5 More Board Games To Play With People Who Hate Board Games
It seems that there are more of you out there who have friends who hate board games, or hate board games yourselves. Well, maybe these 5 offerings could change your mind, and be something you find you enjoy. Without any delay, let us begin.
1.Klask.
Our first entry on this list of board games is one that was voted the number 1 party game of Sweden and Norway in 2015: Klask. I think that says something about the game and about the Swedes, but I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what it is. Anyway, Klask is a dexterity based table game that’s sort of like a cross between foosball, air hockey, and Pong. The game is relatively cheap to buy, and is much more portable and affordable than games like foosball or Crokinole. You can set up the game on basically any flat surface, and the table is very efficiently designed. As for how you actually play the game, you use your hand to control a magnetic “striker” to bounce a ball into your opponent’s goal. Klask is an easy enough game to understand that anyone older than 8 can figure it out, and the ease with which it’s set up makes it ideal as a table game.
2. Skull.
Also known as Skulls and Roses, the second of our board games became popular in the San Fransisco area thanks to the infamous biker gang, the Hell’s Angels, playing it in various bars. The more you know. The game is a bluffing game, essentially poker but without the annoying formulas and betting and what have you. It’s a great test of how well you can lie to your friends with a straight face. The rules of the game are dead simple, meaning it’s easy to learn, but it has an enormously high skill ceiling. The more proficient you get at the game, the more strategies and deceptions become available to you. You can play it with or without actually gambling anything of value, so it’s a great alternative if you worry about falling down the gambler’s rabbit hole. The art for the various skulls and roses used to play the game are also very well-drawn, and are much prettier than your average pack of 52 poker cards. A great game that can be played at many skill levels, and has a very interesting history. If you want to brag about playing a game that’s enjoyed by a biker gang, pick this one up.
3. Wingspan.
Third on our list of board games is far and away the most complex and difficult to learn on this list. Wingspan is an “engine builder” game meaning you must build up a means of generating resources or points, an “engine” if you will, to reach victory, and you win by creating the most efficient “engine.” Engine-builders are at their most fun when all players are at a similar skill level, and the complexities and effective tactics can be daunting to grasp. However, even if you don’t actually play the game, the art for wingspan alone can justify the purchase, because holy hell, it’s beautiful. Wingspan is a game about birds, and you play as bird enthusiasts trying to draw the rarest and most beautiful birds to your nature preserve. This preserve is your engine and the player with the most points after 4 rounds wins. The game has ongoing support by its creators with multiple expansions, and if it turns out that a bird you love isn’t in the game, you can actually suggest it for their next expansion. It’s absolutely worth you money, but I’ll leave the final decision up to you. I hope you find it as great as I do.
4. Munchkin.
Number four on the list of board games is one that’s truly special. Munchkin, by Steve Jackson Games. Munchkin is at its core, a glorious parody of Tabletop RPG culture, the game’s tagline is “Kill the Monsters, Steal the Treasures, Stab your buddy.” The rules can be a little hard to understand at first, but you can learn them relatively quickly. If you’re not a fan of TTRPGs, you need need not worry, because munchkin comes in many, MANY flavors. From greek mythology, to superheroes, to star trek, and so much more, If you are even slightly immersed in any aspect of nerd culture, there is a Munchkin game for you. One of the best part of Munchkin is the humor it makes use of. The cards poke fun at various aspects of whatever property or genre they are based on. In fact the first time I bought a pack of Munchkin cards, it was Super Munchkin. I bought it not because I had people to play the game with, but mainly because I found the cards so amusing. I don’t know if that says more about the game or about me.
5. Decrypto.
The last of our Board Games is Decrypto. This game is a team-based in which you and your teammates compete against a rival team to break your opponent’s codes and interpret those of your teammates. Decrypto is a very good game for couples night play, as you and your partner can work together and build more trust, as opposed to some other games. One of the great things about this game is that you don’t need to be a military cryptographer or genius code-breaker to get into and enjoy the game. Depending on how you and your friends choose to play, the game can be anything from a whirlwind race between the teams, to a slow and methodical breakdown of every clue your opponents drop. A clue can be anything, written, spoken, or acted, and it makes the game have a very high skill ceiling. Ultimately the thrill of building a code faster than your opponent can break it. Games tend to last between 4 and 7 rounds, but depending on your skill it can be shorter or longer. All in all it’s a game that makes you feel smart and can be very exciting.
