Such different playing fields... Homemade board game. How to make a board game yourself
Most board games resemble checkers. They, as a rule, are wooden or cardboard “boards” with squares and circles drawn on them. In these squares and circles, players rearrange multi-colored chips in accordance with the given rules of the game.
Homemade board game “Who is faster?”
Draw a cardboard board into 100 squares and number them in order from 1 to 100. On the board, draw a path, for example through a mountainous area: with ascents, descents, gorges, bridges, etc. Prepare four chips different colors and a wooden cube with dots or numbers on each side.
Two to four players can take part. They take turns rolling the dice and moving their pieces forward as many squares as the dice shows. If a piece lands on a cell where an ascent or descent begins, it rises or descends to its end. The first one to reach the square with the number 100 wins.
It can become more varied if you come up with other themes for it and change the design accordingly, increasing or decreasing the number of ascents and descents. 
Kyrgyz board game "Astar"
To make this board game you need to cut out a square of any size from cardboard. Mark and draw 41 circles on it and connect them with lines, as shown in the figure. To make the circles the same diameter, you can draw them by applying them to cardboard, for example, and tracing it with a pencil or ink. Then color the circles, if cardboard dark color, then it is better to make a drawing of the game on a sheet of drawing paper and stick it on cardboard. WITH reverse side cardboard can be covered with colored paper.
32 chips, cardboard or plywood circles. They can be covered with colored paper or painted 16 pieces in one color, another 16 in another color.
Two people play “Astar”. Players place their pieces as shown in the picture and take turns moving one of the pieces to the adjacent field in any direction along the lines. The opponent's piece is taken by jumping over it onto an open field, as in checkers. The winner is the one who moves 7 of his chips to any squares in the opponent’s triangle or bans the remaining opponent’s chips on the board, depriving them of their move. 
We briefly crawled offline and compiled a guide to board games: we collected twenty-four options for every taste and occasion.
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I managed to break out of the Matrix and see how different and interesting board games can be. He organized a peasant war in the fields near Carcassonne and imprisoned admirals and presidents. Completed games in real time, using only wits and a touchpad. A mathematician and engineer, in games he values, above all, good mechanics and original gameplay.
Gamers have reviews in Steam, among film buffs - Metacritic and “tomatoes”, but it’s unclear who to ask about tabletops. On specialized websites and blogs, games for beginners are rarely mentioned, so you have to rely on the opinion of consultants in stores.
The sellers' advice, to their credit, is rather useful, but limited to the assortment of a particular outlet. Therefore, I decided to write a complete guide to choosing the game that is right for your company. The final list included twenty-four board games - simple and complex. All of them are translated into Russian and are available in retail, so they are easy to find.
But first, three important tips.
Three commandments
Don't trust the magic of franchises. You love Resident Evil , comics Marvel or, for example, " Metro 2033" Do you want to see familiar characters in the game? Unfortunately, you will most likely get a mediocre game. By "Game of Thrones" There are both good and mediocre board games. TV series Battlestar Galactica On the contrary, I was very lucky. The quality of a board game depends on the experience of the authors and the reputation of the publisher much more than on a big name.
Think about who you will play with. Board games are a social hobby. You will need at least one teammate willing to spend anywhere from an hour to a whole day shuffling cards and moving figures. Honestly ask yourself: are your friends ready to plant beds in Agricola, will everyone like the game about zombies? Will there be a crowd for a game that requires six players? If there is no suitable company, even the coolest desktop will collect dust on the shelf.
Be patient and take time. You will have to understand the rules and be prepared to explain the nuances. Asking others to read about the game in advance is pointless, believe me. Don't believe the numbers on the packaging: your first game of a decent game will take you at least an hour longer than promised. If you don’t have time, limit yourself simple games. In the board game rules big company really figure it out on the go.
I myself sold board games and during my time working in the store I realized that there were certain requests from beginners that came up again and again. Based on these requests, I divided the recommendations into eight thematic blocks and in each block I recommend three games: simple, interesting and not the most expensive, suitable for a specific topic or company. The article is not rubber, so many meaningful games (« Colonizers», « Munchkin", overpraised " Monopoly") will not be included in this list. I tried to include not the most famous ones, but good games, that introduce you to popular mechanics and don’t get boring after a dozen games.
