The best way for productive communication and spending time together between adults and children has always been and remains a game. Today, board games, among other entertainment, are highly popular and quickly and firmly enter people’s lives. At first glance, it may seem that this activity is only for children, but this is far from the case, because in almost each of them you need to carefully think through the current situation, choose the right way to solve the problem, deceive and confuse the enemy in order for the party to remain with you. The top ten best board games in the world today, which will be of interest to both children and adults, include:

Alias

"Alias» or "Say otherwise" Recently it has been receiving increasing recognition from fans, which has earned it tenth place in the ranking of the best board games around the world. The point of the game is to explain as many words as possible from your card in one minute. There are several variations of this game: the explanation should be accompanied only by gestures or emotions, using a certain story that surrounds the word being explained, or you should even guess not just an encrypted key, but some celebrity. The game is perfect for entertainment even in the company of unfamiliar people or people you don’t know at all.

- a very non-standard game that is becoming very popular in the world, and receives ninth place in our rating. What is its meaning? It is necessary to come up with associations for the cards from the game set. The difficulty is that the images on the cards are far from simple, and sometimes it even seems that they were drawn by someone who is not quite mentally healthy man, which makes it even more interesting. Having voiced his association, the player places the card face down on the table, and the rest must choose from their set the cards most suitable to what was said and place them next to each other. You will win if at least one person finds yours in the total mass of cards (ideally: all but one). Another variety of this game, which also does not leave the ratings of world board game bestsellers, is considered “Dixit”.

How can a list of the best board games be compiled without "Monopolies", which has long since achieved worldwide fame and appreciation? Despite the fact that the variations of this game currently simply cannot be counted (“Classic Monopoly”, “Manager”, “Monopolist”, “Kremlin”, etc.), the essence still remains the same: wander around the playing field, buy everything you see on your way, increase your capital, buy up real estate from your opponents and try in every possible way to develop your business. The main goal: to ruin the enemy and elevate yourself to the rank of millionaire and monopolist.

"Uno" A pretty simple and fun card game. It was included in the ranking of the best board games in the world due to its simplicity, simplicity, and the ability to play for both adults and children. The game begins with the distribution of game cards. Players take turns throwing their own card, matching the color or value, on top of the opponent’s card. If there is none, then you will have to draw from the deck until the required card is found. The goal of the game is to discard everything in your hands as quickly as possible. The last one to do this will be the loser. A game very similar in meaning to “Uno” is “Svintus!”.

or "Erudite" is a game that needs no introduction, as it is familiar to every person, regardless of age and gender. Its meaning is to form words using the chips received at the beginning of the game. Players are awarded points for the number of letters in the word laid out. Scrabble is popular not only in Russia, but also in European countries, where even serious businessmen play it when going on a long business trip for work matters.

is a floor game rather than a board game, but it is also wildly popular, especially among active young people. The game does not require any mental effort or thought process. What is important here is your flexibility, dexterity, as well as the desire to win. With each new move, the players' limbs become more and more entangled with each other, sometimes giving the person the most unimaginable poses. The winner is the one who was the last one to remain on the playing mat while maintaining a pose and not fall. Despite the fact that today “Twister” occupies not the last place in the top of the best games in the world, at the very beginning of sales, tons of criticism and negativity fell upon the company that produced such entertainment. There are several varieties of the game, and one of the latest to be created is a truly desktop version, when only the fingers of the participants participate in the gameplay.

, Of course, it stands out somewhat from the previous list, but it should definitely have a place in the list of games with the highest appreciation. Most often, the game involves a standard 52-sheet poker deck of cards. There is a certain ranking of the seniority of card combinations (four of a kind, full house, royal flush, etc.) After the deck is dealt, each player can make a bet or pass. The one who has it in his hands wins best combination or someone who knows how to mislead opponents, thereby forcing them to fold and change bets.

Mafia

"Mafia"- quite exciting and interesting game, suitable for a large and noisy company. Purpose of the game: to rid the civilian population of criminal elements. So, at the beginning, the presenter distributes one card to everyone, thereby distributing roles: honest citizens (red) and mafiosi (black). Until a certain moment, no one except the player himself should know about his card. When night comes, the mafia can get to know each other, and during the day, each player expresses his opinion about the others, thus at the end of the day, all players must vote and “kick” someone out of the game. The winner is the team whose representatives at the end have more representatives or when all the criminals are identified and neutralized. “Mafia” received its place in the top of the best board games thanks to its simplicity and great gameplay possibilities.

Codenames

"Codenames" — legendary game, which everyone who has played at least one game is crazy about. For its fun and simplicity, Code Names have received all the prestigious international awards, including the Oscar in the world of board games - Game of the Year in Germany.

From two to ten people can participate in this phenomenal team confrontation. Players, with the help of the captains' hints, take turns trying to find all their words among the cards laid out on the playing field. The scope for hints is limited to just one (!) word spoken out loud. In such harsh conditions, captains shine with associative thinking, and teams surprise with mutual understanding on a telepathic level.

The game was created by the recognized board game guru - Vlada Khvatil. He made sure that players could replay Codenames with interest as many times as they wanted. In gratitude, even the most reputable and discerning gaming community in the world, BoardGamesGeek, ranks Code Names at the top of the world's ranking of the best board games for groups and parties.

Since its inception (1995), the board game has not left the top of the best games for a company gathered around the table. Today she is given first place in our TOP 10 ranking. It is simply impossible to count the number of awards she received, and there are no people left who would not know about her existence. Colonist players are “landed” on a desert island full of wood, brick, wool, grain and ore. Everyone’s goal is to build as large a settlement as possible and develop it better than their opponents. For each construction and development a certain number of points are given. The one who scored 10 points before others won.

You can buy it in the GaGa.ru store

January 19, 1955 The first sets for playing the game went on sale Scrabble- a very common form of entertainment in the United States, which has not gained much popularity in Russia. However, this is far from an isolated case when Board games, which are played by tens of millions of people in the West, almost not known in our latitudes, although they could well become a favorite type of family and friendly leisure.

Scrabble - a game of words and letters

One of the most popular board games in the Western world has practically not taken root in our space. We, of course, published a Russified version of it called Erudite, but it did not gain national fame; we are much closer to the much simpler Balda. The essence of the game is to form words on a special playing field from a random set of letters. Moreover, the more rare elements you use, the more points you get.

Klingon chess - a game from the cult television series

This game first appeared on television in one of the episodes of the cult television series Star Trek, where it was played by representatives of the alien race of Klingons. It represents chess in which the playing field is not in the same plane, but at different levels. Now the game is popular among millions of fans of the mentioned television series. Russian “trekkers” also play it. And the general public learned about Klingon chess from the sitcom Theory big bang, the main characters of which not only played it, but also spoke the fictional Klingon language (even to the point of competing in Klingon Scrabble).

