"It's All Fun and Games" blogfest

i'm always looking for easy posts, and today my blogging friend Alex J. Cavanaugh has provided. the rules are easy: 

On June 6, 2011, list your three most favorite games and why. Board games, card games, RPG, video games, physical games - even mind games! If it’s a game you enjoy playing, it’s worth sharing.

in my quest to break rules, i'm listing many more than three, so here goes.

favorite card/dice games - favorites because i play these with my daughter a lot.

Farkle - a game generally played with 6 dice. my daughter and i play with 8 because we get more points, and although there are official rules, Anna and i have made up our own. instead of playing to 10,000 to win, we play to 20,000 or 30,000. i'm still trying to figure out how to work this into my sequel.

Five Crowns - i played this one at a church party and went right out and bought the deck. it takes a long time to play, but it's worth it. the funny thing is that it's made in the Phoenix area. this is another one where we alter the rules.

Uno - i think just about everyone has heard of Uno.

favorite board game - just one because i played this with my kids and husband and we had a blast.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Monopoly - this is actually the first Monopoly game my kids ever played and i don't think they'll ever play the original. i mean, why play as an iron or car that can buy property and utilities when you can play as General Grievous or Anakin Skywalker and buy planets and ships? is there any comparison?

favorite RPG/video games - favorites because i love watching my boys play these either online or on the PS3. i'm not good at navigating the games, so i just watch.

anything Lego - Star Wars 1-6, Indiana Jones, Batman... i'm even looking forward to the Lego Pirates game. i love the humor Lego put into these games.

Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth 2 - a great take-off based on the movies.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 1 - super special effects and a great story-line about Darth Vader's secret apprentice.

Tekken and Soul Caliber - these are the only video games i *can* play because all i have to do is push buttons, and as long as i stay away from the edge of the arena, i don't fall off of anything. my son doesn't play these with me often because, despite my lack of strategy (i just keep whacking at my opponent), i beat him about 2/3 of the time.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Sith Lords - back a few years ago, i printed all the walk-thrus so my boys could get to the end. they played it multiple times, going light side and dark side. i liked the storyline. i think that's what really got me more into Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - this one is coming in the fall and we've been watching the trailers for various characters as they come out. i'm looking forward to watching my boys play when it does.