Board games have been around since the beginning of civilization. They never stop evolving, and new ones never stop from getting invented. They’re the perfect pastime for bored gamers who want to spend time with friends and family.
Among the most common table games you might have tried are the classics Chess, Scrabble, Checkers, Uno and Monopoly. Chess, Scrabble and Checkers are great, but one board can only cater to two players, and Uno and Monopoly are somehow haunted by design flaws.
Examples of these design flaws are potentially unlimited playtime, and a game can take you an hour or six. Another example is where some players will have to leave the game early and wait for the next round. The most annoying is where the winner is already apparent long before the game ends.
There are tons of good games out there that do not suffer from design flaws. In fact, at least 100 tabletop games get released each week. Getting to know what these games are no longer feels like a drag.
Here are our 10 Best Table Games for New Board Players you can try that are newbie friendly.
1. Ticket To Ride
The first on this list is already known and enjoyed by many. It’s a tile placement strategy game about trains. You can play this game with as few as two players and as many as five players.
The goal of winning the game is simple, and you can do this by owning the most train routes in the game. Another way is by having the most continuous path in your destination ticket. The hardest way you can also win is by having the longest continuous path in the game.
2. Azul
Azul is one of those games that plays around historical origins. The Portuguese king Manuel the 1st went on a visit to Alahambra, Southern Spain. Upon staying there, he saw these Moorish decorative tiles.
He was so mesmerized by the beauty of the tiles that they incorporated them into their culture. Thus naming it azulejos or white and blue ceramic tiles.
History aside, it’s a game where you become a tile-placement artist. The goal is to have the most points in placing the tiles on the game’s ‘wall’ or board. The game ends when a player completes a horizontal line of 5 consecutive tiles on her wall.
3. The Quest for El Dorado
Who doesn’t like treasure? In fact, who doesn’t want to try looking for gold in the vast jungles of South America? Most table games won’t let you do that, but here, you can have the chance to do it on your board game table with your friends.
It’s an expedition game perfect for 2 to 4 players. The players will take on the roles of expedition leaders who are searching for gold in South America. Each player will get the chance to build their team, and each member has their own set of skills.
To win the game is simple. The first player that crosses the border into the golden city will win the game and claim all the treasure.
4. Patchwork (2 Player)
Now, this is the only 2-player only tabletop game on this list. But despite having only two players, the fun is still around to get you hooked on playing this game.
To start with the basics, it’s also another tile placement strategy game like the ones on this list. The game’s goal is to earn the most points by getting the most buttons and making the biggest patch possible. It might even be the perfect game for folks who love sewing and making patches on their clothes.
5. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
This might be the perfect table game for people who love outer space and exploration. It’s a fun game about a mysterious ninth planet at the edge of our solar system.
This is not your usual puzzle game. Instead, it’s all about team cooperation and deception. It’s a trick-taking cooperative game where you would need to complete 50 missions.
In The Crew, cooperation is the key to winning the game. Either you win together as a team, or you lose together as a team. As they said, there’s no ‘I’ in the word team, and that’s what this game is all about.
6. Century: Spice Road
A spicy game filled with history. It’s a game about the history of trade routes of each century. This instalment is all about the routes of spice trading. You can have at least two players and up to 5 players.
The players are merchants and caravan leaders travelling the famed silk road in this game. Their task is to deliver spices to different civilizations, all for the name of fame and glory.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. These are establishing your trade routes, trade and harvesting spices, fulfilling a market demand, and rest. To win the game, you must have the most victory points.
7. Codenames
Here’s another cooperative trick-taking game. It’s a game recommended when there are a lot of you to play since there are only two teams and the smallest number of players starts at 4 (2 per team).
To start the game, each team would split into two groups. After that, they would get to choose one member among them as their spymaster or team leader. The spymasters will sit together on the same side of the table, while the members will sit across their spymaster.
Each team takes turns trying to guess the codenames of each operative in the field, and whoever correctly guesses the most codenames wins.
8. The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Earlier, we were talking about trading spices. In this game, we put together spices and mix them to get the perfect brewing blend. You get to add different ingredients one at a time, and be careful not to put the wrong ingredients, or you’ll spoil the whole mix.
This game consists of at least two players, with five players at the most. Each player gets a bag of assorted ingredients to mix and blend. In every round, players simultaneously draw ingredients from their bags and add them to their pot.
Whoever has the most valuable brewed potion will win the game. Players win by earning victory points and not letting their pot explode.
So, there you have it. Whether you want to play with a friend, family or friends, these games are perfect for getting the fun going. Games don’t have to be so complex, nor do they have to be filled with design flaws to be good. You only need to have someone to play it with.
