Uh Oh, it’s a new year and that means new resolutions! Here’s an easy one for you! Play more games. No! Not video games…. even though I love them. Play a tabletop game with your friends! “But Billiam!” You may say “How do I know what to play? Who will be my guide through the world of board games?” I will, my friend. Try these suggestions to get a great start to your new year.
Best Game To Get With Left Over Christmas Money: So your (insert family member here) gave you some cash for Christmas. However, you already spent some of that money. What do you buy with your left over money that’s also a great game to play anytime?
Flux! Why Flux? Well, let me tell you! Flux is a card game were the rules and the win condition are always changing. “But wait!” You may be saying “That sounds complicated and scary!” Fear not, loyal readers, as it only sounds scary. The starting rules of the game are draw 1, play 1. That’s it. Can you pick up a card and put down a card? Great! You’re halfway there! The card is either a new rule, a new goal, or a keeper (which you collect hoping the win condition matches the cards you have) When you play a card the effects are clearly defined on the card so everyone is on the same page. Everything you need to know is always on the cards. ALWAYS. If you can put up/put down cards AND read then you can play Fluxx! Another great thing about Fluxx is that there’s so many versions. There’s the original, Star Fluxx, Zombie Fluxx, Pirate Fluxx, Monty Python Fluxx, Cthulhu Fluxx, Family Fluxx, Oz Fluxx, Stoner Fluxx, Martian Fluxx, Eco Fluxx, a Christian and Jewish expansions for the original, and Fluxx the board game. Each of these is the same game but different flavor. I highly recommend Star Fluxx as it has nods to Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and many more favorites. So get Fluxx for a loved one. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and has high replay value.
Cost: 15 dollars give or take. Players: 2-6 Playtime: 15 min
Best Games To Get If You’re A Gaming Regular: Board games are more popular these days than ever before and you may even have a nice collection. So what’s the best thing to get? Another game! Trust me, you can never have enough. I’m going to give you three choices here because these are popular and fun games that you, or someone you know, may already have.
Pick 1: 7 Wonders: I’m not going to lie. This game is difficult to pick up. But remember, you’re a tabletop enthusiast! Once you get the hang of it, it runs smooth and fast. It’s a draft style card game where you try to get the most points by having the biggest army, the most scientific achievements, the most buildings, and/or completing one of the seven wonders of the world. It plays up to seven people and has three expansions out. You can build The Colossus of Rhodes, The Lighthouse of Alexandria or The Great Pyramid of Giza. While this is a competitive game, there’s no way to directly affect your opponents besides playing a card they may have wanted.
Cost: $35 to $50 Players: 2-7 Playtime: 30-45 minutes
Pick 2: Star Trek Catan: Settlers of Catan is a board game that any self respecting game enthusiast should already have in their collection. Star Trek Catan not only adds a familiar theme to the already classic game, but adds a new feature. Now you can use character cards which have special abilities. It adds a whole new level to the game. Catan and Star Trek Catan is a resource management and building game created by Klaus Teuber. In this version you collect oxygen, food, water, tritanium, and dilithium to build trade routes, outposts, starbases all in hopes of being the first to 10 points. But beware of the Klingon Bird of Prey. If it shows up you’re bound to lose precious recourses. This is a fantastic new take on a classic game. You can get this for someone even if they have the original. The one downside is there’s no expansion, yet. The original Catan has an expansion that allows 5 to 6 players.
Cost: $45 to $55 Players: 2-4 Playtime: 75 minutes
Pick 3: Elder Sign: This pick may not be too popular among avid gamers seeing as Arkham Horror seems to be the favored child in the Fantasy Flight family of Cthulhu games. It even has more expansions. But I will always put my money behind Elder Sign as the best of the bunch. This cooperative board game is easy to pick up and challenging enough to keep things interesting. It’s a dice based game where you and your friends wander around an ever changing museum after dark fighting off monsters and cultists while trying to prevent one of the Elder Gods from rising. This game has the longest playtime of all the games in this blog but it’s well worth the time. During your turn you move about the museum investigating. To do this you roll your dice and try and match the symbols found in the room you’re in. If you succeed you get stuff like items which can give you an extra dice or an elder sign. Collecting elder signs in how you lock away the evil that’s hell bent on the destruction of humanity.
Cost: $30 to $35 Plays: 1-8 Playing Time: 90 min
Best Game For A Tabletop Newcomer: Ticket to Ride is simple enough for someone who doesn’t have a mind for games and is complex enough for seasoned veterans. In the beginning of the game you get routes across America that you have to complete and you do so by collecting colored cards. When you get enough of a certain color you turn them in to place your trains on the board. This was the first game I purchased and I only did so thanks to Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop. I now own so many board games that I’m running out of room for them. Ticket to Ride is the single best choice for a newcomer not just because it’s easy to pick up, but it’s fun. Even now that I’ve play more complicated games I still love to play the game that started it all. There are also other versions that span other countries and continents. You can to to Asia and Europe or more specific places like Switzerland or India. A map of America doesn’t interest you? Try the Netherlands!
Cost: $35-$50 Players: 2-5 Playtime: 45 min
2014 will be the year of Billiam. My previous plan had been to wait for new games to come out before reviewing them, but why wait? I have a trunk full of games that deserve just as much attention as any new release. Join me as I dive into the world of tabletop games and tell you why you should join me at the game table! Have a great year and never forget to revel in being a nerd.