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America’s Greatest Board Games 1 Werewolf Year published 1847 Number of players 4-75 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive - Inference Age +13 ● Time minutes 60 The Werewolf Board game is a card game created by two French authors Philippe des Pallières, and Hervé Marly. Today, it is an extremely popular reasoning game. It is also used in many law universities to practice students’ reasoning ability. This is an interactive reasoning game with at least 5 players and you will belong to 1 of 2 factions, the Villagers faction, and the Werewolves faction. The villagers will not know who is the wolf and who is the villager, but the Werewolf faction can know each other. And the Werewolves must both try to hide their identity and slowly kill the villagers. The game is played through many rounds and each round has 2 different stages, Morning and Night. Every Night, the Werewolf faction secretly kills a villager and in the Morning, the people will discuss with each other who the Wolf is and why. All players will have to choose one person to hang, but the Werewolves may trick them into mak- ing a mistake and hang their people. Fortunately, each night the Prophet is allowed to scan a player to see if he or she is a Werewolf or a villager, providing little useful infor- mation to the Villagers faction. Ma Wolf in my opinion is a game suitable for all ages and should be played with a group of 6 or more people. When playing the game, you will practice different skills such as communication skills, reasoning skills, and the ability to lie without blinking. This game is especially suitable for events such as parties, camping, or collective activities. 2
America’s Greatest Board Games 2 Kess Year published 2020 Number of players 2 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive ● Age +6 ● Time 10 minutes Kess is a tactics driven board game that is simply relaxing and fun to play. Play all by yourself or dominate an opponent in a fun-paced 1-on-1 game. The rules are simple and a complete newbie can get a good grasp in a few minutes. Formulate and unleash new formations to trick your opponent. Carry out bold and new attack patterns. You’ll be strategizing in your sleep. KESS is rife with those thoughtful pauses of exciting and fun rivalry as two players play the game, simultaneously plotting to outwit one another, while you chat and gossip about life. The rules are simple. You can move up or down but not diagonal- ly. You each get 5 moves each time. Your mission is to surround and capture your rival’s pieces. The pieces get surrounded and taken out one by one as the match heats up.In under 10 minutes, victory is claimed. Like all good strategy games, KESS encourages players to utilize sneak attacks and fake-outs in order to take down their opponents. it’s all about various perspec- tives and fun, tactical decision-making. Kids love the ultra-simple rules and colorful board and game pieces. Meanwhile, adults love the hidden depth of the game and the speed with which it moves, and all that without the stress of chess. Watch the game and know more! kessgame.com 3
America’s Greatest Board Games 3 Connect 4 Year published 2022 Number of players 2 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive ● Age +6 ● Time 30 minutes Connect 4 aka drop flag. This is the #1 game on the list of best-selling board games on Amazon. The gameplay is simple: the player will drop the pieces in 1 of 7 vertical rows on the board. Each row can hold 6 animals. Whoever gets 4 pieces in a row vertically, horizontally, and diagonally will be the winner. Instead of playing on paper like checkers, children will drop their cards onto the board. Children will have a larger space to observe and the colorful board will stim- ulate their interest. Connect 4 is not just a board game version of the game of checkers, it can also be played in many different ways. Here are the three most common ways to play Connect 4: ● take turns dropping their cards on the board, and whoever gets 4 in a row first (vertical, horizontal, diagonal) wins. Option 1: is the most basic way and is similar to playing checkers, players ● but can only use 1 hand. Method 2: Both players will simultaneously drop their cards into the board ● you have the choice of dropping 1 card onto the board or drawing 1 card from the bottom of the board and the goal is to get 4 cards in line first. Method 3: This is a way to play expanded, high difficulty levels. On your turn, 4
America’s Greatest Board Games 4 P for Pizza Year published 2017 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Interactive - Lucky Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes One of the outstanding advantages of this game is that it is extremely compact - only includes cards and manuals. You can bring Exploding Kittens Party to any place you like to experience with your friends and relatives. The gameplay of Exploding Kittens Party is quite simple. You just don’t need to win the Exploding Kitten card. In addition, the player needs to find a way to take advan- tage of the other cards in his hand. In addition to using tactics, Exploding Kittens Party also has a little luck factor. One of the attractions of Exploding Kittens Party is that it has a very nice design. Many people are fascinated by the playful drawings on these cards. Conclusion: Exploding Kittens Party is a board game for everyone because the rules are easy to understand. In addition to being attractive due to the tactical element, Exploding Kittens Party also brings humor and fun. This game is worth a try. 5
America’s Greatest Board Games 5 Jenga Classic Year published 1983 Number of players 2-3 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive ● Age +6 ● Time 30 minutes Are you a fan of fun but intellectual games? Are you looking for an entertaining toy to relax with friends and colleagues after stressful working hours? The Jenga Classic Wood- en Draw game will be an extremely great choice for you! This board game is a very popu- lar game nowadays among young people in groups, in cafes or families. In the Swahili language, Jenga means “to build”. Withdrawal of wood began to be popular around the world in the 1980s. The game of drawing wood is a game that involves building a tower with adjacent pieces of wood into floors, alternating layers of wood are arranged vertically and horizontally. Each player will take turns removing blocks from any level of the tower and placing it on top to create a taller tower. If you make the tower fall, you will lose. So this game needs a lot of skill, ingenuity as well as mental strength from the player. For you to win in this game, your hands must also be flexible and skillful and must have an eye for the overall tower. You have to pull out very well and it’s important not to let the leaning tower be off-center at any point in the entire tower. Count the number of bars for the tower to balance then decide which bar to pull out so skillfully, this will help the tower quickly rebalance and avoid falling. The most important thing is still your eyes. 6
America’s Greatest Board Games 6 Splendor Year published 2018 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre Interactive ● Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes Since its 2014 launch Splendor has received numerous awards and accolades from critics to the board game fan community. Splendor simulates the gem trading journey of Renaissance merchants with simple but extreme- ly balanced gameplay. There are only 3 simple actions: “Pick up gems” - “Pin cards” and “Change gem cards”. You have to think about which gem cards to choose because the number of gems is not much and sometimes even the opponent’s picture is lost. The highlight and much to be talked about is the gameplay of this game. During a turn you have 2 basic choices, 1) get 3 orbs of the same color or 2 from the banker 2) buy one of the cards available on the table by paying the same amount (jewels) response. You put the purchase cards in front, these cards have a gem in the upper right corner, later you can be supported when buy- ing other cards. For example, if you have 2 red and 1 white card in front of you, the next time you buy a card worth 2 red and 2 white, then you only need to pay 1 white to the bank. If a card has a number in the upper left corner, you get its winning point. The first player to reach 15 points wins. One weakness of Splendor is its low interactivity. This is a game about racing to the point of victory, with other players as a motivation for each other to achieve that goal. Of course, if you’re smart you can watch other players, and take the cards they want to make it difficult for them. But with flexibility, that player can quickly look for alternatives. However, low interactivity is ac- ceptable in strategy games like Splendor. For those of you who love mind games or simply want to have a good time with friends, Splendor will be the first choice for you. 7
America’s Greatest Board Games 7 Exploding Kittens Party Year published 2017 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Interactive - Lucky Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes With over 9 million copies sold, Exploding Kittens Party quickly broke the records of ev- ery board game and became the most popular game in the United States. This game was published by Russian Roulette and today has been translated into more than 10 different languages. One of the outstanding advantages of this game is that it is extremely compact - only includes cards and manuals. You can bring Exploding Kittens Party to any place you like to experience with your friends and relatives. The gameplay of Exploding Kittens Party is quite simple. You just don’t need to win the Exploding Kitten card. In addition, the player needs to find a way to take advan- tage of the other cards in his hand. In addition to using tactics, Exploding Kittens Party also has a little luck factor. One of the attractions of Exploding Kittens Party is that it has a very nice design. Many people are fascinated by the playful drawings on these cards. Conclusion: Exploding Kittens Party is a board game for everyone because the rules are easy to understand. In addition to being attractive due to the tactical element, Exploding Kittens Party also brings humor and fun. This game is worth a try. 8
