tabletop therapy –
It’s the perfect time to sucker those you live with into playing games with you.
Aaron Zimmerman, Dan Thurot, Nate Anderson –
Aurich Lawson Trapped indoors? Brain turning to mush? Can’t bear to watch another minute of TV? We’ve got a few suggestions: modern board games well-suited to the most common quarantine scenarios of solo play , two-person gaming , and (family time Save the meetups and conventions for when the world gets back to normal; for now, play with the ones you’re locked up with.Most of the games below are available on Amazon, but some might require a visit to your friendly local gaming store’s website — and right now is the perfect time to support a local shop, if you can!
Family games
These are not “kids’ games” but legitimately engaging titles capable of being played (and enjoyed) by whole families. Most aren’t suitable for kids under 6, but they have all were tested in our own families. Even the most complex on this list — which is ordered from easiest to most challenging — can be enjoyed by a sharp – year old.
($ (on Amazon on Dixit
is in some ways a slightly more complex Apples to Apples
or Cards Against Humanity
, but the cards here are all wordless pictures. In each round, one player is the “storyteller” and says a word or phrase that represents a card from their hand. All the other players try to match the idea with a card from their hands, and then all the cards are shuffled together and spread out by the storyteller. The non-storytellers then vote on what they think the storyteller’s card was. If nobody – or everybody – figures out the storyteller’s card, the storyteller gets nothing and all other players score 2 points. The storyteller must give a good clue but not make it
too obvious — if they’re able to do this, both they and the correct-guessers get 3 points. Meanwhile, non-storytellers get a point for everyone who voted for their card.
The game works because there are many different elements on each (delightfully strange) card, and they’re all open to wild interpretation. We like to take things a step further by allowing clues to be anything — noises, a dance, whatever gets your point across. Dixit 
Works wonderfully in some groups and not at all in others, and you probably know if it’s right for your group from the description. For a more “gamey” version of the same concept, check out Mysterium
Kingdomino
2-4 players, – minutes , age 8 , 
($) on Amazon
(Kingdomino) is a dead-simple tile-laying game in which you try to group different areas — ocean, wheat field, mine, etc. — of your kingdom in order to score points. Some tiles have crowns on them. At the game’s end, each set of contiguous area tiles is scored by multiplying the size of that area by the number of crowns on its tiles. Simple? Sure, except that you have to keep your kingdom within a 5×5 grid, and every area tile must be placed such that it touches an existing tile of that type. To make this even trickier, new tiles come out of the box and are chosen in player turn order — but the tile you take in one round determines your player order in the next. Take the better tile now and choose last in the next round? Or grab something not quite as good that will still get you first or second pick next time?
This is a smooth, quick-playing game that has worked well with both kids and adults — even providing some surprisingly decent choices for seasoned gamers. A worthy winner of ‘s important Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany.
(Splendor) 2-4 players, minutes, age 31 , , ($) (on Amazon)
2-4 players, 45 – minutes, age 8 , check your local store Nate Anderson The words “instant classic” are overused in board gaming, but if
Azul does not fit the bill, no game does. The title took home the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany, and it has quickly solidified its place in the “gateway” games pantheon. Based on Islamic-inspired Portuguese tiles called azulejos
, this family-weight abstract involves collecting sets of similar tiles and slotting them into rows on your personal game board. When a row is completely filled, one of its tiles is moved over into the square pattern to the right, garnering bonuses depending on placement. Turns are quick, and each set of tiles you grab creates both problems and opportunities for other players. There’s a tinge of “meanness” for players who are sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s essential to (Azul
‘s wonderful interactive tension.
Gorgeous bakelite-style tiles seal the deal on a beautiful production. Read our full review here (If sold out, you might consider the well-regarded sequel Azul: Summer Pavilion .)
(Welcome to …
1 – (players, minutes, age ( ,) ($) on Amazon One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment. 
