37 brilliant board games to try this Christmas

If you’re looking for a board game that offers something different to Monopoly, Cluedo et al, then here’s a whole bunch of recommendations.

Every year, I try to recommend some very simple but very good board games, the kind of thing you can play with pretty much anybody. It’s a weird year, though, so I’m going to emphasise a) two player games, b) small games and c) cheap games. I’ve also found a home for it on the Film Stories website too.

The links here will take you to an online shop if you want more information. We get a small (very small (very very small)) kickback from that, and wanted to make you aware of that. It all goes to keep this site going and fund our coffee habit…

The Crew

My first recommendation is The Crew, or The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine if you must. Games buffs already know it – it won some big prizes – but this game can, and really should, have huge crossover appeal. It’s a co-op card game in the ‘trick taking’ style (ie. Whist, Spade, Trumps) and you’ll learn the rules in 45 seconds.

The Crew checks two of my major boxes for 2020 recommendations: it’s cheap and very accessible. On the other hand, you really want at least three players to get the best out of this. Playing with two needs special rules and it just isn’t the same at all.

Volterra

Cheap, small and explicitly for two players is Volterra. I’ve not had long with this game yet but I liked it immediately and it does one of the things I love most about games: it’s very simple rules open up huge possibilities.

Volterra's pieces are comprised entirely of wood, which fits the classic groove perfectly. Somehow, though, the gameplay reminds me (in some ways) of 1980s computer game The Sentinel. Anyway, this is a great “one more game!” that can be as thinky as you like.

Gloom

Taking a break from newer games that seem like they’ll stick around and be classics, here are some options that have already passed the test of time. While Gloom might not get mentioned much these days, I still adore it.

You can play Gloom as a simple, fun and fast ‘tableau building’-ish card game, or you can (if you’re so inclined) play it as a kind of storytelling game, with each card played inspiring the next twist in the tale. The Gorey/Addams style see-through cards are just lovely.

Carcassonne

Somehow Catan became the poster game for ‘the golden age’ of games, but I believe the spotlight really belongs to Carcassonne. “Every home should have one!”

Players take it in turns building a medieval landscape, tile by tile, and compete to score points for its roads, cities, abbeys and so on. It’s the bed rock for so many ’tile laying’ games that followed. My wife and I find it especially relaxing, and have played it more than any other game.

Word Games

I’m not hugely convinced by a lot of ‘staples’ like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit (the board bit gets in the way of the trivia) but there’s a lot to be said for Scrabble, I think. But it’s not the only word game. My favourite example of the genre is Paperback. There’s a sequel called Hardback but they’re quite different – Paperback is the wordier one, rewarding better words more, while Hardback is more about card play, ‘deck building’ and strategy.

I’m delighted that Pandemic, with its co-operative play and message of global collaboration, is one of the best-selling board games of recent years. There are genius ideas in the design that escalate its thrills brilliantly. If you’ve never played a co-op game before, start here. My single most beloved board game of all is Pandemic Legacy: Season One, a ‘serialised’ version of Pandemic that you can only play 12 to 24 times.

It’s a board game with a plot, packed with twists and surprising ideas. If you’ve played Pandemic a half-dozen times, go here next. Why can you only play it 12 to 24 times? Because as the plot unfolds, the board changes, new pieces and new rules come into play, the game mutates, the story advances – and eventually, you reach the big climax. After Season 1, Season 2 and new prequel Season 0 await.

2020 saw the (topical) release of Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America. It’s Pandemic in a smaller box with a shorter playtime and cheaper price tag. It adds a couple of new challenges but I don’t think it quite matches the original. I’m glad to have a quick-play option, though.

Phil Walker-Harding

Back to newer games that I’ve taken to heart very quickly and Silver & Gold, a ‘flip and write’ game that comes in a small box and seems extremely simple. If you’re hardcore, however, there’s a wealth of strategy to be unlocked here. Silver & Gold is similar to a few other games, especially Cartographers and Patchwork Doodle but I’d say it’s the one that best strikes the balance of ‘learn in a minute, play for a lifetime.’ This is not surprising from designer Phil Walker-Harding. That’s usually his thing.

Phil Walker-Harding games also include Cacao and Bärenpark. I’ve been recommending his game Sushi Go! (and the bigger Sushi Go Party!) for years. They’re the games where he distilled the idea of ‘card drafting’ down to irresistible essentials. Classics.

His new game is Cloud City. It has the most elegant rules and is a totally fuss-free way to get right into fun, inventive gaming within seconds of opening the box. An even simpler tile-laying game than Carcassonne and, if you like to just play for fun, every bit as relaxing.

Just One

From games with elegant rules to a game where you might want to ignore most rules and just play it (or at least score it) however you want (or not at at all). In Just One, players come up with clues to a word but if multiple people come up with the same clue, it’s not given.

Warning: you can’t play Just One with less than three players, and you probably want at least four. It’s better with five, and best with six or seven. A really great, extremely moreish alternative to parlour games like Charades, Botticelli or anything like that.

Watching Carefully

Sherlook has a daft pun title but it’s a great ‘spot the details’ game. Messy cartoon crime scene cards are covered in evidence and players rush to count inconsistencies. It’s fast paced, loud and can feel quite intense – though if your eyesight isn’t good, you might struggle.

Another game that rewards visual acuity is Illusion. It’s basically the gamification of optical illusions, in which players attempt to rank images based on what proportion of each is comprised of a certain colour. I like this one a lot, especially when it messes with my head.

The ‘quick reaction’ games in the Geistes Blitz/Ghost Blitz series work well with even young players from about 5 years up. I prefer these to Dobble, and I like Geistes Blitz 5 vor 12 best – you can play it in easier and trickier modes. In each fast-paced round, a card is flipped and will reveal which of the wooden items on the table is the odd one out. The first player to grab that item scores the point – grab the wrong one, though, and you’re penalised.

Three or more players