America’s Greatest Board Games 8 Throw Throw Burrito Year published 2018 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre Interactive ● Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes Throw Throw Burrito is the first dodgeball card game in the world. This board game set is produced by Exploding Kittens LLC - One of the cult board game brands in the world. You can play Throw Throw Burrito with your family or friends. This is an interesting moment that helps people increase their affection for each other. The rules of Throw Throw Burrito are quite simple. Players need to collect cards, play their cards, and throw things at their friends. A Throw Throw Burrito set in- cludes 120 cards, 7 cards, and 2 foam burritos that are soft enough to throw at even your boss without feeling embarrassed. Overall, this is a party game that is easy to play and suitable for all audiences. You should experience this game to feel its fun. 9
America’s Greatest Board Games 9 Codenames Year published 2015 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Interactive - Party Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes CODENAMES takes the story as a battle between two groups of super-spies code blue and red code. Each group will have a Leader whose task is to guide his team to find the “secret files” that their troops are holding with secret codes. Codenames Words is the most successful traditional party game of many, it has huge appeal for everyone, including those who have never or rarely played board games. This is a game that is available on every shelf of every board game store. At first, you will find this to be a single-price game but it offers a lot of great moments. Codenames Words is a fast game, you can play it in just 15 minutes so you can play it anywhere, anytime. The players will be divided into 2 teams, in which the leader of each team will give clues and hints to help the members locate their team’s correct position among the 25 blue and green squares. red of 2 teams on the table to win. In addition, in the game there are also civilians and assassin cells, if any team chooses to hit the assas- sin box, that team will lose immediately. The special feature of the game as well as what makes the game a great success is the simplicity and high interactivity between the players in the game. When playing, you need to brainstorm to think, as well as communicate with teammates to help the team achieve victory. In addition to the match, the game also needs luck. Not only that, everyone can participate in the middle of the game without knowing what happened to the game at the beginning. 10
America’s Greatest Board Games 10 Monopoly Year published 1933 Number of players 2-8 ● Genre ● Business - Strategy Age +8 ● Time 60 minutes Monopoly first appeared to the public in 1933, during the Great Depression. People then found their way out in a game about money, which gave a sense of richness - although unreal, it was a great consolation. This is also one of the reasons for the success of Monopoly. Since then, it has continued to spread in popularity around the world and become one of the classic board games, available in almost every home in many countries. The rules of Monopoly are relatively simple, easy to understand, and accessible to many adults and children. The gameplay of this board game has many elements of luck but also creates sur- prises through the cards of Chance and Qi. Monopoly always knows how to reinvent itself through its variations such as Monopoly Deal Card Game, Monopoly Dice Game, and hundreds of Monopoly titles based on famous movies like Lord of The Ring, Star Wars, and Pokemon,... The game is calculated, strategic, and highly interactive with the negotiation mechanism, the rules are relatively easy to get used to and easy to remember for new players. The design of Monopoly is simple but not boring and quite attractive with tokens representing players of all shapes, from ships, cars, hats, and shoes to dogs and cats along with house mod- els. , hotels and colorful real estate cards. This game is extremely suitable for those of you who like to do business, negotiate or are study- ing economics-related subjects, calculate and use money reasonably and accurately. 11
America’s Greatest Board Games 11 Scrabble Year published 1988 Number of players 1-20 ● Genre ● Puzzle - Family ● Age +6 ● Time 30 minutes Scrabble is a word match game between two or more people. When it’s their turn, players use lettered pieces on a square board so that the words created ver- tically and horizontally have meaning. Pretty simple, isn’t it? But please note that this is a Board Game that requires you to have a good vocabulary. In this classic game, each player will use 7 letter cards combined with at least 1 letter on the board to form 1 meaningful English word. By the letters and locations placed on the map that the player will achieve a certain number of points, so you need to have a little strategy to get as many points as possible. The player with the highest score at the end of the game will be the overall winner. Gameplay is very simple. Place the game’s main board in a central area where all players can see it, and give each player a letter tray. Mix all the letters into the bag and each player randomly draws 1 letter, the person with the letter closest to the letter “A” will go first. In the set of letters, there will be 1 piece with- out letters, this piece has the right to go first, even if someone draws “A”. Each player randomly picks up 7 new pieces and starts playing. The first player will combine 2 or more pieces of English letters to form a meaningful English word and place it on the board, there must be 1 letter on the board. game into a central area that is easily visible to all players, and distributes a tray of let- ters to each player in the center of the board. Words that have to mean only when the pieces are placed horizontally or vertically side by side, and words that mean diagonally do not count. After placing 1 meaning word, that player will get score = total score on letter pieces in that meaning word, then draw a letter piece from the pocket until 7 pieces are reached and turn is over. 12
America’s Greatest Board Games 12 Cash ’N Guns Year published 2005 Number of players 2-6 ● Genre Strategy ● Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes Ca$h ‘n Guns is the child of designer Ludovic Maublanc, first released in 2005 by pro- ducer Repos Production. The first prints are very expensive, up to more than $100. In 2014, Repos Production together with Asmodee released a 2nd Edition which is now more widely available. Plot: A criminal gang in an abandoned house is sharing the results of a successful mis- sion, but no one is satisfied with their part. They decided to deal with each other with guns and copper candies. Very quickly, all in sight. The gangster with the most wealth left alive will be the winner! The point that makes me feel interesting is the interaction between players, the fact that you can point a gun at another player makes the game much more stressful and interest- ing. The point I am not satisfied with is that the plastic base used to hold the character card is a bit too tight, when inserting the character card it may damage the edge, but this point is not very significant compared to the playing experience you get. With simple, light gameplay, fast game tempo but also a little tactical calculation in the game. You can choose to give up your part at the end of the turn to win the position of the Godfather or focus on collecting diamonds or money, each decision has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered. Cash ‘n Guns is usually my choice every time I play board games with friends, light, quick to start the next game. 13
America’s Greatest Board Games 13 Betrayal at House on the Hill Year published 2004 Number of players 2-6 ● Genre ● Exploration – Strategy Cooperation Age +12 ● Time 60 minutes Betrayal at House on the Hill is a Board game designed by Bruce Glassco and published by Avalon Hill in 2004. The game is set as an adventure of a group of friends into an abandoned house hidden in the dark. It was a betrayal, a very egregious lie. In Betrayal at House on the Hill, players will act as a group of friends to explore an abandoned house. Players must overcome the pitfalls, and explore the rooms, the secret passages to find the way out. But the interesting thing, the size of the game, is that during the game, a Curse will take place, and one of the players will be possessed by the Curse and become a “Traitor”. The “traitor” will side with the ghosts to hinder the escape process of the rest. The main goal of those players is to defeat the “Traitor” and find a way out. Coming to Betrayal at House on the Hill, each player transforms into an adventurer to investi- gate a mysterious mansion. With each door opened, a secret of the house is revealed. Finally, the biggest mystery will also be revealed: One of the people here has the plot to kill all his friends. Now, in this house will take place an uncompromising confrontation between the two sides. While the traitor rushes to carry out a malicious plot, the survivors try to do everything to save their lives. With 50 different scenarios, each experience will be a completely new story. Sur- vive or perish? Everyone is waiting behind the door at the gloomy mansion on the hill. In the end, the game divides players into 2 factions: Traitors and Those who are trying to survive. Each storyline will have a different win goal for the 2 factions. The side that completes their goal will be the winner. 14
