I have heard that old saw "there's a reason they call them bored games." Her, her. And while I understand that games aren't for everyone, if you are bored playing a board game it's likely you're playing the wrong one. There are hundreds of games out there for every interest and game playing style.
Most game wrap ups are aimed at families with young children. While we all love Candy Land and Uno there comes a point where your family has outgrown the classic children's games. Here's a few games for families with pre-teen and older kids. Kids who don't want to play Clue for the bajilionth time and SkipBo isn't bringing them to the table either.
Even though I've provided Amazon links (yes, they are affiliate links) for all these games, I recommend you buy them from a local game store. Just about every town over 30k population has a game store these days. They offer a huge variety of games (way more than I can list here) and can recommend new games based on the games your family already likes. A good store will also have open box games you can try out in their dedicated play space. Make sure you have plenty of time for your first visit so you can look around and try out a couple of games. It's even a good idea to make going to the game store a family activity so everyone can try the new games and give suggestions. Talk to the employees; they will be able to offer you good advice and help you learn how to play new games as well. Most game stores are helpful, but if you find one that feels a little exclusive and doesn't seem to welcome novices, try a different one.
Games for Mixed Aged Groups
If your family has young kids and teenagers, it can be very hard to find a game everyone can play. Teens want more complexity. Young ones need simplicity. These games balance the two needs to bring you a game for everyone without having to get out the Uno cards yet again.
Out of box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: low
age range: 6 and up
number of players: 2-6 (with four being manufacturer's recommendation)
Quirkle is a tile matching game. You build sets and arrange them on the table crossword style, similar to the way tiles are arranged in a scrabble game. You can build on other people's lines and you score based on how many tiles you lay down. Scoring is simple, but the game can be made even more young kid friendly by doing away with the scoring altogether. Kids are ready to learn as soon as they can match tiles and sit through a 15 minute game. They may need to lay out the tiles so you can see them and coach them through the game the first few times. Older kids still enjoy the challenge and bring an extra level of complexity with their defensive play.
2. Dixit
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: low to medium
age range: 6 and up
number of players: 3-6
Dixit is gorgeous. Each card is a different fantastical painting with planets in trees, strange dice, knights, toys, and more painted in bright colors that appeal to all ages. Dixit is a rotating judge game like Apples to Apples, but with much less subjectivity from the judge. I've yet to find anyone who doesn't love this game. Young kids may need help understanding the rules, but they will love the cards. You'll be surprised how quickly they get the concept. Games can last up to 30 minutes, but you set the number of points to win at a lower value if you need a quicker game for impatient young ones.
3. Takenoko
out of the box play: medium set up
cost: $$$
competitiveness: low to medium
age range: 8 and up
number of players: 2-4
Takenoko is frankly adorable. There's a panda. He eats bamboo that you grow for him. What's not to love? Well maybe all the pieces? There's a lot of pieces to this game and it takes longer to learn than the other games I've suggested for this age group. This is for a child who understands more complex game play. You build a bamboo garden for the panda together. You get points by making things in the garden match the cards in your hand, like growing bamboo to a certain length, making patterns with the colored garden tiles, and getting the panda to eat certain colors of bamboo. The manufacturer recommends ages 13 and up, but I've had kids as young as 5 do well with this game. They do need more help, but it's worth it. I've recommended it for ages 8 and up because it does take longer to play and it can be hard to get younger kids to focus on the game and not the cute pieces to the game. Older kids will quickly figure out how to play defensively and make it much more about strategy than luck.
Games for kids who love complex games
If your kids are bored with easy games, you're in luck. With the booming market for family games, there are dozens of fun, complex games to play, games that really make you think and work hard for the win.
