Block Ness

Each player owns a lake monster made of wooden segments, and the lake is a pegboard too small for all of them. On your turn you add one segment to your monster's head or tail, then move the head or tail piece to the new end. You may cross another monster only by going over it, so heights climb as the board fills. When everyone is blocked or the pieces run out, the fewest segments left wins. The rules fit in one breath and a game takes fifteen minutes, yet the fourth or fifth placement is a real decision, because a monster boxed in early is finished. Best with four, when the lake crowds fast. Reach for it with children who have outgrown UNO, or as a warm-up while the group arrives.