Dungeons and Dragons is the most popular role-playing board game

The game Dungeons & Dragons, which appeared in 1974, differed from many other military board games by two factors: fantastic characters (orcs, elves, gnomes, dragons, etc.) and the ability to play not for a side in the conflict, but for a specific character. Dungeons and Dragons became the ancestor of many other similar tabletop role-playing games, but is still the most popular among them in the world.

Game of Thrones - a game based on the book and TV series

Recently, the board game A Game of Thrones, based on the books by George R.R., has become increasingly popular in the world. Martina. The harsh, semi-fantastic world of the fictional Middle Ages turned out to be an excellent setting for those who like to fight with cards and chips. A Game of Thrones, which appeared in 2003, was relaunched after the release of the series of the same name on HBO, which became one of the highest rated on the planet. Now the tabletop version of Martin’s Universe is played not only by fans of his books, but also by a much larger audience of fans of the television version.

Uno is the simplest card game

The rules of this card game are easy to learn in a couple of minutes. Its essence is to get rid of all the cards dealt at the beginning, while forcing your opponents to take as many of them as possible. Uno does not require high intellectual abilities, as in preference or poker. Observation and a sense of humor are much more important here. You won't be able to play this game quietly - the game is ideal for noisy groups who want to have a fun evening.

Pictionary – Crocodile for those who like to draw

Each of us has repeatedly seen this game on TV in American films and television series. Its essence is very similar to our Crocodile - a person must show the word hidden for him, without uttering a word. Only Pictionary rules allow you not only to communicate with gestures, but also to draw on paper.

Jenga - sleight of hand and no cheating

A game for those who have developed coordination of movements and the ability to calculate the results of their actions. At the beginning of the game, players build a vertical structure from wooden blocks, and then take turns pulling out elements from it and placing them on top. Whoever topples the tower loses.

Cluedo is his own detective

Friends gathered together at the gaming table learn that a murder has just occurred in a house in Cornwall. They have a detailed plan of the mansion and several clues found at the crime scene. Each game in Cluedo is a separate detective story, the narrators of which are the players themselves. And each of them must solve the terrible mystery of the murder of Dr. Black faster than others. It is noteworthy that in each new game a completely original story is played out.

Monopoly - a textbook for young capitalists

Economic strategy with an element of chance. At the beginning of the game, players find themselves on a large playing field filled with cards for various enterprises that can be bought, sold, improved, or even created a monopoly in a particular field of activity. The main thing is not to end up in prison or on another player’s enterprise square. In Russia, Monopoly has limited popularity; there are even clubs for its fans, but in every home, unlike in Europe or the USA, a set for the game is not yet stored.

Beer ping pong is the most popular drinking game

We warn you right away, there is no point in playing this game for teetotalers and ulcers. After all, her main goal is to get drunk herself, and to get her friend even more drunk. During a game of beer ping pong, players or teams try to hit glasses of alcohol placed at the other end of the table with a table tennis ball. If the hit is successful, the opponent must drink the contents. The game continues until one side forces the other to empty all the containers on their side of the table. It’s strange why beer ping-pong is still not popular among us?

Every year (or almost every year) on my blog I talk about the best games of the past year. I usually do this based on my tastes and opinions, but this year I decided to keep it simple. I’m not Tom Wasel, no one sends me popular and hot new products so that I can be aware of absolutely all the new products, so I don’t really want to express opinions about games, judging only by other people’s opinions. Let's make it simple - go to the main desktop site - Board Game Geek (BGG), and based on international opinion we will draw our conclusions. Today is January 5 (when I start writing a note), and this is what I do - I go to BGG, enter 2016 in the search for games, sort the list by rating and look at the top twenty.

Of course, on January 6 or 7, the numbers in the overall rating and place in the top may change, so don’t judge too harshly if something on BGG changes while I’m finishing the article.

Let's start the review from 20th place (the place in the general ranking according to the BGG is indicated in brackets).

20 (466). Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu

Last year and the year before that, the topic was very popular in the tabletop world. Pandemics . Probably on a wave of success Pandemic Legacy publishing house Z-Man started riveting games from the same series, but in a different setting. The most successful game was the version about good old Cthulhu.

The game is based on the same Pandemic Matt Leacock - players wander around the map and, instead of finding a cure for diseases, close the opened portals to the other world. There are not many differences in the game from the original - portals; shoggoths passing through portals and bringing about the awakening of Cthulhu; Sanity tokens, the loss of which leads to the loss of player actions; Navigating around the map has been greatly simplified.

Judging by the impressions of the players who wrote reviews, the game turned out to be easier than the original Pandemics. There seems to be a Cthulhu theme, but it is not clearly expressed, it seems interesting to play, but we expected more from the game.

Honestly, ranking 20th for this game confuses me. Essentially this is a simplified Pandemic for lovers of Lovecraft's myths, but a deep dive into the topic did not work out. It’s good that at least there are shoggoths in addition to the cultists.

The game is designed nicely. This is probably the only reason why I could buy this game, but I’m unlikely to ever do it, because it’s better Pandemics maybe just Pandemic . The Cthulhu theme is just fun and can brighten up a few evenings. Visually everything is cool and even very cool, but the gameplay is still simple.

19 (463). Imhotep

Who would have thought that such a simple toy would take 19th place. I wrote about it when I was reviewing games that were about to be shown at JenCon. Even then the game appeared good feedback on BGG, but on my blog commentators said that they don’t see anything interesting in Imhotep . In fact, the board game does not pretend to be a mind-blowing hardcore game; it is such a simple and unpretentious Eurogame about the construction of Egypt.

The gameplay is very simple. On his turn, the player chooses one action from: take a stone, place a stone on a ship, play a blue market card, or send the ship, if it is filled with his own or someone else’s stones, to one of the areas with goodies. Dispatch of the ship is the most important task of the game. Those. Everything seems simple, but tasteful. It seems to me that this is why board gamers all over the world fell in love with the game. It’s not difficult, but there is a zest, and that’s the main thing.

Compared to other top games of 2016 Imhotep It looks a little pale, but I can believe that the game got 19th place for a reason. I wouldn't buy a board game, but I would definitely play it.

18 (454). Mare Nostrum: Empires

"Sometimes they come back." Recently it has become fashionable to remember old games, blow off the dust from them, redraw the art, modernize the rules and release new edition. ABOUT Mare Nostrum Few people remembered, but as soon as it was re-released, a wave of praise immediately began, because games of this kind appear infrequently now.

This is a civilization game where players build their empires. In it you need to engage in trade, build wonders of the world, develop an army, and expand political influence to nearby territories.

