Have you ever wanted the perfect, fun family activity, without the hassle? Are you excited about board games, but have no idea where to start after Sorry! or Clue? Look no further, then, because I have compiled the list of Family Board Game Basics for those who want to delve deeper into the magical world of sunshine and rainbows provided by my own family's favorite pastime.
1. Settlers of Catan
If you've heard of board games, you've probably heard of Settlers of Catan. This game is a resource-securing based "strategy" game that is fun for kids of all ages. One of the greatest parts of the game is that the set-up makes the board different each time, ensuring that each play through has its own unique challenges and benefits. If you enjoy building, trading, and settling mysterious lands, then this game is for you.
2. Betrayal at House on a Hill
Imagine a Choose Your own Adventure novel colliding head-first with Stephen King, and producing the most suspenseful, fun, and intriguing board game of your entire life. Not for the feint of heart, Betrayal has over 50 different "haunts," or ghostly problems to solve, that are induced randomly based on many factors that almost always ensures a unique experience. Each game, one of the players becomes the "traitor" and the active villain of the game, working against their former comrades. The board itself is built little by little so that the rooms in the mansion are never connected the same way and easily become labyrinthine and hard to navigate. If someone in your family enjoys telling spooky stories in the dark, this is the perfect present for them.
3. Ticket to Ride
Referred to colloquially in my extended family as "Train Game," Ticket to Ride is considered the default board game in our household. If you are looking for a dependable fun, exciting, and family-friendly challenge, the train game is right up your alley. Players attempt to build train tracks and connect cities assigned to them by ticket cards but often end up making each others' lives harder along the way by building on coveted tracks. The brightly colored pieces and a myriad of choices of boards- from the United States to Europe, Asia, and even Nordic countries, Ticket to Ride is sure to be a hit.
4. Pictionary
Team up against each other in this fast-paced game to guess what your friends are drawing before time runs out! The first team around the board wins, but it's just not as easy as it sounds. Maybe you're not the greatest artist, or maybe your kid cousin doesn't know who Sigmund Freud is. FYI: you don't have to be an artist to be great at Pictionary, clarity, ingenuity, and efficiency go a long way.
5. Telestrations
Unlike Pictionary, the worse you are at drawing, the more enjoyable Telestrations becomes. If you ever played the game "Telephone" as a child, imagine it but a hundred times more hilarious, especially with kids. Each turn, players alternate between drawing and guessing terms assigned to their friends, and the original term gets more and more convoluted as the game progresses. If you've ever wondered how easily the word "Election" can turn into "Octopus," this is the game for you.
6. Acquire
Acquire is a family-friendly game for the older kids, where each player buys stocks and attempts to perform difficult mergers to come out a millionaire. The name of the game is hotel chains, with beautiful cards and a satisfying tile board that make the game, although impossible to win for small kids, still fun to play.
