As many of my viewers know, I play a lot of board games (at the time of writing this blog post, I've averaged just over 10 plays a week in 2015). I'm by no means an expert in the matter, after all I've only been collecting and playing board games for the last couple of years. Even so, I occasionally get asked which games I would recommend. That is a massive and unwieldy questions - much too long to tackle in a YouTube comment let alone a Tweet - which brings is to this blog post. Click "Read More" for my board game recommendations ad of February 2015.
So you want some board game recommendations? Perhaps you are new to the hobby or just want to be nosy and see what I like? That's fine.
To say there are a lot of board games is an understatement. There are A LOT of board games. BoardGameGeek puts the number at over 75000. So far in 2015 I've played 34 different games, which hardly scratches the surface. I should also note that its rare I play a game I don't enjoy. I look up reviews, tutorials and read the rule book before buying a game or trying it in a board game cafe, so I have a pretty good idea that I'm going to enjoy the game before I play it.
To say there are a lot of board games is an understatement. There are A LOT of board games. BoardGameGeek puts the number at over 75000. So far in 2015 I've played 34 different games, which hardly scratches the surface. I should also note that its rare I play a game I don't enjoy. I look up reviews, tutorials and read the rule book before buying a game or trying it in a board game cafe, so I have a pretty good idea that I'm going to enjoy the game before I play it.
My first recommendation, especially for anyone new to the hobby, is Ticket to Ride. TTR sees you drawing route cards with cities on them and trying to connect them with trains by playing coloured card from your hand. Ticket to Ride comes in many flavours to suit your needs. The original supports 2 - 5 players, but the larger map is better suited for the higher end of the player count, while Ticket to Ride: Switzerland is geared more towards the lower player count (and actually only supports 2 - 3 players).
Currently, the Switzerland map comes bundled with an India map however, as this is an expansion map, you will need a copy of either the original Ticket to Ride or any of the Ticket to Ride base games (Europe, Märklin and Nordic Countries I believe) which come with the necessary pieces and cards to complete the game.
I have played the original with a varying number of players and Switzerland with two. The original is a great, easy to learn game which cab be played in under 45 minutes. If you find yourself playing with two players more often than not, I recommend picking up Switzerland as well. While the Switzerland map does come with some seemingly unbalanced route cards which see you connecting to countries as well as cities, the tighter playing area offers much more player interaction between two players (and the country routes can probably be fixed with a house rule or just removed from the game).
Currently, the Switzerland map comes bundled with an India map however, as this is an expansion map, you will need a copy of either the original Ticket to Ride or any of the Ticket to Ride base games (Europe, Märklin and Nordic Countries I believe) which come with the necessary pieces and cards to complete the game.
I have played the original with a varying number of players and Switzerland with two. The original is a great, easy to learn game which cab be played in under 45 minutes. If you find yourself playing with two players more often than not, I recommend picking up Switzerland as well. While the Switzerland map does come with some seemingly unbalanced route cards which see you connecting to countries as well as cities, the tighter playing area offers much more player interaction between two players (and the country routes can probably be fixed with a house rule or just removed from the game).
Second recommendation: Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension.This is a nice, easy game that is a great introduction to card drafting and simultaneous actions. You take control of a spaceship trying to escape a black hole by leap frogging your way over the other players. If you can mess up their plans and send them spiralling to their doom, all better for you.
Again, this is a very fast and easy to learn game and even has a 1 player variant as well as accommodating up to 4 players. The game sees you choosing cards from the table to play later in the round. Each player plays a card face down and then reveals them at the same time. Depending on who played what, your card may get you closer to winning or have the complete opposite affect. It also has beautiful tiny spaceships and who doesn't like that?
Again, this is a very fast and easy to learn game and even has a 1 player variant as well as accommodating up to 4 players. The game sees you choosing cards from the table to play later in the round. Each player plays a card face down and then reveals them at the same time. Depending on who played what, your card may get you closer to winning or have the complete opposite affect. It also has beautiful tiny spaceships and who doesn't like that?
Love Letter is a game for 2 - 4 where your objective is to woo the princess, earning tokens of her affection and ultimately falling in love with her. Now don't start turning your nose up at this game because of the theme. Does it help if I tell you the whole game has a grand total of only 16 cards? No? Well trust me, this game is fantastic and has possibly sparked the most laughs and started the most in jokes within my gaming group.
