Pandemic -- cooperative game, you try to save the world from infectious disease.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, try Santorini:

Greek gods, building and strategy. Can play it simple or complicated.

My son loves this game.

We also like rummikub

I think Catan is way overrated. I would go to Child’s Play (NW) or Labyrinth (Capitol Hill) and try and get some advice based on your interests, how long a game you want etc.

Other possibilities— Puerto Rico, 7 wonders, lords of waterdeep,

Honestly, try Santorini:

Greek gods, building and strategy. Can play it simple or complicated.

I am assuming that you are looking for something a bit easier with play starting in under 20 minutes for rules and gameplay lasting 90 minutes or less. It really depends on what the kids are like, but I would try:

Forbidden Island or Forbidden Dessert- this a cooperative game (players work together to beat the game) but better than Pandemic (which isn't terrible, but the rules might not be fun for kids). The basic premise it that you are treasure hunters in a collapsing landscape collecting objects and escaping before the island sinks (or the desert is buried under sand).

Dixit (storytelling-ish game). You have a hand of cards with whimsical art. Player selects one and says a sentence. Other players select a card they think best matches the sentences. Players select which card they think is the was the original one selected. Though playable with 3, I would recommend more like 5 players.

Ticket to Ride (there are several versions, I reccomend Europe). You build a train empire.

Apples to Apples (I actually hate this game, but it is easy to explain and many people love it.)

Acquire (probably not this one. I love it and so I reccoment it, but that is probably more heart than head. It is a simple enough game, but with some luck, but also strategic math. The math is just addition/subtraction, but some folks treat math as the death of fun.

Settlers of Catan (this can be very engaging if the kids like the trading dynamic, but it might take more explanation than is desirable).

Camel Up I only played once and I can't tell if I hate or not, but I could see how boys this age would like a game like this. One issue might be wild swings of luck. You're winning- then whoosh, not so much.


Most of these games don't feature attacking or aggressive moves (though occasionally game play will result in situation where two players what mutually exclusive things- build a road in the same place for example). Apples to Apples is probably the simplest game. I can teach it to a group in less than 5 minutes and it has no set end time (the game can be short or long). I have trouble with it, because although there scoring, there is very little that you can do to improve your situation. Forbidden Island or Dessert would be my pick. As gamer games go, it is very light, but it might be more rules than you want- if you are used to say Uno.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good suggestions already. I will add Bohnanza, Suburbia, ice Cool (silly, but fun dexterity game flicking penguins through their school), King of Tokyo, Code Names or Code Names Duet, and any in the Pandemic series.

. Also Small World.

gah! 2 more: memoir '44, and Evolution.

Anonymous wrote:Good suggestions already. I will add Bohnanza, Suburbia, ice Cool (silly, but fun dexterity game flicking penguins through their school), King of Tokyo, Code Names or Code Names Duet, and any in the Pandemic series.

. Also Small World.

Good suggestions already. I will add Bohnanza, Suburbia, ice Cool (silly, but fun dexterity game flicking penguins through their school), King of Tokyo, Code Names or Code Names Duet, and any in the Pandemic series.

Catan is the best (!). We also play short card games (rummy) and I'm going to brush off my backgammon skills to teach DS.

Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Cataan, Monopoly, Timeline, Exploding Kittens

Blokus, Rummikub, Sequence, Apples to Apples, Game of Things, Chess, SuperFight

Cards: Skipbo, Five Crowns

Anonymous wrote:Ticket to Ride, Scrabble & Settlers of Cataan

Agree with these. Also Carcassone, Pandemic and Risk. Five Minute Dungeon is fun too. Blokus and Qwirkle are ones people tend to start younger, but they hold up as kids get older because they can use more sophisticated strategies.

we like mexican trains (it’s a domino game)

Ticket to Ride, Scrabble & Settlers of Cataan

Hello,
Can anyone recommend a good board game we can play together? My sons are 12 and 13.
Thanks