My family has enough board games to stock the shelves at Travelling Man and then some, so I think I’ve found the games that are truly our favourites. Spoilers: we don’t like Monopoly.
Every game should have Meeples...
Carcassonne is a classic staple and one of our go-to’s when we’re after something that isn’t particularly complicated. For those who don’t know it, it’s a game where you lay down tiles over the course of the game, aiming to complete as many roads and cities as you can. Once you get into the rhythm of it, it doesn’t take too long to play and I’ve always found it interesting seeing how many bizarrely-shaped cities and winding roads I can make before the tiles are all used up. And let’s not forget that Carcassonne features Meeples! Every game should have Meeples.
If you get a category you don't know, you're dead...
Articulate became a favourite of ours during COVID and it’s a great game, not just for testing your knowledge, but also how good you are at communicating with others. You have to guide your teammate to the correct answer, but if you don’t know how to describe it then they’re going to be stuck. When you get a category you know, you’re fine. If you get a category you don’t know (cough *sport* cough), you’re dead.
Another short but sweet board game staple...
Another one of our short but sweet board game staples is Ingenious. It’s quite hard to describe without a visual reference, but it’s a game of strategy where your goal is to join up as many coloured symbols as you can. Like Carcassonne, you’re restricted by the number of pieces you have to place down but you’re also restricted by the limited amount of spaces on the board, so the further the game goes the less spaces you have to score. You can see why it can get really, really annoying if you’re low on a colour and you’ve got no way of scoring in it!
I know the map and the routes like the back of my hand...
And the last game I want to mention is Ticket To Ride. This is, without a doubt, the board game I’ve played the most throughout my life, and I know the map and the routes like the back of my hand. I have lots of practice by playing the game on the app (which I still do a lot if I’m on a mid-assignment break), so that when we get round to playing it with the family I know exactly how I can win. I have great memories tied to playing that game and I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it.