Are you looking for a new game to challenge and amuse your family and
friends? Why not try bean farming? Or mixing paint? Or building power
plants? Admittedly, none of those activities might sound like much fun,
but sometimes game descriptions don’t do games justice. This list, put
together based on suggestions from gaming enthusiasts, can introduce you
to a whole host of games you never would have tried if you’d simply
read the box.
10. Agricola
Agricola
If being a peasant farmer in the Middle Ages was fun, we ‘d still be living that way, right? But Agricola, from
Z-Man Games,
makes subsistence farming enjoyable. Players are farmers living in
wooden shacks with their spouses, collecting building materials,
building fences and striving to expand the farm (and the farmer’s
family). Since there are a lot of moving parts, more serious gamers may
enjoy this more. Still, for a game set in the Dark Ages, it’s much
lighter than you might expect.
9. Stone Age
Stone Age
Stone Age, from
Rio Grande Games
(which made a number of the games on this list), is a game about
gathering resources. If you think collecting corn and wood sounds
boring, you’ve never played Stone Age. Players work as hunters,
collectors, farmers and tool makers, seeking to grow their population by
collecting important resources. While the road to victory may seem
clear, sneaky players can collect less obvious victory points by
collecting special cards. Make your own bonus entertainment by talking
like cavemen, but remember to use more sophisticated vocabulary as your
civilization grows.
8. The Castles of Burgundy
The Castles of Burgundy
They say not to judge a book by its cover, and The Castles of
Burgundy (by German game-maker Ravensburger Spieleverlag GmbH) is a good
example. Judging by the washed-out looking board and pieces, it would
be easy to believe this was a ho-hum game. But even if building cities
in the Burgundy region of High Medieval France doesn’t sound like party
time to you, give this game a chance. Players collect tiles to settle
regions, with dice rolls dictating the actions they can take. In
addition to building settlements, players practice trade along the
river, exploit silver mines, and use the knowledge of travelers, for
multiple ways to win. The element of surprise is strong in this game:
watch out for the quieter players who may be finding creative ways to
undercut you, while you’re distracted elsewhere.
7. Speicherstadt
Speicherstadt
As a wholesaler in 1900 Hamburg (Z-Man Games), players unload goods
from ships to put them in storehouses. How exciting! But acquire the
right goods and sell them at a profit, and you can be on the path to
winning. Invest in fire protection, though, because an unexpected
warehouse fire can foil all your plans. Just in case you think this game
is all about acquisition and strategy, the auction aspect of the game
can amp up the excitement, as players vie for the best deals.
6. Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride
While three-year-olds would clap their hands at the prospect of
competing to build railway systems, many adults would simply roll their
eyes. Yet, Ticket to Ride (by
Days of Wonder)
combines strategy with luck for unpredictable play. The players choose
routes they plan to build, then collect the correct cards to build
different lines. Those who complete their routes control them, causing
other players to have to reroute. This easy-to-learn game provides
plenty of opportunities for scheming, strategy, and sabotage.
5. Fresco
Fresco
If you’ve ever described something as being “as boring as watching paint dry,” Fresco from
Queen Games
might make you change your expression. Players are master painters,
mixing paints, choosing what time to get up, and directing a team of
apprentices. You score points by completing frescoes, which require that
players vie with each other to obtain specific paints. The game comes
with several expansion modules, so if the basic game whets your appetite
for wet paint, you can increase the decision-making and difficulty.
4. Bohnanza
Bohnanza
Just imagine the looks of delight when you tell your friends and
family you’re going to introduce them to a game about bean farming. Yet,
Bohnanza (Rio Grande Games) is quick to pick up, even for beginning or
casual gamers. A card game with quirky rules — such as the fact that you
can’t rearrange your cards but must play them in order — Bohnanza
encourages players to negotiate and make deals to obtain playable cards
that meet their goals. Depending on the group you’re playing with, this
game can become lively, silly and/or cutthroat. More fun than a hill of
beans!
3. Thurn and Taxis
Thurn and Taxis
Just what you’ve always wanted: a board game about the formation of
the German postal system! In Thurn and Taxis (Rio Grande Games), players
compete to build post office routes across Bavaria, collecting bonus
points in a variety of ways. The play combines cards with a board
showing a map of all the towns, with players scheming to add cities in
order to complete routes. Look for plenty of fun reveals as plans either
come to light or are skewered by rival players.
2. Power Grid
Power Grid
Unless you’re an industrial engineer, the prospect of building power
plants and bidding on garbage probably sounds as exciting as … being an
industrial engineer. Let me introduce you to Power Grid by Rio Grande
Games. Surprisingly, the strategy demands, coupled with the intense
auction rounds, can make you care an awful lot about acquiring raw
materials, upgrading for maximum efficiency and expanding your network.
Something tells me the
U.S. Department of Energy would be pleased.
1. Hansa Teutonica
Hansa Teutonica
For those who are not history majors, the Hansa Teutonica, known in
English as the Hanseatic League, was a confederation of merchant guilds
that dominated trade in Northern Europe from the 13th through 17th
centuries. In the game that bears its name (from Z-Man Games), players
become traders, earning victory points by building offices, controlling
cities and collecting bonus markers (sort of like rent) from other
traders. No wonder the medieval merchant on the box looks bored!
Surprisingly, this game is challenging and well-designed, making all
this bureaucracy entertaining. Someone should tell the dude on the box.
Reviewed by Unknown
on
9:13 AM
Rating:
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