IMHO, this is an amateur game. Try now to get teenagers to sit at the computer Age of Empires , for example, which smells of mold. Our Tsiva, Marenostrum, is naked. There is no Cthulhu there, the minions are not CMON’s, there is no smell of superheroes in the game, but the worst thing is that everything was not drawn by Vincent Dutre. The game is designed purely for civilian geeks who sometimes like to develop their empires. That's why some younger players call the game a little dry, but the taste of 2003 is still felt, no matter how you look at it.

I'm interested in the board game myself. I wouldn't buy it, but I would play someone else's copy. I honestly admit that I am not very familiar with civilization games, so I would be happy to draw a conclusion based on this game.

Oldfags like the game, newfags are thoughtful.

17 (425). Secret Hitler

For me this is a mystery game. I previously heard that a PnP version of a certain party game about Hitler appeared on the Internet. Some people wrote that they printed out the game, tried to play and it seemed like Secret Hitler I liked it. It seemed to me that this board game would remain in a version freely floating around the Internet, but it was published with the help of crowdfunding. To be honest, the 17th place of this game surprised me a little, because this modest party game managed to bypass many large projects that were required to be in the top 20.

The gameplay of SH is reminiscent of Resistance (or Avalon , as stated on BGG, but did not play this game). At the beginning of the game, players are secretly divided into 2 teams - fascists and liberals. Like in Mafia, at the beginning of the game all players close their eyes, and then the fascists open them, getting to know each other. Next, in each round there will be elections for the President and First Secretary. This stage of elections is very similar to the formation of teams in Resistance . Players vote for and against, after which positions are confirmed or new elections are held if the majority did not support the candidates. Next comes an interesting element that I haven't seen in other games. The President draws 3 law cards from the deck. Actually, both liberal and fascist laws can be found there. He puts one law aside, and gives the other two to the Secretary, who must choose one of the laws and lay it out in the open. What happens next is that the Secretary and the President must try to prove that they voted correctly, that they were simply unlucky when the cards were dealt if a fascist law was passed (for example, 3 fascist cards fell out). The task of the fascists is to collect 6 fascist laws, the liberals - 6 liberal laws.

It seems that the gameplay is kind of simple, but I like it Resistance , then I would also play in SH. But all the same, IMHO, for such a party game the game got a bit high in ratings. It seems to me that later she will give up her position.

But in general, what I liked most about reading in reviews of the game was what people in other countries thought about Hitler. Many are shocked that the game is dedicated to a bloody dictator. One girl devoted most of her review to describing her life in Russia. She talked about what she saw on the streets of this country on the Fuhrer’s birthday. I'm afraid that even if someone in Russia wants to publish this game, they will have difficulties with its name...

I’ll also note that I like it stylish design games. If it were not for the ill-fated Adik, some GaGa could well have localized the game.

16 (417). 51st State: Master Set

Perhaps Mr. Trzewiczek managed to enter the same water twice. Imperial Settlers should have been a worthy replacement New Era , but it turned out something casual. At the same time, sales of the game were quite high, board gamers praised the board game on their Internet and were happy that they got what they wanted. New 51st State should have been a good replacement for the old one, but the game was heavily criticized in RuNet, so 16th place in the list of the best games according to BGG seems somehow strange to me. There is probably a big difference in the perception of board games between English-speaking and Russian-speaking players.

Trzewiczek simplified the old ideas, redrew the art and presented the old product as a new game. And it works - people like it, they give the game high marks, which means that Ignacy is doing everything right.

Game about card construction city ​​in which the card can be used in three different ways. The game includes both old maps from the original game and maps from expansions.

They say that those who played New Era , they will no longer be jailed for other card games in this series. But if you want something simpler and more beautiful, then Master Set is very good.

15 (399). Cry Havoc

And again, Mr. Ignacy, hello! Although Trzewiczek himself did not take part in the development of the game, he released it. Tom Wasel did an excellent advertisement for the game in the summer, saying that it was the main contender for the game of the year.

For me, Havok Edge is an interesting project. I admit, I'm a sucker for board games with dudes on the map. In this game, everything seems to be done just for me - I need to collect resources, buy upgrades for the army, hire new fighters and beat opponents for fat spots on the field. What confuses me a little is the asymmetry of the factions. This seems to be good, since the game appears before us in all its diversity, but on the other hand, I often hear that one faction is stronger, then another, or even completely, that it’s not interesting to play with two or three... Indeed, it's a little sad if the game is really skewed in one direction.

I might even agree with the place of this game. Visually, it doesn’t cause any complaints, it looks delicious, although there doesn’t seem to be anything very new in the game. I am glad to see that in the era of filler and party games, someone is trying to make big toys. True, I doubt that CH will stay in the top for a long time...

14 (378). Millennium Blades

Oh, I’m so ashamed, but I don’t even know what kind of game this is. Several times I heard requests to Gaga to localize the game Millennium Blades , but what kind of game this is, I have no idea. I'll study it right now...

Well, what I want to tell you is that the project is interesting! MB is a CCG game simulator. Those. not the CCG itself, but the game of those who play the CCG. Plus, in addition, we have anime art and funny humor. The box with the game contains many, many cards, from which players form their starting decks, then they play one tournament, receive money as prizes, which they spend on buying boosters and singles, which are collected from the cards in the box. Then a new tournament is played, and again at the end of it everyone buys something. Those who have spent many years playing collectible card games remember very well the thrill of opening booster packs and forming new decks for the next tournament. Judging by the reviews, MB simulates all this perfectly.

Don't delude yourself that the tournament part of the game boasts cool gameplay that can be compared with card giants like Mtg. In tournaments, you simply play card properties to gain points, which lead the player to victory.

Among the disadvantages, the following is noted: preparing for the game takes a lot of time, shuffling a mountain of cards is inconvenient, one game lasts from 2 to 3 hours.

Well, this is very interesting, and now I also want this game to be released GaGa Games . They have been cooperating with the publisher for a long time Level 99 Games (from a distance Pixel Tactics , for example), so there is hope that they can also release a card simulator. True, it will cost much more than PT, and this is important in our difficult economic times.

By the way, I found a good review of the game on Tesera.

13 (377). Dead of Winter: The Long Night

I once longed to acquire Dead of Winter , but when it was localized, I suddenly wanted something. I look at the picture from the add-on box, and I don’t want to mess with it even more =) Some too scary zombies there...

It’s not surprising that an independent addition to one of the most successful games in recent years it has been in the top, no. Of course, loyal board gamers will buy an addition to their favorite game. They just say that independence did not benefit the addition. I've heard the opinion that if you play one additional game, there is a feeling that something is missing. If you play along with the base, then not all the extras are interesting, but only part of it, so there is a feeling that you overpaid for the game. But there is also an opinion that this edition turned out to be cooler than the first, so it is recommended to take Long Night if we do not have a database.

Also, recently on Teser I very often see questions related to the rules of this add-on, which raises doubts about a well-written rulebook.