Free associations: “Codenames”, “Dixit”, “Mysterium”
We have known the game of riddles and Crocodile since childhood. Modern versions of these games are no different from the classics, with the exception of a couple of nuances: using a few words (or none at all), you must convey a certain message to others. Not only cards with words are used (as in Activity And Alias), but also gorgeous illustrations. Association games are equally loved by both boys and girls and are supported by many participants. If you're testing the waters and looking for new players to join your company, bring a box to the party.
« Codenames"
« Codenames." A 5x5 square of word cards is laid out on the table, and the players are divided into two teams. Team captains must use short associations to suggest some of the words posted to their teammates - before their opponents guess theirs. Errors and inaccuracies pass on the move to the other side.
« Dixit"
« Dixit." An incredibly beautiful French game with surreal illustrations. Players take turns giving associations to the pictures and should strive to ensure that as few participants as possible guess (but at least one). The score is based on points, but the trick is not in victory, but in the process itself. The game has a pirate clone - Imaginarium.
« Mysterium"
« Mysterium." Very similar to Dixit, but more thematic. In the story, a ghost who witnessed a murder tries to contact mediums. You can provide details using association maps. The ghost must remain silent, the mediums can confer and must ultimately determine the crime scene, the culprit and the murder weapon.
Instead of "Mafia": "Resistance", "A Spy's Find", "Citadels"
"Mafia" is always about stormy emotions, arguments and a dramatic ending, but this one popular game has its drawbacks. Important decisions(where to shoot, who to check) have to be decided based only on the character of the participants and their behavior. Those killed by the mafia are forced to be bored until the next game begins. There are games that are devoid of these shortcomings, but still resemble the famous parlor game in spirit. They are perfect for a large company at a party and do not require a host. You can shoot at “civilians” based on actions, not just words.
« Resistance"
« Resistance". The rebels are fighting a totalitarian empire, but there are spies in its ranks. For each mission, a team is assembled by general vote. Its members then secretly choose the outcome of the mission. Government agents can fail the mission, or they can gain trust for the right to make the next moves. To succeed, revolutionaries must successfully complete three out of five tasks.
« A find for a spy"
« A find for a spy." All participants in the game are given a card. On all but one, some place is drawn: a hospital, a vegetable warehouse, or space station. The last card has a spy on it. Then the players take turns asking each other any questions (“Do you smoke at work?”, “How do you like our director?”). The task of the “civilians” is to identify the spy. The spy's job is to figure out where he is.
« Citadels"
« Citadels." This is no longer quite “Mafia”, but there are also secret roles here. The goal of the game is to build the richest neighborhoods in the city by collecting the required amount of coins and finding good building cards in the deck. Each turn, players sort out roles from a common deck and can do a lot of mischief to each other: steal coins, deprive a move, or demolish a block or two.
A little madness: “Epic battles of battle magicians”, “Red Dragon Tavern”, “Overboard”
This list contains games that from the outside seem a little inadequate. Throughout the game you will commit immoral acts and not so much strive for victory as prevent others from achieving at least something. Suitable for both drunk and sober groups of cheerful and non-offensive guys. You shouldn’t play this with children: there’s dark humor, alcohol, and blood and guts in all directions. The rules are more complex than in the games above, but they can still be understood on the fly. In the booklet " Munchkin"(he also belongs to this category) and it is completely written: break the rules while no one is looking.
« Epic battles of battle magicians"
« Epic battles between battle mages." Briefly about the setting: animated series about Hearthstone And Magic: the Gathering on the Adult Swim channel. Sorcerers collect spells from three parts, attack each other with fireballs from babies and take scalps. For combinations of elements and successful dice rolls, sorcerers receive additional boosts of energy and can acquire artifacts of varying degrees of uselessness.
« Tavern "Red Dragon"»
« Red Dragon Tavern. Imagine the ending of a classic fantasy. The heroes have defeated the terrible evil and are carrying away the gold they earned in bags. What to do next? Of course, drink it in a tavern! Choose a character (a halfling rogue, a brave paladin, etc., etc., each with their own strengths and weaknesses) and monitor his health, level of intoxication and coins in his wallet. The goal is to stay the last hero, standing on his feet.
