We all started playing the Hasbro games in our childhood: Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, Risk, etc. Maybe you have a few games of Catan or Ticket to Ride under your belt and are looking for games that remind you of some childhood favorites, while improving on the things you hated about them.
Risk is that wonderful 14 hour game (slight exaggeration) that all of us thought would be a great idea only to slog through the final 2 hours or just give up half way through. However, the premise is interesting: Try to control as much territory as possible and destroy your opponents. Small World does just this in a much better, more interesting, and less random, way.
Instead of a starting color, you will get a combination of a race and special power, each with their own perks and limitations that change the game every single time you play. Instead of rolling dice to conquer territory, you can take over areas by simply having more tokens than a player is willing to leave in defense. Bored with your race/power combo? Send your team into decline, leaving them inactive, and grab a new one next round. It's infinitely more playable than risk, in less time, and without being at the mercy of the dice.
Instead of a starting color, you will get a combination of a race and special power, each with their own perks and limitations that change the game every single time you play. Instead of rolling dice to conquer territory, you can take over areas by simply having more tokens than a player is willing to leave in defense. Bored with your race/power combo? Send your team into decline, leaving them inactive, and grab a new one next round. It's infinitely more playable than risk, in less time, and without being at the mercy of the dice.
Clue was a probably my first foray into critical thinking and deduction as a child. It’s still a great game, and plays well in its several iterations to this day (try Clue Master Detective for more rooms and characters). Mystery of the Abbey takes this a few steps farther, however: interrogate each other, move around the abbey, slowly deduce who the character may be, and you might even be able to win without guessing the murderer!
Think of this as a little more grown-up Clue with more of a focus on deducing in different ways rather than moving around to different rooms. While it won’t replace Clue anytime soon, Mystery of the Abbey is definitely worth a shot if you are a fan.
Think of this as a little more grown-up Clue with more of a focus on deducing in different ways rather than moving around to different rooms. While it won’t replace Clue anytime soon, Mystery of the Abbey is definitely worth a shot if you are a fan.
Jenga is considered a dexterity game, a very niche market in the board game world. It does its job well, but there are a variety of games besides this classic that are worth busting out at your next party, including Click Clack Lumberjack. Instead of slowly pulling pieces out and waiting for the tower to tip over (and the subsequent pick-up party), you use a small plastic axe to knock tree bark off of a precariously balanced tree.
The key to the game is to move the pieces of the tree enough for the bark to fall off the edge without making the rest of the tree fall over. A light party game that plays faster than Jenga with all the drama and less clean-up, Click Clack Lumberjack is a great pick up for you and your friends that requires absolutely none of the "commitment" of board gaming.
The key to the game is to move the pieces of the tree enough for the bark to fall off the edge without making the rest of the tree fall over. A light party game that plays faster than Jenga with all the drama and less clean-up, Click Clack Lumberjack is a great pick up for you and your friends that requires absolutely none of the "commitment" of board gaming.
Monopoly is almost a decent game, despite its reputation, IF you play it without the typical house rules (money at free parking, no rent while in jail, etc), if only because it cuts the playing time down dramatically. It is, at its core, a game that represents capitalism at its finest. Nothing quite captures the real estate market like a Scottish terrier cavorting around Atlantic City streets.
Enter Power Grid. It has a few of the qualities that define Monopoly: Having control over parts of the board, earning resources, managing currency, and it even has little houses! While it is a large step up in terms of complexity, it is a much more fulfilling game that will lead to much less table flippage...maybe.
Enter Power Grid. It has a few of the qualities that define Monopoly: Having control over parts of the board, earning resources, managing currency, and it even has little houses! While it is a large step up in terms of complexity, it is a much more fulfilling game that will lead to much less table flippage...maybe.