Board Games 101

Dad: So how many crosswords do you have lined up?
A.: I'm not sure we're doing crosswords. Looks like board games, which is just as fun.
Mom: [rolls her eyes]
A.: Look, you're always complaining about memory loss.
Mom: Oh, I know. I wish I had the disposition for that stuff. What board games?
A.: Don't know. Maybe she has Trivial Pursuit. Or Taboo. Taboo would be fun.
Mom: How do you play that?
A.: You play in teams. One person has a card with a word that the others on his or her team have to guess, as well as words they can't use to help the team figure it out. So if the word were... "cat," the taboo words might be "feline," "pet," "animal," "furry," etc.
Mom: So what would you say?
A.: That's the point. You'd figure out a way to say it. Maybe you'd say "meow."
Mom: Everyone would know "meow."
A.: Well, then that would probably be one of the taboo words.
Mom: So what would you say?
A.: That's the whole point. You'd figure out a way of describing it. I could say, "mine poops on carpets." Neither "poop" nor "carpet" will be on that card, for sure. Or I could say "mine is called Gracie." Or you could list breeds, or say they were revered in Ancient Egypt.
Mom: Oh, that would be interesting.
A.: Exactly. Actually, one or two of my favorite moments of 2009 came out of a game of Taboo, when we were in West Virginia. Allen got the word "poem" and swore in response, then continued to do so to make a poem, and said "...would be a really bad example of one."
Mom: I don't get it.
A.: So his word was "poem." Upon seeing that, he said [in Russian] "hell!" because it was a difficult clue. But then he said "hell hell hell hell hell... would be a really bad example of one." One being, a poem. You had to be there, but it was REALLY funny.
Mom; I don't get it. Why "hell"?
A.: That's just the best translation I can provide right now.

This had to be explained a few more times.

Mom: So what happens when the team guesses right? Points?
A.: Right.
Mom: So?
A.: So, what?
Mom: So then the other team gets points if they guess theirs right?
A.: Right.
Mom: That's it?
A.: Yeah.
Mom: So? What's the point?
A.: It's fun.
Mom: [Shrug]

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Happy New Year, all!