America’s Greatest Board Games 14 Throw Throw Avocado Year published 2021 Number of players 2-6 ● Genre Humor ● Age +7 ● Time 60 minutes Throw Throw Avocado is an up-and-coming dodgeball card game this year. This board game is released by Exploding Kittens - one of the cult game companies in the world. According to statistics, more than 100 thousand people bought it on Amazon. The biggest attraction of Throw Throw Avocado is that it has an extremely eye-catching design. The game set will include 6 Boo Bo avocados, 120 cards, instruction book. Also, you can find 1 Fear Me badge and 2 muffins soft enough to throw at great Aunt Martha. The gameplay of this game is quite simple, players need to collect cards, and throw and avoid lovely avocados. It’s not too difficult to learn the rules of Throw Throw Avocado. It deserves to appear at every party for you and your loved ones. 15
America’s Greatest Board Games 15 Stratego Year published 1946 Genre ● Number of players 2-6 ● Strategy – Cooperation Adventure Age +8 ● Time 60 minutes Stratego is a very popular strategy board game on Amazon with over 20,000 buys. Born in September 1946 by Patch Products, this game has the same game- play as chess but with more attractive and innovative points. The setting of Stratego brings players back to a pre-modern battlefield. Here, the most important task of the player is to protect his flag and capture the opponent’s flag. After each step, the game becomes more intense as you enter enemy territo- ry. The attraction of Stratego is not only in its simple and flexible gameplay but also in its visuals. This game is extremely suitable for friends gathering or siblings to play together. 16
America’s Greatest Board Games 16 Pandemic Year published 2004 Genre ● Number of players 2-4 ● Exploration – Strategy Cooperation Age +8 ● Time 45 minutes In the world of board games, Pandemic is a very familiar name. This board game is not only popular in the United States but also spread around the world. In the game Pandemic, you and the player will role-play as an epidemic control team. You must work together to develop cures and prevent disease outbreaks, before the four diseases (green, yellow, black, and red) contaminate the earth. The game has a maximum of 4 players and is still a good choice if you only have 2 play- ers. Pandemic is a cooperative game. All players will either win or lose. The objective of this game is to cure all 4 diseases and the player will fail if: ● ● ● 8 outbreaks occurred. Not enough disease mass is needed Not enough players needed Each player in the game Pandemic will have a specific role. This is a very team game. 17
America’s Greatest Board Games 17 Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh Year published 2018 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Exploration – Strategy Cooperation Age +8 ● Time 45 minutes This is a puzzle-solving game by lets you find evidence, exhibits, and other ob- jects to discover the solution. There will be quite a lot of events happening on the chessboard and each player will have to solve as many episodes as possible with the ultimate goal of defeating the final boss. The difficulty level of Omens of the Pharaoh will determine the difficulty of the final boss. In addition, the game also has a lot of expanded content for you to explore. This game is based on HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythology. In this game, players will take on the role of an adventurer in the world of ancient Egypt and the ultimate goal is to uncover the Ancient One’s seal before darkness covers everything. In the world of board games, Elder Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh is an extremely unique game that has both an element of adventure and an extremely beautiful visual. This game is also very suitable for the cooperative style. You can play El- der Sign: Omens of the Pharaoh with your friends or loved ones on many different occasions. 18
America’s Greatest Board Games 18 Axis & Allies Year published 1981 Genre ● Number of players 2-5 ● Exploration – Strategy Cooperation Age +8 ● Time 90 minutes It’s hard to think of World War II board games without thinking of Axis & Allies. It is not the oldest of the war games but it has had a huge impact on the world of war and is a surviving classic of many of the companies that originally produced it. Up to now, Axis & Allies board game has been popular in 120 countries around the world. This shows how great appeal this game has. The game context will bring players back to 1941 when you become a brilliant political strategist and seek to expand your territory. The winner is the one who captures the opponent’s strong- hold. If you’re amid the Allies, you need to capture Berlin and Tokyo. Conversely, if you are an Axis army, you need to defend your city, and capture Germany must capture Moscow. Axis & Allies helps players experience 2 historical lines 1942 and 1941 - two ex- tremely important milestones in world history. The map part of this board game is also a feature that makes it so popular. It will arouse any player’s ambition to dom- inate. For history buffs, Axis & Allies is a good choice. However, this game is quite com- plicated with 30 pages of rules. To win this game, you need to carefully research and carefully arrange your military resources in the beginning. This is also a pretty effective brain training game. 19
America’s Greatest Board Games 19 Wingspan Year published 2019 Genre Strategy ● Number of players 2-4 ● Age +10 ● Time 60 minutes Released in early 2019 by Stonemaier Games, Wingspan is considered an artistic blend of charm, and lightness but still no less thrilling. In Wingspan, you will play the role of ornithologist, trying to collect information and pictures about birds and nurture these birds to help them produce beautiful eggs. However, you will need to understand your birds to have the best plan to raise them, from their eating and living habits to their breeding habits, as well as the most ideal living conditions for each species. Finally, after 4 rounds, the person with the most points wins! With the nomination for the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award, and the game’s record sold out right after its launch in early 2019, the attractive appeal of the gameplay is undisputed. The thing that makes you fall in love from the first second is the cool pastel main color that is so beautiful, it’s too suitable to rock the heat of summer. In addition to beautiful glittering artwork, dice, and meticulously crafted tokens, the game also owns up to 200 species of birds that are illustrated and created extremely vividly, worthy of a must-try noble game for those who love to play. Gamers love beauty. Indeed, Wingspan will be a great choice for you and your friends and family to relax and learn more about the secrets of wild nature. DON’T SURPRISE, EXPERIENCE NOW one of the most powerful board game phenomena - worldwide sold-out fever!! 20
America’s Greatest Board Games 20 Jaipur Year published 2009 Genre ● Number of players 2-4 ● Strategy - Business Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes For a long time, two-player card games have always been the choice of those who have few friends to play with, and want a fast but tactical fighting game. Names like Battle Line and Lost Cities are often mentioned. And Jaipur is also a worthy choice. Why? Let’s explore together. A game of Jaipur is divided into 3 games, whoever wins 2 of them wins in the end. The reason is that the time of a game is quite fast, about 10 to 15 minutes. The goal of the game is to ex- change, buy and sell items of the same set. During your turn, you can either take one of the 5 middle cards, trade the more middle cards with the cards in your hand, or sell. Those are the 3 main choices while playing, which are really, very simple to teach. Jaipur’s biggest focus is on how it sells its products. If you sell 1 product, you will take the first 1 coin of that product type. For example, if you sell fabric, you take the first coin of the fabric. The coins are sorted in descending value, so the first seller gets the coin with the highest denomina- tion In Jaipur, timing is everything. You consider when to take produce, get camels or sell, and what kind of products to sell. Each of your actions will influence the opponent’s decision. Don’t make mistakes that will give others an advantage. After a few games, you will begin to imagine how to sell a reasonable strategy. Despite luck, strategy is more important in Jaipur – a beginner can easily be defeated by an experienced player. Beautiful, eye-catching images with Indian designs. Good post quality, solid token. Smooth and fast gameplay, many tactical options. Do you know someone who loves board games like you? Why not immediately buy this Jaipur set and play with that person? How about knowing that this is going to be a favorite game for the two of you? 21
