In-person games with a 2-meter distance
July 24, 2020 9:08 AM Subscribe
In order to comply with my country's social distancing rules, I'm looking for boardgames I can play while staying 2 meters (about 6 feet) away from the other person/team, preferably without touching any shared pieces. I'm happy to modify game rules a little to make this possible. I could see this working with Codenames or Bananagrams, for example. What other games would you suggest?
Of course, pretty much any game would work if we each brought a copy and just duplicated the other person's move on our own board, but I'm specifically hoping to find games where that step wouldn't be necessary.
I'm also not looking for computer or phone games. I've got plenty of those!
Of course, pretty much any game would work if we each brought a copy and just duplicated the other person's move on our own board, but I'm specifically hoping to find games where that step wouldn't be necessary.
I'm also not looking for computer or phone games. I've got plenty of those!
With Battleship you each have your own board and never touch the other person's. It wouldn't need any changes at all to work for this.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:24 AM on July 24, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:24 AM on July 24, 2020 [13 favorites]
If you each brought your own dice, you could do it with Risk. I guess you'd have to modify the rules slightly to avoid the post-round card draw, but there are so many rules modifications that it seems trivial to do so.
Risk has the added benefit of encouraging social distancing, since after about fifteen minutes of game play, everyone will want to move far away from the game board, and many people will self-quarantine themselves rather than come out to play in the first place.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:30 AM on July 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
Risk has the added benefit of encouraging social distancing, since after about fifteen minutes of game play, everyone will want to move far away from the game board, and many people will self-quarantine themselves rather than come out to play in the first place.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:30 AM on July 24, 2020 [4 favorites]
For boardgames where you do tend to touch each other's pieces you could perhaps use some kind of gripper to move them; think longnose pliers or large tweezers. This would probably need some experimenting to figure out whether such an implement would be easy to use or require superhuman dexterity, and what type of gripper would work best. I can imagine that games shops would be offering such devices, but as I'm not into that level of board gaming myself I don't know whether they are.
For chess/checkers-like games you could agree to simply remove one's own pieces after they have been tapped.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:33 AM on July 24, 2020
For chess/checkers-like games you could agree to simply remove one's own pieces after they have been tapped.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:33 AM on July 24, 2020
you could perhaps use some kind of gripper to move them; think longnose pliers or large tweezers
They make longer-distance grabbers for people with disabilities; here’s one example.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:52 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
They make longer-distance grabbers for people with disabilities; here’s one example.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:52 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Are you willing to consider online/virtual things like Tabletop Simulator? I know it isn't in-person but I'd almost rather have a fun video call with no infection risk, no masks and a gameplay experience that's close to what I usually have than a weird, stilted, lower-quality in-person interaction that still has a nonzero exposure risk.
posted by Alterscape at 10:04 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Alterscape at 10:04 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Kubb is an amazing board-game like yard game.
Wavelength is a recent favorite that works well with distancing, though you would have to pass the dial around at some point.
Times up (or monikers, but I prefer the scoring in times up) is my favorite communication game. Best with 4 or 6 (3 teams).
RPG Games like D&D are good for distancing.
Hive mind (plays any player count, and you don't need the game though the components help. Great game.)
Snake oil
posted by bbqturtle at 10:09 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wavelength is a recent favorite that works well with distancing, though you would have to pass the dial around at some point.
Times up (or monikers, but I prefer the scoring in times up) is my favorite communication game. Best with 4 or 6 (3 teams).
RPG Games like D&D are good for distancing.
Hive mind (plays any player count, and you don't need the game though the components help. Great game.)
