Introduction
Board games are a fun and engaging way to bring people together with creativity, strategy, and friendly competition. With decades of advancements in board game designs, there is now a wide variety of board games that can cater to all sorts of interests. Generally speaking, board games can be broken down into two major categories: strategy and non-strategy or party games.
Strategy Games: These type of board games require players to think critically and come up with a plan for victory based on strategic moves. Examples include chess, checkers, Settlers of Catan, Risk, Puerto Rico, Blitzkrieg!, Carcassonne and many more.
Non-Strategy Board Games (also known as Party Games): less focused on strategic moves & more on luck & skillful action. This type of board game range from classic like Monopoly or Chutes & Ladders to newer versions such as Apples To Apples or Telestrations. These types of board games often focus on exchanging items or moving around the playing field in order to complete certain goals which usually involve some element of chance.
Educational Board Games: There has been an emergence in recent years in terms of educational board games; this is due to their ability to make learning enjoyable while still teaching participants lessons through gameplay. For example, there are several math related titles such as Sum Swamp which challenges players to navigae elementary mathematics in order to reach their goal. Other science related games explore topics such as chemistry (Chem Champions) or ecology (Dragonwood).
Hybrid Board Games: Hybrid Board Games generally comprise elements from strategy and non-strategy titles providing a unique challenge that involves equal amounts of luck and thought processes. Try Labyrinth ” The Awakening from Ravensburger where you’re tasked with flying through a mysterious planet combating nightmares along the way; this is one hybrid game title that will never cease bring surprise! They may also incorporate elements from role playing themes that task players with solving puzzles, answering trivia questions or performing specific tasks all within a competitive atmosphere where every move matters if you want the win!
Traditional Games
Modern Games: Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Risk, Ticket To Ride
Party Games: Apples to Apples, Dixit, Codenames, Say Anything!, Exploding Kittens
Strategy Games: Catan, Dominion, Small World, Carcassonne, Pandemic
Sports Games: Strat-O-Matic Baseball & Hockey Card Game Series; Crokinole; Cornhole; Skeeball; Lawn Darts
Card Games: Poker. Go Fish. Blackjack. Euchre. Solitaire. Rummy. Hearts
Educational & Learning Games: ScienceWiz DNA Experiment Kit; ThinkFun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game Numbers League; LogicRoots Addition and Subtraction Math Board Game
Word/Puzzle Games: Scrabble Deluxe Edition; Crosswords Puzzle Book; Word Cubes Cooperative Word Puzzle; BrainBox Alphabet Memory Game
Roleplaying & Adventure Games: Dungeons & Dragons (D&D); HeroQuest Fantasy Adventure Board Game; Paranoia – The Classic RPG of a Darkly Humorous Futuristic Society
Strategy Games
Party Games: Telestrations, Exploding Kittens, Codenames, Balderdash
Card Games: Uno, Scrabble, Magic the Gathering, Poker
Trivia Games: Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, Scene it?, Word A Round
Children’s Games: Monopoly Junior, Operation, Sorry!, Memory.
Board games are an incredibly varied and diverse hobby that come in all shapes and sizes. There are countless types of board games out there to suit whatever tastes you might have. At their core there are generally four types of board game categories ” strategy games; party games; card games; and trivia/knowledge games.
Strategy board games involve deep thinking and long term planning as players strive to gain a tactical advantage over their opponent. Popular strategy board games include Risk, Settlers of Catan and Carcasonne. Party games focus heavily on creating a laugh out loud atmosphere among friends while trying to complete objectives or answer questions. Examples of popular party board games include Telestrations and Exploding Kittens. Card based titles require bluffing and knowledge as players create hands from decks trying to beat one another in a variety of ways. Well known card game brands are Uno and Magic the Gathering. Trivia boardgames usually take the form of answering knowledge questions by more than one player looking to achieve points or tokens depending on how much they know about a given subject area. Popular successful examples are Trivial Pursuit and Scene It? Finally kids’ boards can be worth considering if you plan to play with younger audiences ” these tend to be light hearted kid-friendly versions of classic titles including Monopoly Junior and Memory.
Party Games
Strategy Games: Chess, Checkers, Go, Backgammon, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan
Cooperative Games: Pandemic, Forbidden Desert, Forbidden Island
Puzzle Games: Blokus, Quirkle, Hive
Memory Games: Spot It!, Concentration
Trivia Games: Trivial Pursuit, Smart Ass
Trivia games can also have multiple variations such as sports-themed games like Baseball Highlights 2045 or Ultimate Banking Edition of Monopoly. There are other genres of board games such as adventure games like Arkham Horror and Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space where players explore the world and battle against enemies in the form of action cards. Shadowrun Crossfire is a card game that has a blend of character-driven storytelling with intense tactical battles. Worker placement games such as Agricola put players in charge of an ever-growing family farm where they need to compete for resources and expand their farm by managing their workers efficiently. For those looking for an immersive experience in gaming there is Dungeons & Dragons where players take on the role of characters exploring dungeons full of traps and mysteries. Lastly for those looking for a unique challenge there are roll and write games like Qwirkles Cubes which allows builds structures by rolling dice! No matter what kind of board game you decide to play you can be sure to have a good time!