America’s Greatest Board Games 21 Ticket to Ride Year published 2004 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre Strategy ● Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes In 2004, Alan R. Moon released his simple game of train routes. It has become a household name among board game players and is one of the most prominent games in the board gamev- erse. Ticket to Ride has been a household name ever since and has sold an incredible number of cop- ies. It was also one of those games that helped push the hobby out of the Hasbro/Milton Bradley shadow and into the modern era of board games. The game succeeded in portraying a very realistic train-era Europe. The long, crisscrossed tracks spread across the continent, connecting all the cities, and creating a very bustling atmosphere. Especially if you have ever been to Europe, then after playing the game, you will want to jump on a train like this to travel around the ancient and beautiful Western cities like Paris, Lisbon, Ma- drid, etc. ... In addition, you can also enjoy the feeling of being the owner of a rising railway com- pany, trying to compete for the “most attractive” routes during a period of extremely explosive Industrial Revolution. active and urgent. My attraction in this game is the feeling of excitement when I hit a series of cards of the same color, and arrange the corresponding number of my ships on the map. Seeing its colored road getting longer and longer is very pleasing to the eye. The funniest thing is that when the game is over, all 5 colors cover the roads and stand out on the map - it looks good. 22
America’s Greatest Board Games 22 Sushi Go! Year published 2013 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre Strategy ● Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes Sushi Go is a fairly simple game based on the passing mechanism, but it will be a bit difficult for new players because it takes time to learn about the scoring of each card, and can’t make a decision yet. combos get the most points. But overall, this is a good game, with a tactical element when you have to find dishes that can increase satisfaction to the highest level and have a little luck if the other player has not chosen a card. you want a little bit of reasoning to figure out who might have drawn the other card, and a little bit of memory to determine which cards were drawn. Or simply, ignore all of the above, roll on the irresistible delicious sushi conveyor belt and start a fun, funny sushi party with friends right away! It’s dinner time and you and your friends are at the newest and hottest conveyor belt su- shi bar. Sushi Go! At its core, Party is the same game as Sushi Go!, but full of new options. In Sushi Go! During the party, all players will get several cards and choose one to score points. When finished, players take turns to reveal their chosen cards and pass their hands to the left. The round ends when all cards are exhausted. A full game lasts 3 in- nings. Original Sushi Go! playable with 2-5 players and Sushi Go! The party can have up to 8 players. I think the 2 player option in Sushi Go! The party is more balanced than the origi- nal, so if you’re a duo, then Sushi Go! Party might be a better option. 23
America’s Greatest Board Games 23 7 Wonders Duel Year published 2015 Number of players 2-6 ● Genre ● Construction -Strategy Family Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes As the name suggests, 7 Wonder Duel is a one-on-one battle between two play- ers, with only one winning in the end. You and your opponent will be the heads of an ancient civilization. Build a powerful military to be able to win any war? Re- search, search for the ultimate scientific invention? Or even promote a strong economy through markets, ports, and other trade routes? And above all, to build a magnificent wonder that brings you fame, greatness, and glorious victory? The strong point of 7 Wonders Duel is that it is fast to play, but that does not re- duce its drama. The game has a very high replay value, because of the variety in its initial setup and its “could do better” feel. For a two-player fighting game, 7 Won- ders: Duel did the best it could. It’s dramatic, interactive, competitive, and “thinking ahead”. If you like the 7 Wonders series or like 2-player fighting games with a lot of strategic depth, you can consider 7 Wonders: Duel! In a simple game with cards and a variety of tactics, interesting things are wait- ing for you. Compared to the legendary 7 Wonders version, it is lame because one side is a game for groups of 4- 7 people and 1 side is a game for 2 people. Many reviewers fear that the 7 Wonders duel will fail when standing in the shadow of the eldest brother. But no, with this version the directivity and detail will be much more enhanced. The hidden cards are what the player cannot calculate, making the course of the match unpredictable 24
America’s Greatest Board Games 24 King of Tokyo Year published 2016 Number of players 2-6 ● Genre ● Strategy - Family Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes Are you ready for a battle to dominate Tokyo? It’s not the kind of rule that requires a lot of brainpower and energy. This is a 1-to-1 battle between the monsters to determine the uniqueness of Tokyo. So sure- ly you will like the King of Tokyo. King of Tokyo is a fighting game between players in which each player controls a monster that destroys the city for 20 victory points or attacks and destroys other monsters, to become the last survivor. King of Tokyo can be played with less than 6 people – up to a minimum of 2. However, we find that play- ing with 2 people is not as fun as usual. What happened between the two was just hitting each other. It’s the fun part of the game. But when there are only two of them, the game is not long enough to unleash the power of the cards and the special features they have. So it turns the game from accumulating mana and buying cards into a quick game of seeing who can unleash the most attacks. At the beginning of each turn, you will roll 6 dice, with 6 symbols: 1, 2, 3 victory points, mana, health, and attack. For the next 3 turns, choose to keep or discard each dice to boost victory, increase mana, heal or attack another player – asserting that Tokyo is your territory. The most ferocious player will capture Tokyo, and gain more victory points, but not heal and face all the other monsters alone. The best thing about this game is the special cards you can buy with your energy. Cards will grant either immediate or permanent abilities, such as the growth of a monster head – granting you 1 extra dice, armor, destructive rays, and more. Smashing and fighting is your only mission, do it well to be crowned the King of Tokyo. 25
America’s Greatest Board Games 25 Hey, That’s My Fish! Year published 2003 Genre ● Number of players 2-6 ● Strategy - Family Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes In this board game, you command a flock of penguins in a fierce competition for fish in the frigid Arctic. Take advantage of the opponent’s fish before the opponent does the same to you. For these incredibly cute yet selfish penguins, life is the competition to the max! Game Rules “Hey, that’s my fish!” extremely simple, so much so that they can be summed up in a few short sentences. Start playing by placing the ice grid at ran- dom. During your wave you can move one of the colored penguins you own, the penguin can move in any 6 directions of the hexagon. You can move the penguin as long as it doesn’t change direction all the way and doesn’t jump over another pen- guin piece or an empty hole. When you move the penguin away, you also take the ice it was on before moving – you harvest the fish illustrated on that ice. At the end of the game whoever has the most fish (not the most icebergs) wins. The interesting point of “Hey, that’s my fish!” is that it can fit any number of play- ers from 2 to 4. Each different number of players will create a different atmo- sphere - with 2 players it will be a brainstorming battle, with 3 it’s a scramble and a chance, and 4 players make a difference. chaotic but very surprising in the results. The important thing is that, regardless of the number of players, the game brings a lot of fun and good laughs. 26
America’s Greatest Board Games 26 Manila Year published 2013 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre Strategy ● Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes As merchants in an underground network of exchanges, you and other players, on three boats, try to transport goods to a place called Manila. But on that trip, everything is not safe, because you can not control the ocean currents, and the bottomless greed of the pirates is always waiting at the end of the road. Don’t worry, the courage to take risks will be rewarded with big payouts. Who will be the most successful trader? It’s the best of calculations, and dares to take a risk in a fun betting game! Manila has a rather rare way to play in the world of board games, which is Bet. Simply put, you predict the outcome in advance and bet money on it, expect it to happen as you wish, and make more money; otherwise, you will lose the set amount. But in Manila, this mechanism is used perfectly, when a lot of information is given in each situation. The goal of this game is to make more money than all other players. There are different ways to earn money. First, you can buy one of four goods: jade, ginseng, cloth, and beans, each of which will give you money corresponding to their value when the game ends. To increase the value of each, the boats carrying them would have to be successfully moved to Manila. And it’s been a tough road… Manila’s setting matches its gameplay perfectly and is quite entertaining as well. Beautiful game composition, easy to attract players to join. Manila is for those who like to bet, like to experience the risk, the feeling of profit or loss. This is a game that gambles on intelligence, and sobriety; a game about intense interaction between players, but lets fate decide. If you’re a gamer who wants a lot of strategy and certainty, you won’t find it in Manila. But if you need a light, simple game full of unexpected drama, and many sublimated emotions at different levels, Manila is such a game. 27