« Overboard"
« Overboard". After a shipwreck, you find yourself in a boat and, together with the same unfortunates, are trying to swim to big land, simultaneously stealing things from a common chest, fighting for water and the right to sit under an umbrella. In the game you can steal, blackmail the team, beat women and children, feed sharks and even eat unwanted comrades.
For two: “Carcassonne”, “Star Empires”, “Steel Arena”
Not the most frequent, but a regular request. All the games above are suitable for a large company: four people or more. What if there are only two of you? Some games allow five players to play, but they really shine when playing one on one. A game with two players is always a game to win, even if it’s a small competition. The score goes to points or until the opponent's forces are destroyed. I deliberately did not include collectible card games and wargames here, although they are in that category. It is the most cramped: a lot of games cannot fit here, because they can be difficult for beginners (for example, Netrunner or Mage Wars).
« Carcassonne"
« Carcassonne." The immortal hit about castles and peasants is best played with two people. Move by move, using the domino principle, you create a medieval landscape from squares of terrain, simultaneously occupying roads and buildings with your chips. For completed objects you receive points. You can and should sabotage the enemy’s construction and try to share the most “delicious” castles with him.
« Star Empires"
« Star Empires." A dynamic deck-building game: starting with simple fighter cards, you will collect more and more new ships into your deck, attacking your opponent with them. The cards belong to four factions: one attacks better, the other heals, the third allows you to get cards, and the fourth allows you to get rid of unnecessary ones. With two game boxes you can play against a “boss” controlled by a simple algorithm.
« Steel Arena"
« Steel Arena. In the distant future, robots gather in a hexagonal landfill every Friday and find out who has the stronger titanium. Parts are scattered everywhere: these are weapons, armor, and opportunities for cunning movements around the arena. Each module is a health point, and a successful attack deprives the enemy of some of his capabilities. Modules may overheat and fail. Full rules exclude the influence of chance from the game: everything depends on your intelligence and cunning.
Card games: Berserk, Evolution, Pixel Tactics
If you love Hearthstone and "Gwent" - You already fan of board games. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the classics (first of all Magic: the Gathering). But now we are talking about non-collectible games: ordinary card board games also have interesting and complex mechanics. A significant part of them have never been translated into Russian, but there are pleasant exceptions. Most likely, you will need the same fan - playing card board games with random people is simply boring.
« Berserk"
« Berserk". Untimely deceased card game still beautiful. There is no need to buy boosters - sets with several ready-made decks are still on sale. The gameplay is reminiscent of combat King's Bounty : moving around a small arena, hitting, activating abilities. The new incarnation of the collectible “Berserk” is a completely different game, a kind of tabletop Hearthstone. She is also interesting, but will not be included in our list.
« Evolution"
« Evolution". The strongest survives! In this game you create populations of animals and add to them beneficial features- everything to survive the cold winter. The number of animals is limited by the size of the food supply and the predators that the players themselves create. And the food your animals eat turns into victory points. Important! This game has two versions, and I strongly recommend playing the revised “Evolution. Natural selection“—it surpasses the first version in both design and mechanics.
Pixel Tactics
Pixel Tactics. Tabletop JRPG in miniature. You place pixel men on a 3x3 field and attack the enemy leader to the bitter end. The game fits in your pocket, but amazes with its variety. Each card can be played with five different ways: as a leader, as a fighter of the first row, flank or rear, or as a one-time order event. The second set of Pixel Tactics 2 is completely independent and adds new fighters to the game.
European School: “Stone Age”, Ticket to Ride, “7 Wonders”
The European (or German) style is, as a rule, an economic game where you cannot fight or generally harm your opponents directly. During the game, you extract resources, exchange them for goods and victory points, and build houses. You won't be able to set fire to your neighbor's garden, but the competition in such games is very strong. IN " Agricole“The player even receives a penalty if he does not plant all the cells with vegetables or build pens for livestock there.
European games are usually designed much more modestly than American board games, but they are more demanding of the intellect. If you like city building simulators and strategy games like Stronghold , pay attention to these games.
« Stone Age"
« Stone Age", or “100,000 BC” in the previous edition. You get five shaggy little men. You can send them for wood, clay and stones, and then build houses, sharpen tools and hunt mammoths, reinvent the wheel. And, of course, two people enter the hut and three go out. The game is very beautiful, especially the resource chips - small gold bars, bricks and stones.