Family Games
Party Games: Codenames, Heads Up!, Apples to Apples, Cards against Humanity, Drawful
Adventure Games: Escape the Room, Dungeon & Dragons, Risk, Catan Universe
Strategy Games: Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Go
Educational Games: MathMonkey Jr., Word Slam Junior, Zingo!, STEM in 5 Board Game Series
Card Games: Uno, Magic: The Gathering , Poker, Old Maid
Trivia and Word Games: Trivial Pursuit , Bananagrams , Spellbound , Boggle
Miniature-Based war-Games: Axis & Allies, Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game , Flames of War
Word Games
Card Games: Go Fish, Rummy, Speed, Solitaire, Baccarat
Tile Games: Dominoes, Mahjong, Shogi
Dice Games: Yahtzee, Backgammon, Risk
Digital/Video Games: Zelda Monopoly. Scrabble. Ticket to Ride
Logic/Puzzle Games:: Sudoku. Mastermind, Battleship
Party/Trivia Games: Charades, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit
Strategy Games: Chess. Settlers of Catan. Carcassonne
Adventure/Action Games: Clue. Dungeons & Dragons. Netrunner
Educational/Kids’ Games: Cranium. Operation Math. Queen’s Necklace
Sports-Themed Games :Basketball Shootout. Football Frenzy
Tabletop Roleplaying and WarGames : Warhammer 40k, Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System
Card Games
Board Games: Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, Checkers, Chess, Yahtzee
Other Types: Backgammon, Dominoes, Risk, Stratego and Battle Card Games (like Magic The Gathering & Pokémon).
Party Games: Charades, Pictionary and Apples to Apples.
Word Games: Bananagrams, Boggle and Wordoku.
Trivia Games: Trivial Pursuit, Tri-Bond and Scene It!
Dice Games: Farkle, Shut the Box and Zombie Dice.
Strategy Games : Carcassone , Pandemic , Dominion , Ticket To Ride.
Puzzles : Jigsaw Puzzles , Soduko , Rush Hour.
Deception or Bluffing Game : Liar’s Dice , The Resistance .
Social Deduction Games
Cooperative Games: Pandemic, Forbidden Island, Lord of the Rings, Mysterium
Party Games: Apples To Apples, Codenames, Dixit, Telestrations
Abstract Strategy Games: Chess, Go, Mancala, Checkers, Chinese Checkers
Quiz/Trivia Games: Trivial Pursuit, Scene It!, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
adventure/Fantasy Board games: Dungeons and Dragons (DnD), Gloomhaven, Descent: Journeys in the Dark
Land Acquisition Games: Monopoly, Settlers of Catan
Card-Based Board Games: Exploding Kittens , Cards Against Humanity
Tile-Laying/Building Games: Carcassonne , Ticket to Ride Europe
Roll and Write/ Draw Games : Qwirkle , Yahtzee
Economic Simulation Games : Power Grid , Puerto Rico
Trivia Games
Party Games: Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, Win the White House, Monopoly
Strategy Games: Checkers, Chess, Scrabble, Backgammon, Othello
Card Games: Poker, Spades, Euchre, Blackjack, Go Fish
Family & Children’s Games: Chutes and Ladders, Snakes and Ladders, Candyland!, Boggle Jr., Operation
Cooperative Games: Pandemic, Forbidden Island/Desert/Skylands. Tiny Towns, Stone Age
Role Playing Games (RPGs): Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Pathfinder RPG System Roleplaying Game (PF RPG), Star Wars Adventure a Role-Playing Game (SW ARPG), Vampire The Masquerade
Adventure & Exploration Board Games: Catan , Risk. Ticket to Ride. 7 Wonders. Carcassonne
Abstract Strategy Games: Blokus , IQ Fit , Yamslam! Set,, Stratego
Word & Letter Games: Bananagrams,, Alphabear Hustle CrossCraze,, Word on the Street
Conclusion
Board games are an integral part of anyone’s home. From age-old classics like Monopoly and Scrabble to newer editions like Catan and Ticket to Ride, there is something to suit everyone’s taste. Board games come in all shapes and sizes, from physical games with miniatures and pieces to digital versions through mobile apps and gaming consoles. The wide variety of available board games ensures that everyone can find one fitting their interests and level of difficulty. While it has become less common for families to gather around the dining table for a good game night, board games can still bring people together every day. Whether you’re challenging your friends online or spending an afternoon playing a card game with family members, board games can provide hours of overall entertainment no matter who you’re playing with. Furthermore, unlike video or computer-based games, board games engage players by requiring them work collaboratively while mastering problem solving skills in the process which in turn encourages healthy strategic thinking. As such, taking the fun of board-games beyond the living room is certainly worth considering as it enables people of all ages find enjoyment in this timeless pastime.
I love playing all kinds of games – from classics like Monopoly to modern favourites like Ticket to Ride.
I created this blog as a way to share my love of board games with others, and provide information on the latest releases and news in the industry.
