During Xmas, I introduced some friends who never play board games to Spyfall. They didn’t expect that a board game could be short, deeply interactive, and tense. At the end, they enjoyed the game so much that they requested a list of other games to buy.
Spyfall (2014; 10’; 4-8 players) In Spyfall, all players receive a secret card indicating the same location, ranging from a paradisiacal beach to a top-secret military base. All players…but one: the Spy! The Spy does not know where he has landed. In this game of wordplay and deception, the players work cooperatively to out the Spy by asking each other open-ended questions designed to test whether they know the common location without providing enough details to give the answer away to the Spy. The Spy, in return, must come up with clever answers and questions to avoid being caught while reading between the lines to identify the group’s location. Its takes quick wits and a bit of luck to survive, but it’s a great time for old and new gamers alike. If you don’t have the boxed game, no problem! You can play it pretty much everywhere using smartphones through this link.
Codenames (2015; 15’; 4+ players) This game took us by storm last year and quickly became one of our favorite and most-played games at the club. It’s based on such a simple concept that one wonders how nobody thought of it before. Two teams compete to guess their team’s secret “codenames” from among 25 randomly selected words on the board. A Spymaster for each team gives one-word clues, which may point to one or several words on the board, aiming to help her team find all their words first. But be careful! By choosing unwisely, the Spymaster can help the opposite team… or lead the team to defeat at the hands of the hidden Assassin card. Sure to test whether you and your friends are thinking on the same wavelength!
One Night Ultimate Werewolf (2014; 10’; 5-10 players). This game is one of our favorites for Friday game nights. In this social bluffing game, good villagers try to find who, among them, is actually a man-eating werewolf. Based on the famous “Mafia” game, this version plays out over just one “night” (as its name indicates) during which each player acts out a secret role with abilities to look at, swap, or even steal other players’ roles in the process of trying to ferret out the were-beasts. This hit game accommodates large groups and still plays under 10 minutes. The accompanying app allows everyone to play without need for a narrator and helps in reminding new players how each role works. For big families, it is easy to teach to and play with kids.
Coup (2012; 15’; 3-6 players). In time of crisis, it is always good to have powerful political allies and money (looooots of money). With each player drawing two ally cards representing 5 different political figures, each with its own unique abilities, you will need to bluff, deceive, and “assassinate” other players’ allies to win the game and install your supremacy over the corrupted government. But take into consideration that not everyone may like such direct confrontation. Coup is a simple strategic game, where talking and influencing the other players (even making ephemeral alliances!) will lead you to the victory.
Dixit (2008; 30’; 4-6+ players) You “play” this game using dream-like and beautifully illustrated cards that you would think that were drawn after a “Burning Man” concert. Players match these cards to the concepts, stories or even simple ideas proposed by other players. Some people describe Dixit as more of an activity than a game, with the group traveling across a poetic landscape and only keeping score as an afterthought. This game is also easily played with the participation of kids.
Love Letter (2012; 5’; 3-4 players). This last two games are not as social as the previous recommendations, but they have really simple rules and a small footprint, so you can carry them everywhere. Love Letter is a game of only 16 cards, with one of the shortest play times around. Your goal is to bring your love letter to the Princess while getting rid of the competing (and pitiful, if you ask me) love interests. You use cards with different abilities to oust your competitors. If you don’t like the medieval theme, you may prefer to send Love Letters to Batman–one of the gazillion alternative versions of this popular game.
No Thanks (2004, 15’; 3-5 players). This game contains 35 numbered cards, some chips, and no theme, but it is incredibly addictive. As its name indicates, you don’t want cards. Nevertheless, to avoid taking a card, you have to waste one of your (very) limited chips, until one of your opponents decides to make the big sacrifice and take the card (along with the precious chips already bid by other players). This game is about knowing how to trade-off and control the flow of the cards you will accept. It is quick, simple, and very smart. Immediately after finishing a game you will want to play again.
