5 Board Games to Play with People That Hate Board Games

We all know the horror stories of friendships being destroyed by board games. If you or your friends hate games like Monopoly or Uno, maybe give any of these 5 a try. 

1. Monikers.

Number one on our list of board games is Monikers. Technically Monikers is more of a party game than an actual “board game” but whatever. It’s based on the public domain game Celebrity, but has a few twists that set it apart. It can be as appropriate or inappropriate as you want it to be, but it does have some level of adult content. If you’re too young to be comfortable with at least a little of such content, you probably shouldn’t even be on this website. The game is team-based, and has three rounds where you have to use different methods to get across the name on the card. The deck is massive and you draw a new card each round. In the first round you can say anything except for the name on the card. In the second round you can only say one word, and in the third round you can’t say anything at all. A good time for all involved, and it has expansion packs if you SOMEHOW need more of what it has. 

2. Wavelength.

The second of our board games is a little gem of a kickstarter game called Wavelength. It’s a social guessing game that uses a dial to determine the “wavelength” of a player on a spectrum. You get a five-phrase clue to try and guide people to determine what that spectrum is and how to communicate it. I’m sorry if this isn’t making much sense.  It’s just kinda hard to explain. However, it’s a great social game because it forces people to talk and interact, as opposed to just waiting for their turn to do something. It’s hard to explain because there aren’t any “standard” party games I can compare it to, and that’s a good thing. In a post-pandemic world, people need more excuses to interact with each other nowadays. The point of the game is to debate, interact and disagree with your friends, which I thing is something that friend groups don’t do enough of. It’s just generally a good time having a debate with no real stakes or person issues around the topic. There’s no real-world consequences for disagreeing in this state, and I think that’s something we need more of.

3. Azul

Coming in at number three on the list of board games is the first actual board game on the list. Kind of funny how that works. Azul is a color-themed board game based on Portuguese tile art. It’s sort of like artistic dominoes, as you set up your tiles in increasingly complex patterns to rack up higher and higher scores. The game is immaculately balanced, meaning that skill level means something in terms of how you actually score. Another great thing about Azul is how intuitive the gameplay is. You’ll formulate a strategy without even meaning to, and the game takes no time at all to set up. Another thing that really sets it apart is just how goddamn pretty the game is. The art is absolutely stunning, and the patterns and designs you can make with the tiles you’re given encourage you to build your art skills as well as your game skills. It has a player limit of 4, so you can’t get a large group of friends playing all at once, but that’s fine, it’s still super neat. If you’re a fan of renaissance Portuguese art or board games, give this one a try. 

4. Pandemic.

At number four on our list of board games, we have Pandemic. I understand that everyone might be a little uncertain about a game called Pandemic, but unlike the real thing, this game doesn’t last multiple years. If I had to compare the game to anything, I’d say its similar to the hit video game Plague Inc, only instead of being a soulless pathogen tasked with wiping out the human species, you’re a doctor tasked with stopping said pathogen. Don’t get me wrong, this game can be brutally difficult at times, but rewards persistence and skill. You have a lot of control over what you do in the game, so losing never feels like you got cheated. There is a very high skill ceiling, and it’s also a fully cooperative experience. The game also makes sure that everything you do is rewarded at least in some capacity, so nobody ends up feeling like dead weight. It’s a great way to build our teamwork skills and maybe work of some of that resentment towards the virus that screwed up life these past few years. Give it a try if you enjoy this type of stuff. 

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5. PARKS

The final entry of our list of board games is PARKS. This board game is perfect for nature lovers, as it focuses on various US National Parks. It is a game about visiting various national parks, building up a bonus and collecting various tokens. One of the selling points of this game is absolutely gorgeous all of the art for the parks is. You could spend an evening just looking at the cards because they’re just that pretty. The game is made in collaboration with many US National parks with some of the money gained from each purchase being sent toward said parks. The designers really thought of everything because even setting up the game is fun. The tokens are made from wood rather than stiff cardboard, meaning they’ll not only last longer, but have a much sturdier feel to them. Thirty-eight different artists contributed art for the various cards, which is why they end up being so memorable. The system can take a little while to get used to, but learning the ins and outs of a game is part of the fun. If you love national parks but don’t have the time to visit a real one with some friends, this is probably one of the next best things. 

Are there any games that we forgot about? If so, tell us which ones!

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