Recently we have already recommended ten board games for children up to eight years old. Let's continue with our year-end tips - with ten new titles that you can play well with older children or the whole family. And not only there, these games should arrive well: Even for a game night only with adults they are in the opinion of our tester the right choice.
Here are our ten game highlights to click through:
Ten board games for families and adults
"The Crew: Travel Together to the Ninth Planet"
It starts with "The Crew", the most hyped game in these days in the board game scene. It is a cooperative sting game: All players try to fulfill tasks together (which are called missions here and of which there are 50!) In the context of an actually clear sting game. So there is operator compulsion, trump cards, zero games and so on. This is an interesting twist in the genre and not so easy to see through, especially if you do not play such games on a regular basis. However, it just starts: a certain person must win a certain card for the group to progress. That's quite possible, and you quickly work your way into the mechanics, which does not mean that "The Crew" is played through quickly - quite the contrary. Since the missions are predetermined, but thanks to the random map distribution are very different to play, you have a long time something of this game.
For whom?
Skat and double-head players should be watching "The Crew", fans of cooperative games too. However, the game is already very obscure. If you are looking for a relaxed party fun, you are at the wrong address.
Advertisement "Die Crew: Travel together to the 9th planet" Kosmos Verlag; 2-5 players; from 10 years on; about 12 euros; Author: Thomas Sing
Order from Amazon or Thalia.
Product information is purely editorial and independent. The so-called affiliate links above, we usually receive a commission from the dealer when buying. More information here.
"Deep Blue"
Looser and probably much louder than "The Crew" is in "Deep Blue". This is mainly because every dive in the game (and diving here often!) Can decide on victory and defeat. Thematically fits that also fully: The deeper you dare to the blue wet, the more and better treasures you can salvage - but it is also always dangerous. The fact that you can also get drunk is a risk that everyone has to take at some point. It is good that the players can hang on dives, so more and more active in the game and tremble with. The rest of the game is well thought out too. The trains can be handled very quickly, so that nobody gets bored. Maybe it would have been better if there had been a few more different diving challenges.
For whom? "Deep Blue" is a nice family game with a lot of zock, but that also means that you can play well and still lose a lot - simply because you have bad luck diving. If you can handle it, "Deep Blue" is a really good game for the holidays.
Display "Deep Blue" by Days of Wonder; 2-5 players; from 8 years; about 42 euros; Authors: AH Granerud, D. Skjold Pedersen
Order at Amazon.
"Nova Luna"
More about luck than tactics is the topic of "Nova Luna", a game by successful authors Uwe Rosenberg and Corné van Moorsel. "Nova Luna" is a cross and skilful development of Rosenberg's "Patchwork" and van Moorsel's "Habitats".
From a display, the players may each take a tile, which they create in their display. Here are "Patchwork" based rules for taking the tiles and by "Habitats" inspired placement and points rules. The whole thing is fast becoming an exciting and very tactical competition, which requires a lot of brain lard towards the end. Rosenberg has designed a number of laying games in recent years, but "Nova Luna" should be among the strongest.
For whom? In contrast to the two-person game "Patchwork", "Nova Luna" is designed for one to four players and therefore already a more flexible option for friends of gameplay, especially when you sit together in a larger group at Christmas. By the way, it's entertaining for two.
Advertisement "Nova Luna" by Edition Spielwiese / Pegasus Spiele; 1-4 players; from 8 years; about 25 euros; Authors: Uwe Rosenberg and Corné von Moorsel
Order at Amazon.
"Tajuto"
A core element of "Tajuto" is the construction of eight pagodas in different colors. The pagodas each consist of six parts of different sizes, which players have to pull out of an opaque bag. You may, however, scan the parts before pulling them out. Since there are, as I said, six different sized components for each Pagoda, so you can make a pre-selection with your fingers and gamble accordingly. Of course, you do not know the color of the part that you pull out.
Since you could usually build two or three parts of a certain size and often less than eight parts (one in each color) are in the bag, you can estimate the probabilities very well. Pulling it out of the bag reminds you of the Deep Blue dives, but you can control the risk on Tajuto much better, which makes this game less chaotic. The rest of the game is clearly structured and proceeds quickly.
For whom? "Tajuto" is a game for families and other cliques who already have some gaming experience and who are looking for a game in the weight category of "Catan" or "Azul".
Display "Tajuto" by Abacusspiele; 2-4 players; from 10 years on; about 42 euros; Author: Reiner Knizia
Order from Amazon or Thalia.
"Little Town"
"Little Town" offers a clearly structured introduction to an interesting gaming genre. You could describe the game as a "worker placement game light". Such worker placement games are popular with hobbyists, but are often quite complex, with many different objectives and interlinked mechanisms in mind. "Little Town" is a lot easier.
Although this game is also about "sending your own pieces of work to work", that is to say where there are raw materials or where you can exchange these for buildings, "Little Town" does not resort to interwoven actions. Everything is clearly designed and constructed logically: employ workers, collect raw materials, use effects, build something. This has a good flow, is challenging enough and takes only 45 minutes.
For whom?
"Little Town" is a strategic game for families whose offspring is slowly but surely outgrowing the children's age and wants to play real adult games. After "Little Town" you can then turn to heavyweights like "Agricola" or "Architects of the West Virginia kingdom".