The players felt the same as in the base - a group of people trying to survive in the face of a massive influx of zombies. Yes, the cards in this game are different, the characters are different, but the feelings are the same. Surely those who really liked the base were also satisfied with the additional features.

Friends, who played? How are your impressions?

It seems to me that this add-on will be the last in the zombie series. Previously, the authors of the game promised what they would do next similar games with crossroads, but with a different theme. Zombies are no longer as popular as they used to be. It's time to change something.

12 (287). Sushi Go Party!

I also knew almost nothing about this game before writing this article. No I don't mean the game Sushi Go . I know almost everything about her. But what kind of “party” this is, I have no idea.

As it turned out, Sushi Go Party is an updated version of the old game. The most important change is that the game has expanded. If the usual “sushi” had only 8 dishes, then in the party version there were significantly more of them, so players were able to create their own menu before the start of the game. It turns out that the new version is the old version with a “+” sign. Plus the usual Sushi Go The reason is that the box is smaller and the game unfolds faster. As for me, Party is preferable to purchase if someone still doesn’t have this game.

Sushi Go - This simple game with draft mechanics. Players pass cards around, collect sets of them and score victory points. This is a really great game for beginners who are new to board games. For a filler, the game climbed quite high in the ratings.

And I also really want Game expert localized this board... It's cute!

11 (225). Codenames: Pictures

And there is nothing surprising with this game either. “Pictures” is a continuation of last year’s sensational spy word game. This is the same Codenames, only not text, but illustrated. Words were replaced by abstract pictures, to which you can come up with many interesting associations.

Although in fact it cannot be said for sure that Pictures are as cool as the original game. It's a matter of taste. Some people like to come up with associations for words, others for pictures. Someone said after buying the game that they Pictures I liked it better, but someone complained that they bought into the hype in vain.

In any case, Russian-speaking board gamers will have the opportunity to test the coolness of the game for themselves, since it will be published in 2017 GaGa Games . I admit, I would be curious to look at this tabletop, because Codenames I liked it.

10 (223). Quadropolis

Well, now we've reached the top 10, things are getting more interesting.

Probably, first of all, this game is remembered not for its theme and gameplay, but for the name of its author. Quadropolis - a city building game. Players will have to select tiles of buildings and structures and place them on their tablet. Each built tile brings bonuses to the player, and in this regard Qudropolis can be compared with what has long been known to everyone Suburbia .

As for me, this is another good family from Days of Wonder . As you know, this publisher only releases games that it is 100% confident in, so you shouldn’t expect any tricks from DoW. However, I didn't notice any revolutionary gameplay in Q. A good game, yes, but I won't run to the store to buy it. In my opinion, 10th place for this game is a little too high.

9 (218). Captain Sonar

Captain Sonar is an advanced Sea Battle. The players are divided into two teams (ideally, each team should have 4 players) and distribute the roles that they will have to play.

One player moves the submarine across the playing field, another searches for the enemy submarine, the third monitors the performance of the boat, and the fourth launches torpedoes at the enemy. They say that the gameplay is very fun, but it is still worth recognizing that not everyone can find 8 people for a full-fledged game.

It seems to me that the game primarily captivates with its unusualness, which is why it is in 9th place. Talking about Captain Sonar , we can’t say that this is just another game about building a city, destroying monsters in a dungeon, or conquering space. That's why board gamers are intrigued by what this game offers. It’s not every year that you are offered the opportunity to control a submarine in real time. I myself would be very happy to play someone else’s copy, but I wouldn’t take it for myself =) I simply don’t have 8 people for a game, so I don’t see the point in spending money on it.

Unusual game interesting experiment to complicate the rules of classic Sea Battle.

8 (104). Arkham Horror: The Card Game

To replace the closed LCD Call of Cthulhu came a new game from a series of games based on Lovecraft's myths. This is also a live card game, but unlike CoC it is cooperative.

The spirit of the game is similar to another cooperative LCD - Lord of the Rings . Card AH invites players to complete multiple adventures using personalized investigator decks. The base can be played with two people (or three if you buy another base box). Players' decks contain cards that enhance the players' abilities, but there are also those that weaken these abilities. And only a competent approach to interaction will lead players to victory.

It was probably to be expected that the game would reach the top 10 for 2016, because usually all new FFG LCDs are in high demand at first, which then gradually decreases. Card AH turned out again, like any other LCD, not without its drawbacks. As usual, there are few components in the box, no organizer, a lot of randomness, little variability, no bag of chaos from which to pull tokens, etc. and so on. Those. in the core set we are again offered a demo game, after playing which we will understand whether it is worth further spending money on it.

7 (95). Great Western Trail

What are you, Pfister, doing to us... Probably, after all, brilliant authors have arrived in the regiment (although Pasha Medvedev denies this in every possible way :)), because last years Alexander Pfister's games occupy top places. Last year it was noisy Mombasa , and in this one his new game about transporting cows in the Wild West setting quietly climbed to the top.

I noticed this toy when it was shown at the largest American exhibition. Then people who bought the game spoke funny things about it - no one expected anything special from it, and then suddenly the board game turned out to be very useful and interesting.

GWT is a Eurogame about points with everything that implies. Players need to transport cows from point A to point B using deckbuilding mechanics. To do this more efficiently, players hire different assistants and use the properties of buildings encountered along the way. I haven't seen any frankly bad reviews about the game. The game is either highly praised or called simply good, which you easily agree to play if someone offers it. The best part about this whole story is that, completely unexpectedly, the Russian publishing house Star announced the localization of the game. The board game will be released this spring, and without any crowdfunding, which has set teeth on edge. And this will be my first game in the collection Stars =) I'm really looking forward to GWT in Russian.

6 (69). A Feast for Odin

Before you start doing A Feast for Odin , Uwe Rosenberg practiced a little game for two called Patchwork . Although, if you think about it, then Caverna , Agricola And Field of Arle he also trained because A Feast for Odin is a symbiosis of all these games.

AFfO is a game for gamers. For serious gamers, and not those who only occasionally indulge in board games, and then preferably for no more than one hour. Rosenberg immediately dumps on the players' heads more than 60 options for actions that they can perform on their turn.

At the beginning of the game, all players have a bunch of negative points that need to be covered with useful items that either give positive VPs or some kind of bonus to the set of coins, cards or something else. The player thinks about what is more important to him: gaining bonuses or getting rid of minuses.

WITH Patchwork I met him last fall, and this game managed to captivate me. I'm very intrigued by the fact that AFfO is a big hardcore Patchwork . The 6th place in the game doesn’t bother me one bit, because... Rosenberg is an eminent author, beloved by many, and even this game combines several of his best games. I would love to play this board game myself. And how great it is that Russian publishing houses do not stand aside and periodically buy the rights to localize world hits. A Feast for Odin the publishing house promised us to publish Hobby World .