America’s Greatest Board Games 27 Deluxe Bingo Year published 2005 Genre ● Number of players 2-10 ● Family - Lucky Age +4 ● Time 30 minutes With more than 60,000 5-star reviews on Amazon, Deluxe Bingo is one of the most popular board games in the US today. This game has both simple rules and can be played by many people at the same time. This set of board games will include 50 randomly numbered cards, 75 balls num- bered 1-75, markers and 1 reel. The rules of Deluxe Bingo are also quite simple. One person will stand out and spin the balls like a lottery. If the number on the drawn ball is on your card, then tick it. Whoever fills a row first wins. Deluxe Bingo is a perfect game for family get-together nights, after a long barbe- cue. Try this game now. 28
America’s Greatest Board Games 28 The Game of Life Year published 1970 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre ● Family - Children Age +4 ● Time 30 minutes Game of Life: Adventures Card Game is a game that has many similarities with Monopoly Deal or Sorry! Revenge. This is a game that uses cards as the main en- gine to proceed with simple rules and is highly interactive for family and friends. The game consists of 110 cards divided into 4 main sections: family, career, for- tune, and adventure. Each person collects points by opening a card that they want to use to build their own life story. The gameplay of the game is like billionaire chess, players will start with graduat- ing from college, then rely on the game’s rotation to decide the number of steps, which means what you will do next or also may be unemployed, the game will con- tinue with the numbers you rotate, the game will end with the victory belonging to the person who owns the most money after retirement. During each turn, the player must use and discard that card and draw another card. The game ends when 6/8 +10 cards corresponding to 10 years are drawn. The more cards you have in front of you, the more points you earn and the better your chances of winning. Adventures of Life is the story of your life and it is in your hands. Make your life story bigger and better than other players with the game’s cards. 29
America’s Greatest Board Games 29 Clue Year published 1949 Genre ● Number of players 2-5 ● Family - Detective Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes The clue is a classic case-solving game and has been very popular among families. In this game, the player will move between rooms in a mansion to solve 3 mysteries: who is the killer, what weapon did he use and where did he commit the crime? Game Story: A thrilling and mysterious case takes place at the rose mansion in the middle of the night, the player plays the role of a detective investigating to find out the extremely sophisticated killer who is hiding in the house. Be the fastest to solve the case and win the title of best detective! The Clue is a mind game for those who like logical reasoning and patience. After hours of dramatic play, you finally enjoy the explosive joy of solving a puzzle. At the beginning of the game, all the clue cards are dealt equally to all players, with only 3 being set aside in secret. In Clue, 3 questions need to be clarified to solve the case: Who - Who is the killer? What - What is a weapon? Where - Where did the case take place? These 3 questions correspond to 3 hidden cards that no one knows. Your task is to uncover the 3 hidden cards by asking others investigative questions, thereby using the method of analogy and narrowing the subject of the question. Clue deserves to be a classic reasoning game, one of the popular games that can be com- pared with other famous popular games like Monopoly or Risk, Stratego, etc. Logical and want to become a detective in a match with other opponents, Clue is a better choice! 30
America’s Greatest Board Games 30 Ticket to Ride Number of players 2 ● Genre Tactic ● Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes Backgammon is an ancient game with a history of thousands of years but still exists today. In Western countries, Backgammon is a very popular strategy game and is considered a tradition, even some Backgammon tournaments are held in a highly professional manner and attract a large number of participants. Backgammon is played with 2 players, each with 15 pieces of a particular color, the goal is to bring their pieces back home and then take them out one by one. The first person to get rid of all of his side’s pieces wins. In one round the player rolls both dice and moves the pieces corresponding to the number rolled to the areas marked by the spike. You can choose any piece as long as it meets the conditions allowed in the destination - that is, there must be 1 or less of the opponent’s pieces in the desti- nation, you can move to any area empty or have your piece there. The rules of the game are simple but Backgammon still has its charm, that’s why this game has stood the test of thousands of years and has stood the test of time. A balance between luck and strategy is essential to success. Backgammon is a tense, dramatic race that keeps players focused and careful in every move. The dice are enough to create an element of surprise that keeps replayability over and over again. Playing time is fast, so each game usually takes place in 3 consecutive games to determine the final result, this rule also helps to reduce the determining factor of luck in the game. Backgammon is a classic game that no one can deny, it belongs to the genre of “learn in 5 min- utes but take a lifetime to master”. It is easily accessible to all classes of people from children, young people, and adults to the elderly - all enthusiastically in this mind game. 31
America’s Greatest Board Games 31 Hellapagos Year published 2017 Number of players 7-10 ● Genre ● Tactic - Adventure Age +10 ● Time 30 minutes Hellapagos is a Semi - Coop game - a game like the TV series “Lost - Missing” that we often watch on TV. You and the other players must do everything to survive and find a way to leave the island. deserted island before the storm hits! However, in this game, in addition to racing against time, you also have to fight with others. After being shipwrecked, a group of stranded people is stranded on a deserted island. While the scenery is pictur- esque, water and food are scarce, and a huge storm is moving toward the island, everyone needs to work together, and put aside all hatred to keep the island alive. Get off the island by building a big raft before the storm hits. Each round, players will be able to perform 1 of the following 4 actions: - Get wood to build rafts - Fishing for food - Collect water - Return to the wrecked boat to find useful items in the wreckage. When first experienced, Hellapagos seems like a team game, where you and other survivors can easily combine to “take each other to hide”... on the island. Although the island doesn’t have KFC, and your phone is broken so you can’t call Foody to deliver food, there is still enough food and water on the island for you. However, a few fishing trips were bad, no water fell from the sky, the player was bitten by a snake while searching for wood, and the game quickly switched from a group survival game to the “Player Elimination” genre. except for other players”. Hellapagos is a unique experience. All actions are simple and fast, allowing a game to go at lightning speed even with a higher number of players. And as fate would have it, players will inevitably turn against each other when the food/water runs out. Sometimes, the gameplay leads to an uneven experience because of the randomness of some actions: the weather will be dry for days, or the fish won’t catch any fish. This can make you extremely short of food/water losing a lot of players in a round 32
America’s Greatest Board Games 32 Jamaica Year published 2007 Number of players 2-10 ● Genre ● Tactic - Adventure Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes Launched in 2007, Jamaica boat racing game has quickly become a popular family game that is loved by many people. Fun, light but still not lacking in competition, the game will surely bring you hours of fun and relaxation. The game’s artwork is beautiful and friendly, turning ferocious pirates into very likable and ap- proachable characters. The game wants to focus on family audiences, especially young children, so it’s not difficult to understand with such a graphic style. Other tokens are also standard, quite thick and sturdy, with easy-to-understand illustrations. Es- pecially 2 wooden dice that match the game theme, along with very good combat dice. The only component that is made pitifully is the player’s 6 ships, and it must be admitted that the feeling of holding them to move step by step on the track is quite enjoyable (like the feeling of playing a seahorse in the old days). This boat racing game is really fun, and the best part is that you don’t win every time you get to the finish line. Therefore, when discovering that a player has a lot of points, do not end the game too soon, even go back to fight, rob that person’s resources to block them. The game is a journey full of surprises, with many ups and downs and strong comebacks. You can be the leader, strong until another player throws you a -4 card in your mouth, making you not dare to end the game early; and then the times when the opponent throws an auto-win be- fore you can do anything, when the wrong calculation jumps to 1 box can’t pay enough and has to “step back” a very long distance,... Guaranteed guarantee that this game will bring you hours of extreme fun and thrill!! 33
