll the number die and move their playing piece. If both players are wrong, the reader gets to roll the number die and move their playing piece.Each player chooses a stand and a playing piece, and assembles it. Place your playing piece on the Start space. Colourbrain A family-friendly quiz where every answer is a colour Players answer using multicoloured cards in Colourbrain. The first player to reach The End space wins the game. You do not have to reach the final space by exact count. The orange player was the first to reach the end space. They have won the game. It’s an exciting game that encourages creativity, and is perfect for the type of person who loves memorising movie quotes. By its nature, the game skews towards film buffs (it even comes in a VHS box) - so if your friends don’t watch many movies, they may not have much fun. Shot in the Dark A quiz game where no-one will know the answer - give it your best guess Shot in the Dark lives up to its name with some questions that require highly specific knowledge.

The board game does a good job recreating the four rounds of the TV show. It can feel a bit clunky to play the first few times as each round is very different, but it should get easier the more you play. There’s even a little trophy for the winner to hold at the end of the game. It’s a great game if you or someone you know is already a fan of the show, and might even help you convert them into playing more board games.The game requires no skill to play other than having the ability to answer trivia questions. It is a basic roll and move kind of game and that gives this game a low complexity level. Set Up – Playing Rules & Instructions There’s also a neat game mechanic where you only score points if one player got the wrong answer. This stops anyone from racing into the lead by getting a streak of correct answers. As the game only takes 30 minutes to play, it keeps players entertained for just the right length of time. Who’s it best suited for? If no one answers the question correctly after the last clue is given, then the player who asked the question wins the round. Dumb Ass – this is a penalty space. If you land on this you can’t answer the next questions. Basically, it’s like missing a turn.