Greetings bloggers,
Today I am writing my blog about something I am quite
passionate about: BOARD GAMES.
Contrary to the name, the games I am about to list are NOT
boring and are actually quite fun and recommended to all that read this blog
post. While my board game collection is more extensive than this list, I decided
to choose a couple “niche” games that perhaps you have never played or heard of
before. This list will be sorted by least complicated to more complex, but
these are all guaranteed to be FUN.
1.
MANTIS
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This is a very simple game that I would
recommend if you were playing with small kids who you would enjoy seeing the
betrayal and insane mix of emotions during this game. The statistics are
simple, good amount of luck mixed in, and it’s overall just super cute and
colorful. I have played this with drunk college kids as well, and the crowd
reactions remain just the same as my 10-year-old cousins.
2.
YOU CAN’T SAY “UMM…”
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This is an extremely fun game where everyone is
divided into 2 teams (sorry, you need at least 3 friends to play (4 including
yourself), and you have one person on each team trying to get the other team member(s)
to guess the two simple words they have on two random cards, without saying the
word um, uh, etc. If an “um” happens to slip out, the opposing team gets a
point. As rounds progress, rules get added to make it even more difficult. Some
rules could say you can’t say words starting with the letter s, others are you must
give an incorrect sound every time a member guesses wrong. This is just a
funny, great game that will make you feel dumb, but happy.
3.
REALLY LOUD LIBRARIANS
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Like the game Tapple, you must say a word that starts
with a specific letter according to a randomly drawn category. Like Tapple, you
have a choice in the letter, but it comes in options of 3. You are given a game
board that has a moving track, and two teams. As you correctly say words in the
given category, your team’s character piece moves around the track. The more
laps you make around the track, the more points you get, if you outrun your
opponent in the round, you earn an extra point. As rounds continue, there will
be bonus points given on random letters. In my opinion, this is a much more fun
version of Tapple that makes it a bit more dynamic.
4.
PAPILLION
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Ahhh, papillion. The very pretty game that means
butterfly in French, so you know it is going to be beautiful. This is a simple
tile-drawing points-based game where you try to build the largest gardens and
fields to earn the most butterflies. I love this game due to the flower stands
and butterfly designs that make the game more 3D and adorable. This game is
easy to learn, easy to teach, and even fun with just two people.
5.
AZUL
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This is a fun tile board game where you build a “mosaic”
by drawing tile pieces and arranging your personal board in a way to score the
most points. This is more fun with more people, but it is simple to teach and
follow along, as well as a good balance between solo and competitive strategy.
6.
CHANNEL WON
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I must include this game because my lovely
boyfriend bought this for me last year on our 2nd anniversary :) He
knows me well because I love a game with a strategy and this definitely has
one. You are each news reporters working in different news segments (drama,
politics, business, exc.) of the same news station. You want to have the most
views out of your competitors without tanking the station. I will say, this
game is a lot more fun with more people, and it is likely some won’t understand
what to do the first time around.
7.
WINGSPAN/WYRMSPAN
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I have both, I love both. This is my favorite
board game just because it includes a lot of solo strategies and long-term
planning. There is little chance involved and a whole lot of cool looking
pieces that really make you appreciate and enjoy the game. This game also has a
single-player version included where you can play against yourself. Brilliant
game design, it is beautiful, and I know it is not very “niche,” but I just had
to include it.
8.
EVERDELL
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Speaking of not very niche, this game is in practically
every Target, Barnes and Noble, and game shop, like Wingspan above. This game has
a larger learning curve, I would recommend going into it with someone teaching
you. It is an amazing resource collecting, town building game, that has a giant
tree smack right in the middle of the board. Each player represents their own
woodland creature and build their own towns, picking which resources fit best
and deciding their own objectives. The resources are the cutest little things
to use and the artwork in this game is just gorgeous. Again, I love building
long-term strategies, and I enjoy that this game has a more competitive
function compared to Wingspan.
9.
COVERT
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Okay, I don’t technically own this game. This is
where I give a shout out to my favorite place in the world, “Blackbird Comics
and Café.” This is the cutest, coziest, awesomest café that rents out board
games for $3. Some of the games I mentioned above: Wingspan, Papillion, and
Azul, I played at Blackbird before I bought. Covert is one of the games I have
not been able to find in a store yet, but I absolutely adore playing. This game
can be played with a minimum of 2 people, but my mom and I played acting as
multiple people, just because we had so much fun. We stayed at Blackbird around
8 hours only playing this game. You act as a spy receiving missions, gathering
intel, and breaking codes, racing to complete these missions faster than your
rivals. This game combines simple concepts with a depth of play that allows players
to have a lot of freedom in their choices and strategies.
10. SLEEPING
GODS
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I am making a MASSIVE jump here and going into
an extremely long, extremely complex campaign game (60 hrs to complete a full
game, 10-20 to complete a campaign). Playing this game with my dad was a ton of
fun because this is a cooperative game where you act as pirates in a new world
and must convince the gods to send you back home, collecting artifacts and
people along the way. The world map is massive, and with me and my dad with an already
completed campaign, we still have 75% of the map to explore. There are quests you
earn throughout the game you will likely never finish, so many creatures we
have never fought, and alternative endings we did not reach. Even going through
the same parts of the map again, we could have a different outcome. This game
was great because we could put it away and pull it back out again, resuming
where we left off, but the learning curve is steep. I would hate to teach others
how to play this game, but we had a great time nonetheless and would love to
play again (we didn’t even win.)
These were just 10 games I thought of, if you have any other
game suggestions or have played any of these drop a comment and what you think!
Obviously, I love board games, finding places to play board games, and teaching
others how to play. I am a firm believer that there is a game for everyone, so
let me know your favorites. :)
Images of Blackbird:
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