Introduction
This year has been an especially busy one for the board game industry. Companies are launching new and innovative family-friendly games to help bring people together while they’re stuck at home in 2021. From online adaptations of classic board games to creative, out-of-the-box ideas that let you play with your favorite characters, there are plenty of exciting options for families looking for new entertainment. Here is a look at some of the best board games that have been released this year.
One game that has quickly emerged as one of the top titles on everyone’s list is Pandemic: Hot Zone North America, which challenges players to contain four diseases spreading rapidly through North America (with several variant editions available). It requires strategic planning and cooperation from all players in order to win, making it a great option for families who enjoy working together. Another popular title that draws rave reviews is Quacks of Quedlinburg, a German-inspired game about mixing magical potions using colored chips drawn from “the cauldron”. Players must be careful when choosing their ingredients or risk facing sinister consequences if the potion doesn’t succeed! The game was created in 2019 but it has become even more popular in 2021 due to its unique mechanic and approachable style..
For those who prefer to stay within their comfort zone, two classic card games have been adapted into online versions this year — Clue: The Classic Mystery Game and Monopoly Deal Card Game. Clue brings back fan favorite characters like Miss Scarlet and Professor Plum in a race against time as they try to solve a murder mystery. Meanwhile Monopoly Deal offers a fast-paced game of deal-making and wheeling and dealing, allowing players to buy up properties around the board while collecting money and cards. Both are surefire hits with modernized graphics that keep them feeling fresh despite their timeless appeal.
If you’re into crafting something unique then check out Carcassonne, where players draw tiles depicting terrain features like roads or meadows in order to craft their own landscape. You can establish roads, cities, monasteries – even farms – as each tile reveals what types of features lie beneath it. Finally, Catan is an evergreen favorite that had a refresh this year with Catan VR, allowing you to build settlements on islands from the comfort of your living room with vivid visuals courtesy of Oculus Rift or GearVR headsets!
Benefits of Board Games
Board games have a long history of bringing family and friends together to create enjoyable memories. Now, in 2021, modern board games offer a new level of interaction that is sure to spark creativity and competition between the members of your household. Playing such games can be an excellent way to nurture warm and supportive relationships with your family members while having fun.
Board games come in many different forms, from classic classics such as Monopoly or Scrabble to modern European-style strategy titles like Carcassonne or Catan. They usually involve physical pieces moved around the board that you control based on the roll of dice or turn draws, often combined with card play and other mechanics. Board games can also involve goal-based objectives so players can compete against each other over multiple game sessions!
From strategic thinking to outsmarting opponents, playing these types of games at home allows family members to connect on a deeper level and learn more about one another. Not only do they require mathematical calculation and analytical skills, but they also spur creative imagining when trying to come up with the best strategies and moves. These activities help foster an environment of collaboration rather than competition among the players.
Plus, making memories together while taking part in a board game provides a special bond between family members that will last for years. Whether it’s siblings playing cooperative table top titles like The Lord Of The Rings Adventure or older generations challenging each other with puzzles like Sudoku, everyone has something fun to participate in. Best Board Games 2021 Family is sure to give you hours of enjoyment alongside all the benefits mentioned here!
Popular Family Board Games
Monopoly: Monopoly is one of the most classic and popular family board games. Players take turns buying and developing properties from other players, such as railroads and utilities, while collecting rent from opponents. The goal of the game is to become the wealthiest player by increasing your wealth and driving opponents into bankruptcy. This game offers an exciting challenge for members of all ages, and is sure to bring hours of enjoyment for family game night!
Scrabble: Scrabble is a great word-building game for adults and kids alike. The game consists of different wooden tiles that spell out words using memorization skills. Players use these tiles to form words on a wooden board while gaining points based on how valuable each letter and word combination are. This game can help build vocabulary and spelling, while providing hours of entertainment with family or friends!
Yahtzee: Yahtzee is another classic family board game. Players roll five dice in order to accumulate points that are then recorded on a scorecard. With strategy and luck combined into one fun-filled game ” Yahtzee also includes elements such as ‘wild’ dice, bonus points, jokers, forfeits and more ” making it a great family activity whatever the occasion!
New Family Board Games of 2021
Dominion: The world’s most popular deck-building game, Dominion is a strategic card game with an ever-new economy of resources to manage. Players build their own individualized kingdoms by building decks and buying cards from a shared pool of resources. By playing cards in turn, players compete for the most influential kingdom. Dominion is unique amongst board games in that each game forces players to craft innovative strategies based on the constantly changing dynamics of the resource pool.
