Good Board Games

The Great Dalmuti  is a strategy party game for 4-8 players, but I've played it with 12 and it still works well and was enjoyed by all. Winner of a Mensa Select award in 1995, this card game implies a solid level of strategy along with its quick and quirky game play. In the game, the objective is to play all of your cards before everyone else. The cards themselves are a pyramid deck, with twelve 12 cards, eleven 11 cards, ten 10 cards, all the way down to two 2 cards, and one 1 card. In addition there are also two Jesters which are played as wilds. Play starts with the leader, or Great Dalmuti, playing a card or a set of cards. You're trying to get rid of all of your cards, but there's no rules on when you have to play anything. The only play rules are that you must play lower card values than what has been played; ex. If the great dalmuti plays a 12 you can play anything lower, if the great dalmuti plays a 2 you can only play a 1. The other way to play cards is in a se...

If you're looking for a new party game, Red Flags might be the one for you. Darin Ross, the creator of SUPERFIGHT , has made another card game, slightly ruder than his original.  In the game, one person will be the prospective suitor. (Taking turns around the table) The rest of the group uses two of their attribute cards to make the best possible date for the suitor judge. One by one they will play these attributes, all while making the best case that their date is better than the rest. Once all characters are introduced, players then place "red flags" on each others characters, sabotaging them so that the suitor judge may look more fondly on their character instead.  An example of this may be that one players character is a billionaire, and a supermodel. Based on their initial attributes, they sound like quite the catch. After the round of red flags, however; you learn that they also keep a dozen orphan slaves in a sweatshop. Not quite as appealing as before. Onc...

The Game  is a cooperative card game for 2-5 people, that can also be played solo as a solitaire. In The Game , players work to play cards numbered 2-98 in one of four piles. Two piles ascend from lowest to highest, and two piles descend from highest to lowest. It's fairly easy to grasp the concept of, but there are a few game play elements that make this more interesting than simply putting cards in order. Play starts when players in the game have 6 cards in hand. Now the group decides together who should go first, based on the cards they have. Usually this becomes an I volunteer as tribute situation. They then take turns clockwise around the table playing cards. On your turn, you must play at least two cards, but if you happen to have cards that are very close to each other, you can play as many as you're holding. During game play, you can discuss where you would like players to play or not play, but you CANNOT discuss the cards numbers in you hand. There will be times wh...

Hanabi  is a cooperative card game for 2-5 players. It seems very simple on the surface, play 5 different colors of cards, in ascending order from one to five. This seems fairly easy to do, 25 cards for a perfect score on the surface appears to be a quick game with no strategy and achievable with merely the ability to count. Hanabi  is anything but simple and lacking strategy, because of one simple fact. You don't get to look at your own cards. Yes you read that correctly. Your cards are viewed by your teammates, and NOT by you. This turns the game into a pseudo team building exercise. In order for the group to succeed together, they must set each other up to do well. But, how can I play a card in the correct location, when I don't know what I have in my hand? Your teammates can tell you what you have, but you're on a (figurative) time crunch so they can only tell you incomplete information. So as an example, you have three white cards, a red, and a blue in your hand. Y...

The Aesop tale we learned growing up as kids "the tortoise and the hare" has been revitalized and brought to life in the adorable game, The Hare and Tortoise . In this rendition of the game, not only is it a race between the tortoise and the hare characters, but we've also involved the big bad wolf, the fox, and the sheep. To begin the game there's a little assembly required. You'll layout the race track in a fun shape of your choosing, you'll build the race podium, and finish line. Then every player (2-5) receives a character card that they are betting on to win the race. This is not an optional choice, but a forced character dedication. In addition to this character, the players will receive cards that they will use to pick their secondary betting character. Players are trying to get either of their characters to win the race and/or just get on the podium because the better their character does in the race, the more points the player gets towards winning...

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...

