The Quintessential Wife, Girlfriend and Spouse Recommendation GeekList
Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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I wanted to make a list of the most popular games to play with your wife/ girlfriend/ spouse as chosen by the members at bgg. I am doing it as a reference point for myself and, I hope, others here at bgg. I’ve went through every Geeklist with a Tag of “wife,” “girlfriend,” and/or “spouse” and recorded each game that was added as an item in a positive manner. By “positive manner” I mean, if a game was added either by the owner of the list to say that he and his significant other enjoyed it, someone added the item as a recommendation or when positive feedback came to an item added by someone looking for recommendations. I went through about fifty-five Geeklists, recorded over 200 individual games and over 500 votes for those games. What will follow are the TOP 25 vote getters of Games Recommended for Wives, Girlfriends and Spouses.
One of my highest priorities when buying a new game is to ensure my wife, Jen, is going to enjoy it as well. Jen is my main gaming partner and if she doesn’t like the game, it doesn’t get played and judging by what I read on the other Geeklists, it is much the same for everyone else.
Each game will have its Name and Votes Received.
*Any comments made about the games are Jens and my opinions. Please remember that the point of the list isn’t what I think, but what we have all contributed to the Geek on this matter. I am adding comments, as I hope others do, only to add extra information to the statistics provided.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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1.) Lost Cities 28 Votes
Lost Cities is a game Jen and I only recently picked up. We’ve played about 15 games and have enjoyed it very much so far. The game is easy to learn and understand, quick to play and non-confrontational. This is probably our second favourite card game to play together and would both recommend it.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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2.) Carcassonne 23 Votes
Carcassonne is a favourite of Jens, but not one of mine. We play with the variant that allows you to keep three tiles in your hand at all times, to allow for more planning and combat luck of the draw. We also play with four expansions, The River, Inns and Cathedrals, Builders and Traders and King, though we don’t use the scoring for the King expansion. This is an easy to learn game, easy to play, pretty non-confrontational and looks really nice all laid out. Anyone who has completed a puzzle can pick it up quickly. A recommended game for those starting into the hobby (read obsession).
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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3.) Bohnanza 16 Votes
Bohnanza is one of our favourite games to play. For us, it is near impossible not to have a great time with this bean trading and farming game. You have to get the German edition so you can make up names for each of your beans. We have played with a bit of a trading variant where you can trade a bean more than once in a turn, making three, four and even five player trades! Again, this is an easy game to pick up with almost no downtime as you always have an opportunity to take part in the trading of beans. The only drawback is that you really need at least three to play and more to have a really good game. I find this plays best with five or more (with the expansion) and both Jen and I would heartily recommend it!
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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4.) Ticket to Ride 14 Votes
This is our most played and my wife’s favourite boardgame. Odd how those two things coincide… Anyway, there are few choices involved in the game allowing it to be played at a quick pace. It is generally non-confrontational, though there have been a few times when a route has been taken and someone has sent evil eyes across the table. It scales very well, as we enjoy playing with 2, 3, 4 or 5. We recently bought Ticket to Ride: Europe and enjoy that immensely as well, but find this to be a better gateway game into the hobby. Jen and I would both highly recommend this game.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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5.) Balloon Cup 13 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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6.) San Juan 12 Votes
We find this game to be a step up from the normal light fare we busy ourselves with. There is more strategy and planning involved in San Juan then most of the card games we play including Lost Cities, Cribbage, BattleLine and Bohnanza. We bought it due to enjoying Puerto Rico, but not wanting to take the time to set up the game for a two player excursion. It takes a while to learn all of the cards and how they apply to different strategies, but if you are looking for a deeper card game experience playable in less than forty-five minutes, then this is the game for you. We both recommend it!