5 (49). Mechs vs. Minions

Friends, I absolutely don’t know what to tell you about this game... I heard something about it while reading Tesera, but I had absolutely no idea that this game jumped to 5th place in the ranking.

Somehow the game is related to a computer game League of Legends (similar to DOTA). Because I’m not familiar with LoL, so I can’t say for sure what was taken from a computer game (it seems like the heroes were taken from LoL). In MvM, players use mechs to fight against minions, and they do it cooperatively.

If you read the reviews on BGG, you can conclude that 70-80% of these reviews are devoted to how the game looks and how much it costs. I admit, at first I didn’t believe it myself, but when I watched the unboxing video, my eyes grew wider and wider and faith began to appear. The box is huge and costs $75. It seems like a hefty price for a board game, and there's nothing out of the ordinary about it. But when I saw the happy owner of the game open the box and show a tray with minions, I simply said, “Well, ok.” The cradle was removed, and there... A new set of mines. Well, I thought, this is already cool. But there was another lodgement below! And then I said - wow! But he was not the last! And all this costs $75? How??? How can such a game, which can safely be called deluxe, cost only 75 bucks? Is this a joke or what? Honestly, in our cruel and unfair world, it is considered the norm to drive down the price for a minimum of components and say that everyone does this, and you are overpaying for the idea, not the game. In the case of MvM, we can safely say that you are paying for a game that you can touch and be satisfied with. Everything inside the box would cost many times more in another publisher. Therefore, everyone who bought this board considers it necessary first of all to tell you that even if you don’t really like the game itself, you will still be satisfied with it, because the minions in it are simply the coolest. 4 hero figures are completely painted for you.

As for the gameplay, this is a game in which events develop according to scenarios. Each scenario generates a level, places for minions to spawn, and poses a challenge for the players. Player actions are programmable. First, players draft cards (and they are limited in time hourglass), and then lay them out on the action ordering board. You can choose an action that is useful for you, but it will be completely useless for the other player, so you have to cooperate so that everyone has a good time.

Probably, the gameplay will surprise those who want Ameritrash from minek, but it’s not here. It's basically just a programmable co-op where you have to constantly kill minions, but they can't kill you. This is a puzzle game that needs to be solved through teamwork. Some board gamers wrote that not all scenarios have a hardcore level of difficulty, that sometimes the tasks are very simple, but... But minkey, gentlemen! Oh, these minks, tokens, fields with a glossy shine and a gorgeous boss figurine. And how much awaits us ahead!..

I'm at a crossroads regarding this game. On the one hand, its gameplay does not attract me much, on the other hand, the cost of the board is great, and I don’t mind spending money on such a game. Americans, and other people around the world, enjoy the game and give it 10 marks. That's why it's in 5th place. I guess that's fair.

Unfortunately, nothing has been heard about the localization of this game.

4 (36). Mansions of Madness: Second Edition

It feels like heavy artillery has launched. Where are the fillers, where are the gateways that were at the top of the list? That's right, they don't exist. What fillers could be in the top 5? Only hardcore! And only Cthulhu.

In 2016, FFG pleased us with the second edition of the game called Mansion of Madness , which I avoided due to the requirement of having an overlord at the table. I didn't like that some of the players played as monsters and knew the essence of the scenario, while other players played the roles of detectives. If I had bought the game, I suspect that I would never have played as detectives, so I didn’t really look into the game.

IN new version MoM monsters are played by artificial intelligence, which easily fits on your device (or even on a computer or laptop). Now all players can calmly search for clues in the cursed estate, encounter dangers and run away from them, losing the remnants of their sanity.

In my opinion, this is all cool. Cool, but expensive. On Coolstaff the game costs 85 bucks, and this is not exactly a price that you certainly wouldn’t mind for such a cool game. Moreover, after purchasing the base you will have to purchase numerous add-ons. But can a high price affect a place in the top? Maybe, of course, but not so much that the game slides into the first or second hundred. MoM is good, you can’t help but love it. The problem with the overlord was solved, and quite well, it seems to me. I completely agree with the 4th place of the game. It’s just a pity that nothing has been heard about its localization (and it’s unlikely that there ever will be).

3 (22). Terraforming Mars

Last year, many games about Mars were invented, but the most interesting of them came from Jacob Fryxelius, who developed Terraforming Mars .

Although, to be honest, the reviews I most often hear about the game are that it’s not a super-duper game, but it’s good. And then bam - and third place for “just a good game”... I really really want to test the game for myself to say for sure whether it is worthy of third place.

On the other hand, if you compare this game with Mechs vs Minions , in which everything is cheap, but visually very beautiful, then TM cannot boast of anything like that. I would rather believe the gray Cinderella than the golden King. If a game is in third place and doesn’t shine with gold, then it clearly takes the cake with its gameplay, and that’s what we need. TM won the hearts of board gamers with its honesty.

What about the gameplay? We buy maps with which we make Mars more suitable for human life. We increase the amount of oxygen, manipulate water and solar energy, build buildings, get victory points. The Internet is replete with detailed analyzes of the game, so I won’t dwell on it.

Soon all Russian-speaking board gamers will have the opportunity to try TM and draw their own conclusion, since Games Shop localizes this game. This is a great trend that I hope will continue this year.

2 (6). Scythe

The second place of honor is occupied by a game about an alternative Europe, which has been “hyping” in the desktop environment for more than two years in full.

First, the prototype of the game was shown at JenCon, after which the Internet was filled with excitement about the art for the game. What you see now on the box was drawn a long time ago. " Here, peasants work in the field against the backdrop of warring mechanisms! Wow! This is fantastic!“- that’s what everyone said admiringly.

The art didn’t touch me one bit. And then I was even more disappointed when I found out that instead of hardcore Ameritrash about robots, they prepared us with a Eurogame that actively skews towards Ameritrash. However, my skepticism was not supported by the huge number of board players who voted for the game with rubles and 10s on BGG. I can only throw up my hands - second place, so second, but it’s not very interesting to me. Although... Maybe after a flood of Russian-language copies of the game pours into the CIS, when people start writing and filming reviews, maybe I’ll find something interesting in the game, and maybe I’ll even run to the store, waving money in the wind, in the hope of the fact that the game has not yet been put on the shelves.

Maybe this really is a nugget, but my desktop vision has simply dropped to a critical level, which is why I don’t notice its value.

It is pleasantly pleasing to know that the second place in the top will also be Russified. The publishing house is responsible for this Crowd Games .

15). Star Wars: Rebellion

Sooooo - and the winner was the publishing house Fantasy Flight Games with their game based on the Star Wars universe. Who would have thought... I couldn't, because I'm not a fan of Star Wars. But all the fans who played Rebellion they said it was real Cool game, and I believe them.

