Guide

10 board and card games you must have

23.3.2020

Translation: machine translated

Board and card games are a dime a dozen. But which ones should I start my collection with? In my opinion, these ten games should not be missing.

I'm often asked what the best game of all time is? I can't answer this question without asking: For how many people? What age group? Short or extended? Competitive or co-operative? There are over a million games listed on Boardgamegeek. It's difficult to keep track of them all. Sure, there is a ranking, but who rated the games? For example, the top-ranked board game "Gloomhaven" is not for board game newcomers as it is too complex. So which games should I start my collection with?

Of course, I could play Monopoly, The Crazy Labyrinth or The Settlers of Catan. You've probably already played them or you're sick of them. That's why I'm giving you a list of ten games that are suitable for almost every situation and/or appeal to almost every game night participant. Maybe even the future game of the year 2020 is included, who knows.

7 Wonders

One of my personal favourites on this list. It has won many awards, not without good reason, including the Connoisseur Game of the Year 2011. Even though the game is older, it is always a favourite in our gaming group. It's cosy and relatively easy to play. You can't do much wrong, but in later games you realise how you can maximise your score and ultimately win.

3 - 7 players, depending on the expansion also 8
From 10 years
approx. 40 minutes if you're not playing it for the first time

Card games

Repos Production 7 Wonders

German

For: tactical, leisurely rulers who don't shy away from a long game

How to play: You manage one of the largest cities of the ancient world. By skilfully constructing various buildings, you can gain resources, achievements and combat units. You can also try to build a Wonder of the World. In each age (three in total) you receive seven cards. You choose a card, pay the resources and build the corresponding building on your player board. If you have too few resources, you can buy them from your neighbour. Then you pass the remaining six cards to your left or right neighbour, depending on the age. This continues until all cards have been played. At the end of each age, your military strength is assessed. When playing for the first time, I recommend that you play the actions of the first few rounds together. The game is usually played simultaneously.

Biberbande

The game is entertaining and fun. Whether on the go, with foreign-language players, with children, with drunk adults, at the end of a game night; it always fits. Beaver Gang is a simple, sophisticated card game in which you have to collect as few points as possible.

2 - 6 players
From 6 years
approx. 20 minutes

Card games

CHF9.50

Amigo beaver band

German

For: everyone. Ideal for starting or ending an evening of games

How to play: Each player receives four cards. Place them face down in a row in front of you. You can look at and memorise the outer left and right cards once each. The game then starts: the first player draws a card from the draw pile and decides whether to keep it or discard it. If it is a card with a low value, you swap it for one of your own cards and discard the other card face up. There is always a risk, as the card you have exchanged must be discarded, even if it is better. The next player can take the discarded card or draw one from the pile. Joker cards make the game even more interesting. At the end of a game round, all cards are turned over and the numerical values of the cards are noted. The player with the fewest points wins.

Carcassonne

Together with your fellow players, you create a map with castles, monasteries and paths. The game is not overly demanding, is quick to learn, offers many possibilities and was honoured as Game of the Year 2001. I don't know of any game that has more expansions.

2 - 5 players, more depending on the expansion
From 8 years
approx. 40 minutes, longer depending on the expansion

Board games

Hans im Glück Carcassonne, new edition

German

For: nobles and all those who want to become one.

How to play: Choose a colour. Draw a tile. Build it to other tiles. Claim an area (castle, monastery, path or meadow) and collect the points. That's it. Next player. It couldn't be simpler. Ok, a little more detail: Of course, there are certain rules about how you can place the tiles. Meadow next to meadow, castle next to castle and road next to road. You then place one of your pieces on the desired square. If the square has already been claimed by another player, you can choose another square. If you complete a castle, a road or a monastery, you can immediately collect the points and your figure is available to you again. Watch out: The number of figures per player is limited. As soon as you have placed the last tile, any unfinished spaces and pawns are scored and the player with the most points wins.

