Oh, the games people play … especially motorhomers. Family Motor Coaching magazine recently asked readers to:
Describe a card game, board game, etc. you particularly enjoy while camping.
* * *
That’s a no-brainer “” Farkel. It’s a six-dice game that gives points for various throws of the dice. Every evening, out it comes. It’s lots of fun and stores so easily in our little Roadtrek RV.
Helen M. Marschner, F307274
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
The double 12 Mexican Train. It’s easy to learn and fast-moving.
Chris Haugen, F203784
Eureka, South Dakota
Our favorite game indoors: a stacking game called Jenga. It’s good for all ages and only has a few rules. For outdoor fun (by a lake or river): frog races, with live frogs. We make lanes out of scraps of wood and see whose frog finishes the lane first. What a blast! The grandkids love it. They catch the frogs; we make the “race track.” Afterward, we turn ’em loose.
Rose and Doug Harms, F241355
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Our favorite card game is I’ll Buy It, which is played with four players and two decks of cards. For every two additional players, add another deck. First hand: the dealer deals six cards per person and puts the rest face-down in the middle with the top card up. Players take turns picking up and discarding to try to make two sets of three (e.g., three 5s and three queens). You can use wild cards for each hand, but you must have more natural cards than wild. (With three-of-a-kind, that would be one wild card in each set.) With each hand, which grows one card larger, players try to make different sets: seven cards = a straight of one suit; eight cards = a 5-card straight flush and set of 3-of-a-kind; nine cards = a 6-card straight flush and set of 3-of-a-kind; 10 cards = a 7-card straight flush and set of 3-of-a-kind; 11 cards = a 5-card straight flush and two sets of 3-of-a-kind; 12 cards = four sets of 3-of-a-kind; 13 cards = a 7-card straight flush and two sets of 3-of-a-kind. After each dealt hand, or any other time a player discards a card you can use, you must be the first to say, “I’ll buy it,” to get the card. If it’s your turn next when you say that, you don’t take any cards; otherwise, you must take the next two top cards from the deck. The first person to go out after each hand gets zero points; the rest count their cards at face value except for jokers “” black 2s (25 points each), and regular jokers in the deck (50 points each). The player with the lowest score wins. You can play that the dealer cuts the cards and restacks them, then tries to pick up the exact amount to deal out. If he or she does, 50 points come off his or her score.
Joe and Jeannette Dickson, F363950
National Park, New Jersey
Our favorite is a three-dice game called L-C-R, which stands for “Left, Center, Right.”
Don Moore, F103914
Yuma, Arizona
We love Pegs and Jokers, especially six-player games. Our husbands have all made different boards, and it’s wonderful to see the originality they have brought to the game. We also love the card game of Peanuts, which is somewhat like competitive solitaire. Our family has been playing this game for more than 35 years and we have taught many, many people the game. Our third choice is, of course, Hand and Foot. It was our number-one game until we discovered Pegs and Jokers. We had so many rousing patio games this past winter, we attracted everyone walking by, who, of course, had to get in on the cheering section.
Mary Lou Pulaskey, F264136
Bad Axe, Michigan
Monopoly is now available on CD for computers. My 9-year-old grandson loves to play Monopoly with me on my laptop when he travels with us in our motorhome. He’s pretty good. If my wife, Saraine, feels like driving, we even play while on the highway.
Jim Brightly, F358406
Bullhead City, Arizona
15 set Mexican Train Dominoes.
Bob Desio, F352609
Sparks, Nevada
Future questions:
1. What do you think motorhomes might be like in 10 years?
2. Name your favorite scenic road trip.
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