4. 7 Wonders
out of box play: medium to long set up
cost: $$$
competitiveness: medium
age range: 10 and up (and 10 is pushing it. Save this for older kids.)
players: 2-7
7 Wonders has complicated instructions, but once you figure out the game play, it's fun and quick to play. If you know someone with the game, invite them over to teach you. If you have a kid into Magic the Gathering, they will be ahead of the game. My son, the Magic player, tells me that 7 Wonders is a draft deck style game. Decks of cards are passed around the table. You take one and add it to the group of cards in front of you. Points come from which cards you choose and how you combine them. You can ignore everyone else and just play for you, or you can get aggressive and play cards based on what will screw other people up. This game is different every time you play it. I have kids who hate it, but if you have kids who love complex card games, this is a good one to add to the family game cupboard. I also love it for how many people can play. When you have a big family, being able to include lots of people makes game night more fun.
5. Settlers of Catan
out of the box play: long set up
cost: $$$ (if you get into the extensions expect to spend $$$$)
competitiveness: medium to high
age range: 10 and up
players: 2-4 (up to 6 with the expansion pack)
No game list is complete without Catan. With it's varied game play, extensive extension packs, and unique set up, it's become a classic. Teenagers love this game. Adults love this game. It's a great balance of strategy and luck. Add the expansion packs, like the 5-6 player expansion, Seafarers, Cities and Knights, and others for even more fun. This one is better to learn from someone who's played before, so invite an experienced Catan friend over to teach you the game.
6. Discworld
out of the box play: medium set up
cost: $$$
competitiveness: high
age range: 12 and up
players: 2-4
If you love Terry Pratchett's books, you'll love Discworld the game. (If you don't know the books, you can still have fun. You just won't get why your neighbor keeps giggling every time she draws a card.) What makes this one complex is that each player has a different win condition. What you have to do to win the game may be different from what the other players have to do. So not only do you have to keep track of your game, you have to watch what the others are doing so you can try to stop them. There's a lot to keep track of, but that's what makes it a great game. In the mean time you can laugh at how appropriate the cards are for each character from the Discworld books. Everyone from Death to Captain Carrot to Mrs. Cake are here and ready to help you win the game.
Games for families who love card games
If board games aren't your style, but you love cards, give these games a try.
7. Machi Koro
out of the box play: medium set up
cost: $$
competitiveness: low to medium
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-4
In Machi Koro you buy cards to build a city. It's the perfect blend of strategy and luck. The set up is simple and the game is easy to learn. You can be an expert after just a couple of plays. That doesn't mean it gets boring quickly. Using dice makes each game very different. The competitiveness is going to depend on the group you play with. There are a couple of cards that make it a bit more aggressive; some groups will go for those cards first and some groups will ignore them.
8. Munchkin
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: high
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-10 or so
Munchkin is wild. It's easy to learn and great in large groups. The "Deluxe" edition only plays six because you have a board to keep track of score with. Keep track of score on paper and you can play as many players as you have cards for. More than 10 can get unwieldy and long, though. Munchkin is good for kids who have played fantasy type games like D&D. It's pokes fun at genre tropes in a great tongue in cheek way. The additional decks can be added to your original or you can skip the starter sets and just play with the expansions on their own. There are over a dozen now and it seems they come out with a new one every year. You can send monsters to each other to keep people from advancing levels or winning the game, so be sure your family can handle the aggressive play before you bring it home.
9. Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$ (expect to feel the need to add $$$ as you buy the expansion decks)
competitiveness: high
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-10 depending on whether you have expansion decks
Killer Bunnies is crazy. It's mean. It's complex. It's addictive. I highly recommend playing this with an experienced player the first few times through. The expansion packs add new bunnies and more fun to the game. When I say it's competitive, I mean it. You attack other players; they attack you. It's the game. If your family loves highly competitive games, they will love Killer Bunnies.
10. Love Letters
out of the box play: quick
cost: $
competitiveness: medium
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-4
Love Letters is a simple, well designed, and pretty card game. There are only 16 cards in the deck and it comes with it's own little velvet pouch, making it very portable. I actually keep this one in my purse. The game is very easy to learn and quick to play. It's not going to be everyone's favorite game, but it's a great choice when you only have a few minutes to play or don't want something more complex.