The cartographer

The cartographer draws. The pictures don't have to be beautiful, but they must be recognisable. You should be able to distinguish trees from houses. Great game and quick to learn, even though it has been labelled as an expert game by the publisher. You can even play it alone if nobody has time.

From 1 player
From 10 years
approx. 40 minutes

Card games

CHF17.70

Pegasus The Cartographer

German

For: fans of doodling, more demanding players.

How to play: Theoretically, an infinite number of players can take part, as long as they all see the cards laid out. Everyone receives a piece of paper with a pre-printed card and a pen. The point value cards are shuffled and laid out face up. These indicate what you can use to generate additional points. Then it starts: The first card is revealed and shows a shape and type, for example a square and a forest (so you have to be able to draw trees). You now have to draw this shape and type on your paper to map a landscape. There are also monster cards: you can draw these on your neighbour's paper, which gives them minus points. Further shapes and types are revealed until a certain value has been reached. The intermediate points are then counted. A new round follows with new cards and monsters until all rounds have been played. The player with the most points wins.

The crew: travelling together to the 9th planet

You are a member of a crew that wants to find an unknown planet in 50 missions. I have already played it several times and have not yet reached the last mission. A very good game to immerse yourself in the world of co-operative games. The clear advantage of this game, which is clearly reminiscent of Jassen, is that there is no alpha player. In other words, no one who can order others around in the game. My guess is that "The Crew" could become the game of the year 2020.

2 - 5 players
From 10 years
First mission: 5 minutes

Card games

Quantity discount

CHF11.10 per piece for 4 units

Kosmos The Crew

German

For: Astronauts who like to work in a team and have no problem with trick-taking games (Jassen).

How to play: The game principle is the same as Jassen: It's a trick-taking game with compulsory betting. There are four colours and trumps, the rockets. For example, if you lay a blue card, everyone else must also lay a blue card. If no one has a blue card, another colour or a rocket may be played. A rocket beats any other card. As soon as all players have played a card, the highest card of the trick colour wins, unless it is a rocket. In addition, you can only communicate in one way: You place a card in front of you and communicate information about your cards by placing a small green tile on the card in a certain way. Clear so far? Missions come into play to make things even more difficult: missions must be completed by individual astronauts or all crew members before you can start the next mission.

Frantic

The Swiss card game after Jassen. It's basically like UNO, only better. Especially with the Troublemaker expansion. The aim is to get rid of all your cards. Then the points are counted and it's on to the next round. Frantic goes one step further than UNO and introduces new cards and events. This makes the game principle attractive. However, Frantic is not necessarily hectic. And you shouldn't take the game too seriously either, especially not when you draw the "Fuck you" card. Hopefully you'll get rid of it quickly.

2 - 8 players
From 10 years
From 5 minutes

Rulefactory Frantic (Swiss Original) (German, French, English)

Card games

CHF16.50

Rulefactory Frantic (Swiss Original)

German, French, English

For: die-hard UNO fans who want to try something new and are not afraid of the malice of their fellow players.

How to play: Each player receives seven cards. The rules are colour on colour or number on number. There are also attack cards, which can hit anyone. If you play a black card, an event card is drawn and played. This means that one card in your hand can suddenly become ten again. Swearing is therefore almost part of the game. As soon as you have played your last card, the game is over. The other players' points are counted and another game is played until someone has reached a predefined number of points. The player with the lowest score wins.

Totally clever

"Ganz schön clever" is really exciting right up to the last round. A dice game where you don't have to rely on luck if you have a bit of skill. That suits my dice luck: Risk, Monopoly and ladder games don't suit me! "Ganz schön clever" manages the fine line between tactics and luck. It was also nominated for Connoisseur Game of the Year 2018.

