One of the best things about Thanksgiving and other Holidays where get togethers are common is the gaming that happens later in the evening. Board games, card games, and even simple guessing games. This year we had a book called The Games Bible where I picked out 2-3 games for us to play.

We played a game called Self-Portrait that was so much fun. We all picked each other’s names from a hat and then everyone was blind folded. Then everyone had to draw the person they picked while blindfold. After everyone was done, we taped all the crazy drawings up on the mantle. Hilarity ensues.

We then played the Sticky Note Forehead game. In this game we picked a theme, a neutral family member wrote different items pertaining to that theme on sticky notes. Everyone picked from a hat and stuck the sticky to their foreheads so only the other players could see what was written. We all then needed to go around the table asking questions what was written on the note like “Am I mammal?” if the theme was Zoo Animals. This was so much fun it went on for 3 rounds. We ended up doing Zoo Animals, Celebrities, and Disney Characters. It was a riot.

Later on I played Risk with my little brother. We played two player mode which was a little confusing at first but with the help of my wife we got it going. She always beats me by the way, no matter what mode.

Risk is probably my favorite board game of all time. I remember playing long bouts with college buddies but those sessions were a litter harder to remember if you know what I mean. Since college I’ve only played a few times with my inlaws and my wife. It’s such a time suck of a game that no one ever wants to play. This Thanksgiving…my little brother wanted partake.

I decided not to go after him right away and instead build an army that used up all the allotted little men. This was the first time I’ve played to near the final rounds of reinforcements.

It was so funny. We had to come up with treaties not to attack each other during the later rounds just so we could bulk up in territories and militia!

More than 2 hours in, we had to call it quits because it was getting late and the final battle was going to be too intense to execute at such a late hour. So we decided to call it tie. I still consider it a win because we completely covered the board with armies ready to for a real world war. But alas, we didn’t get to finish.

Next time we’ll risk it.