America’s Greatest Board Games 33 Terra Mystica Year published 2020 Genre ● Number of players 2-4 ● Tactic - Adventure Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes Terra Mystica is a Eurogame. It’s been described as “a Eurogame that rules them all” and it’s incredibly hard to believe. However, it is a complete/perfect information board game. This means that there is no chance of any luck in- volved. Tactical tact is king here. Players are amid a multi-ethnic land grab, creating landscape terrain to suit the needs of their particular races. However, Terra Mystica doesn’t carry too much of a religious aspect. Players can completely freely experience it with- out fear of potential conflicts. If someone gets there first, then... there’s not much you can do. Is it possible to trade with them? This is a board game that requires players to have the high tactical ability. Players must try to use all their skills to rule the most amazing region. In this game, there are no allies or cooperation. The risk factor in the game is also very low. Terra Mystica is unique in that many different fantasy races are vying for control, but there is no fighting. If someone takes a space you want then you will have to deal with it and come up with another plan. I’m not kidding when I say it’s a Eurogame. 34
America’s Greatest Board Games 34 Lords of Waterdeep Year published 2012 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre ● Tactic - Adventure Age +12 ● Time 30 minutes In Lords of Waterdeep, each player takes on the role of one of the secret forces, vying for control of the Water- deep town of Forgotten Realms. In the game, the player will send his “representative” to do the bidding every turn. These “representatives” will complete tasks such as constructing buildings, recruiting adventurers, collecting quests, and playing cards. The main way to score victory in Lords of Waterdeep is by completing quests. At the end of the 8th round, each player will reveal their secret lord card and earn bonus Victory Points based on how many specific types of missions they can complete. The player with the most victory points is the winner and becomes the Lords of Waterdeep. Lords of Waterdeep is a really easy board game to play. In my opinion, this game is extremely easy to learn and makes sense. Some worker placement board games have extremely complex gameplay, but not so with Lords of Waterdeep. The game rules and instructions are explained in minutes, and even new players will understand what needs to be done after a round of LoW. The game is easy to play, but to win against the opponent, the player must make plans, arrange actions intelligently and sometimes need a little luck. In the game, buildings built will always benefit the player. However, this will be a “double-edged sword” because, in any building that you do not control, the opponent will take that reward. You will have some tough decisions as you will have to decide if you want to get the bonus adventurer cards or give some of them away to your opponent. Regarding the components in the game, some components do not work very well, There are too many square blocks, representing people who are also square, this company must be addicted to square blocks. But you also have You can replace your character by buying a more “human” character on Boardgamegeek for a pretty good price, or you can also create your character. Lords of Waterdeep is a unique combination of what it has to offer. The game forces the player to make interesting choices, there are many strategies to pursue, and the choice of which action to choose and when is important. When you think too long about a certain action, you will probably be picked up by your opponent. The game is very tight in many ways and filled with tough choices that guarantee that you will enjoy it very much. 35
America’s Greatest Board Games 35 Attack on Titan : The Last Stand Year published 2017 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre ● Tactic - Adventure Wargame Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes Manga Attack on Titan is probably too famous for manga fans today and its anime is as attrac- tive as the series with extremely beautiful images and extremely satisfying viewing. I am also a big fan of manga. this story. It can be said that the confrontation between the small humans and the giant Titans is also gradually coming to an end. Epic battles, heart-stopping flight moves, and spectacular chases…will be re-enacted in the board game ATTACK ON TITAN: THE LAST STAND by producer Cryptozoic Entertainment. This popular Anime-based game was designed by two equally popular authors, Antoine Bauza (7 wonders, Takenoko, Hanabi,...) and Ludovic Maublanc (Cyclades, Mr.Jack, Conan, ...). Surely this is not just an anime board game, but a very cool game and worth playing! In Attack on Titan: The Last Stand, one person plays the fearsome giant Titan, while the others are familiar characters like Eren, Mikasa, or Levi, trying to protect the last tower of humanity. The game requires reasonable use of dice to increase tactics, as well as taking advantage of the up and down terrain of the tall tower, even jumping on the Titan’s body like in the movies! Attack on Titan is still an interesting game after all, but there are quite a few shortcomings compared to many games of this type. The lack of balance and erroneous composition choices prevent the game from being great. The Titans are very diverse in strength and there are many heroes to choose from. Both sides will have to fight hard: one side trying to overcome the heroes, and the other side will dodge the attacks of the giants and deal a large amount of damage which is great. If you are a fan of the AoT anime, this is a game you should try. 36
America’s Greatest Board Games 36 CAMEL UP Year published 2014 Number of players 2-5 ● Genre ● Family - Strategy Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes The board game Camel Up will revolve around the race of camels. Their movement will depend on the roll of the dice, when the inside of the pyramid randomly rolls a dice, that will be when the camel of the same color as that dice walks the number of steps indicated on the dice. A race will end when all 5 dice have been rolled out of the pyramid. And the lap will end when a camel reaches the finish line. So, how to win this camel race? You are one of the nobles participating in this race to earn mon- ey. So if you are the one who earns the most money after the lap, then you are the champion. You will receive money every time you roll the dice in the pyramid, bet on the race correctly, or correctly predict the camel to finish at the end of the lap. The first compliment for Camel Up must be for the design department, because this is one of the games that made me scream when I first saw it, with a very detailed and beautiful pyramid model. It is also an important detail that affects the game because this will be the place where the random dice are rolled to start the exciting camel race. The next point is the camel model, made from solid wood and smartly designed to suit the game content, when the camels are in the same position, they will overlap, and this design prevents them from falling during the move, this is a very commendable effort of the manufacturer. The minus point is, that you are like a person sitting on the observatory of the race with a lot of luck factors, so it will not be as exciting, because experiencing it yourself will be more fun than observing. But after all, this is a light game, highly entertaining and suitable for playing with friends and relatives. 37
America’s Greatest Board Games 37 Agricola Year published 2007 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Family - Agriculture Age +14 ● Time 30 minutes If you are a person with such a passion for agriculture, try to experience Agricola - a board game that helps you become a real farmer. The game allows you to freely perform tasks from farming to raising livestock, buying buffalo to marrying a wife to building a house, ... with mechanisms that cannot be more realistic. The process of becoming the breadwinner in the family has never been so vivid and real! Agricola is a highly complex game, as it requires you to calculate a lot of things in one turn. Not only that, but to become a winner, you also have to be a far-sighted person, and must have a long-term strategy not only in this turn but sometimes in the next 3 or 4 turns. But that’s why it has a respectable depth and depicts most realistically and vividly the life of a real farmer. Who said manual work is brainless? The time that you spend studying the rules of the game, and how to control resources to be able to master every stage will take a lot of your brain, but you will find it extremely worth it. It’s not a game about farmers, it should be called a game “Learning to grow up”. That said enough for you to see the depth of it, and the aspects associated with our lives that the game brings to life are surprisingly realistic. After playing the game, I feel like I want to go back to my hometown to “raise fish and grow more vegetables” right away! 38
America’s Greatest Board Games 38 Don’t Break the Ice Year published 1968 Genre Family - Tactic ● Number of players 2-4 ● Age +3 ● Time 15 minutes Don’t Break the Ice is a unique board game that is storming on social media platforms. This game is extremely entertaining and simple, extremely suitable for the elderly and children. This board game set includes a penguin, 32 small ice blocks, 1 large ice block, and 2 hammers. The players take turns breaking each small ice cube. The los- er is the one who causes the falcon to fall. Overall, the initial game setup can be difficult for younger children. However, the moment of experiencing the game will be extremely interesting and thrilling. Despite the simple gameplay, Don’t Break the Ice is not boring. I used to be- lieve that young pineapples could spend hours with this board game. You can also move the penguin to different locations, so each level will be a whole new experience. In general, this is a very suitable board for families. 39