Roll For It! is a quick and easy dice game that incorporates elements from Yahtzee , in addition to resource management and risk assessment. Compete with your friends to earn points from cards that have various sets of dice on them. Every player competes for the same cards in the pool, but have a limited number of dice to roll at one time. Will you be a risk taker investing in large value cards, or will you try to score many smaller sets quickly in order to grab your victory?

Cheap staple of gaming with close to 50 spin offs, you'll never play the same game twice! Fluxx is the game of constant change, can you complete your objective before the rules change? There's many different ways to win, but that all depends on what cards are played. The beginning of the game is simple, and right off the bat, there's actually no way to win. The entire rules of the game include, draw a card, play a card, and that's it. Simple to learn, in fact anyone can learn it. The complications happen based on what cards you play that augment the rules, mid game. There's a very slight learning curve for anyone that hasn't played, just to get accustomed to what all the card possibilities are but it's not difficult, and with a (generally) short turn around on games, you can learn quickly. As I stated earlier, there's close to 50 different spin offs of Fluxx , each one being about the same, but introducing either a new theme, or a few new rule dynam...

It's silly meets serious, the ultimate party discussion game. Superfight! is a game where you can pair fighters with hundreds of attributes, and debate who would win a battle royal. Game play is similar to cards against humanity, but you can play with your mom and not blush. There are piles of face down cards with different fighters, and piles of face down cards of different attributes to attach to them. These can be good attributes, such as "made of metal", "can use the force" etc... or they may be bad, or useless "is very sticky" "carrying way to many grocery bags" etc. You pair one ability with your fighter, and then add another attribute from the face down piles. (You're not allowed to choose this attribute, and must find a way to justify it's negativity, or use its positivity in conjunction with your fighters abilities) This game is great for initiating discussions, and for larger groups, allows each player an even chance to...

Carcassonne is a great game,if not the best game to introduce the tile placement mechanic becoming popular in games today. For 2-5 players this game allows you to build cities, farms, roads, and monasteries  one tile at a time with randomly drawn tiles. It's as competitive as you make it, so hardcore gamers or social wallflowers will all have something to take home. Is one player building a booming metropolis, that if finished will surely win them the game? Try to invade and get your Meeples inside the city and split the point value, or get more Meeples inside the walls, and even steal the points all for yourself. However you decide to play the game, I can promise you'll never ever play the same game twice.   If you'd like to play with more than 5 players the Inns and Cathedrals expansion is a must have as it opens up the game and the rest of the other expansions with the silver pieces. This add on allows 2-6 players to enjoy the game in addition to it's add...

Just a quick shout out to our new viewership from the UK, our tabletop community is growing fast. Since the audience is growing, are there any games that you'd like me to review? -If I've never heard of them, even better, a new reason to buy a new game!

I just wanted to make a post saying a quick welcome to our international viewership. Looking at the statistics of the posts, Good Board Games is being viewed primarily in the USA, but now we have gamers from France and Germany. I think this goes to show that tabletop gaming is a hobby that can bring anyone from anywhere to the gaming table, enjoy the Blog.   Bonjour et bienvenue Hallo und herzlich willkommen

Are you a fan of UNO? Or maybe you like quick card games with a sense of humor? Or could it be that you're just backed up with your usual go to games? Well POOP might be for you! Poop is a roughly $10 card game that plays similar to UNO, but don't let the cards back up in the toilet or they'll clog up your game. Fun for just about anyone, Poop has many action and sound effect cards to make each round of poop fun and unique. I can (hopefully) guarantee you've never had so much fun playing with poop. Note, for our older gamers (21+ in the USA) that want another fun party game, there are instructions that make Poop a drinking game. Additional note, this isn't a game, but if you're having trouble getting back to the action, then the Squatty Potty might just be for you. I have one in my household, as do many of my friends; and we all can attest that it's a miracle invention. Even if you're not a gamer, or a "regular" reader of the blo...