Snake oil
posted by bbqturtle at 10:09 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Wingspan can be played distantly - my cousin was telling me she had played games over Zoom, although in that case I think both ends of the call had their own copy of the game. You basically don't interact with the other person's pieces at all. There are card draws from a shared deck, so you'd have to be a tad creative around that if you want to avoid touching something someone else has touched.
posted by mskyle at 10:46 AM on July 24, 2020
posted by mskyle at 10:46 AM on July 24, 2020
Boggle
Maybe Clue if one person is the designated piece-mover
posted by Mchelly at 10:50 AM on July 24, 2020
Maybe Clue if one person is the designated piece-mover
posted by Mchelly at 10:50 AM on July 24, 2020
I don't remember if Guess Who? officially involves exchanging any pieces but I'm sure it'd be easy enough to modify.
posted by teremala at 11:08 AM on July 24, 2020
posted by teremala at 11:08 AM on July 24, 2020
This is an interesting question!
Most board and card games are tricky. Social deduction games seem like they are most fruitful route, but most have a shared deck. Some thoughts below, but searching on boardgamegeek for social deduction may also be useful.
Codenames and Codenames Duo both work, as you say (I prefer the latter), as long as you switch from touching the cards to saying the word on the card.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf, and its variants, seem like they would be doable, as long as you're prepared to touch cards that other people have. You could use hand sanitizer.
Fake Artist Goes To New York - central picture for people to draw on, everyone else stays back. There are online generators for the questions.
Spyfall - there's the initial handing out of cards, but nothing beyond that.
Bang! The Dice Game - but you'd have to have one die each and roll it repeatedly (or use an online dice roller), and keep separate track of the arrows.
You say "not computer or phone games", but there are plenty of board games on Steam or iPad that can be played networked by a group of people who are close together and each have appropriate devices. Colt Express, Terra Mystica, Star Realms, Splendor, Carcassonne, Sentinels of the Multiverse, etc. - search for board games on the App Store. There are lots.
And there are boardgame-like online games, like Keep Talking and No-one Explodes.
posted by siskin at 11:44 AM on July 24, 2020
Most board and card games are tricky. Social deduction games seem like they are most fruitful route, but most have a shared deck. Some thoughts below, but searching on boardgamegeek for social deduction may also be useful.
Codenames and Codenames Duo both work, as you say (I prefer the latter), as long as you switch from touching the cards to saying the word on the card.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf, and its variants, seem like they would be doable, as long as you're prepared to touch cards that other people have. You could use hand sanitizer.
Fake Artist Goes To New York - central picture for people to draw on, everyone else stays back. There are online generators for the questions.
Spyfall - there's the initial handing out of cards, but nothing beyond that.
Bang! The Dice Game - but you'd have to have one die each and roll it repeatedly (or use an online dice roller), and keep separate track of the arrows.
You say "not computer or phone games", but there are plenty of board games on Steam or iPad that can be played networked by a group of people who are close together and each have appropriate devices. Colt Express, Terra Mystica, Star Realms, Splendor, Carcassonne, Sentinels of the Multiverse, etc. - search for board games on the App Store. There are lots.
And there are boardgame-like online games, like Keep Talking and No-one Explodes.
posted by siskin at 11:44 AM on July 24, 2020
Oh, and Perudo.
posted by siskin at 11:45 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by siskin at 11:45 AM on July 24, 2020 [1 favorite]
Perudo would be perfect! If you have both Perudo and Yahtzee, you could distribute Perudo cups and play Yahtzee without needing to pass the cup. Depending on the group and whether you want to compete or just play, Story Cubes would work well if one person were the designated “roller”.
posted by epj at 12:28 PM on July 24, 2020
posted by epj at 12:28 PM on July 24, 2020
As long as one person does all the card-turning then My City, the Spiel des Jahres-nominated legacy game by Reiner Knizia can be played at a distance--each player has their own board and set of pieces throughout. It's also very good.
posted by Hogshead at 2:51 PM on July 24, 2020
posted by Hogshead at 2:51 PM on July 24, 2020
Response by poster: Thank you so much for all the great suggestions, everybody! I'm going to refer to this thread often as I plan a game night with my friends.
posted by yankeefog at 4:25 AM on July 27, 2020
posted by yankeefog at 4:25 AM on July 27, 2020
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posted by xo at 9:24 AM on July 24, 2020 [2 favorites]