America’s Greatest Board Games 39 Uno Flip Year published 2019 Genre Family - Tactic ● Number of players 2-6 ● Age +7 ● Time 45 minutes Uno FLip is known to be a hugely expanded version of Uno with two playable cards that offer many surprises. On the Light side, the gameplay is no different from a regular Uno deck with simple rules: Play cards of the same color or number, and use the function of special cards so you are the first to run out. post and win. The winner will shout “Uno” when there is only one card left. However, most interestingly, Uno Flip brings the appearance of the “Flip” card - upside down - and true to its name, you will flip the hand in your hand and a whole bunch of draws to play at Dark (dark) face. In terms of gameplay, it is still similar to the Light side and the regular Uno set. However, in this aspect you will find many special cards that have great functions, providing a more intense and “inhibiting” table, such as the +5 card (forcing the player to continue to draw 5 cards). cards), the Skip Everyone card (ignoring the turns of all other players), or the Wild Draw Color Card (the next player must draw until they have a card of the same color specified). As a result, you will experience an extremely interesting and unpredictable “battle” of cards, for example when you are close to winning but end up being Flip - and the whole situation changes. change. In addition, you can see the back of the player’s cards - an interesting and useful point if someone plays the Flip card. Uno in my opinion, it’s like a national game, because everyone knows and plays this game. How- ever, sometimes I expect something different, more innovative than the regular version, and Uno FLip is all that I look for and look forward to. In terms of design, the card is designed with two sides to be played in two directions, and the Light (light) side is no different from the regular version, and the Dark (dark) side is a deeper color scheme, and I prefer the Dark (dark) side, probably because it looks fancier and the color is differ- ent than usual. 40
America’s Greatest Board Games 40 Dominoes Year published 13th century Genre Family ● Number of players 2-4 ● Age +8 ● Time 30 minutes It can be said that Dominoes is a very popular board game in families and schools. This game first appeared in the 13th century in China. And today, it is not only popular in the United States but all over the world. The Domino game is still considered one of the best Boardgames of all time. A set of Dominoes consists of 28 pieces, each with 2 heads, each head is marked with a circle from 0 to 6 with different colors (or the same color depending on the type). Among the dominoes, there are some special pieces with two identical heads called Bulls. A suitable domino game is played by 2-4 players according to the scoring rules or the person who hits all the pieces first is the winner. The winner of the round is the first to put down all of his pieces. If no player can proceed further and all players still have cards in their hands, a point addition method will be used to decide the winner. Each player’s score is calculated by the total number of points on the cards. For Bulls 0:0 is counted as 13 points, to avoid the case that the player intentionally keeps this piece in the end to create an advantage. For this scoring method, the player with the lowest score is the winner. The reason this game does not score high is that the game is quite simple and best suited to play with children aged 4, 5, and up. But if you want to find a ticket to your childhood, this game experience is also a must. 41
America’s Greatest Board Games 41 Chutes and Ladders Year published 2015 Genre ● Number of players 2-6 ● Children - Education Age +4 ● Time 45 minutes This is a game similar to seahorse chess but with more interesting points, suit- able for children from 4 years old and up. The purpose of the game is for children to distinguish good and bad behavior, and can also be used to help children recognize numbers from 1 to 100, practice counting, and do simple additions. Unlike the seahorse chess, on the board, there will be many stairs and slides along the way. Every time standing right on the slide, the player must slide down and return to the lower box; Conversely, when meeting stairs, the player will climb the stairs and advance faster. The game will bring many interesting and valuable les- sons to children through meaningful illustrations. Through the pictures on the board, you can rely on the illustrations at the top of the stairs and slides to teach your child that good behavior brings rewards; and vice versa when children are naughty, they will be faced with their consequences. In addition, through the game, children will practice recognizing numbers from 1 to 100. For 4-year-olds, this game also helps children learn to count. For kids who are just starting to learn addition, you can also have your child add the number where he is standing with the number he turned and go straight to the new position with- out taking steps. 42
America’s Greatest Board Games 42 Lords of Waterdeep Year published 2012 Genre ● Number of players 2-5 ● Tactics - Interactive Age +12 ● Time 45 minutes In Lords of Waterdeep, each player takes on the role of one of the secret forces, vying for control of the Waterdeep town of Forgotten Realms. In the game, the player will send his “representative” to do the bidding every turn. These “representatives” will complete tasks such as constructing buildings, recruiting adventurers, collecting quests, and playing cards. The main way to score victory in Lords of Waterdeep is by completing quests. At the end of the 8th round, each player will reveal their secret lord card and earn bonus Victory Points based on how many specific types of missions they can complete. The player with the most victory points is the winner and becomes the Lords of Waterdeep. Lords of Waterdeep is a really easy board game to play. In my opinion, this game is extremely easy to learn and makes sense. Some worker placement board games have extremely complex gameplay, but not so with Lords of Waterdeep. The game rules and instructions are explained in minutes, and even new players will understand what needs to be done after a round of LoW. The game is easy to play, but to win against the opponent, the player must make plans, arrange actions intelligently and sometimes need a little luck. In the game, buildings built will always benefit the player. However, this will be a “double-edged sword” because, in any building that you do not control, the op- ponent will take that reward. You will have some pretty tough decisions as you will have to decide if you want to get the bonus adventurer cards or give some of those cards to your opponent. There are many ways to play to win in Lords of Waterdeep. As you play over and over again, you’ll find that: Eliminating the opponent almost always wins. Lords of Waterdeep is a light, flawless game although it is not without flaws. Random Lords cards can prove a big deciding factor in the final game, and for new players can be frustrating. 43
America’s Greatest Board Games 43 The Mind Year published 2018 Number of players 2-4 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive Age +8 ● Time 45 minutes Have you played too much UNO, Coup and are looking for more choices at the end of the day? I recommend The Mind, a very cool board game just released in early 2018. This is a cooperative card game that must pass all levels together to win, but the player is not assigned next to each other. The Mind is a family board game by Austrian designer Wolfgang Warsch, whose co-author The Quacks of Quedlinburg and That’s Pretty Clever were nominated for the 2018 Game of the Year award. The difference between The Mind and current card games is that in the gameplay, players cannot communicate with each other verbally, cannot discuss their cards, “do not share information, do not secret sign”. When a player has a lower hand than the one played, all stop, discard all cards lower than that number, lose one life (start playing with a life equal to the number of players) and continue playing. In addition, all have very useful shuriken, a person who wants to use it needs to signal to other players (maybe raise your hand, put your hand on the table…) to vote. If the whole table agrees, everyone turns their lowest card face-up and continues. A shuriken is a powerful tool in the game that not only helps you remove cards from the game, but also gives you more specific information about the cards in everyone’s hand. For example, if a player discards 48 after all agrees to use the shuriken, it also means that none of the cards in his or her hand are less than 48, the same goes for everyone else. The Mind is light, stressful, and highly entertaining, moreover, it is very compact and convenient, we can easily take advantage of a few games while waiting, queuing, or doing a few warm-up games. brain before entering more complex board games. 44