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride. On a huge map (most often of Europe or the USA, but there are already a lot of them), you take turns laying out chains of trailers - or getting cards if there are not enough for the route. The routes require transporting passengers from Moscow to Rome, from Los Angeles to New York, but there are not enough routes for everyone - you will have to set up stations and say goodbye to some of the victory points.
« 7 wonders"
« 7 miracles." The main mechanic of this game is drafting. Three times during the game you receive a stack of building cards, choose the best one and pass the rest to your neighbor. Another neighbor hands you his stack. And so on. Buildings require resources, but they are not wasted during construction: if you have a quarry, you don't run out of stone. You can go into science or military affairs and get extra points.
What if it’s more complicated? “Generals: World War II”, “Dungeon”, “Head over head across the galaxy”
If you are confident in yourself and your friends, you can start straight away with serious games, but even here it is better to choose something quick. Appears about once every year or two a new game with all the advantages of large-scale “monsters”, only it can be decomposed in an hour and a half. Axis and Allies, Descent, Race for the Galaxy are exciting games, but I wouldn’t recommend starting your acquaintance with board games by reading their rules. The games in the list below perfectly implement these mechanics without losing much in depth. You will still have to figure it out, but after the first game you will understand almost all the nuances.
« Head over heels through the galaxy"
« Head over heels through the galaxy." Available version complex card board game. Colorful worker cubes can colonize worlds, promote upgrades, and trade rare goods, but require careful guidance. Success requires a clear plan and intuition: in one turn you can use only one group of workers, and in order to use the rest, you will have to guess the enemy’s move.
Hardcore means hardcore! "Game of Thrones", "Ancient Horror", "Low Season"
For those who always choose the highest difficulty in video games, board games can offer a real challenge. I usually don’t recommend anyone start with hardcore, but I know too many happy stories in which the “board” hobby began with the most difficult games. Of course, it’s not a good idea to lock up newcomers for playing a game with a thirty-page booklet of rules. best idea, but some boards are better suited for this than others. All the games in this group were tested by me on complete beginners, and the “victims” were always delighted.
" Strange events are happening all over the world, and only a few understand that these are signs foreshadowing the emergence of an ancient evil. You (along with other investigators) must solve three mysteries and seal the gate between two realities. boardgamegeek.com is the world's premier portal for board games. Both sites have ratings of games, articles and information about new products, and colorful descriptions of games are constantly appearing. I especially recommend blogs notes Vladimirs from Latvia (foreign novelties) and "Two Chips"(family games and puzzles). Both authors have excellent taste and a broad outlook.
I have been playing board games for more than ten years and am convinced that this hobby is suitable, if not for everyone, then for many - you just need to find your genre. Board games are a ton of fun and I've just mapped out the itinerary for your cruise. Bon Voyage!
The process of playing Pentago may remind someone of the process of playing with a kaleidoscope: ten parts of the playing field are constantly rotating and more and more new elements are added to it every turn. In addition, the game is somewhat reminiscent of the domestic computer game“color lines”, which took up a huge number of man-hours across all offices in the late nineties.Pentago principle
The playing field is a square made up of nine 3x3 squares. A colored chip can be placed in each of the cells and each of the squares individually can be rotated around its axis. Several games are built on this basis:Summary
“Pentago” is a game that has already gained worldwide popularity and can provide many enjoyable hours for a child, a small youth group, several adult players, or can be used as a family game. "Pentago", like many other games for spatial thinking, is especially recommended for parents who care about the harmonious and comprehensive development of their children. Just play a couple of games of this game and you will immediately understand how interesting it can be. 
I like games with fields. I like the locations depicted on them. I like to place meeples, tokens, counters, dice on the board. I like to move the miniatures around the field. This promotes immersion in the plot, creates the illusion of real action, and transports players to a new world...
