How do you start a board game collection? If you are new to board-gaming, it might seem overwhelming to choose a few games which can serve as a solid base from which to build. The following games, in our experience, are strong candidates to start a collection (although by no means is this an exhaustive list). Overall, these games are easier to learn but represent a variety of standard game mechanics and themes. Once you learn these, you will feel comfortable with a variety of more advanced games. We listed them by category/mechanic.
What We Love About It: It’s even more fun during your opponent’s turn
Pros: Replayability, Strong selection of winning strategies
Cons: Starts a bit slow
What We Love About It: No shuffling deck-building
Pros: Replayability, strong variety of bosses with unique mechanics, variable turn order
Cons: Some chance of analysis paralysis and/or quarterbacking
What We Love About It: Multiple paths for victory including non-military
Pros: Deeper than it looks, Limited military helps force players to consider non-military options
Cons: Card or two can seem unfair
What We Love About It: A fun deckbuilder for all ages
Pros: Easy to teach, thematic
Cons: Not the most replayable game
What We Love About It: The number of potential decks provide near-endless possibilities
Pro: Easy to learn, Fun to try different possible decks out
Cons: Very straightforward, No real theme
Honorable Mention: Star Realms
What We Love About It: Scales well for larger player counts
Pros: Fun to plan for later rounds
Cons: Not much interactivity
Honorable Mention: Sushi Go
What We Love About It: Good decision space
Pros: Strong interactivity, Cool artwork/theme
Cons: Some “take that” mechanisms
What We Love About It: Very Inclusive, Seen “non-gamers” play it
Pros: Good Range of Ages, Fun Team Game, Scales well for larger groups
Cons: Challenging to play the Spymaster role
What We Love About It: Great negotiation and bluffing opportunities
Pros: Low effort required, good end-of-the-night game
Cons: Wrong crowd can turn this game into a disaster
Honorable Mentions: One Night Werewolf, Werewords
What We Love About It: Very enjoyable to get an on-going benefit after you build a building
Pros: Easy to learn, plays quickly
Cons: Pasted-on theme, not very deep
What We Love About It: Probably the only dungeon crawler you’ll ever need
Pros: Tons of replayability
Cons: It’ll take you a full day to punch out the cardboard and another day to read the rules and learn how to play
Honorable Mention: Imperial Assault
What We Love About It: Deep strategy game
Pros: Tons of replayability, decisions seem meaningful
Cons: Confusing iconography, Difficult to teach
Honorable Mention: Jump Drive, Wingspan
What games do you think are good ones with which to start a collection?
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