Shannon + Andrew
Shannon + Andrew
If you'd like to get a quick crash-course on the games we'll have at the reception, we've got you covered. In addition some classics such as Scrabble, Chess/Checkers, Uno, etc., Game Nut in downtown Lawrence has graciously worked with us to let us curate our favorite games we love to play and we think you'll love to play!
The video tutorials for each game are the most concise ones we could find, so they are on average only 4 minutes long.
SETTLERS OF CATAN
-Complexity: 2/3
-Setup time: 5 minutes
-Typical game length: 1-2 hours
-Number of players: 3-4
-Try it if you like: Classic strategy | Bartering | Longer games
Often cited as one of the "gateways" to board games, this is a classic that will have you accumulating resources, making deals with other players, and trying your best to secure your resources before others. (Andrew's note: don't play against my brother. He's absurdly good at this game.)
TSURO
-Complexity: 1/3
-Setup time: 1 minute
-Typical game length: 5-20 minutes
-Number of players: 2-8
-Try it if you like: Quick games | Mild strategy | Making opponents lose
Tsuro is a highly replay-able game that we have brought to nearly every game night we can remember. It's basically the board game equivalent of playing "chicken" on the monkey-bars at recess. It's incredibly easy and quick to set up, learn, and play.
TICKET TO RIDE
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 3 minutes
-Typical game length: 30-60 minutes
-Number of players: 2-5
-Try it if you like: Trains | Strategy | More Trains
Much like Settlers of Catan, this is a great first dive for people into indie board games. Also much like Catan, one of the most important ways of winning is building long chains of tiny wood pieces by collecting cards. Get corridor assignments, build your trains there, and hope no one beats you to it.
7 WONDERS
-Complexity: 2.5/3
-Setup time: 6 minutes
-Typical game length: 45-60 minutes
-Number of players: 3-7
-Try it if you like: Card drafting | Strategy | Accumulating points
This is Andrew's favorite board game. Build resources towards your Wonder's goals, try to outsmart your opponents, and do your best to not get sucked into an arms race with your neighbors. There's a lot to learn at first, but the amount of replay-ability of this card drafting game make it worthwhile.
BETRAYAL AT THE HOUSE ON THE HILL
-Complexity: 2.5/3
-Setup time: 6 minutes
-Typical game length: 60 minutes
-Number of players: 3-6
-Try it if you like: Halloween | Clue | RPG video games
This is a tile game where players build their own haunted house room by room, creating a new game board every time. It's spooky, and someone just might betray the whole party.
CARCASSONNE
-Complexity: 2/3
-Setup time: 3 minutes
-Typical game length: 45 minutes
-Number of players: 2-5
-Try it if you like: Cute art | Mild strategy | Accumulating points
This game is like if Settlers of Catan were cuter, more customizable, and took a page out of the Dominoes rule-book. You build the world as you play and try to orient your tiles you place to benefit your goals.
EPIC SPELL WARS OF THE BATTLE WIZARDS
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 4 minutes
-Typical game length: 30 minutes
-Number of players: 2-6
-Try it if you like: Metal music | Humor games | Being a wizard
-Learn to Play video (first 6 minutes only)
String together spells and try to beat your opponents. Then you have to beat them again, since apparently wizards are stronger when they're dead. This game is a great way to invoke that feeling of when your friends are awake at 1:30AM and for some reason everything is extra funny.
EXPLODING KITTENS
-Complexity: 1/3
-Setup time: 2 minutes
-Typical game length: 15 minutes
-Number of players: 2-5
-Try it if you like: Humor games | Messing with your opponents | Cats
The name pretty much says it all. Collect kitten cards, play them, and hope you don't draw the exploding ones!
KING OF TOKYO
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 5 minutes
-Typical game length: 30 minutes
-Number of players: 2-6
-Try it if you like: Godzilla | Competitive games | Lots of dice
Mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens are all destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the big winner.
MACHI KORO
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 3 minutes
-Typical game length: 30 minutes
-Number of players: 2-4
-Try it if you like: Scrooge McDuck | Stealing from other players | The blue shell from Mario Kart
This is a fun and hilarious little gem. It gives Monopoly a run for its money (haha) on being the game that best showcases how to use capitalism to make your friends hate you.
MONOPOLY DEAL
-Complexity: 1/3
-Setup time: 2 minutes
-Typical game length: 20 minutes
-Number of players: 2-5
-Try it if you like: Monopoly but 10x shorter | Card drafting
This is a very fun variant of the card drafting game type, with an aesthetic nearly everyone is familiar with. Instead of Monopoly Money being the focus, the properties are.
MUNCHKIN
-Complexity: 2/3
-Setup time: 4 minutes
-Typical game length: 1-2 Hours
-Number of players: 3-6
-Try it if you like: Cute art | Humor games | D&D fantasy
Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run.
RUMMIKUB
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 4 minutes
-Typical game length: 45 minutes
-Number of players: 2-4
-Try it if you like: Classic tile/card games | Puzzles | Andrew's Grandmother
This is a Lerner (Andrew's maternal side of the family) classic! You start with a bunch of numbered tiles and you can make runs or groups, mess with other groups people have played, and try to be the first one with no tiles. Andrew is notorious for "mushing" the entire table just to place one tile.
SMASH UP
-Complexity: 2/3
-Setup time: 6 minutes
-Typical game length: 45 minutes
-Number of players: 2-4
-Try it if you like: Magic the Gathering but way less complicated
Pick your two themes and go to battle with your friends. Robot zombies, pirate wizards, or dinosaur aliens? There's a surprising amount of cool combinations with the different themes' mechanics.
SUSHI GO!
-Complexity: 1.5/3
-Setup time: 2 minutes
-Typical game length: 20 minutes
-Number of players: 3-5
-Try it if you like: Cute art | Card drafting | Quick games
Sushi Go is another all-star of our game nights. You pick cards in 3 rounds to make a bunch of cute sushi pieces earn you points. It's one of those games where you go "ooooh I get it" after the first 5 minutes of playing, and then you want to play again and again. Good luck defeating Shannon at this, she's really good!