Advertisement "Little Town" by Iello / Huch; 2-4 players; from 10 years on; about 25 euros; Authors: Shun and Aya Taguchi
Order at Amazon.
"Architects of the Westfrankenreich"
"Architects of the Westfrankenreich" comes along with some nice ideas. So anyone who is morally corrupt is no longer allowed to build around the cathedral. On the other hand, in this game, as in real life, "If the call is ruined ..." then you do not pay taxes and can afford more resources and apprentices than the law-abiding petty bourgeois. Although this is highly regarded, it can not be seen on the black market. You can even incarcerate the workers of the other players.
For a worker-inserting game in the connoisseur area, the atmosphere is tightly implemented. So you play like crazy, you trick, you steal, you capture other workers, you make funny stories ... - until you realize that many of these actions do not score much. Because it's not so much about these interactions, but about collecting victory points through the construction of the cathedral and its own buildings. The winner is the one who has collected the best resources and built them purposefully.
For whom? "Architects of the Westfrankenreichs" is the most complex game on this list and something for frequent players. The small thematically dense stories and an unusual insertion rule make the game special.
Advertisement "Architects of the Westfrankenreich" from Schwerkraft-Verlag; 1-5 players; from 12 years old; about 55 euros; Authors: Shem Phillips and SJ MacDonald
Order at Amazon.
"Sloth"
The idea that sloths run a race but are too comfortable to run themselves is funny. So instead of exhausting themselves, the lazybones can be carried around by other animals. There are twelve other species, each with their own rules of movement. Crocodiles, for example, always walk along the water and ants form long roads over which the sloths are carried. In each game, only six of these species are present, so provided for variety.
The players never move their sloths themselves, but only the other "neutral" animals serving for transport. The own sloths are sometimes taken piggyback. The game is more tactical than it sounds, and is, according to the description, a "random racing game". Quite as random "sloth" but also does not feel like, because the actions of the teammates change the initial situation on the big game plan again and again unpredictable. By the way, the sloths organize their race to get at eight leaves that are scattered throughout the plan. Whoever collects these first wins.
For whom?
There are not many tactical racing games in the adult sector. "Sloth" is a nice change to the workers' placement and point collecting games. However, four or five are significantly better than twos and threes. With a few players you get too little in the way.
"Sloth" of 2F games; 2-5 players; from 8 years; about 32 euros; Author: Friedemann Friese
"6 takes! Board game"
Recently, "6 Nimmt!", One of Germany's most popular and best-selling card games, celebrated its 25th anniversary. That now another variant of the game has come on the market, therefore, not surprising. The brand wants to be groomed. For the first time the famous bullheads are used on a game board. Otherwise, not much has changed, at least if you play the game in the basic version. Anyone who knows the card game will immediately enter the game and will be entertained just as well as with the classic. The board game would not have needed it. It gets more interesting when you play on the other side of the board. There will be a bit more tactical and some exciting little extra rules that will not overburden the game. Good is "6 takes!" still and this also applies to this board game variant that does not make anything worse.
For whom?
Who takes "6!" like and would rather play a "real board game" than a card game, should take a closer look here. The board game offers a bit more variety and revives in this way the classic. The only downer: The game is only playable with a maximum of six people.
Display "6 Takes! Board Game" by Amigo Games; 2-6 players; from 8 years; about 23 euros; Author: Wolfgang Kramer
Order from Amazon or Thalia.
"Team3"
Say nothing, hear nothing, see nothing ... and yet build a plastic tower based on a template in the team of three? This works, but only if the players engage each other and come in the right flow. And this is how "TEAM3" works: One person sees a card with the desired tower, but may pass this information only nonverbally to a second player who does not hear anything , He tries to understand what is required of the group and tells a third player, the builder, what to do. The challenge is that the builder sits blindfolded. In addition, the tower must stand in four minutes. The idea for "TEAM3" is really good and contributes well for quite a while. Whether the game in the long run for party classic is good, but will still show.
For whom?
"TEAM3" is a cheerful party game for groups of three or more players. But beware: it can lead to laughing fits. The game is available in green and pink box. If you have both issues, you can play "TEAM3" with up to twelve players.
Display "TEAM3" by Abacusspiele, 3-6 players; 14 years and older; about 20 euros; Authors: A. Cutler, M. Fantastic
Order from Amazon or Thalia.
"KLASK 4"
The last game on this list is a gift idea for those people who do not want to play board games. As KLASK 4 describes it, it is a mixture of table football and air hockey and definitely not a classic board game. A four-game run is fast as hell, with everyone trying to score the other goals and not losing their own magnetic player. This is a "tip-kick" on speed and invites you to noisy tournaments. Especially when you are with a large group, four can sometimes retire to a next table and play "KLASK 4".
"KLASK", the precursor for two players, is a phenomenon. Conceived by a Danish inventor and first crafted by hand since 2013, more than half a million games have been sold worldwide to date. "KLASK 4" is the logical evolution and makes the game even more suitable for the group.
For whom? "KLASK 4" is perfect for families or groups of friends who have people in their ranks who do not really want to play. The disadvantages: "Klask 4" can only be played by four. With several you organize funny tournaments, for two or three it is not playable. In addition, it is a bit too bulky and too expensive as a normal party souvenir.
Display "KLASK 4" by Game Factory; 4 players; from 8 years; about 70 euros; Author: Mikkel Bertelsen
Order from Amazon or Thalia.
