Prison library games

edulis wrote: Looking at Hellapagos - looks like it plays quick and looks fun. Reading the description, is there is player elimination? or do players still have a role if there character is out?

RAW, player elimination. But the game is short so it shouldn't matter too much. There is also a card, maybe in the expansion (Voodoo Doll) that can bring back a dead player.

I think there's also a variant that allows dead players to vote. Regardless, dead players can comment on the game and advocate for people to die, so there's always that.

Edit: It's really great that you are doing this six years on from your OP. Kudos. I'd also recommend Pears (pure push your luck), LLAMA, and LLAMA Dice as easy and fun games to get to the table with a non-gaming population.

Hellapagos has always been a blast and I would second the suggestion of LLAMA as well. Pairs looks like fun, but I haven't gotten it to the table yet.

Some more recommendations:

Regicide (can use a regular deck of cards)
Skull
Art Robbery

Could The Crew work in this context?

Escape from Colditz.

One game that's been a hit with experienced as well as non-gamers is No Thanks. Super light rules, relatively high player count (though I think it's better in the 4-5 range), but interesting decisions.

I've never heard a kind word about the Hellapagos expansion so I'd stick to the base game. And as mentioned, there is elimination but the game plays swiftly, no one will be out for long.

hotseatgames wrote: I've never heard a kind word about the Hellapagos expansion so I'd stick to the base game. And as mentioned, there is elimination but the game plays swiftly, no one will be out for long.

I think the expansion is decent. It has three parts, which can be used separately or together in any combination.

The best is the extra shipwreck cards. No real new rules, just shuffle in the new cards. They are all self-explanatory and fun. Some of the cards are new, and there's also extra food and water to keep those cards from being too diluted in the deck.

Pretty good are the role cards. These give each players individual minor powers -- nothing game-wrecking, just little unique elements. E.g. "the model" doesn't eat but also can't carry as much stuff. They are fun but I usually skip them the first time I play with a group.

I haven't played with the event cards. Setting up an additional deck seems like a bit of a hassle, and the cards didn't look compelling enough to bother with the extra overhead.

I actually have the Crew- it is yet unplayed.