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
, but the cards here are all wordless pictures. In each round, one player is the “storyteller” and says a word or phrase that represents a card from their hand. All the other players try to match the idea with a card from their hands, and then all the cards are shuffled together and spread out by the storyteller. The non-storytellers then vote on what they think the storyteller’s card was. If nobody – or everybody – figures out the storyteller’s card, the storyteller gets nothing and all other players score 2 points. The storyteller must give a good clue but not make it
too obvious — if they’re able to do this, both they and the correct-guessers get 3 points. Meanwhile, non-storytellers get a point for everyone who voted for their card.
The game works because there are many different elements on each (delightfully strange) card, and they’re all open to wild interpretation. We like to take things a step further by allowing clues to be anything — noises, a dance, whatever gets your point across. Dixit Works wonderfully in some groups and not at all in others, and you probably know if it’s right for your group from the description. For a more “gamey” version of the same concept, check out Mysterium
Kingdomino
2-4 players, – minutes , age 8 , ($) on Amazon
(Kingdomino) is a dead-simple tile-laying game in which you try to group different areas — ocean, wheat field, mine, etc. — of your kingdom in order to score points. Some tiles have crowns on them. At the game’s end, each set of contiguous area tiles is scored by multiplying the size of that area by the number of crowns on its tiles. Simple? Sure, except that you have to keep your kingdom within a 5×5 grid, and every area tile must be placed such that it touches an existing tile of that type. To make this even trickier, new tiles come out of the box and are chosen in player turn order — but the tile you take in one round determines your player order in the next. Take the better tile now and choose last in the next round? Or grab something not quite as good that will still get you first or second pick next time?
This is a smooth, quick-playing game that has worked well with both kids and adults — even providing some surprisingly decent choices for seasoned gamers. A worthy winner of ‘s important Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany.
(Splendor) 2-4 players, minutes, age 31 , , ($) (on Amazon)
2-4 players, 45 – minutes, age 8 , check your local store Nate Anderson The words “instant classic” are overused in board gaming, but if
Azul does not fit the bill, no game does. The title took home the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany, and it has quickly solidified its place in the “gateway” games pantheon. Based on Islamic-inspired Portuguese tiles called azulejos
, this family-weight abstract involves collecting sets of similar tiles and slotting them into rows on your personal game board. When a row is completely filled, one of its tiles is moved over into the square pattern to the right, garnering bonuses depending on placement. Turns are quick, and each set of tiles you grab creates both problems and opportunities for other players. There’s a tinge of “meanness” for players who are sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s essential to (Azul
‘s wonderful interactive tension.
Gorgeous bakelite-style tiles seal the deal on a beautiful production. Read our full review here (If sold out, you might consider the well-regarded sequel Azul: Summer Pavilion .)
(Welcome to …
1 – (players, minutes, age ( ,) ($) on Amazon One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
Works wonderfully in some groups and not at all in others, and you probably know if it’s right for your group from the description. For a more “gamey” version of the same concept, check out Mysterium 2-4 players, – minutes , age 8 , ($) on Amazon
(Kingdomino) is a dead-simple tile-laying game in which you try to group different areas — ocean, wheat field, mine, etc. — of your kingdom in order to score points. Some tiles have crowns on them. At the game’s end, each set of contiguous area tiles is scored by multiplying the size of that area by the number of crowns on its tiles. Simple? Sure, except that you have to keep your kingdom within a 5×5 grid, and every area tile must be placed such that it touches an existing tile of that type. To make this even trickier, new tiles come out of the box and are chosen in player turn order — but the tile you take in one round determines your player order in the next. Take the better tile now and choose last in the next round? Or grab something not quite as good that will still get you first or second pick next time?
This is a smooth, quick-playing game that has worked well with both kids and adults — even providing some surprisingly decent choices for seasoned gamers. A worthy winner of ‘s important Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany.
(Splendor) 2-4 players, minutes, age 31 , , ($) (on Amazon)
2-4 players, 45 – minutes, age 8 , check your local store Nate Anderson The words “instant classic” are overused in board gaming, but if
Azul does not fit the bill, no game does. The title took home the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany, and it has quickly solidified its place in the “gateway” games pantheon. Based on Islamic-inspired Portuguese tiles called azulejos
, this family-weight abstract involves collecting sets of similar tiles and slotting them into rows on your personal game board. When a row is completely filled, one of its tiles is moved over into the square pattern to the right, garnering bonuses depending on placement. Turns are quick, and each set of tiles you grab creates both problems and opportunities for other players. There’s a tinge of “meanness” for players who are sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s essential to (Azul
‘s wonderful interactive tension.
