When I was growing up, my older brother, Jesse, used to coerce me and my younger sister, Adrian, into playing games with him. While I loved the Star Wars re-enactments and Superhero games, I wasn’t into some of the other stuff he liked to play—like the board game Risk. It was too complicated; and to the chagrin of my siblings, I got bored quickly and ended up quitting before the game ended every time.

To this day, I only like to play games that are simple, yet enjoyable. I can easily spend an hour playing a game of Mexican Train dominoes. I find it to be a great addition to an RV road trip—especially on those days when I’m hunkered inside the motorhome to escape torrential rains or other inclement weather.

Recently I got my hands on two games produced by the company Gamewright: "Who Would Win: The Ultimate Celebrity Showdown" and "Joe Name It: Not Your Average Party Game." I wanted to take these games for a test drive because they appeared to be great additions to one’s RV game collection. And they did not disappoint.

To begin with, both games come in 3.5 x 3.5 inch square boxes, so they can be easily stowed in a drawer or cabinet. Another plus is that these clever card-based games (made for ages 12 and up) require a minimal number of players. And while they are simple to learn, they are far from boring. After playing with each of these games on several occasions, I’ve come to the grand conclusion that they are perfect for RV travelers.

Who Would Win: The Ultimate Celebrity Showdown
“Who Would Win” requires 3 or more players, so it’s ideal for those nights when you want to invite the campers next door to hang out at your picnic table. The set contains 200 cards and a sand timer. The cards are separated into two decks: an Event card deck and a Character deck. After opponents each draw a card from the Character deck, an Event card is then displayed, face up for all to see. Then the timer is set. The object of the game is for you to try to win a debate about why the character you chose would win the event. For instance, say I drew Homer Simpson, my opponent drew Clint Eastwood, and the Event card drawn was weight-lifting. I would get 20 seconds to try to convince the other players that Homer Simpson would win. Whoever makes the best argument wins! It’s easy and thought-provoking, yet light-hearted and silly; it’s an overall entertaining game that is a perfect antidote to RV cabin fever.

Joe Name It: Not Your Average Party Game
“Joe Name It” also comes with minimal equipment—a custom die and 200 playing cards. In this game, according to the rules of play, the object is to "outwit Joe Name It by correctly naming things that fit each card/die roll combination."

For example, say it was my turn and I have to pick a card. There are two types of cards that could be chosen, an "Any Joe" card or a "Just Joe" card and each card has a fill in the blank. I just drew an Any Joe card that says, "Name a song title with the number ____." Then I roll the die and whatever number comes up is the number I have to use to fill in the blank. I just rolled a four. Since I chose an Any Joe card, it’s an all-play round for all players. The first player to correctly name a song title with the number four in it wins that round. If nobody can think of a correct answer, Joe wins the card. Right now, it looks like Joe is winning because neither I, nor any of my imaginary players, can think of a single song title.

Again, this Gamewright game is stimulating, yet simple, and lots of fun. Since this one requires only two people, RV couples won’t need to invite fellow campers; you can pull it out any time your RV trip needs a little extra pep.

For more information visit www.gamewright.com. You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

Note: The RV Editor requested review samples of each of the games.