Is It Forbidden?

DT and I are playing lots of board games during Screen Free Week. One of them is a new one we borrowed from the B-Bunch, called Forbidden Island. Basically, the plan is to collect the treasure and escape from the island before it sinks into the ocean, taking you with it. One of the things I like about it is that it's a cooperative play game, where the people playing the game are a team, instead of competitors. I also like that the game board changes every time, and you randomly get a character instead of picking the same one over and over, keeping the game fresh since you have to plot your strategy differently depending on how many people are playing, what the game board looks like and what characters are bringing their special abilities to the game. All set up it looks a bit like this...

As the island 'sinks' the tiles get flipped over and if not shored up quickly, sink completely and are out of the game. The characters have to collect the treasures and get back to the helicopter pad before the island sinks to win the game. We've played several games and only lost once, but the others were all pretty close. It requires some strategy, serious teamwork and much situational awareness. Good stuff.

There's a companion game called Forbidden Desert, where you have to put your aircraft back together before you are buried in sand, or run out of water. Our friend Kelly has that game and often brings it to Game Night.

Both games can be found on Amazon: Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Island (for under $20 each) or at your local game retailer. Check them out!