My adult daughter commented to me recently that she so enjoyed playing Pictionary with the adults many years ago. I do think it’s a game that can easily span multiple generations. We’ve had lots of fun times over Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, too.
Carcassonne because it’s pretty easy to learn, but is challenging and you can choose to use teamwork or screw over the other guy(s) at different stages of the game.
Apples to Apples is really good, but I don’t think it would work as well with a mixed-age group. Half the players might not get the jokes. And it can be pretty dirty depending on the crowd…
@gambitking mentioned fluxx – that’s an awesome game! It’s especially good for when people are coming and going from the game, because anyone can join in or leave whenever they want without affecting the rest of the players or being at a disadvantage.
Scattergories (sp?) is fun, if the group is in for a bit of a puzzle.
The key to both these games going over well is playing with people who’s feelings aren’t easily hurt Otherwise both can end in screaming matches or hurt feelings :P
@uberbatman Ooh, I forgot about Risk! I love that game. I used to play it all the time when I was in elementary school, so I feel like it’s another game that can work for all ages!