Games I'll Never Play Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chess

"Chess" is a two-person strategic board game played on a square board with sixty- four squares (in an eight by eight grid formation). One person controls white chess pieces and the other controls black chess pieces. Each player has sixteen pieces that include eight pawns, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, a queen and a king. Pieces are set out in the bottom two rows closest to the player and move across the board, capturing each other's pieces through various plays. Pieces move in specific ways, for example, a bishop can only move diagonally.

The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king.

Answer: Scrabble

"Scrabble" is played on a square board that has one hundred spaces on it, some of them marked with special features (such as double word score.) Each player always has seven random tiles and each tile has a letter on it (and a couple of blank tiles that a player can make any letter). Each letter has a point value with some of the harder letters to use having a higher point value (such as an 'X' or a 'Z').

There are multiples of commonly used letters and only one of lesser used letters. Each player then makes a word out of the letters they have chosen, as long as the word connects with any of the words that have already been placed on the board. Points are then awarded by adding the value of the letters on the tiles and any special feature spaces the player has used to place the word. Play ends when all the letter tiles have been used and the player with the highest score count wins.

Answer: Risk

Between two and six players can play this game and although the game can take anywhere from hours to days to play, the rules are simple enough that families or adults can play. The board itself has a political map on it with six continents and forty-two territories depicted. Players are issued armies and turns are rotated amongst the players.

The object is to attack and take over each of the territories on the board. Players can form alliances to help each other gain control of territories. A player is out of the game when they have no territories left.

This game has influenced lots of other strategy-based games such as "Settlers of Catan."

Answer: Axis & Allies

Between two and five players can play this game. The first version was published in 1981 and depicted a political map from spring 1942. Based on the major powers of World War II, players choose to play as one of the Allied powers (United Kingdom, United States or the Soviet Union) or an Axis power (Germany or Japan). Players take turns rolling dice to determine their moves, with the object of the game being to capture the territories of their enemies. Players use a combination of tactics and strategy to try and defeat their opponents and can take anywhere from a couple of hours to play to several hours.

Answer: Twister

"Twister" is a relatively simple game to play and doesn't take a ton of time to play. Physical rather than mental skill is required to play. To play this game, a large plastic mat is placed on the ground. The mat has colored circles on it (the circles are either blue, red, yellow or green). Between two and four people can play. Someone who is not playing on the mat will use a spinner to give directions to the players.

For example, one of the callouts might be 'left hand red' and each player will need to place their left hand on an available red circle.

They must keep that hand there while following further directions without touching the ground with any other body part. Players are eliminated as they touch the ground until one player remains and is designated the winner.

Answer: Pictionary

"Pictionary" is played in teams and was inspired by "Charades." On each team, someone is designated to draw. Teams move along a board and land on an item that represents the type of thing the drawer needs to draw as their team-mates need to guess what that item is.

The items can be a person, place or animal; an object; an action; something designated as 'difficult'; or all play (any of the mentioned items). With each team turn, the person drawing rotates. There is a time limit for drawing and guessing (usually one minute).

The drawings must be just that - only pictures and no letters, numbers or vocal clues about what the item might be.

Answer: Pandemic

"Pandemic" was first published in 2008. The background is that four diseases have broken out in the world, threatening to wipe out humanity. Between two and four people can play and choose between seven different roles to play as (from a medic to a scientist to a quarantine specialist). Players work together to find cures for the four diseases before one of several game-ending conditions take place. An example of a game ending condition is the occurrence of a number of outbreaks.

The board itself represents a network of forty-eight cities across the world where outbreaks can occur.

Answer: Monopoly

A minimum of two players is required to play this game. Players choose a token and roll dice, moving around places on a board. On each of the places on the board, there is either property, instructions or a card to choose from. If a piece of property is available, a player can purchase it and then charge money to players who then subsequently land on that piece of property. Money can be made through the charging of rent or from cards with instructions (such as receiving money from each player). When a player loses all their money and can no longer afford to pay other players, they file bankruptcy and are out of the game.

The object is to own the most amount of property and bankrupt the other players. "Monopoly" is incredibly popular and there are tons of themed games where the corresponding properties and tokens match the themes (such as "Star Wars", "Doctor Who", "The Simpsons" and more).

Answer: The Campaign for North Africa

The Wargamer Academy rates the complexity of this game (on a scale of one to ten) as ten plus. This game can be played by two players or up to ten players (divided into teams). To even get acquainted with the rules, players need to navigate several booklets.

These include a sixteen page historical background booklet, a forty-five page land rules booklet and a twenty-three page air and logistics booklet. The game simulates the entire North African campaign of World War II and can take upwards of fifteen hundred hours to play.

Some people consider it the most complex board game ever created and it's also been called the longest board game to be played.

Answer: Machiavelli

"Machiavelli" can be played by four to eight players and can take between four and twelve hours to play. The board itself represents a map of Italy and surrounding countries. It is divided into seventy-three areas of two types (province or sea). Players choose one of the Republic of Florence, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Kingdom of Naples, the Papacy, Valois France, Habsburg Austria, or the Ottoman Turks. Players try to control a certain number of areas before other players while contending with things such as bribery, famine or plague.

This game is divided into years and each year has three seasons. Each season is a turn. Players play at the same time. They each write down their orders at the same time which are then read out loud.

The orders the players choose from are hold, advance, besiege, support and convoy.