What’s the Most-Played Board Games Today
Every time you open up your eyes, there’s no doubt that board games are some of the best entertainment around. There are games where you need to coordinate with others, games that are meant to challenge, and games that are intended to entertain. But, for the most part, there are some that you can play by yourself.
Similar to bingo games today, where you can play online bingo for money, a list of board games takes a lot of work to do well. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a plethora of subgenres to choose from when it comes to board games.
We’ll take it apart and explain why some are good for you. We’ll also look at the best board games of all time and why they are so great.
Twilight Struggle
Twilight Struggle’s description as a “cold war simulation” and the game’s list of rules as “bullet points” can be off-putting for those unfamiliar with the game.
There’s a good reason why it was heralded as the pinnacle of gaming upon its 2009 debut. The conflict’s defining moments are re-created on event cards that players hold in their hands, with each card favoring one side or the other.
As a result, every hand is an exciting, tactical dance of play and counterplay as you attempt to advance your goals while nullifying adversary occurrences. You won’t just get a great mental exercise from this game’s emphasis on strategy, but you might also pick up some interesting facts along the way.
Cosmic Encounter
Many games with a focus on conquest feature complex diplomatic systems with shifting alliances and simmering hostilities, not unlike the real world. The creators of Cosmic Encounter had an idea back in 1977: skip the introduction and go straight to the action.
As a result, this funny game of changing alliances has emerged. Each player has access to a unique alien power that may be used to their advantage in the quest to establish colonies on five of their opponent’s planets.
The Castles of Burgundy
When first starting in this game of estate building in medieval France, you may feel overwhelmed by all the potential avenues open to you for expanding your castle.
Fortunately, the roll of the dice each turn determines how many spaces you can move into and what actions you can perform. Don’t imagine for a second that the dice have no impact on the game; instead, they’re there to throw you curveballs while you construct a plan.
Every move in every game feels like an unattainable priority, putting you on the edge of your abilities right up until the final score is calculated.
Gloomhaven
The current top dog in the board game industry successfully fused multiple genres to rise to the top. The 95-scenario campaign of fantasy adventure has you covered if you enjoy traditional dungeon crawls with a compelling story.
Intelligent, card-driven battles against an incredible range of enemies excite any tactical combat fan. Yet the notion of exhaustion inside each scenario and deck-building and resource-gathering throughout the campaign provides plenty of meat for those interested in substantial strategic depth.
Gloomhaven is truly all things to all gamers, including those who enjoy the best solitary board games. And if that’s too steep for your budget, Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion has a more manageable campaign for a lower price. For good measure, we also included both of these versions on our list of top board games for adults.
Agricola
Unsurprisingly, this game about farming spent some time in the “greatest game ever” spotlight. In the abstract, though, the idea of raising a family to work on the family farm is eerily similar to the widely used Worker Placement mechanism.
Due to this, Agricola successfully evokes the feeling of nurturing a small farm into a prosperous estate while encountering numerous challenging strategic obstacles. The large decks of cards, from which only a small selection is drawn for each game, are the game’s true ingenuity; they provide plenty of strategic variety and let you adjust the game’s pacing, difficulty, and player involvement to suit your group’s preferences.
Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep created a timeless classic by fusing the aesthetics of Dungeons & Dragons with the gameplay of modern board games. Players assume the roles of wealthy citizens of the largest city in the Forgotten Realms, Waterdeep, and hire heroes to protect the city from the many dangers that plague it while they expand it with brand-new structures.
These upgrades take this oddly themed worker placement game to a new level, requiring players to constantly adapt their strategy to accommodate the influx of new buildings into the game. Add a few “take that” cards to liven things up, and you have a fantastic game with broad appeal.
Concordia
Concordia is not like the countless other ancient Rome conquest games; instead, you’ll be tasked with helping a noble family prosper during the height of the empire. You’ll use a deck of action cards to play, and you’ll be able to grow that deck as the game goes on by spending money you earn via trading.
The catch is that your final score depends on those cards, with certain cards rewarding you for having certain items in your warehouse or colonist pieces on the board, while others do not.