Lynne, her sister Liz, and I were avid Yahtzee players. Sometimes we could draw others into this dark art, but even if it were only the three of us, competition was intense.
In later years, this became the go-to game when Debby and her friends Dottie and Connie visited. Once again, competition was fierce.
Along with many other sayings and habits that came to accompany the game was one we called “Assume the Position.” This was derived from what I thought was a Yahtzee box photo of a family watching with excitement as a player was rolling the third time for YAHTZEE (which if you don’t play, means all five dice come up with the same number, so five threes, five sixes, etc.).
So while opposing players might have been thinking, Don’t you dare roll a Yahtzee, you jerk, we would get delighted looks on our faces and hold our hands up with faux excitement.
My current Yahtzee game does not have this picture on it, so I went looking for photos of older versions online.
This is not it. Clearly what’s happening here is a family who’s pretending all is well while coping with explaining the game for the umpteenth time to Grandma. Grandma is probably thinking, I could wipe the floor with your asses at Mah Jongg.
I can barely even see these kids, but I don’t think they have quite the enthusiasm required. Clearly, they’re being forced to play inside on a rainy day instead of getting up to whatever nefarious things they usually do in the wild.
This group comes closest, although I never had this box or played this version of the game, so I’m not sure I ever saw it. Hell, maybe the family I’m remembering was on a Parcheesi box. A group of us used to play that game like it was a death match.
I am 99% certain that I was given a Yahtzee game one birthday or Christmas. I must have gotten it out of the box, but I don’t think I ever figured out how to play it. It must have gone to a charity shop years ago.
It’s funny that I ended up liking it so much–numbers, counting, and all not being my thing of choice–but it’s probably the people I played with that made it so much fun. Boy, if quarantine has done anything, it’s stopped all card and board games in my home.
Is it just you and Tom allowed inside the house? I don’t know what the rules are there (or if you are living by your own)?
There aren’t really rules, just guidelines. He and I are alone in the house, and we occasionally have Tim and/or Debby over for dinner. Tim can’t go in and out because Jack will bite him, so his visits have to be planned. Debby comes over occasionally. But mostly it’s just Tom and me. No other guests.
The worst has been not seeing Lynne, Rhonda, and Lindsey, because previously, they were here nearly every week for either a Craft Night, or in Lynne’s case, two or three overnights. It’s really, really hard not to see them–they are not only friends. They’re family.