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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7.) Alhambra 10 Votes
Our second most played boardgame and, of course, Jen’s second favourite game. This game combines many aspects of other games we enjoy, tile laying, city building, and hand management into a very good, straightforward game. This game scales well between two and four players, though we haven’t tried it with anymore than four. Another highly recommended game.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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8.) Odin’s Ravens 10 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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9.) Settlers of Catan 10 Votes
Settlers of Catan is the game that started it all for us. This is still one of our favourite games to play and is an excellent game to bring non-gamers into the hobby. I believe this would be higher on the list if it was playable with two. I know there is a variant that allows it, but it is dreadful! For both Jen and myself, this is a highly recommended three or four player game.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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10.) Lord of the Rings 9 Votes
This one hasn’t done very well with Jen. I really enjoy the game and have played it more solitaire than with gaming partners. Jen has tried it twice, but hasn’t enjoyed the cooperativeness, finds it takes too long and doesn’t enjoy the theme. Then again, if you want a visually stunning, cooperative game based on the most popular fantasy series ever…
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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11.) Hera & Zeus 9 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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12.) Mystery Rummy Series 9 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion. The reason this is “Mystery Rummy Series” rather than a specific game is due to three of the games receiving votes. Of the three games to receive votes, “Jack the Ripper” received five votes, “Jekyll & Hyde” three votes and “Al Capone” one vote.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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13.) Lord of the Rings – The Confrontation 8 Votes
This has been a total flop for us. We’ve tried it a couple times, but neither of us have enjoyed it very much. I’ve tried it with some friends, but without knowing the game and the characters, it seems a little bland.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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14.) Citadels 8 Votes
We’ve tried this a few times two player and have enjoyed it enough to play some more. If I want to play a strategic two player card game, I would personally choose something else. Sometimes the direct confrontation of some of the characters deters from the enjoyment of the game on a husband – wife level for Jen and I. I think we would both still recommend it with caution.
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15.
Board Game: YINSH
[Average Rating:7.67 Overall Rank:69]
Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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15.) Yinsh/GIPF Series 8 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion. Five of the votes were for Yinsh, two for Dvonn and one for GIPF.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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16.) Cribbage 7 Votes
This is Jen’s favourite game period. We play it a great deal and enjoy it when we do. While a great deal of the game ends up being luck of the draw, careful hand management ends up winning one of us the game more often then not. We both would recommend this game, though we both consider it an “classic” game rather than a Eurogame.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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17.) Blue Moon 7 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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18.
Board Game: Metro
[Average Rating:6.39 Overall Rank:942]
Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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18.) Metro 6 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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19.
Board Game: Attika
[Average Rating:7.08 Overall Rank:256]
Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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19.) Attika 6 Votes
We both find this to be an above average game that incorporates some of our favourite things in tile laying, hand management and city building. There are many difficult decisions along the way and yet the game play itself is very simple. We are generally able to finish a game within fifteen minutes, which is a great thing considering the depth of the game. Highly recommended.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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20.) Carcassonne: The Castle 6 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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21.) Wyatt Earp 6 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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22.) Carcassonne: Hunters and Gatherers 6 Votes
After our success with original Carcassonne and expansions we branched out to this version. We didn’t like it enough to keep it and traded it away. We found it to be too busy in the artwork and didn’t feel the slight changes to game play added enough to the game for our enjoyment.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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23.) Starship Catan 6 Votes
We’ve never played and therefore do not have an opinion.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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24.) Schotten Totten / BattleLine 6 Votes
We’ve never played Schotten Totten, but own BattleLin and have played it several times. Five of the votes are for Schotten Totten and one was for BattleLine. While we both enjoy BattleLine, which is like playing nine face up hands of Monte Carlo poker, Jen would prefer Lost Cities or Cribbage and therefore this doesn’t get played quite as much. But, we would both still recommend this game, especially to those who have a background with poker.
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Greig
Canada
Peterborough
Ontario
www.castlecon.net
I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch as a man can, before he repents...
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25.) Through the Desert 5 Votes
We’ve only tried this one a couple of times, so we don’t have a great feel for it yet. What I can say is that the camels are pretty and it seems like a really neat area control game in which you have to pay attention to a lot of different things in order to ensure you are scoring a good number of points. It also plays rather quickly, meaning a couple can get three or four games finished in an hour.
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. Highly recommended.
We play the Ripper, find it nice 'n light and easy to play on the couch whilst watching telly.. 
and the gameplay. This is also a game that she kicks my butt at almost every time we play. Yet I keep coming back for more pain...