America’s Greatest Board Games 44 A Feast for Odin Year published 2018 Genre ● Number of players 2-4 ● Tactics - Interactive Age +14 ● Time 45-60 min If you are a fan of Norse mythology, you cannot ignore the board game A Feast for Odin. This is one of the most massive and complex works that Z-Man has ever produced. Just the amount of action and game components is enough to make you dizzy. The rules of the game are also quite long (which very detailed), and the author makes one sentence right at the start: the main mechanism of the game is very simple, put workers in a box and perform actions in that box… However, saying that is not for you to be discour- aged but to ignore, because if you try it even once, you will be immediately captivated by its depth and the author’s enthusiasm when taking into account both. the smallest things to get the tightest possible gameplay. With the gameplay of placing workers that have made the brand of Uwe Rosenberg - the father of the cult Agricola series, this game will surely bring you both familiar and new experiences. It’s familiar in that there’s still the main board, where a lot of actions are put in separate boxes, and where you put workers, you’ll perform actions. So the competitiveness of the game mostly comes from who puts in which box first so that others can’t perform the action they need this turn. However, the game also has a “Puzzle” mechanism - each person’s board or Area Pieces in the game will have an “empty land” made up of adjacent squares, and in the process. the player will try to fill them with puzzle pieces. However, the shape of the puzzle pieces is different, as well as the ground is not the same, so choosing which piece to put together also makes the player have to calculate a lot, and detail every step ( not to mention that the blue pieces of merchandise should not be stacked next to each other, or you will be fined!). On the empty plots, there are also bonus boxes, which the player can only receive if he has cov- ered all the surrounding tiles, so it can be said that the game also shows your ability to “jiggle” how good! In front of you is a large civilization that is still quite foreign to us, so the game not only brings intense mind battles, but also gives us a clear view of life at that time, and the amazing development, as well as helps us understand why the Nordic civilization flourished so much. If you love European titles in terms of produc- tion, economy, and war, don’t miss A Feast for Odin, because it is the perfect synthesis of all of that. 45
America’s Greatest Board Games 45 Carcassonne Year published 2000 Genre ● Number of players 2-4 ● Tactics - Interactive Age +8 ● Time 45-60 minutes Carcassonne is a brick-laying game of the “multi-style” intellectual genre that won the presti- gious Spiel de Jahres award in 2001. With many different paths and scoring methods, creating a variety of tactics, and corresponding depth. The simple rules of the game make Carcassonne one of the most popular games of modern times. Each turn you draw a square card and place it in conjunction with other cards available on the table, to expand the land of Carcassonne. You can then choose the right pieces to place on that square card to earn points. You can not place pieces if you want, because if you run out of pieces you will not be placed anymore. When it comes to the legends that marked the birth of the Euro game series with simple rules but many tactics, the first two names that remind me are Catan and Carcassonne. It’s hard to say if Carcassonne was the first game to use the Tile Placement mechanic, but it’s certainly the most successful, followed by a slew of games with similar gameplay - enough to see the impact. Carcassonne succeeds because of its simple, easy-to-teach rules, it’s a game that can suit any- one - from novices to veterans. But to keep someone playing for the long term, it’s the strategy that matters. You don’t have to be confused by a multitude of complicated choices like in other games, where you only draw 1 card each turn, decide where it is matched, and what type of piece to place. The number of your choices will increase gradually as the chessboard is expanded. If you have called yourself a board game fan, like it or not, you must experience Carcassonne once, to understand one of the monuments of this industry. Not too excellent, but no one can deny the popularity of Carcassonne and the addiction it brings to players. You could be the next to prove it. 46
America’s Greatest Board Games 46 Minute Marvel Year published 2022 Genre ● Tactics - Interactive Number of players 2-4 ● Age +8 ● Time 45 -60 minutes The gameplay of 5-Minute Marvel is highly appreciated for its simplicity, ease to understand, quickness to play, and taking less than 5 minutes to complete the task. Each player takes on the role of one of Marvel’s 10 favorite heroes. With each SuperHero, there will be different special abilities that each player must discover and exploit to be able to defeat the tough Su- per-Villains. Solve as quickly as possible. Heroes win if they complete the quest and defeat the Villain within 5 minutes. In terms of design and drawing, it is certainly not too strange to everyone, especially when the movies about Marvel superheroes that hit cinemas a decade ago, are taken from the original. Marvel comics, familiar characters: Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man,... Needing colorful cards in hand feels like reading a Marvel comic book. And you will feel even more excited if you start the game. The game has a lot of characters and functions to choose from, with each play the players will quite enjoy holding on to each different character and their immediate challenge will be Evil with increasing difficulty, ending the war with one of the greatest villains Marvel has ever created, Thanos. You will have to pay attention to each character’s strengths to use their abilities appropriately, solve crises from the cards Crysis creates, and especially each superhero has their own ability to overcome. control a few other villains. And the beauty of the game is that you won’t have any time to think, everything seems to be a reflex, a decision that can change the course of the battle. Simple game rules, and an easy-to-understand storyline suitable for everyone, including children, will be extremely interesting if the whole family plays together, right? In short, from the comments of many previous players, most people think that 5-Minute Marvel is one of the best games in the real-time genre in recent times, not disappointing the fans. of the Marvel universe. A game with a constant tempo that makes you unable to stop for a minute, increasing enjoyment in pro- portion to the difficulty of the game, and it will be difficult to turn down an offer to continue playing once you have lowered it. get one of Marvel’s 6 Villains. 47
America’s Greatest Board Games 47 Katamino Year published 1935 Number of players 1-2 ● Genre ● Tactics - Interactive Intellect Age +3 ● Time 30 minutes Katamino is a worldwide famous puzzle game and was nominated for Best Kids Game 2019. To win in Katamino, players assemble pieces to form squares in increasing levels. gradually. With more than 500 challenges, this is truly an indoor game to play forever. Katamino takes less than 1 minute to learn how to play! All rules of the game are accom- panied by illustrations. Children who do not yet recognize letters, can easily understand through drawings and discover the game on their own without much guidance from adults. Katamino’s plus point compared to other games is that more than 500 different level challenges are integrated into one game. Therefore, each time playing Katamino, players can have different ways of playing without duplication. To experience all 500 challenges is both exciting and challenging! Undeniably, the feeling of winning and overcoming challenges always brings excitement and joy to everyone. But with Katamino, you can get more in return besides fun with your family. According to a scientific study, playing with smart toys like Katamino twice a week in- creases the processing capacity of the brain by 27-32%. Especially for children aged 3 and up, Katamino is a perfect choice to introduce them to geometry and space in the 3D cube challenge. At the same time, the game also helps stimulate imagination and thinking when children have to think in their heads about arranging mino blocks to win. 48
America’s Greatest Board Games 48 Bang! Year published 2002 Genre ● Number of players 1-2 ● Tactics - Interactive Intellect Age +3 ● Time 30 min Do you like guns and the thumps and boos of the Indians or the clack of horses’ hooves on the vast prai- ries of the far west? Then try Bang! Come on! Here, we return to the age of endless gunfights, with the talented sheriff, the sly bandits, and the bad guys hiding behind the curtain, will the sheriff and his loyal aide protect him? keep the town safe, or is this place, once again, occupied and ravaged by evil? All will be in Bang!, where everything is resolved by a gun battle. In Bang!, each person will take on a different role, and have different tasks. Each is very important and has its own winning goal. What will you do, hide your identity until the key moment and turn your face? Or openly challenge the sheriff with his abilities? In the far west where the gunfire never stops, what will you do to accomplish your goal? After all, to play Bang! It’s not too difficult, but being a talented marksman is a problem. There are many problems you will encounter in Bang!, the cards have different effects, and the functions are performed in other strange ways. Getting the hang of it all will take some of your precious time, however, once you’re familiar with the gameplay, Bang! There will be a lot of possibilities and situations happening, making no match like any other, which is a big plus point of the game. There are many interesting things I can say about this game. All in all, it’s quite good, engaging, and highly interactive, especially with groups of friends who prefer to sneak rather than play as a team or high strat- egy, without being too difficult. Highly recommend trying this game if you are new to board games. And if you’re used to it already... Let’s fight!! 49
