10 Awesome Board Games You Should Be Playing

9. Heroes of Normandie

History buffs and World War II enthusiasts will love the board game Heroes of Normandie. A two player strategy game, Heroes of Normandie pits Allies against Nazi forces on the frontlines of World War II. People who play this game require strategy, intelligence, a good poker face and a little luck. And although this game comes with a massive instruction book, it is quite simple to learn and play. Featuring a great array of cards and different battle scenarios, players will never get tired of strategizing and plotting against their enemy as they try to win battles and secure new ground on the playing board. An exciting and engaging game that promises hours and hours of excitement. Plus, there’s lots of murder, mayhem and Nazi gore to go around.

http://jjs413-thegen.blogspot.ca/2014/08/heroes-of-normandy.html Source: Jjs413-thegen.blogspot.ca

8. Kingdom Builder

A medieval fantasy game, Kingdom Builder engages up to four players in the task of building a magnificent kingdom. The player who builds the most, and earns the most gold in the process, wins the game. Think of it as a competitive version of the Sims for the intellectual set. But what sets Kingdom Builder apart and has people gushing over it is the fact that the game is never the same twice. There is literally no repetition to it. The kingdoms that are built constantly change depending on the tiles selected. This fact means that people can replay the game over and over, and that replay makes it worth the investment of time and money. A great game to play with multiple friends.

http://blog.metagames.co.uk/2012/09/01/review-kingdom-builder/ Source: Blog.metagames.co.uk

7. Lords of Waterdeep

A Dungeons & Dragons board game, Lords of Waterdeep has players competing to be the overlord and supreme ruler of the city of Waterdeep. It’s more difficult than it sounds. Becoming Lord of Waterdeep requires players to collect treasure and resources while on various campaigns, missions and quests. Along the way, there are many battles, double crosses and stolen items. Oh, and the game lasts only eight rounds. Whichever player is left with the most treasure and resources after the eight rounds is officially named Lord of Waterdeep. This is a fun fantasy role-playing game that invites imagination, skill and intelligence. Known as a “worker replacement game,” Lords of Waterdeep is for anyone that enjoys fantasy role-playing and Dungeons & Dragons.

http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/03/lords-of-waterdeep-board-game/ Source: Archive.wired.com

6. Gravwell

Another great space-themed game, Gravwell has players trying to avoid having their spaceship drawn into an intergalactic singularity. To survive being crushed by the singularity, multiple players use each other’s mass to slingshot themselves out of the singularity’s gravity and to safety. Through several rounds of play, people select cards that allow them to push or pull themselves in relation to other ships on the board. The cards used are played in alphabetical order. The key is to pull your ship to safety while pulling the other players’ ships closer into the singularity. Players must reach a warp gate that leads to safety. Another fast-paced game, Gravwell plays out quickly, and plenty of chaos ensues. Depending on the age and level of familiarity of the players involved, Gravwell can be played competitively or cooperatively among people. Although competitive is more fun.

http://www.scottking.info/blog/2014/01/09/best-2013/ Source: Scottking.info

5. Mysterium

A complex but totally enthralling hidden information game, Mysterium requires players to adopt the role of mediums who are capable of communicating with the dead. The game master, who sits at the head of the table behind a screen, was killed 30 years earlier and the mediums (players) must deduce who the killer is in order to put the haunted spirit of the victim to rest. Think of it as a cold case file, but in a board game. It’s kind of like an updated version of the classic game Clue, but with a really cool twist: The only way that the game master has to communicate with the players at the table is through a series of bizarrely painted cards that represent dreams and visions. Working from a hand of seven cards behind the screen, the game master has to communicate different things to as many as six players. And, towards the end of the game, players must work together to pick the identity of the killer, the location of the murder and the weapon that was used in the killing. If players fail or win, they do so as a group—meaning that cooperation is key.

http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2015/01/29/mysterium-the-devil-in-the-details/ Source: Dailyworkerplacement.com

4. Codenames

Ever wanted to be a master spy? Well you get a chance in the game Codenames. This game pits teams of spies against one another in a race to contact their agents who are working in the field. Red and blue spymasters sit at the head of the table with a key, telling them where their agents are located. The field is a grid that has 25 codenames on it—words such as “Apple” and “Green.” The spymasters take turns trying to get their team to contact the correct agents, but their only way of communicating is by saying a single word and a number. The word is a clue, and the number is how many cards can be linked to the clue. Spymasters can only say one word per turn and cannot make any kind of gestures to direct their team to the right agents. While it may sound complicated, it is not, and the whole game plays very fast with much intensity involved as players race to contact their field agents first. Often times, the spymaster with the best poker face wins this game.

http://gamingtrend.com/reviews/amazing-1-codenames-review/ Source: Gamingtrend.com

3. Specter Ops: Shadow of Babel

It’s brand new, but the game Specter Ops: Shadow of Babel is getting fantastic reviews and fast becoming a favorite amongst gamers. This is largely due to the fact that the game plays like a board game version of a stealth shooter video game such as Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell. Sounds hard to believe, but the concept works extremely well. A sci-fi themed game involving up to four players, Specter Ops: Shadow of Babel has players join an alliance so that they can hunt down and kill a fifth player, who is a covert agent sneaking across the game board and trying to escape. The players can only see the covert agent when they have a direct line of sight. The rest of the time, the covert agent keeps track of his or her location on a private map. The hunters roll dice to shoot at the agent if they can see him or her, and the farther away the covert agent is, the better roll they have to have in order to score a direct hit. Again, this concept works incredibly well and makes for fun and intense gameplay.

http://yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca/2015_07_01_archive.html Source: Yetanotherfriggingamingblog.blogspot.ca

2. Blood Rage

As the title implies, Blood Rage is a combat game—a mini-based combat game at that. However, this is another combat game that is focused on strategy and tactics as well as action. Players of this game choose cards each round that give them special abilities and help them achieve glory through combat. With a Viking theme as the backdrop, Blood Rage is really cool and the mini combats are a ton of fun to play. Players earn glory in a number of ways—by winning battles, completing quests and, in some cases, even by losing battles. There is no real focus on area control, and even if all a player’s warriors die, they can still win the game if they’re left holding the right cards in their hands. This game has tested very well and is popular with role players. The combination of combat and strategy is always irresistible.

http://studiomcvey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1779-blood-rage-board-game-discussion/ Source: Studiomcvey.com

1. Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot

For scope, scale and intricacy, check out the board game Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot! It is a scenario-based pirate adventure game, and the number of components in the box is massive. Each pirate ship featured in the game has unique artwork and there are a lot of upgrades to be found as well. Players also get to build and customize their own pirate ship, which is pretty cool in itself. But Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot also features a unique dice dropping mechanism where one player will drop player and enemy dice into the bottom of a box, and the relative positions after that roll determine the outcome of a battle. Imaginative, fun and with plenty of customization, Rattle, Battle, Grab the Loot is a ton of fun and a great example of a modern board game.

https://boardgamegeek.com/image/2583967/rattle-battle-grab-loot Source: Boardgamegeek.com