On your turn you will draw one card into your hand. You will then look at the (only) two cards in your hand and play one of them. Each character on the cards have different effects which may help you to knock a player out of the round or find out what card they are holding in their hand.
It is yet another game on this list that is super easy to learn (and also super cheap, like $10!), yet has a nice depth to it as you bluff your way to the princesses heart. Or watch in disdain as that stupid two-faced princess runs falls for your friend instead.
On your turn you will draw one card into your hand. You will then look at the (only) two cards in your hand and play one of them. Each character on the cards have different effects which may help you to knock a player out of the round or find out what card they are holding in their hand.
It is yet another game on this list that is super easy to learn (and also super cheap, like $10!), yet has a nice depth to it as you bluff your way to the princesses heart. Or watch in disdain as that stupid two-faced princess runs falls for your friend instead.
If you want something with a little more trivia, Timeline is a series of games that might be right up your alley. At the start of the game, you are dealt a number of cards with historical events written on them (for example, the invention of the television). In the middle of the table is a timeline made up of other cards with other historical events on, these cards however are showing their other face which also include the year the event took place.
To win the game, you must correctly place all the cards in front of you in the timeline. If you place a card in the correct position, all is good. But if you get it wrong, you draw another card from the deck. At the start of the game, it's pretty easy. but as the timeline gets more and more full, it gets harder to place your cards correctly.
Timeline comes in a bunch of different stand alone versions including music & cinema, historical events and inventions. They can also all be mixed in to some kind of crazy super game that no one can possibly get all correct ever. (I would also like to thank a donator who reminded to put this game here as they donated while I was writing this blog post, thank!)
To win the game, you must correctly place all the cards in front of you in the timeline. If you place a card in the correct position, all is good. But if you get it wrong, you draw another card from the deck. At the start of the game, it's pretty easy. but as the timeline gets more and more full, it gets harder to place your cards correctly.
Timeline comes in a bunch of different stand alone versions including music & cinema, historical events and inventions. They can also all be mixed in to some kind of crazy super game that no one can possibly get all correct ever. (I would also like to thank a donator who reminded to put this game here as they donated while I was writing this blog post, thank!)
I'll leave you with one final suggestion for now. Flash Point: Fire Rescue is a cooperative game for 1 - 6 players. Each player controls a fire fighter tackling a burning building and trying to save the occupants. The theme may turn some people off, but as cooperative games go, it is a simple introduction to the genre.
Like most co-op games, Flash Point has a varying difficulty, ranging from "really quite hard" to "oh god why, game, why?" It also features family rules as a nice introduction to the game. This family rules are also not afraid to burn you alive. Flash Point also has a ton of expansions. Unfortunately, I own exactly 0 of these expansions, but I have it on good faith that they are also good.
While Flash Point has a layer of strategy, it also never quite let's you feel in control as fire can pop up randomly each turn and quickly get out of hand if left to its own devices. I have never been a real fire fighter, but I am sure they probably feel a similar sense of "we should probably do something about this" while fire fighting. The theme, at least to me, feels strong in this game which is probably why I enjoy it so much.
Like most co-op games, Flash Point has a varying difficulty, ranging from "really quite hard" to "oh god why, game, why?" It also features family rules as a nice introduction to the game. This family rules are also not afraid to burn you alive. Flash Point also has a ton of expansions. Unfortunately, I own exactly 0 of these expansions, but I have it on good faith that they are also good.
While Flash Point has a layer of strategy, it also never quite let's you feel in control as fire can pop up randomly each turn and quickly get out of hand if left to its own devices. I have never been a real fire fighter, but I am sure they probably feel a similar sense of "we should probably do something about this" while fire fighting. The theme, at least to me, feels strong in this game which is probably why I enjoy it so much.
So there you have it 5 games of the best board games suitable for people starting out in the hobby. Even if you own a whole bunch of games already, I recommend giving these a try. I'd also like to know what you would recommend, leave a comment below for me and everyone else. If you have any suggestions for things you'd like to see in this blog, let me know too.
Thanks for reading,
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Thanks for reading,
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