For my group of friends, our idea of a great night is binge-playing a ton of board games rather than binge-watching shows on Netflix. Bonding through games is something everyone of all ages should experience. These titles are probably nothing like you have played before, and they are definitely worth checking out!
1. Battlestar Galactica
Based off the 2009 re-boot of the show, this game is the ultimate in betrayal, teamwork and suspense. (Even if you have never watched the show, you can still play the game without any problem.) You will play as a character aboard the Galactica. At the beginning of the game, you are dealt a secret loyalty card which says “You are a Cylon” or “You are not a Cylon.” Your goals are simple: To sabotage the fleet as a Cylon, or to find the Cylon and thwart their plans by putting them in the brig or executing them. Are your friends “frakkin' Cylons” leading the fleet to its demise?
Battlestar Galactica is playable with 3-6 players. It is expandable up to seven players with Pegasus, Exodus and Daybreak. The total game time is 2-3 hours.
2. Love Letter
Your goal is gain the affection of the princess by delivering your love letter to her. You have to rely on the luck of the draw and your own power of deduction to win the game. The rules are simple: Start with one card in your hand at the beginning of the game. Draw a card on your turn and play one (the cards and quick reference sheet will let you know the rules for the card). The last player standing wins the round. The player with the most tokens of affection at the end of the rounds (which is determined by the amount of players) wins the game.
Love Letter is the original version.
Other releases in the Love Letter series include:
- Love Letter: Adventure Time
- Love Letter: Batman Edition
- Love Letter: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- ...And others!
All versions are 2-4 players and the total game time is around 15 minutes.
3. Betrayal at the House on the Hill
A haunted, ever-changing mansion will have you and your friends on your toes until the haunt is revealed. Who will become the traitor and what haunt will you play this time? On your turn, you will place a new room tile and draw an item, event or omen (which can trigger the haunt)! The haunt pits the heroes versus the traitor(s). There are 50 haunts in the base game.
Betrayal at the House on the Hill is playable for 3-6 players and has a play time of one hour. There is an expansion set to be released this October (just in time for Halloween)!
4. Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game
Winter is coming and so are the zombies in this survival board game that will immerse you into the most horrifying of apocalypses. You begin with two survivors in a mutual colony location. There are locations on the board you can travel to on your turn to look for items (such as weapons, food or other survivors). However, moving and attacking does not come without risk. If you fail a dice roll, you can become wounded or worse–bitten. The game is mostly cooperative (with an optional traitor mechanic). Can you work together and fend off the hordes of zombies and complete the objective?
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game has one expansion released which is Dead of Winter: The Long Night.
Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game is playable for 2-5 people and takes 1-2 hours to complete.
5. 7 Wonders
Each player takes control of an ancient wonder and must compete with each other to build the best civilization. Turns are simultaneous and simple: Players play a card and pass their hands to the player next to them. To win, you must have the most points at the end of the three eras.
7 Wonders has six expansions released:
- 7 Wonders: Cities
- 7 Wonders: Duel
- 7 Wonders: Leaders
- 7 Wonders: Catan
- 7 Wonders: Babel
- 7 Wonders: Wonder Pack
7 Wonders is playable for 2-7 players. The total game time is around 30 minutes.
6. Star Wars: Imperial Assault
Set after the destruction of the Death Star, a team of players who represent the Rebel Alliance are set against one player who is the Galactic Empire. You can play the campaign mode with a group of friends to experience different missions with new threats and gain experience and credits to spend on abilities and gear for combat.
You can also play a skirmish mode, which is a one-on-one combat experience. You and a friend go head-to-head in combat fighting over an objective.
Star Wars: Imperial Assault is two incredible games in one (giant) box.
It has three boxed expansions:
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault – Twin Shadows
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault – Return to Hoth
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault: The Bespin Gambit
There are also many character packs (R2-D2 and Han Solo? Yes, please!). These come with cards and cool miniature figurines.
Star Wars: Imperial Assault is playable with 2-5 people and takes around 1-2 hours to play (for each mission).
There are many more incredible board and card games I have not mentioned in this list, so comment your favorite one and why if I did not include it!