As the number of specimens in the collection increased, I began to notice that playing fields become more diverse from year to year. Of course, among them we can distinguish more or less standard ones: 1) square or rectangular fields, consisting of two (“Bruges”), three (“Tokaido”), four (“Chronicle”) or six parts (“Andor”); 2) fields that are laid out from tiles (“Civilization”) or hexes (“Colonizers”). Players' personal fields/boards can be added to them. However, there are also fields whose shape is unique in a certain respect. I've tried to collect some of them here to get an idea of how the unusual board contributes to the mechanics and theme of the game.
10. Field for "Deus" is made up of components that resemble a flower in shape: a center and six petals around.
The “flower” includes various locations that players need to occupy and control as the action progresses in order to receive resources. The point of the game is to create a card engine that will help you score more points.
The shape of the parts that make up the field is obviously related to the need to create a field that scales to the number of players, while the combinations of fragments for each game will differ from each other. Usually a hex shape is used for this purpose, but in Deus a different solution was chosen. This rounded shape of the “petals” leads to the formation of small voids between the fragments in those places where there should be a joint. Because of this, it looks somehow incomplete (perhaps I was the only one who had this feeling?). Whether the author’s goal was precisely an unusual field or whether it was not possible to make “petals” of a traditional shape is unlikely to be known.
9. For a game about building various colored towers "Asara" At first glance, a more or less standard rectangular field is used.
However, in reality it is a diamond and consists of several fragments.
The triangles framing the cross-shaped field are necessary in order to make some changes to the game: they are double-sided and the use of one or another image determines the degree of difficulty of the game. Thus, the authors came to original solution: on the one hand, we have stationary parts of the field that are used in any game mode, on the other hand, part of the field can change. This solution provides convenient placement of components and an additional degree of replayability. Eventually non-standard shape The playing field fully meets the objectives of the game.
8. More unusual shape the field in the game is different "Belfort". The field consists of five parts, which are the following figures.
From them we put together a field, which in the story consists of five independent districts, over which players have to fight for control. Each district is an exact copy of its neighbor, there are no functional differences between them (the exception is five guilds, each located in only one region), the buildings that can be built are located the same. There is an advantage to this: you don’t have to look for the location of a separate building every time. But this is also a minus: monotony.
What was most surprising was that, with any number of players, all districts were involved. It would seem that, modular field makes it possible to adjust it for three, four, five participants. Because of this approach, in a game for three, the competition turns out to be insignificant: first, everyone captures their own area and the fight takes place, in fact, only for two. Therefore, it is better to play with four or five players. Or you can try removing one of the regions.
7. Field of play "The Staufer Dynasty" very much resembles the field in “Belfort”: it is also divided into regions, however, there are six of them and they have wavy curves along the edge. But there is also a unique component: the center around which the regions are located. I have the strong impression that the idea was borrowed from Belfort, only here it was significantly improved.
First of all, the author made the regions colored, and the locations of the components on them do not completely repeat each other. In addition, the game scales well to the number of players, so using regions to varying degrees is to the benefit of everyone at the table. Also, the location of the fields changes from game to game (they are laid out on the table in random order). Thus, the capabilities of the modular field are not only implemented 100 percent here, but also reflect the essence of the game: presence in all regions is the main path to victory.
6. Game "Lost Valley" reminiscent of Carcassonne, only instead of the usual quadrangular tiles there are rhombuses and triangles. At first glance, such an innovation seems to be simply an attempt by the author to create a field that is unlike anything else, but the specificity of the movement of chips (in the corners that are formed by the intersection of tiles) justifies the unique (there is no other way to say it) arrangement of fragments.
According to my impressions, the author of the game created the field to reflect the theme as fully as possible: the life of prospectors requires a lot of research, and the area in which they are located can have a very bizarre topography. The process of forming the playing field reflects all the specifics of mining activity and allows players to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of searching for gold. One cannot help but appreciate the originality of the approach to creating the “map”; the game undoubtedly deserves to be re-released more than once.
5. Treasure hunt is a great theme for a board game. There is, however, one thing: how to make sure that replayability is preserved? Authors Tobago We found an original way out: the field is made up of modules of this unique shape. They are all double-sided and can be combined with each other in any order, which gives us as many as 32 (!) combinations.
At the same time, areas of forests, lakes, mountains, and beaches appear on the map every time various forms and sizes. This last point is very important, because players need to use cards to lay out a description of the locations, among which there are large and ordinary ones, and which, in addition, differ in the presence of huts, idols and palm trees (they are placed on the map in random order).
