Who doesn't love a good game with a loved one? Even better...who doesn't love a good game where the original rules can be gently tossed out the window on their bum and replaced by new Mega Rules on the fly?!
Since I was young, nothing made a board game better than bending a few rules, or even better creating all new ones. My brothers and I would add a few or take away depending on how we wanted the game to go. I didn't realize until I was grown that most of the rules were to help me stay in the game. As the youngest I was, by default, always a few steps behind. Why do you have to bump someone allll the way to back to their home in Sorry? Why do you even need to buy hotels in Monopoly? They could've annihilated me, but they didn't.
Of course, there were the fun rules. We would take all the taxes you pay in Monopoly and put them in the center of the board. Then if you landed on Free Parking you get the lot! Feel free to adopt this...and you're welcome in advance. 😉
I started introducing these sorts of things to the Yeti when we got married. Of course now I'm fully up to par with my skill set and quite competitive, so making the game easier isn't as fun. But the rule bending that helps the game go and go until you've had all the fun you can stand is completely up for grabs!
And of course, this is how we play with our kids.
This morning our middle kid, the Inventor, wanted to play Checkers. I've only played once or twice a few years ago, but he loves it so I asked him to reteach me.
He did a great job, and before I knew it, I was beating him...slightly...here and there...and then losing again haha. We got to the point in the game where we started "kinging" each other. Soon all the pieces left were Kinged, and we found ourselves reaching the other side of the board again. He said the last time he played, he and the Artist put a third piece on top and now this piece could go anywhere.
Now the wheels were turning.
We started to refine the process a little. What if we put a third piece on and called it Giant, then it can only go forwards and side to side by one space but not backwards. Then if you make it all the way back again you become Kind Giant you can go anywhere on the board, side to side, diagonal and backwards. Make it all the way again and become a Necromancer and get a pawn from the chest board!
It became such a fun mess! And we could not defeat each other. It got to a point where the only way to try and win was to make a lot of sacrifice plays, and neither one of us wanted to do it. So we did what any sensible set of competitive people would do. We got out the Dungeons and Dragon dice.
I won! He was a great sport as a I did my victory dance around the kitchen.
We had so much fun. It really reminded me that it's always important to take time and say yes when you can. It's not always possible. Being the adult also means you have to set an example of working hard even when you want to play, but you have to remember to say yes so that they know why you work so hard. It's for them.
Thanks for sharing this with me!
Much love,
Stacie D
