Bad Games

I enjoyed this post at Board Game Geek about "Your Lowest Ranked Game" where individuals attempted to identify the game they liked the least.  It reminded me a bit of the recent io9 post about when is it alright to give up on a series?  (I've given up many, including Jordan and Martin's Fire and Ice and Dark Skies). There are two on the list I would absolutely agree with.  Number one, Zombies.  Kyle got it for me, and we've had a lot of fun playing it, particularly with Eryn.  An added bonus is I get to use all the zombie counters, of which I have two additional bags including a set that glows in the dark, as geocaching swaps.  But if you play Zombies you have to put a time limit on the game.  There's just no other good way to play it.  If you leave it open ended, there's the distinct possibility you may be playing 24 hours later.  Even the extensions don't get rid of some of the monotony that can set in as you try to clear what seems like the exact same area for the umpteenth time.

Number two, Outdoor Survival.  I played it at a friend's house with him and his dad before I could drive.  I remember how frustrated I was trying to stay alive in the lost scenario where I swear I wandered off in a random direction every single damn roll which meant I was starving and dying and of thirst from the moment I started. Realistic?  Perhaps.  Fun?  Not so much. Here's 11 minutes of the game should you need to immerse yourself in the Outdoor Survival experience.

I would add Killer Bunnies to the list.  I once played it with Pete and Sarah and didn't draw the right card to start playing throughout a whole game.  I literally spent an hour doing absolutely nothing other than watch the rest of the players engage in what looked like totally random card drawing.  Here's a blogger who compares it to waterboarding.  

There are just too many fun games out there in this age of Kickstarter and Catan-as-the-Millennials-Monopoly to try and fix the bad ones.