Treasures can be discovered in any location, so the variability of the field is necessary condition replayability. The solution found by the authors really appeals to me: you don’t need to think about what will match and how, just add up the three parts in an arbitrary way - and go ahead, in search of treasures!
4. "AquaSphere" a relatively new game, authored by S. Feld. She attracted my attention precisely because of her field, which is a circle like this.
This field is extremely functional, there is nothing superfluous on it, every recess, every location is needed to place cards, bots, engineers. The locations are placed in a circle, which is very important, since the engineer figures can move between them quite quickly. As a result, the field reflects not only the name of the game (sphere), but also immerses players in a kind of “bathyscaphe”, in which they have to work throughout the game.
In addition to the large field, there is another smaller round one, as well as player boards, which are not remarkable in terms of shape. And in general, I must admit, the game itself, although logical and harmonious, does not stand out in any way from a number of typical Euro-games, and if it weren’t for the unique field, which fully corresponds to the “AquaSphere” concept, most likely, I would not be in a hurry to play it познакомиться.
3. "Notre Dame"- this is another game from S. Feld, the field of which simply attracts the eye. It consists of these modules, the number of which directly depends on the number of players.
The game itself is a typical Euro of medium difficulty: we move cubes from the stock to personal zone, we place them on the field, put resources into the cathedral, use cards for all this, and get victory points. Frankly speaking, the mechanics here are familiar, but S. Feld, as usual, integrates it with something else, and the result is something familiar and new at the same time.
From my point of view, modules are the main feature of the game. When assembled, they simultaneously serve as both a common field and personal tablets: actions can only be performed in their own part, but we “build” the cathedral together and the carriages can travel anywhere. In general, the author's ingenuity in the field gaming solutions cannot but please.
2. Placement of parts of the playing field in "Runewars"- this is a special art. Try using these components to create a common space in such a way that there is no space between the players. less than three locations (the photo from BBG clearly shows what components the field consists of).
The result can be very bizarre outlines of the game world, in which the players will then have to act. In my opinion, this approach to the formation of the playing field is a brilliant find of the authors: for each game, random modules are selected, which are placed, in general, in an arbitrary manner. This sets Runewars apart from other games similar in mechanics (for example, A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, in which the board is always the same due to the plot).
When forming the playing field, there may be empty spaces between the modules through which players cannot move their troops. Together with the presence of mountains and rivers on the map, this creates additional difficulties in implementing the strategy and adds complexity and epicness to Runewars. Here we should add a well-developed order mechanics and an extensive system additional features who provide cards, and we get an exciting action for 3-4 hours. And the field plays a key role in this action.
1. Of all the innovative discoveries regarding playing fields, the most striking for me remains the use of gears in "Tzolk"in: The Mayan Calendar". Actually, the playing field is the main mechanics of the game. On our turn, we either place workers on five gears different sizes and appointments, or pick them up; both cannot be done, as in ordinary cases (with the exception of one location). That is, you need to not only think about what resources need to be obtained or what actions to perform, but also about at what point to do this. The movement of the gears provides such ample opportunities for combining actions, which, in my opinion, are not found in any Euro-game. In addition, the main gear serves as a warehouse for corn (the main currency of the game) and counts down game rounds.
The field is made in such a way that the gears do not need to be removed and put on each time, for which many thanks to the authors. The rotation of the “wheel of time” adds drive to the game, because each time the rotation of all the gears is literally mesmerizing. It is no coincidence that “Tzolk"in: The Mayan Calendar” was recognized as the most innovative game at the time of publication.
And finally, there is one more game, which, in my opinion, should be out of competition, because although it has some kind of field (after all, the chips move around the locations!), but at the same time the field is like some kind of constant category absent. We are talking about the idea, of course, about "Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition": each scenario is a special set of locations, and their number varies almost infinitely due to the huge number of additional stages. Each map of the area collected for the party is unique, so the creators of the game, using many modules, have truly created a special world that can be explored for hours.
Therefore, it is in terms of originality and length of the playing field that all other listed games cannot compete with “Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition,” although, of course, this does not mean that their gameplay is inferior to the latter.
What unusual fields have you come across?
(Photos used in part from BGG).