I really really want to talk with delight about how cool the stormtroopers are in the game, what powerful rebels, what Organs, Vaders and Skywalkers, but I’m a layman in this and therefore I won’t be able to convey the whole palette of colors that are full of reviews on BGG.

More than 150 miniatures - yes, that's cool. 2 to 4 players is good. A big, big box is cool. Asymmetrical gameplay is great. 69 reviews on BGG - simply superb.

I don’t know if there were Star Wars board games of the same level before? So that these are not miniatures with a ruler, but a real tabletop, with playing field and tokens. Imperial Assault unless... But precisely from Rebellion feels like a full-fledged game that conveys the fragrant scent of the franchise. Probably, if I were a fan of the universe, I would immediately take Rebellion. I think I wouldn’t mind playing this board game even now, since it doesn’t require complete knowledge of the universe. Tea is not a quiz...

It may not be unusual for a great Star Wars game to come out on top. The Universe has many fans all over to the globe, and they easily pushed the game to the top of Olympus with high ratings. And we can only hope that HW will be able to draw up all the documents and publish this best game 2016 in Russian.

Afterword

While the article was being written, several games managed to change places (but not at all critically) - Quadropolis swapped places with Codenames: Pictures , A Millennium Blades castled with Cry Havoc . Of course, games will continue to change places as board gamers continue to rate games and move them up and down the scale.

I'd also like to highlight a few games that didn't make the top 20, but have a chance to make it in the near future.

Inis (499th place on BGG) - this game will be localized soon Games Shop

The board game rating is a collection of the most interesting, exciting and popular board games. This type of leisure, despite competition from computer diversity, still remains the best way bring a family or group of friends together.

Modern board games offer wide choose a wide variety of plots - for young children, for the whole family, team and developmental versions. Everyone can choose the best board games for themselves - with original content, convenient game mechanics, an entertaining plot. The most popular board games in Russia and all over the world are collected here, all that remains is to choose the appropriate option!

The question of what is the most popular board game in Russia cannot be given a definite answer. Fans of this genre will remember the names of several board games, while other people will name only those they are familiar with. The popularity of each game depends on those who play it.

Here are the most interesting board games that have earned the love of players around the world. In this rating, everyone can choose an option to their liking.

Hits of board games for all ages

The top best board games in the world include games that are suitable for all ages. We will not touch upon such ancient and recognized leaders as chess, checkers and dominoes. Let’s also take a look at the famous, but still gambling, poker. Let's look at exciting board games with more complex plots and interesting functionality.

Codenames (Codenames)

The board game Codenames is one of the best team games of our time. It tops the list of board games for parties according to the authoritative website BoardGameGeek (BGG), has received numerous awards, has a huge army of fans, an incredible number of copies sold, and continues to expand!

The game mechanics are simple, intuitive and captivating for everyone - both experienced board players and enthusiastic beginners. Its essence is in the verbal confrontation between two teams and the captains leading them. The captains' task is to guess groups of words for the opposing teams, and the teams' task is to guess as many of these groups as possible in a limited period of time. Captains guide the work of their teams, giving them hints and tips. The main difficulty is to choose the right ones from the proposed group of thematically related words. This is not always easy, especially when your opponents are on your heels!

Codenames is designed in the form of a classic spy setting; the cards contain agents, civilians, and a killer. To win confidently, you need to be able to guess the train of thought of your opponents, have a broad outlook and be self-possessed. Codenames perfectly develop all these qualities. The small packaging makes it possible to take the game with you on the road.

This list of board games includes those varieties that are successfully used all over the world in companies of all ages and social status. And the ability to captivate almost everyone is an undeniable advantage of any game. So, the rating of the most interesting board games.

Monopoly

Perhaps the most famous economic game in the whole world. The simplicity of the mechanics and at the same time the variability of the development of events makes it one of the most interesting. This is the most popular board game for all ages.

The economic strategy sets the player a very prosaic goal - to leave his opponents bankrupt. The participant must rationally use the start-up capital, making balanced investments and assessing risks.

During the game, you can bargain with your opponents, take out a loan from the bank and receive random help when you land on the appropriate cells. The main type of income is rent from rivals when they get onto the player’s property.

An exciting game for those who like to calculate their actions and want to learn how to make decisions. A game of Monopoly can take several hours and is best played with three or four players.

Muse

The board game Muse is a new product among the currently popular party games. This is a development of the idea of ​​​​relatively simple “company” filler games for fun and casual communication, such as Imaginarium, Dixit, Code names and others. It organically combines the signature features of the listed games.

The game is built on associations, which brings it closer to /. The colorful box contains two stacks. The first is large maps of masterpieces with images. Their teams will make wishes for each other. The second are small inspiration cards that indicate the way the muse will guide her team to the desired image. In total, the pictures in the Muse can be explained in 32 different ways. For example, melody, gestures or associations with works of art, body parts and all kinds of household objects.

Excellent design, simple rules, exciting gameplay, a lot of new impressions - Muse is suitable for those who are already fed up, for example, with Imaginarium, and want something new. The best option is to play in teams of four or more people, but, unlike many other similar sets, the option for two or three players is quite playable here. Other undoubted advantages games: low price for its genre, as well as the compactness of the cards and the absence of a playing field, which makes Muse suitable option for road play.

(Scrabble, Scrabble)

Next in the top board games is the beloved game Scrabble, which shares second place with its Western counterpart, Scrabble. They were created as a developmental exercise for children, but have gained worldwide fame.

Despite the popularity of Scrabble, developed for preschoolers (where you answer questions from cards and get points), the real game with that name has nothing to do with this plot.

Real Scrabble or Scrabble is played on a special field, lined with squares. Players must use letter tiles to create words on the board, similar to a crossword puzzle. Each letter gives its own number of points, and the squares on the field can multiply this amount. The winner is determined by the number of points.

The game develops imaginative thinking, helps you learn to use your vocabulary and increase it. Children and adults can practice quickly putting parts together and improve their reaction time.

Detective: A Modern Crime Boardgame

The Detective board game is an unusual cooperative board game with innovative game mechanics, close in spirit to quests in reality. Using her example, you can plunge into the harsh everyday life of police officers investigating the most complex and complicated cases. Interestingly, investigations can be carried out not only as part of a team, but also as a lone detective, which makes it possible to play with a small number of participants.

The game includes five different investigation quests, connected by a very confusing plot. The plot development is unpredictable and requires real use of deductive skills. Your performance in the game is affected by your stress level, which depends on the effective use of all available resources, the main one being time.

Detective: A game about a modern investigation perfectly develops observation, deduction, the ability to plan your actions, and trains stress resistance.