Games for story tellers
Do you have a child who loves to talk? Do they argue passionately for their side of things? Do they have three different notebooks full of stories squirreled away that they work on constantly? Story tellers and imaginative players will love these games that give them free reign to go wild.
11. Story Cubes
out of the box play: quick
cost: $
competitiveness: very low
age range: 6 and up
players: 1 or more
With Story Cubes you roll the dice to tell a story. Each player takes a turn telling a piece of the story based on the symbol of the dice. Younger kids love this one and it's a great one for mixed age ranges. Kids with great imaginations who love to write or tell stories will love story cubes. They are also a great educational game, teaching narrative and cause and effect among other things. The manufacturer recommends 8 and up for this game, but your kid can play as soon as they can follow and tell a story. This one is great for a large group.
12. Gloom
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: high
age range: 9 and up
players: 2-5
Gloom is dark. It's depressing. It's so very, very fun. Do you know someone who takes great pleasure in telling you how awful life is and how bad theirs is specifically? This game takes that idea, turns it on it's head, and pokes fun at it. Everyone has a family that they try to make horrible things happen to before they kill them off. The other players are trying to make your family's life better. The person with the absolute worst family life wins. Good story telling makes this one even more fun because you are supposed to tell the story of the miserable event you just laid down on your card. The better the story tellers, the more fun you'll have.
13. Snake Oil
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: high
age range: 10 and up
players: 3-10
Snake Oil is another great game by the makers of Apples to Apples. This one pits players against each other as they try to "sell" their crazy product to the "customer." Watch out for players talking over one another; this one gets loud as the sellers get more impassioned about their products. My kids love this one. It's great for large groups.
14. The World Needs More Jet Pack Unicorns
out of the box play: quick
cost: $$
competitiveness: high
age range: 8 and up
players: 3 and up
In Jet Pack Unicorn players argue with one another to prove their what if scenario is the coolest, weirdest, or worst. The game is easy to play and pretty portable. This one gets crazy and loud. The better at BS you are, the better you will be at this one. This makes a great party game and is good for big families.
Cooperative Games
If your family loves to work as a team or just needs a break from competing against one another, cooperative games may be for you. In a cooperative game you work together to win the game, making it a great game when you need to build family unity or include a child who might be too young for another game. It's great for teaching strategy to younger kids and making everyone feel included and important.
15. Forbidden Island
out of the box play: medium set up
cost: $$
competitiveness: low
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-4
Forbidden Island pits the group against a sinking island. You each have a different skill that helps the group. The game mechanics include methods for making the game easier or harder depending on what you feel like playing that day. We've also found that if we take out one of the "waters rise" cards we can play 6 players. It puts the game at the experienced player difficulty but it's nice to get everyone around the table for a game. If you do this, make sure everyone is discarding unneeded cards quickly to make the discard pile as big as possible. It's also best to play several times with just four to get the hang of game play before you try to add in additional players. The designer also has a game called Forbidden Desert that plays very similarly.
16. Pandemic
out of the box play: medium set up
cost: $$
competitiveness: low
age range: 8 and up
players: 2-4
In Pandemic your group must save the world from four viruses that are sweeping through the population. It was also developed by the same game designer as Forbidden Island, so some of the game mechanics will feel familiar if you've played that one before. It's also possible to make this one a six player game, but it's much harder and you have to go for the win quickly. There's several expansion sets for Pandemic, a couple let more people play and one does add a "bad guy" who's working against the group.
17. Elder Sign
out of the box play: medium to long set up
cost: $$$
competitiveness: low
age range: 12 and up
players: 2-8
Elder Sign is a great game for your teenagers. The game play is based on HP Lovecraft so if you've got a Cuthulu fan in your house, they will enjoy this game. The game play is pretty complex, so even though it's cooperative, it's best not to try and play it with younger kids.
You may have noticed a few popular games I didn't list, like Ticket to Ride and Apples to Apples. You can tell me what I missed. What are your favorite games?
