There are so many games out there that you may not find it surprising that you are missing out on quite a few. You may even think they’re not worth your time, if they’re not front and center on your family’s game shelf. However, there are seven board games that we really recommend you check out – even if you’ve never heard of them before.
Catan
This is a German-made game, and is a little bit like Risk. In Risk, you spend your time conquering territories and beating enemy armies. In Catan, however, you’re the settlers of various territories, and you attempt to grow your colonies by trading resources, expanding infrastructure, and making agreements with neighboring colonies. This is a great game, and is what a lot of role-playing video games are based on nowadays.
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Ticket to Ride
Another German-made game, this is a railway board game where players try to reach their destinations first. Each player is dealt two destination cards at the beginning, and claim a route to get to their destinations. First person to do this successfully wins. It’s harder than it sounds, and tons of fun!
Go
Goban, a Chinese board game, is called Go for short. It’s similar to checkers, in that you have flat marble pieces on each intersection of a grid (that looks like a checkerboard). Essentially, on a 19×19 grid, you want to occupy more space than your opponent, thus winning the game. It takes time, talent, and strategy to win, making it quite the game for checkers and chess lovers.
Axis and Allies
This game combines the best parts of Risk and Monopoly, and a little bit of history mixed in. Set in World War II, this game pits Axis and Allies against one another. Each side gets a set of objectives, and are given currency for completing those objectives. That currency must be used to gain further territories or win key battles in the game – get ready for a long game that might get a little heated!
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Cranium
This is a family favorite because it takes into account even the young players who are traditionally left out of more “logical” games. Different areas represent different “tasks,” or cards, and each member of the group gets to use their abilities.
Mancala
This Chinese marble game is something you may have seen before, but never really understood how to play. The best part about this game is that you can change it to whatever rules you want. Traditionally, the rules are pretty simple – you simply try to get rid of all the marbles on your side (the right side) by placing one marble in each bowl around the board. If you end on the large bowl at the top or bottom of the board, you get to pick another handful from a bowl and do it all over again. Eventually, you will get better at realizing which bowls to pick up first. This is a great game for small children, as well, as they can learn fine motor skills and counting.
