-Isms: Original views on life in rural America

“Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy board games, and that’s good enough.”

It is unclear who initiated this statement, but it’s true. Money spent on board games is money well spent. Board games offer valuable life lessons: luck, strategy and teamwork. Don’t we all need a little luck now and then?

Our family plays board games at every get-together. A stack of game boxes sat on the top shelf of the entryway closet at our grandparents’ house. Aunts and uncles would bring other games, and at Christmas, long after the allure of new gifts faded, we’d gather around the dining room table and play multiple rounds of Trivial Pursuit or Balderdash or whatever the latest-greatest game was on the market.

As a youngster, I enjoyed Battleship and Scrabble. Battleship requires strategy ... and a little luck. On lazy Saturday afternoons, I’d challenge Laurie to a game.

No mercy. Take no prisoners. She despised it.

Scrabble is one of my favorites. Same for the rest of the family. I’ve learned though, that no matter how great of a linguist I believe I am, my cousin, Ryan, puts everyone to shame.

The idea of which board game is the best came to me during the pandemic. Jorden, Walker and I were thick in a game of Aggrevation. The 10-year-old mastermind rolls the dice a certain way. Otherwise, you don’t come up with a six, he informs us. We’re certain he’s manipulating the dice somehow, anyhow, but Walker and I can’t prove it.

Jorden also calculates each move, situating marbles in strategic positions to send his opponents back to the starting line, where we must roll a one or six to get on the board.

Both also enjoy playing Monopoly. Maybe it’s collecting $200 as they pass go that fuels the spirit of the game. Fast cash like that is Walker’s motivation. The other likes to hoard properties and establish hotel chains, taking all my money along the way.

They don’t mind Clue or Pictionary or Blokus, either. I’d like to introduce them to Sorry! or Yahtzee. I imagine a game of Risk could last all Sunday afternoon.

Maybe they should take a spin in the Game of Life, where their choices direct where they end up.

Or, perhaps we should bring back classic games my grandparents taught, like backgammon, cribbage or Othello.

Board games provide hours of entertainment and competition. And, at our house, there are times board games produce shouting matches and friendly debate about who is the master of gaming.

One thing I’ve noticed with games that are gaining popularity: a lot of them deal with deceit, -er, strategy.

How to Rob a Bank pits robbers against a banker and for three rounds, robbers have to collect money bags and get them in a getaway car, while evading security alarms.

Splendor combines cards and board games. Set in the Renaissance, each player battles for superiority over other merchants.

Actually, I think the next game I purchase will be Qwirkle. Each game tile has a design. Players decipher tile patterns and organize them into columns and rows based on color and shape. It kind of reminds me of a tactical game of Tetris.

If all else fails, we could try the Pandemic Legacy game series. No wait, we’re living that right now and I’m tired of playing.

It’s always fun and games ... providing a break from screentime, creating quality family fun.

That’s money well spent.