Jenga (Jenga)

One of the first dexterity games that develops fine motor skills, concentration and the ability to calculate the consequences of your actions. The difference between Jenga and many board games is that there is usually only one winner. And in this game there is only one loser, despite the number of players.

At the beginning of the game, a tower is assembled from wooden blocks of the same size. It usually has 18 floors. The task of each player is to pull out one of the blocks in the middle of the tower and put it on top. If the tower collapses, then that participant loses.

The game can be improved if a task is written on the bars that the player who draws must complete. Jenga gives a lot of scope for imagination, because you can complicate it at your own discretion.

One of the most popular games is Alias. This is an active game that invites participants to use their artistry, logic and imagination. It is played by teams against time. During the allotted period of time, the player must explain to his team as many words as possible using synonyms or associations. The more words are guessed, the more points the team gets.

The game seems simple and unpretentious, but this is precisely its main charm. Participants will have to prove themselves to the fullest if they want to win. This good way introduce to new guests in a large company or get to know old friends better.

(One)

The game has 108 cards, including color cards with numbers and action cards (take two, skip a turn, order a color, take four). At the beginning of the game, 7 cards are dealt and one is placed in the middle. Players must cover it with cards that match either color or number. The action card obliges you to take the specified action.

The round is won by the player who is the first to discard all cards. But there is one caveat - when the penultimate card is given, the player must warn his opponents with the word “Uno” that there is only one card left. If he forgets about it, he will have to take four more from the deck.

The best board game created by the Germans. It has complex rules and a lot of activities that the player must cope with. It is more similar to an economic strategy, but combines different genres.

At the beginning of the game, each player receives two settlements and two roads, as well as a card of a certain resource (depending on the location of the settlements on the map). It is necessary to collect resources and build new settlements and roads.

The first participant to score 10 Prize Points wins. They are issued for various achievements - a road of a certain length, a built city or village, a created army. The faster the state develops, the greater the chances of winning.

The situation is complicated by attacks by robbers and resistance from rivals. You can exchange with each other, but you need to think carefully about how to invest resources more profitably. The board game “Colonizers” develops strategic thinking and teaches you to take care of existing things.

. Random Mutations

An interesting game, presented in 2010 by its creator, Russian biologist Dmitry Knorre. It quickly became popular all over the world and was rightfully named board game of the year. No other game has ever seen such rapid spread.

The goal of the game is to create the most survivable and large population of living beings. Participants in the game add more and more new skills to their creations, which should take them to the pinnacle of evolution.

Initially, a simpler version of the game “Evolution” was presented, but its creator was dissatisfied with the unscientific plot. Therefore, together with the company “Correct Games”, he created a variation - “Evolution. Random mutations." Now the cards are divided by type and you need to take into account the dropped properties.

Participants take turns and decide how to dispose of the drawn card - declare the new kind animal or add a new property to an existing one. The game ends when there are no cards left in the deck. The winner is determined by counting points - for each surviving animal, for properties and bonuses.

A card game that develops leadership skills and reaction speed. It is more suitable for family time, but groups of friends also enjoy playing it. The goal of the game is to become the leader of the tribe, but to do this you need to capture the totem.

The opportunity to capture the wooden totem standing in the middle of the playing field occurs when two players have the same cards laid out. In this case, you need to rely on your reaction and be the first to grab the figurine in your hand. The loser takes the winner's face-up cards.

The number of players in a game is unlimited; there are cases when 15 people sat at the table. The game ends when players have discarded all cards. To win in the “Wild Jungle” you need attentiveness, dexterity and a steady hand.

Munchkin

This is the largest board game on this list. And she received this title not because of the size of her parts, but because of the complexity and fascination of the plot. The game mechanics provide for thousands of different plot developments, but the situation is further complicated by the possibility of conflicts between players.

This role-playing game is optimal for a group of three to six people. It will be uninteresting for two people to play it, and more people will greatly confuse the situation. The goal of each player is to reach level ten. Everyone goes to this step by fighting monsters, going through dungeons and selling equipment at a profit.

Each participant is not only a knight defeating monsters, but also a “munchkin”, which means they need to be cunning and defend their own benefit. The more equipment and curses you collect, the faster you will be able to reach the desired level 10!

Completes the TOP 10 board games for the Mafia company. Simple rules, the fascination of the plot, the variety of roles, and the player’s involvement in the process make it the best choice for large companies. The Mafia creates many humorous situations and provides an opportunity to have fun.

The detective story of the game is enhanced by the team participation of the players. According to the plot. Organized crime fights the unorganized majority (citizens) and hides from the police. Residents of the city want to put all the mafiosi in prison, and the bandits respond by deciding to shoot all the townspeople.

Who will win depends only on the skill and intuition of the players. There are two phases of the game - “day” and “night”. Absolutely everyone does not sleep during the day and through open discussion they decide who should be judged. The convicted person leaves the game, and after that his status is shown to everyone - he was convicted (or executed) of a mafioso or an honest citizen.

At night, the mafia wakes up and silently discusses who they should kill next. The townsman is killed and the mafia falls asleep. Then the commissar (policeman) wakes up and silently clarifies the status of one of the townspeople with the presenter.

Then the day comes and the game goes in a circle until all the members of one of the teams - the mafia or the townspeople - are killed.

The famous “Civilization”, from which everyone’s favorite computer games originated, has been updated once again - the sixth generation has already come out, even more interesting. In the ranking of the popularity of board games, “Civilization” firmly ranks first, as its fans live in all corners of the world.

The player must become at the origins of one of the great six powers and, through his management, lead it to prosperity. Children will ask to play or play with them, and parents will not be able to refuse - after all, this is the most famous board game.

Participants will gradually develop technology and culture, expand territories, enter into political alliances and defeat enemies. Peace negotiations, dirty political games or the creation of a world cultural capital are allowed. Victory will be difficult, because there are many ways to it - the game is not so clear-cut.

The winner is the player who scores the most bonus points. They can be recruited in various ways - to lay paths, send passengers and complete tasks.

The list of board games from this series contains many different versions, including America, Europe and Nordic Countries. The child will not get bored. Because he will be able to discover more and more new facets in his favorite game. The game is complemented by colorful design and even plastic station figures.

Parents are often looking for some board games for their child. This is a fundamentally wrong approach. You should think about what interesting and interesting board games there are. Children learn through play and develop their skills, so it is in the parent's best interest to engage them in the game and make it enjoyable for the child.

Best Family Board Games

It is quite difficult to choose board games for family time, especially if there are children in the family. It is necessary to combine the interests and preferences of several people with different ages, social status, life experience.

There are popular board games for adults that are also suitable for children, for example, a whole list of games Alias ​​(Elias) - words. But there are other options for family leisure, presented in the review of the best board games.