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That would be a short and sweet list of games to start with, but what if you are looking for something a bit more strategic and involved? Here is a selection with even greater depth:
Splendor (2014; 20’; 2-4 players) Excellently produced game in which each player is a jeweler that wants to conquer the European Royalties with his creations (I am stretching the theme of the game here). As an eminent jeweler, your goal is to collect big poker chips (gems) to buy cards (resources), which will allow you to buy better and more valuable cards that will increase your influence in the difficult world of jewelry-making (I keep stretching the theme). The first one achieving 15 points wins and is declared the best artisan of his time. Another simple and addictive game, excellent for 2 players.
Resistance (2009; 30’; 5-10 players) If you like Spyfall and One Night Ultimate Werewolf, you will like this one, though it adds a layer of complexity. In this Sci-Fi (thin-)themed game, players are secretly divided into Resistants (the good guys) and government moles (or dogs or any other animal-based word you would like). Each turn of the game, all players will vote, discuss, and argue to select a small group of players to send on an important (virtual) mission. While resistance fighters will work towards making the missions succeed, government spies will attempt to sabotage them. This game is highly discursive and is maybe the most interactive one among the whole list. Often, while playing, we lighten up the game by pretending the resistance is working to takedown a universally hated corporation (e.g., Comcast) or a political figure who might be terrorizing the world in the near future (think: Trump). Alternatively, if you prefer fantasy over Sci-Fi, this game is also available under the name “Avalon,” where the good guys are loyal servants of Arthur and the bad guys are Mordred’s minions.
Sheriff of Nottingham (2014; 60’; 4-5 players) This is a box full of cards representing goods. In this game, players attempt to bring merchandise to the Nottingham market. However the greedy Sheriff, played by a different player every turn, will ensure that no contraband gets to the market. Carry legal goods and make a profit, or try to smuggle contraband for even bigger rewards–you can always try to bribe the Sheriff if you are about to get caught. The open negotiation among all players and the sheriff ensures hilarious moments. This game allows gamers of all ages to play together.
Catan (1995; 60’-120’; 3-4 players) The Hexagonal Tile Game. A best-selling game that you can now find in Target together with Risk and Monopoly. (One can also find t-shirts with the logo “Catan, Destroying Friendships Since 1995.”) In this game, players colonize an island by building roads, villages, and cities. To do that, you will compete to collect different limited resources, as well as cleverly trading and stealing them from other players. You can explore several different starting scenarios given the random configuration of the map, different choices in the placement of your first settlements, and the many possible resource distributions. Interestingly, this is the first game in the list that uses dice, introducing statistical probabilities that have to be accounted for in your strategy.
Ticket to Ride (2004; 30’-60’; 2-5 players) Like Catan, this game is kicking Monopoly out of a lot of living rooms (which may be for the best–who can say that he knows the actual Monopoly rules, and more importantly, who has ever finished a Monopoly game?). On a map, representing a country or a continent (as for now, many different editions have been released), players attempt to connect cities with railroads by collecting and using sets of cards. This sounds pretty simple, but different strategies (some more vicious than others) can arise from the choice to complete specific missions or just go for raw points by connecting the most cities. The simple rules combined with the competitive gameplay makes this game a great option as a family game, which can explain its well-deserved success.
Takenoko (2011; 45’; 3-4 players) Pandas are cute, so is this game. It is a treat to see this game on a table. Players control a panda and a gardener who takes care of the Emperor’s garden. Players will score points eating bamboo with the panda, growing bamboo with the gardener, and making the garden bigger. Event though many of the game’s outcomes are not within the player’s control, it has enough strategic depth for casual gaming.
Pandemic (2007; 45’; 1-4 players) I could not finish the list without offering a cooperative gateway game. YES! C-O-O-P-E-R-A-T-I-V-E! It is a common misconception to think that all the most popular games are competitive. In Pandemic, players cooperate to beat the game before it beats them: Four diseases are breaking out in cities across the globe. By taking on a specific role on the team charged with fighting the outbreaks (scientist, researcher, operations expert etc.) you will have to execute a strategy with the rest of the players to contain and eradicate each disease before it spreads too far. Will you able to find the cure for all four before humanity’s done for?