Its scenarios aren't always the most well-balanced either, and a few mission rules could be clearer. Seeing as wares decrease in value as more are sold, your opponent could beat you to the punch if you don't cash your cards in quickly enough.

If you ask us, these recommendations should be in everyone's collection; long gone are the days when Monopoly was the most interesting thing on the menu. Persevere and you'll discover one of the best strategy board games out there; it's a poster-child for everything this hobby is capable of. It's both accessible and pleasantly low-key, letting players of all skill-levels tackle the challenge at their own pace. This dungeon-crawling epic taps into all that with branching storylines more commonly seen in the best tabletop RPGs, and it makes skilful use of 'Legacy' mechanics where the consequences of your actions carry across from one session to the next. You want a game for very young kids: Most will be able to get a grip on Sushi Go without much fuss, but younger children may struggle to think ahead enough.The bottom line: Seeing as it's more accessible than the original Gloomhaven (and much less expensive), this is a great place to start regardless of whether you intend to tackle other entries in the series or just want a taste of adventure. Over the course of its lifetime (some 80-odd years), it's managed to sell well over 200 million copies. Board Games Battleship War Mahjong Deluxe Ancient Egypt Mahjong Pupper Mahjong Master Checkers Backgammon Onet Connect Classic Mahjong Dimensions: 900 second. Is it better to keep disease levels down so that they don't spread from city to city in the short term, or should you play the long game and go all-in on developing cures?

But there's an undercurrent of strategy holding everything together here, allowing it to hit the perfect balance of being family-friendly without losing any tactical complexity. Otherwise, like all popular mobile games, we show ads to support the teams that develop and publish Wordscapes. This is followed by Pandemic Legacy: Season 1, an adaptation of the classic team game where your actions have consequences that carry over from session to session.What you need to know: This sci-fi favorite was first published in 1977 and has been through numerous editions since then, but all of them have something in common - they're brilliant. That sort of 'hobby' board game is very replayable, and gets better every time as you learn its quirks. That makes Ticket to Ride one of the best board games even if its players haven't ventured beyond Scrabble. Because you'll be looking through your hand of cards before passing it to the next player (and can obviously tell what others have picked), smart cookies can sabotage their rivals by taking the cards someone else needs.

More than half a dozen add-ons are available if you want to shake things up, so there's plenty to keep you busy here should you grow tired of the base game. This delicate balancing act will keep you coming back over and over, eager to play 'just one more time. Throw crafting and special abilities into the mix (found on a deck of special cards that you'll draw on throughout the game) for a heady tactical cocktail. In this quaint landscape of frilly frocks and tail-coats, you've got to plot railway routes from one city to another.The answer to this sort of question comes down to personal preference, but we'd say board games like Gloomhaven (which often feature customizable characters or branching storylines that react to your choices) would come up trumps. Its mechanics are elegant yet engrossing, and even though fans of strategy may find it a little light, that makes it easy to pick up. It got us through lockdown during the pandemic via virtual matches with family, but eventually we learned all the routes and the game lost its shine. Players simply roll dice and compare results to see how a fight turns out, with more meeples being able to deal greater damage.

It's like a pedantic teenager that does the opposite of what you ask; this is a fiercely creative game.That puts Betrayal one step ahead of more formulaic (though still excellent) rivals like Mansions of Madness, and it ensures you'll have a blast even if you've played an older version of the game. The bottom line: There's a good reason why Pandemic has been on shelves for a couple of decades now - its blend of challenge and elation when you win makes it a classic. You want an epic adventure game: Seeing as you'll be embarking on grand adventures and crawling through dungeons each session, Jaws of the Lion will hit the spot if you're in the mood for some swords and sorcery. This is the result of multiple playtests with a variety of players, not to mention extensive hands-on time with the product in general - if we haven't played it half to death and don't love it, it's not getting in. Unlike the full Gloomhaven or its sequel, Frosthaven, this one is smaller in scale and drip-feeds everything you need to know piece by piece.