I'm going to China. What Game(s) Should We Bring?

checkers. (both kinds :D)

do you have iPhones?

Mad libs are still fun if you can find them.

A magnetic backgammon set is a travel must for me.

(You could try bringing a book. Like maybe China, so you could get the most out of your visit to China. Nah… Play games instead.)

Something not banned in China?

Have you played the other games made by the SET company? If you like Set and bridge, you should definitely try Xactika. It’s like a bridge/hearts game, but made by the people who make Set, and it’s really cool.

Other favorites of mine are Phase 10, Hand and Foot (which is played with several decks of regular cards), Dominion (which comes in a big box, but on the inside is just cards, so it could be made smaller to travel with), and of course, Boggle.

yeah, we’ll have iphones & books too, but neither is the same as seriously competitive board/card games.

Games? You’re going to China! You don’t need games. You should be getting as much out of the trip as possible.
Look out the window, watch the people, read a book on Chinese culture (and abuses), sleep, eat, learn about the food, practice asking how to get to xxx in Mandarin so you don’t get ripped off by the taxis, study maps of the cities you will visit.
Time how long it takes before the friendly Chinese watcher comes up to you pretending to be practicing English and asks you what you are doing, who you work for, and where you are staying. If you need a game, make bets to see who’s guess was closer. To make it interesting I vote 20 minutes.
Enjoy your trip.

^^^ My point exactly. I read the question, and I couldn’t help thinking. “Really??? You’re going to China and you’re worried about what games to play so you aren’t bored!?!?!” @worriedguy put it much better than I could. Kudo’s and lurve.

@worriedguy and @Dan_DeColumna point well taken, but 50 hours of flights + trains = plenty of time for games! ;)

Deck of cards and play Texas Hold em very addicting game. Use snack food/chips for chips.

50 hours? Risk, Axis vs Allies are just a couple which will last some time, but they can be bulky to carry around.

Try Nintendo DS. Complete,vary,simple,and interesting.

@hoist2k 50 hours is nothing when you’re surrounded by sights and sounds of a different world. Try to spend the time learning, talking to strangers or just sleeping. If you need something to shut off the world, carry a cheap set of head phones. Pop them in your ears and you are free to pretend you are listening to music.

@hoist2k: Don’t listen to all the anti-game naysayers and electronics proponents. I totally understand wanting some good, old fashioned games to pass the time! Who here can honestly say they have NEVER been bored for at least a little while during international travel?

Ping pong rackets, trust me.

@hannahsugs If I am bored I use the time to read or catch up on sleep. Honestly, I don’t get bored very often. Sometimes I even try to learn a few words of the language. Horrors. ;-)
When I go to a restaurant I never order something I can make myself. When I am in another country I try to get as much out of the experience as possible.
You are going to China! There is so much to see and observe. You can drop your camera and whatever it clicks will be interesting. Trust me.

Don’t bring anything electronic. A deck of cards (I love Skippo), or a pictionary card box would be great.
If you can, bring something to take pictures with, that you can immediately print, like an old Polaroid used to. The locals don’t have pictures of themselves, and are quite appreciative of such kind gestures.
You should also know that Chinese food there is much different than Chinese food here.
Bring chocolate.
I went in 84. It was quite the education.

I’d recommend bringing couple decks of cards and learning some new games because cards are so versatile. Maybe grab a book of card games.

With exactly five people, one of my favorites is Silent Partner Hearts, a brilliant variation on hearts.

Other card games that can be fun:

- Oh, Hell.
– Gin rummy / rummy 500
– Some amazing solitaire variations (there are many—all are much better than standard Windows-style, and completely different)

I’ve also had a tremendous amount of fun trying to invent new games, which always involves playing them many times. :)

Orthello
Ginga
Chess
Chinese checkers
Majjong
Life
Poker cards