Gorgeous bakelite-style tiles seal the deal on a beautiful production. Read our full review here (If sold out, you might consider the well-regarded sequel Azul: Summer Pavilion .)
(Welcome to …
1 – (players, minutes, age ( ,) ($) on Amazon One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
This is a smooth, quick-playing game that has worked well with both kids and adults — even providing some surprisingly decent choices for seasoned gamers. A worthy winner of ‘s important Spiel des Jahres
, ($) (on Amazon) 2-4 players, 45 – minutes, age 8 , check your local store Nate Anderson The words “instant classic” are overused in board gaming, but if
Azul does not fit the bill, no game does. The title took home the prestigious Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) award in Germany, and it has quickly solidified its place in the “gateway” games pantheon. Based on Islamic-inspired Portuguese tiles called azulejos
, this family-weight abstract involves collecting sets of similar tiles and slotting them into rows on your personal game board. When a row is completely filled, one of its tiles is moved over into the square pattern to the right, garnering bonuses depending on placement. Turns are quick, and each set of tiles you grab creates both problems and opportunities for other players. There’s a tinge of “meanness” for players who are sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s essential to (Azul
‘s wonderful interactive tension.
Gorgeous bakelite-style tiles seal the deal on a beautiful production. Read our full review here (If sold out, you might consider the well-regarded sequel Azul: Summer Pavilion .)
(Welcome to …
1 – (players, minutes, age ( ,) ($) on Amazon One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
, this family-weight abstract involves collecting sets of similar tiles and slotting them into rows on your personal game board. When a row is completely filled, one of its tiles is moved over into the square pattern to the right, garnering bonuses depending on placement. Turns are quick, and each set of tiles you grab creates both problems and opportunities for other players. There’s a tinge of “meanness” for players who are sensitive to that sort of thing, but it’s essential to (Azul
‘s wonderful interactive tension.Gorgeous bakelite-style tiles seal the deal on a beautiful production. Read our full review here (If sold out, you might consider the well-regarded sequel Azul: Summer Pavilion .)
1 – (players, minutes, age ( ,) ($) on Amazon One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
One of the hottest trends in board games over the past few years has been the “roll and write” genre, in which players roll and draft dice, then mark the results on a scoring sheet. We’ve played a ton of these games, and the unfortunately named
welcome to… is easily one of our favorites. The game has you and your friends building up your own little suburban neighborhoods. You don’t roll dice here, though; Instead, a big deck of cards gets split into three piles, and in every round, a card from each pile is turned over. Players then pick one card to mark down on their sheets (multiple people can pick the same card). The cards each display a number and a symbol. On your player sheet are three rows of houses and a few other scoring trackers. You write the number on a house to essentially “build” it, keeping in mind that the numbers must ascend numerically from left to right in each row — which, believe me, is way harder to manage than it sounds. The symbols provide special effects — take the “fence” symbol and you can clump your houses into estates, for example, or install a pool on spaces with the pool symbol. The game presents some surprisingly difficult decisions – I really need to pick that fence card to finish my estate, but the number on that other card is PERFECT for me – and it is easy enough to teach to even board game novices. There’s no minimum or maximum player count; Anyone with a sheet can play. And with its 31 – minute playtime, it’s a perfect little filler.
(Dice Forge) 2-4 players, , minutes, age 8 , ($) (at Amazon)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
(Read More)
pure engine-building fun with chunky plastic dice. On each turn, you roll your dice, store up resources, and then purchase cards that give you special abilities or — and here’s the game’s “gimmick” —buy even better die faces
. That’s right: much of the game consists of buying more powerful resources from a large tray of faces, then replacing an existing face on one of your dice. By game’s end — about 100 minutes — you’re rolling killer combos every time. Dice Forge
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
has one of the most gorgeous presentations I have ever seen in board gaming, the die faces come off with a satisfying “pop,” and there are more available card powers than you can use in a single game. Terrific family entertainment.
Page: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Next) →
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