One of my new favorites, Sheriff of Nottingham incorporates trading, smuggling, bribing, extortion, deal making and/or breaking, Cheese, Bread, Apples, and Chickens! This game takes a little bit of time to initially learn from the instructions but it's easy to pick up and easy to play. Individual strategy will vary based on the cards you get, the style of play your opponents employ, as well as how many players you're going to play with. No one strategy will work 100% of the time, so this means that the game has a very high level of replay-ability. The other reason Sheriff of Nottingham has become one of my favorites is that everyone has a chance to win the game until the very end, so it's engaging for all players throughout.

The MOST crowd funded game on Kickstarter EVER can't be bad right? Well, with Exploding Kittens the fun is, dare I say explosive? This game is easy to play, and with only 4-5 rules it's very quick to learn. The card game is without a doubt in the silly/quirky area of games, however there is some strategy to be employed as well. Get your copy today!

You are the leader of one of the 7 great cities of the Ancient-World. Gain resources early in order to develop your empire and/or conquer your opponents with military dominance. 2-7 players compete in 7 Wonders through 3 rounds of play as each of you work to develop technology, discover the fine arts, or build relics and upgrade your civilization. The game developers say it's recommended for around 30 minutes of game-play, but my experience is much closer to 45 minutes to 1 hour. This is a great game of strategy for newcomers or highly competitive strategists. There is a learning curve to the scoring mechanisms, but once you understand it, it's really not that complicated.

Attention any and all board game enthusiasts. The amazing Pop-o-matic Trouble game is available for $8.00! Everyone remembers how much fun they had in their childhood, popping the dice roller, and getting into trouble with their friends. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then go into this one head first. If you do know what I'm talking about, you're either raiding your closet for your original or clicking that link to get your new copy today; 90's Kids never forget.

This one is at the top of my list to try with a group of friends next. Pandemic is the game where it's you and your friends working together to beat the game. A fully cooperative experience, your party works together to fight the outbreak of 4 new diseases in the world. With multiple difficulty levels and outbreak conditions, this game has a high replay-ability factor. During setup, each player chooses a "role" playing the scientist, with bonuses to researching disease cures, or perhaps the healer, with bonuses to curing the inflicted, etc etc. Whomever you choose, you'll all have to work together to eliminate the 4 diseases before the global population meets it's doom. Good luck gamers.

I know this one isn't exactly a "game" of sorts; however, I'm very passionate about their use and practice. The Figet Cube is a device to keep busy hands idle. This device is perfect for adult stress relief for those working at a desk, young adults studying/reading for an exam, or for youth that have alot of extra energy. The device does just about anything, with switches, dials, buttons, clickers, knobs, and a track ball, while also not doing anything at all. The only function is keeping the hands busy, and with it's low price, they're available for anyone in need of a QUIET activity to keep up their motor skills. As a side note, my father took one with him to school and allowed a high energy kindergartner to SIT STILL and play with the device for over 20 mins. Can't complain with these results. Babysitters and grandparents I'm looking at YOU! Get yours Today.

Once you've mastered Ticket to Ride, and you're looking for a more player to player interactive experience, the next game for you is Settlers of Catan . Settlers of Catan is a game for 3-4 players, where they battle to develop the island nation of Catan. Turns include resource acquisition (via dice rolls), trading resources with other players, claiming tiles with roads and developments, upgrading those developments into cities or buying cards from a deck designed to help you in your efforts. The strategy to play is what you make it, changing with each game based upon other players moves as well as the set up changes of the board itself. Finally, this game is a great education tool for kids, as it teaches statistics of dice rolls (with an easy to follow dot mechanic) in addition to trade. “Settlers has become so popular in Silicon Valley that it's now being used as an icebreaker at some business meetings.” -Wall Street Journal

The first game I'm going to review is going to be the first game anyone needs to add to their collection,  if they've not done so already. Ticket To Ride is by far the best tabletop game for the beginning gamer. It takes all of 10-15 minutes to learn the games rules and dynamics, but this simple to learn game also provides massive amounts of room for competitive strategy gamers to enjoy as well. With many different destinations you'll never play the same game twice, and unlike many other games all players are competitive until the last piece is played. Go out and get your copy of Ticket to Ride today!

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