Bear Park (Barenpark)

This is a great family game, recently localized in Russia. Bear Park, despite its recent appearance on the shelves of domestic board games, has already received universal recognition. Its “highlight” is the game mechanics of the popular game Patchwork (those who are familiar with this game will understand), implemented in multiplayer (up to four people) mode. We are not afraid to say that this is a real breakthrough among similar tabletops, very conducive to joint family gatherings and relaxed communication between representatives of different generations. This set It was not in vain that it received the Spiel der Spiele 2017 award in the Game of the Year category and is included in the top 50 best family games according to BoardGameGeek.

The main task of the players is to build the best park for relaxation and communication between visitors and bears. At the same time, you will have to compete with other builders, using tactical thinking, spatial imagination (for the most advantageous placement of puzzle pieces) and not forgetting about strategic planning!

Pleasant design, friendly atmosphere, excitement, moderate and at the same time varied load for the mind - all this sets Bear Park apart from many other family board games, even such well-deserved ones as Carcassonne, Patchwork or Monopoly.

Several versions of this game have been released, the most popular of which is “Activity. Anniversary edition." Like the main version, it is equipped with a playing field, chips and cards with word combinations. Participants are divided into teams, each of which has its own chip.

One of the team must explain to his colleagues the phrases from the card using gestures, associations or other means. If they guess it correctly within a minute, the team can move further along the playing field.

There are cards with different levels of difficulty, and the way they are explained depends on the game rules. The Activity game requires team strategy and good associative thinking.

This is a whole series of funny board games about the adventures of treasure hunters. Each version has its own additions, and you can mix them if you wish. Before the game begins, the playing field is folded out of squares with the back side up, so that each square will be a surprise for the discoverer.

Hello, Dear friends. It so happens that we practically do not discuss board games that children can play, but for many of us this can be extremely relevant and useful information. We won’t put our child in complex economic strategies or aggressive wargames with a bunch of small components, especially since all sorts of horror films, like, won’t do. Today I will try to correct the current trend a little and want to talk about board games for young children and their young parents.

10) Turtle Races

"Turtle Runs"- aka Ribbit is my personal favorite among board games to play with kids. The essence of the game is simple: with the help of cards we control the turtles, who run to the finish line along a path of 10 bricks. The main trick is that no one knows which turtle belongs to whom, except their own. The turtles run forward and backward, they can drag those who climbed on top of them, or ride on others. A very accessible and at the same time intelligent game that will be fun for adults to play too. Cool design, by the way. For 2-5 players, game time is 10-20 minutes.

9) Zooloretto

IN "Zooloretto" we are building a real zoo: you need to select and deliver animals, organize enclosures for them, attract visitors and do all this better than your competitors in the neighborhood. The game is quite easy to learn and does not require memorization large quantity nuances, and children will like cute animals. This board game is designed for 2-5 players and will take 30-60 minutes of your time per game. If desired, you can additionally take "Aquaretto"- the same thing, but about dolphins, polar bears, penguins and other waterfowl.

8) Dobble

Spot It or "Dobble" in Russia - one of the main hits among growing players. This is a simple game of attention with a set of 55 picture cards on which you have to look for matching objects. The most attentive and fastest one takes the card for himself, and the game ends when the deck of cards runs out. The rules are explained in a minute, the box takes up little space, and up to 8 people can play.

7) Blokus

Blokus- an abstract board game where you place colored figures on the board. The main condition is that your new figures come into contact with only the corners you have already laid out before. The winner is the one who does not leave his opponent available options progress. Despite the simplicity of the rules, this game has enough depth to create unique combinations and will allow you to play more than one exciting game. For 1-4 players (can be played alone, like solitaire), the time of each game is up to 20 minutes.

6) Lost Cities

IN card game "Lost Cities" players will play the role of brave adventurers. The playing field consists of 5 exotic places where mysterious artifacts can be found. During their turn, players can place cards with values ​​from 2 to 10 on any of these zones with the only restriction - new map should be “older” than what you posted earlier. The one who collects a large amount will receive victory points, and the loser, on the contrary, will receive a fine. This logic game with simple mathematical calculations is played only by two people, the game time is 15-30 minutes.

5) Happy Farm

Board game "Happy Farm" can be called, without a grain of exaggeration, the pride of game development in the post-Soviet space. The development of Ukrainian designers was well received in their homeland and continues its successful march, including to the West. The mechanics of the game are not very complicated: we plant seeds, harvest crops, feed pets, sell surplus at the market, buy new seeds. The winner is the one who can raise the most well-fed and joyful animals. Pleasant design and simple gameplay will appeal to many children and their parents. The game is designed for 2-4 players, and each game takes 30-40 minutes.

4) Simply brilliant

"Simply brilliant" or Ingenious in the original - an abstract game, somewhat reminiscent of Dominoes. Players place chips on the playing field, each of which depicts figures of two of the six possible colors. Points are earned by laying out the longest lines of the same color, but victory is awarded to the one who scores the most points in the worst color. A game of attentiveness and strategy. You can play alone or with four, or with the whole family. Party time is up to 40 minutes.

3)Hive

Sometimes called "Hive", probably closest to checkers, but there is no field here. Each player is given 11 hexagonal insect figures, each of which has its own special properties. The task is to surround someone else’s queen with your insects and, accordingly, protect your own. This game is easy to learn to play, but not so easy to start winning, like most abstract games. The excellent quality of the components and a certain theme make them stand out. Hive against the backdrop of other abstract board games. IN "Hive" You can play only together, the game time is 15-20 minutes.

2) Carcassonne

"Carcassonne"- one of the most popular games in the world. Players will have to build medieval castles, monasteries and roads by placing square tokens on the table and placing their wooden settlers on them. You can find out more about the gameplay in our video review. Despite all the apparent simplicity "Carcassonne" There are real world championships, so here you will need not only luck, but also skill. This is an excellent option for beginner players; I myself started playing modern board games with "Carcassonne". This board game is designed for 2-5 players and plays in 30-40 minutes. Some may prefer this option "Carcassonne. Hunters and Gatherers", where instead of the Middle Ages, players go to the prehistoric era to fish and hunt wild animals.

1) Ticket to Ride

Better known in the Russian-speaking environment as "Ticket to Ride" is probably the best strategic board game for a pleasant pastime with family or close friends, and it can be of interest to both children and the older generation represented by grandparents. The players' task is to build their routes from different cities, while gaining the maximum number of victory points. To create a route, you need to play a certain number of carriage cards of the same color from your hand. There are almost no conflict situations in this game, there is no text on the components, but only color pictures with trailers and a large color map (personally, I like the version with Europe most of all, there is also Russia there, and the rules are more flexible than the original about the USA). That said, there is plenty of depth to this game that keeps things interesting for a long time thanks to the variety of routes and small additions that are easily accessible. Ticket to Ride designed for 2-5 (preferably 3-5) players, each game takes about an hour.