Top 5 Boardgames

When you’re as active in the ‘80s community as I am, you follow a bunch of people on social media who are also obsessed with this decade. Occasionally, I’ll come across a post that has me thinking, as the kids say: “Core memory unlocked.” I experienced this phenomenon last month when someone posted pics of the old Real Ghostbusters 3D boardgame. Although I used to play this game all the time as a kid, I had somehow forgotten it. (I guess the ol’ gray mare ain’t what she used to be.) Of course, I immediately went on eBay to snatch myself the game, and luckily, I was able to locate and procure one that was 99% complete. (Trust me; there are hardly any boardgames from the ‘80s that still have all their pieces, especially if it was a three-dimensional game you had to build yourself, a la Mousetrap.) This got me to thinking of my favorite boardgames I grew up with, and since we’re nearing the holidays and the gift-giving season, I thought I’d reflect on my Top 5 boardgames of all time, starting with the aforementioned game. (The rest are in no order.)

THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS GAME

When I saw this game being advertised on T.V. as a kid, I just had to have it. Not only was I a huge Real Ghostbusters fan (and still sorta am), but the game looked insanely cool, with its 3D design and interactive elements: a skull knocking you off the staircase, bringing down an axe, shaking the carpet underneath your playing piece, or opening a secret entrance in a wall. I was always a sucker for gimmicky boardgame effects—made all the more impressive since everything was done mechanically, no electronics needed or batteries required. In fact, the game’s layout was so impressive, I turned it into a playset with my Real Ghostbusters action figures. Now Peter and Egon could travel up those stairs together using articulated limbs, not some flimsy, cardboard playing piece. But alas, as with most games of this design, one of the walls broke, and the game could no longer be properly set up and played. I just hope the one I bought off eBay lasts longer!

FIREBALL ISLAND

This was the biggest, baddest game of the ‘80s. You weren’t somebody in my neighborhood until you had this bad boy. Unless you were rocking Fireball Island in your house, you just weren’t a serious gamer. (This game even made brief cameos in the movie Big—during the famous FAO Schwarz scene—and was featured in the ‘80s-set sitcom The Goldbergs.) But it wasn’t just the size of this thing that mattered; it was incredibly fun to play. Roll a fireball down several paths, and it could knock out your opponents—or even take out a bridge! Like the last game on this list, I also recently bought it on eBay, though a few playing pieces had to be 3D printed to complete the set. It doesn’t matter. The game still rocks just as hard. Watch out for those fireballs! (i.e., red marbles)

CLUE

This is probably the most well-known game on this list. I was never a Monopoly fan (there was too much math involved, and the game went on forever), but I always had an affinity for this Parker Brothers classic. As a kid, there was just something fun about playing detective in a murder mystery. You really couldn’t trust your opponents/friends! It also taught me the concept of the process of elimination, since, when you get right down to it, that’s really all you’re doing in this game. (“If it’s not this, this, or this, it must be this!”) There are a slew of different versions of this game, including ones branded on The Simpsons and The Golden Girls, both of which I own (The Simpsons is my favorite show, and The Golden Girls is my wife’s favorite), but nothing beats the classic. To this day, I still love shouting, “It was Professor Plum in the study with the lead pipe!”

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES PIZZA POWER GAME

If I could only play one boardgame for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one. Even if you’re not a TMNT fan, the game is incredibly unique because it comes with a “battle die” contraption where you have to flip your die into certain numbered compartments in order to defeat your opponents. That’s way more creative than simply rolling a die, a la Dungeons & Dragons. But you don’t just flip your die in this game. You move manhole covers around and zoom across the board using secret sewer passageways, spin the pizza power spinner to see what rewards—or penalties—you’ll receive, and it all ends with an epic boss battle at the infamous Technodrome. This game also has a deeply nostalgic pull on my psyche, as it was the final game I played at my very last sleepover with my two best friends. You know the meme: “One night, you had your last sleepover, and you didn’t know it.” Well, I did, thanks to this game. I’m happy to say this is one of the few games my Mom didn’t throw out. It’s proudly still stored in my closet, and I break it out every once in a while to play with my kids. Turtle power!

MYSTERY MANSION

Like the first game on this list, this is another one you had to build yourself—but that was all part of its charm. In fact, like the aforementioned Mousetrap, you had to build it as you played. But unlike Mousetrap, this game actually worked. You have dozens of multileveled rooms to mix and match, as long as the doorways lined up, including a wine cellar, ballroom, music room, library, and laboratory. (I especially loved the little skeleton in this room.) Connecting them all are tiny, plastic staircases, which I always got a kick out of. Playing this game as a kid, I often fantasized about living in the complicated mansions I would build, even if they were architecturally impossible. The main point of the game is a treasure hunt, but building the board was where all the fun was.

HONORABLE MENTION: PAYDAY

I know I complained about Monopoly requiring too much math to play, and Payday also involves math, but I never minded with this game because you were mostly collecting the money as you raced around the board formatted on a calendar month (another unique feature that I loved). This game was sort of a crash course on how to be an adult: getting the mail, paying bills, collecting your paycheck, etc. It’s sort of ironic since now that I have to do this in real life, I’m realizing how unfun it all is. Still, I’ll never forget those hazy, lazy days of summer playing this game over and over again with my sister in her bedroom—even if she occasionally cheated. (I forgive you, sis!)

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In other MTP news, my last book signing, which also happened to be my first solo signing and my first signing at an actual bookstore, went fairly well. In fact, I sold more books than I ever had at a single signing, though that might not be saying much. I’d like to thank the owner of The Neverending Story bookstore (she doesn’t want her name out in the public), the people who came to the signing, and the people who signed up for my blog, even if a few of you didn’t end up buying a book. Maybe I’ll be able to change your mind with these blogs. 😊

Until my next blog, same MTP time (usually Thursdays), same MTP channel (this website).

MTP

P.S.: Next blog: A Blast From the Past!

P.P.S.: The Danger Peak audiobook is now available!

P.P.P.S.: The new edition of The Electric God and Other Shorts is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble: