Board Games for Beginners: Mini Reviews
Are you interested in board games...
but don’t know where to start? Or, have you just started your journey in the board game hobby and would like some recommendations to get your friends interested as well?
Walking into a game store can be intimidating: Walls, from floor to ceiling, rows after rows of shelves, all filled with boxes of different colours and different sizes… Where do you start? How do you know which box will be appropriate for your interest, level and budget?
This list of quick reviews will help you discover new games to try and show your friends to get them addicted to this great hobby. It includes games that offer different budgets, types of mechanics and different levels of complexity, but are still accessible to all.
Carcassonne
Takenoko
The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Tempels
Carcassonne
Publisher: Z-Man Games and Asmodee Canada
Designer: Klaus-Jürgen Wrede
Player Count: 2-5 players
Play Time: 30-45 minutes
Mechanics: Area Majority, Tile Placement
“Carcassonne is the perfect introduction to the modern world of board games. With its simple rules (place a tile, place a meeple, score points), beautifully illustrated tiles, and iconic components, this modern classic should be part of everyone’s collection.” 1 - Description from the publisher
In Carcassonne, players will draw a tile from a bag and place it according to the placement rules (matching terrains need to be adjacent to each other) and place a meeple on the tile played to claim that location (which will give you points). You must be strategic in your tile placement to maximize your points. Easier said than done; as your opponents might place a tile that makes it harder for you to win your points.
Carcassonne is easy to learn, simple to set up and the theme makes sense; which all help to get players into the game quickly and have a blast.
This game has little downtime but also allows enough room to have a fun conversation with your gaming group.
This game has so many expansions. So if you ever feel as if the game gets redundant, add one of the expansions to the base game and all of a sudden, the game gets a breath of fresh air!
For whom is Carcassonne?
Carcassonne is a great game to start a collection. Whether that be for somebody who has started to dabble in board games or even for someone who hasn’t really played board games.
If you enjoy tile placement games and push-your-luck games, Carcassonne is definitely a game to check out.
Does Crunchy recommend Carcassonne?
Carcassonne is a GREAT game. Not only for the groups discovering board games but for everyone.
As mentioned, it is easy to learn and set up. However, if you want to add complexity to the game, there are a TON of expansions that add interesting layers to the game.
Score: 8.5/10
If you enjoy Carcassonne, give this one a try
If you enjoyed optimizing the placement of the tiles, Patchwork is a game might want to check out where you will select available polyomino tiles to fill a board as much as possible. Just like Carcassonne, Patchwork is easy to learn and a fun puzzle.
This game plays more quickly than Carcassonne, but sometimes that is exactly what you need!
Takenoko
Publisher: Bombyx
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Player Count: 2-4 players
Play Time: 45 minutes
Mechanics: Contracts, End of Game Bonuses, Pattern Building, Set Collection, Tile Placement
“A long time ago, the Emperor of China offered the Japanese Emperor a Giant Panda as a symbol of peace. Your delicate mission is to take care of the animal by growing a bamboo plantation. You will have to farm plots of land, irrigate them and grow bamboo there. But be careful with the sacred animal and its unhealthy appetite for the crunch shoots…
The player who grows the most bamboo by managing his or her plots the best while satisfying the delicate appetite of the panda will win the game.” 2 - Description from the publisher
In Takenoko, you are looking to fulfill different types of contracts. Whether it be how tiles are placed on the table, how much bamboo the panda ate or even how much bamboo the gardener managed to grow.
You accomplish these tasks by selecting certain actions that will allow you to get closer to your objective(s). These actions are simple to understand but limited. The limited amount of actions forces players to plan accordingly so they can reap as many benefits as they can.
Takenoko is enjoyed by all and is family-friendly. But that doesn't mean that you do not need to strategize to optimize! Children might play more randomly, however, they will still enjoy their time with the game.
For whom is Takenoko?
If you enjoy fulfilling contracts, planning moves ahead of time and especially love cute artwork, TakenokoI is worth checking out
Does Crunchy recommend Takenoko?
It is a beautiful game, has a simple worker placement mechanism and has a fun, not too complicated, contract fulfillment system.
It is another great game to start a collection which is (almost) a guarantee to be a big hit on your next game night!
Score: 8.5/10
If you enjoy Takenoko, give this one a try
Ticket to Ride
If you enjoyed the contract fulfillment aspect of the game, Ticket To Ride is a great alternative if you enjoy the “route building” aspect of Carcassone. You will draw cards which will allow you to place train cars in order to build your route to connect your objective destinations.
Ticket to Ride is one of the most beloved games by (pretty much) all gamers, which says a lot!
The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples
Publisher: Ravensburger
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Player Count: 2-4 players
Play Time: 25-35 minutes
Mechanics: Deck Building, Hand Management, Open Drafting, Pick-up and Deliver, Race
“You did it! You have reached El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. And as you will find out, this is only the beginning of a much grander adventure. Whose expedition will be the first to discover the three mythical gemstones that, according to legend, will unlock the gates to the boundless treasure chamber?
This sequel to the “Spiel des Jahres” nominated adventure saga leads you deep into the city of gold. And if you dare, it will lead you even further: For a truly epic gaming experience, all parts of the bestselling deck-building game series can be combined! Are you ready? Arm yourself with compass and courage and open the gates to EL DORADO!” 3 - Description from the publisher
In The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples, you will be racing to collect gems and bring them back to the treasure chamber. You will be able to move by playing cards from a deck that you will build.
You will be fighting for position and you will need to be strategic with your moves. Optimizing your deck of cards will be of the utmost importance so that your movements can conquer any terrain and move swiftly.
Blocking, whether intentional or not, is a big part of the game which sometimes advantages you and, at other times, might just frustrate you. All of these ups and downs add tension to the game, from the beginning to the end!
For whom is The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples?
If you enjoy the tension of racing and the need to improve your chances with a strategic element of deck building, you will have a blast playing this game.
Does Crunchy recommend The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples?
The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples gets 8 crunchies out of 10.
It is a fast-paced and tremendously fun stand-alone game that can be added to the base game of The Quest for El Dorado for even more excitement!
Give this deck builder a chance and you will be hungry to play again and again.
Score: 6.5/10
Hike!
If you enjoy deck building in a race, Hike! is the game for you! You will be building your own team of sled dogs to go racing across different types of terrain that get revealed one round at a time.
In order to win the race, you will need to make sure that you have the right dogs for the terrain but also have enough equipment and most importantly, properly care for your dogs.
Cubitos
If you like racing but you also love to roll dice, Cubitos is the perfect fit! You will be drafting dice, activating special abilities and trying to be quicker than everybody at the table to place your meeple in strategic positions on the board.
Cubitos is a fast pace chaotic game that just screams fun!