1 - 4 players
From 8 years
approx. 30 minutes

Board games

CHF11.60

Schmidt Spiele Pretty clever

German

For: Yatzy fans, dice enthusiasts

How to play: You receive a pre-printed sheet of paper. The number of rounds varies depending on the number of players. As the first player, you roll all the dice. You can decide which dice you want to keep from the roll. The dice with a lower number must be placed on the silver tray. Roll the remaining dice again. As soon as you have three dice, you must enter the number of eyes on your paper according to the rules. By choosing the dice skilfully, you can also trigger chain reactions or unlock jokers. This gives you more options or triggers further chain reactions. At the same time, your fellow players can select a die from the silver tray and enter it on their paper. As soon as all players have finished, it's the next player's turn. In the end, the player with the most points wins.

iKNOW Switzerland

A general knowledge game should be included in every game collection. Compared to Trivial Pursuit, iKNOW not only requires your general knowledge, but also your penchant for gambling: How do you rate your fellow players? Do they know that? And how many tips do I need to get points? Even the genius in the group can stumble in this game if they misjudge their fellow players.

2 - 6 players or teams
From 13 years
approx. 45 minutes

Puzzle games

Tactic IKnow Switzerland

German

For: those hungry for knowledge and those who are supposedly omniscient.

How to play: The aim of the game is to find out about a historical event or famous person and assess the knowledge of your fellow players. The topic is presented in turn by the topic setter. In turn, the players estimate how many clues they need about the topic. The fewer clues, the more points. The players are then assessed: If you think player "A" knows the answer, you put your brand on the side with the "+". If you think they definitely don't know, you place your brand on the side with the "-". The topic organiser now reads out the clues and the players give their answers according to their own judgement. At the end, the score is calculated: If you have given the correct solution, you receive points, otherwise not. If you guessed your fellow player correctly, you get plus points, otherwise minus points! Whoever has 20 points first wins.

Santorini

One of my favourite games, which is great for two players. Build your Santorini and reach the top of the island. But your opponent wants that too. "As simple as TicTacToe, as tactical as chess" is how a fellow player once summarised the game. You have to think ahead and pay attention to what your opponent is doing. The game can also be played in teams of two, but it is best played in pairs. The expansion comes with god cards, which give you additional abilities.

2 - 4 players
From 8 years
approx. 30 minutes

Board games

Spin Master Santorini

German

For: togetherness, teams of 2 or TicTacToe fans.

How to play: Let's start with the simple basic rules: You can move one of your pieces one square, even diagonally. Horizontally, you can only move one floor up or down. Then you build a building piece. You can do this on every floor. There are four floors in total: three accessible and one non-accessible dome. By building the dome, you prevent your opponent from entering the field. If you reach the top floor, you win. And that's it already.

Bonus: Brändi Dog

Are there still people out there who haven't heard of Brändi Dog? Shame on you! It belongs in every household. There are even tournaments organised. Maybe one day it will replace Jass. What else is there to say about Brändi Dog? One of the best team games of all time! In my opinion.

2 - 4 players, up to 6 with expansion
From 9 years
approx. 40 minutes

Board games

CHF65.–

Brändi Dog 4

German, French, English

For: team players. Goes always and everywhere, an eternal runner.

How to play: Similar to "Eile mit Weile", you have to get your marbles to the finish line. You do this by playing cards. Certain cards let you out of the kennel (that's why it's called Dog, #mindblow), others let you move forwards and backwards or swap your marbles with another player. Whoever gets all their marbles to the finish line first wins. Dog is best played in a team. Communication is not normally allowed. You only swap a card with your team member at the start of each round. This is the only way you can communicate with each other.

Ten games weren't enough for you? In my next article, I'll recommend games for demanding players. If you can't wait, you can access the entire game range here.

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Alessandro Grieco

Passionierter Brett- und Kartenspieler

ramon.schneider@digitecgalaxus.ch

Every week, I organize board game evenings in a private setting. I am open to all games. I also like puzzles and Escape Rooms. I am not afraid of challenges.

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10 board and card games you must have

7 Wonders

Biberbande

Carcassonne

The cartographer

The crew: travelling together to the 9th planet

Frantic

Totally clever

iKNOW Switzerland

Santorini

Bonus: Brändi Dog

These articles might also interest you

Five quick games with Jass cards

From action-packed to strategic: 5 board games for the whole family

These 5 games will soon brighten a grey autumn

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