Kingdomino: Kingdomino is a tile pattern-matching game set in a medieval kingdom. Players collect domino-like tiles and construct different landscapes according to its characteristics. Kingdomino has won many prestigious awards including the Spiel des Jahres award for 2016, due to it’s simple rules and challenge to plan ahead during game play.
Ticket to Ride: In this legendary railroad-themed board game, players draw matching car cards in order to create railway routes across America and score points based on the routes they take while competing against other players in order to build the longest and most lucrative route before time runs out. With its easy-to-learn rules and well-crafted components Ticket To Ride has become one of the finest family games ever made as well as being hugely popular amongst gamers of all ages around the world.
Strategies for Board Games
Board games are a great way to entertain family and friends, while providing an opportunity for quality time that fosters team spirit and creative problem solving. Here are some tips for maximizing your board game fun”and chances of winning:
1. Read the instructions carefully and thoroughly before playing. Board games, especially strategy-based ones, often have complex rules that you should familiarize yourself with before diving in to maximize your understanding of the game and its potential strategies.
2. Do not discard any possible paths to victory just because it doesn’t seem like a traditional or obvious approach – remember you are playing with different people who may take a creative or unconventional approach. As long as it is within the rules, there is no wrong way to win a game!
3. Create alliances with other players ” even if it’s just temporarily – as strategic partnerships can increase your chances of success in certain board games. Be careful not to trust too quickly though – if playing a game such as Monopoly®, be aware that at any time someone can turn on you” so keep communication open and your options open during playtime.
4. Pay attention to probabilities, deck composition etc when appropriate by studying the resources available such as the back of the box or online tutorials which will help give an idea of how well each move may pan out based on math & reason instead of pure luck (especially when playing against bots!)
5. Take turns carefully; think before moving pieces and equipping items in order to set up favorable plays down the line ” planning ahead is key when trying to score points/get rid of cards! Additionally, pay attention to what other players’ pieces are doing – lest you want them having an advantage over yours for later turns.
6. Keep track of what items other players have acquired throughout the game ” this helps inform how one should create their own win conditions amidst whatever chaos is happening around them at each point in the game – knowing what others have at their disposal allows one strategize around these facts in order to gain an edge over opponents!
Conclusion
Spending quality time together with your family has never been more important. But with our increasingly busy lives, it can be hard to find time for everyone to sit down and play a game together. That’s why the best board games of 2021 have been specifically designed to bring families closer together, while still being entertaining and challenging enough to keep everyone engaged. From classic strategy games like Risk, Cluedo and Monopoly, to cooperative adventure games such as Pandemic and The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth, there’s something for all ages and types of family members. Even better, many of these games come in both physical and digital forms so you can take them where ever you go. So why not give one a try this year? Not only will it foster cooperation among all family members, but also create lasting memories that will stay with all of you for a lifetime.
Resources
1. Unemployed Muffin’s comprehensive list of the best board games for your family to play in 2021:
Unemployed Muffin has come up with a comprehensive list of some amazing board games that you can add to your collection this year! With titles like Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble and Codenames, there are plenty of different themes and features to make sure everyone in your family is entertained. There are even cooperative board games where you all work together as a team to achieve a common goal. Check out their post for a full list of the best family board games available now and to come in 2021.
2. Games Radar’s guide on how to get the most out of playing board games with your children:
Games Radar has put together an informative guide on how to get the most out of playing board games with your kids this year. They discuss different ways that age appropriate board game playing can teach important skills like problem-solving and teamwork, as well as aid social development when children interact with each other during playtime. They also provide tips from parents on what makes gaming sessions inspiring and however increase memory, vocabulary and literacy abilities too.
3. Popular Mechanics’ opinion piece on why tabletop gaming is the perfect form of entertainment for families in 2021:
Popular Mechanics recently published an op-ed about why tabletops gaming is such an ideal activity for families during these times of social distancing and virtual learning fatigue. The lack of screens required for many contemporary tabletop games makes them hospitable locations for quality conversations between young ones, adults and older family members alike – offering opportunities to talk about personal topics in engaging setting while also bonding over shared experiences, laughs stories emerging from all corners around the same table or sofa.
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.
