Good Board Games

So I recently played the game Gravwell  and quickly fell in love with its at least semi-realistic quirky game-play. The game is older and had fallen out of print, but the rights were sold, and a new company has it and it running with it, or that's at least what I'm told but I digress. Gravwell , is a game that can be both fun and educational. The object of the game is to escape from a blackhole. The game board is setup in a spiral, and you're working to go from the center outwards. You draft movement cards from piles of cards, one face up and one face down, (to enter some element of chance) and these cards have a number on them indicating how far the movement will be. After the first round, in which all movement moves you out of the spiral, the game mechanics take full effect. What does that entail?  In space, you're always atracted to the nearest form of gravity and in this game, the same mechanics apply. What provides the gravity? Your enemy ships, as well as ...

In the world of deck builders and resource gathering games Splendor is, without a doubt, top notch. The mechanics are simple, gather resources in the form of colored chips. Then turn them in to acquire permanent resource cards that can be paired with the chip in further rounds in order to acquire cards that give you points. First player to the target score wins. That's Splendor in it's simplest explanation. Going more in depth, there are also ways to reserve cards that you do not yet have the resources for, (which also permit you to attain a "wild" chip used in place of any color) in order to prevent your opponents from getting the card first or to ensure you get "dibs" before anyone else. Game-play is balanced, you can prioritize one resource, or diversify and collect more resources in the process. In addition to the cards and resources, there are noble cards that you receive as a bonus action whenever you have the resources to claim them. These cards ar...

Hands down, this is the next game you want for larger groups to play with and enjoy. What game is it you ask? Well, the title didn't lie,  Werewolf   has quickly become on the top of my must have list. If you've ever played the game that I've learned as a card game called Mafia, you may already be familiar with Werewolf 's game play. For 3-10 players (the more the better in my opinion) game play begins by selecting a role card. This role comes with certain abilities, each one different. Once they're decided, the mischief ensues. First things first, the Werewolves identify themselves to each other privately (in a game where multiple exist). Followed by the other townsfolk carrying out their assigned tasks. Once all of the rounds are completed, let the accusations fly. To win the game it's the Werewolves (and maybe a minion) vs. The rest of the townsfolk in a sort of trial by fire. Someone will be executed as a result of the night time festivities. If it's a...

Are you tired of the same person winning all of your strategy style games at your local game nights? Or are you tired of competitive games in general? Well, what if you tried a cooperative game where all of the players work together to beat the game! Pandemic  is a board game were 2-4 players become agents of the CDC in Atlanta Georgia. Each player takes on  a different identity in the game, fulfilling a unique role within the party. These characters are chosen at random, and this adds to the replay-ability of the game. What combination of  characters work the best together, and how good are you at using their unique skills determines the likelihood of success. Your mission, should you choose to accept it (had to say it) is to cure the world of 4 different diseases before they spread to far. Each one of your group members will have a crucial role in finding the cure, and eradicating the diseases. Information on how to cure the diseases will need to be exchanged, making ...

Tsuro is a great start for beginners to tabletop games. In order to play this game, you and up to 7 of your friends grab totems, and place them on the edges of the board. Everyone then places a set of tile cards, each with several paths on their face in turn order. If you want to stay in the game, stay on the board. Play continues as the pieces follow the paths until they either collide with another player or end up exiting at the perimeter. As you play the paths get more and more complicated, and as you approach another player things get interesting. While you can only legally play tiles on your own path, if the tile you play happens to effect another player then that action happens immediately. Will you be nice? Will you play to win? Tsuro gives you the ability to choose your own path. Get yours today HERE!

Okay gamers, I'll admit I was a little bit leery when I first heard of Risk Legacy . In terms of full disclosure, classic Risk is probably my favorite game of all time. So when I hear of a version of the game where you physically write on the board, eventually add pieces, and even throw some pieces away I wasn't sure what to think. I first thought, is this game going to be worth the investment if it all eventually may end up in the trash? After playing, however; all of my concerns have been relieved. This version of the game allows for a more intimate feel. If I had to relate it to something, after looking back, games that you modify in this fashion may be the closest thing to playing real life Jumanji. You and your friends initially sign the board, like a contract between the players and the board, stating that your actions will be making a unique game that likely no one else in the world will ever experience. To not romanticism the experience as much, the game is not TOO...

Codenames is a game where you work with a teammate in order to make matching pairs in a word association game. The game is played with a grid of tiles, each with one word on their face, your partner knows which words belong to you and which words belong to your opponent. During the game you partner gives you a one word clue in addition to a number of word tiles it could potentially link to. An example of this would be if there were a word tile that said planet, and a word tile that said ball, your partner gives you the clue "sphere 2" in order to have you guess the two cards for your team. What makes the game challenging is that your opponents also are using the same board, and if you guess their words, you turn ends, AND they get credit for the tile being chosen for them. To make matters even more difficult, for both teams there is one card in play that (when guessed incorrectly) immediately earns their opponent the victory. This ones a true battle of the wits and is a perf...