This is the fourth of a guest post mini-series on our family’s favorite games by Amy’s husband, Evan Hays–middle school social studies teacher and board game enthusiast. (Click here for part one , two, and three.)
While our son Jackson is only 8 years old, he has been an avid board gamer for years already now. I am thankful for my awesome son for many reasons, but gaining an in-house gaming buddy has been a pretty great thing for me, I’m not going to lie.
I believe he has been challenged to learn and push himself in many different ways by his love of board games, all of which help him grow and mature in so many ways. Learning to lose a game and not completely fall apart is a life skill. But beyond all that, you should see the looks of joy that come across this boy’s face when he gets to play games!
You will see from his gaming choices described below that they are not what you might expect from your typical 8-year-old, but at the same time, the fact that he loves them should hopefully inspire you to try out some of these games that would be considered by some to be more at the “hobby” or “strategy” game level rather than the more accessible “family” level. The thing about learning board games is that each one you learn gives you knowledge and skills that make it that much easier to learn the next one. I have chosen to order these in what I would consider to be ascending order of difficulty, so it would make sense to try them out in the order given. (Although that is not the order of age suggestions on the side of the boxes which range from the lowest at “7+” on Carcassone all the way to “14+” for Everdell. Age ranges can be loose suggestions of difficulty level. Getting games certified for younger ages is a complex (and often expensive) process for game manufactures to meet toy industry standards for safety. However, if you have an 8 year old who has never played games before, look at the previous post on this series for more introductory level games.)
1. Splendor (Engine Builder). Even though this game only came out a decade ago, it’s already become a classic. You can tell this by how some hard-core gamers like to hate on it and how many new games come out that supposedly “kill” this game. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. An engine builder is a game in which you gain cards/tiles that work together to create combinations that allow you to more efficiently gain resources or points through the course of the game. Many board games fall into this category, and this is a great entry-level one to help you gain familiarity with this style of game. Splendor happens to have a theme of gem production, but the theme could really be almost anything because it’s really about having an eye for the right cards that you can afford that work together with the cards you already have to produce benefits that will push you past your opponent and allow you to be the first to 15 points. Jackson, who almost always beats me at this game, says he likes the cool gems and the challenge of buying just the right cards to help you win. Another similar game that we both like if you like Splendor is Century Spice Road, and we highly recommend that one as well.
2. Carcassone (tile-laying game). This is an absolute classic and one that is probably at the level of saying that no board game collection would be complete without it. A tile-laying game is one in which you are playing tiles out onto what starts as an empty table. (And as you can tell from the picture, our younger daughter Lily loves this one too.) As you play the game, you create a unique tile layout that is different every single time you play. Accordingly, some advantages of this style of game are: lots of replay-ability, a visually-appealing experience, and very little setup required. There are of course rules for playing the different types of tiles and ways to scores points based on how you play them, but they are not complicated in this game. The theme is a pleasant medieval one, but what more people remember this game for is being one that helped popularize the term, “meeple”, or the little wooden, humanoid figures used to place on the tiles to score points. This is the sort of game you sort of forget about for a while, but then you play it again, and you’re like, “wow, that game is fun.” Jackson says he likes that what you create in this game looks so cool and is different every time. Another excellent game in this genre that we love is Cascadia, and you can’t go wrong with that one either.
3. Raiders of the North Sea (worker-placement game). This is one of the newest games to come into our collection, and Jackson and I have really enjoyed playing it so far. A worker placement game is one in which you select your particular action for your turn by placing a worker (meeple) out onto the board in a certain spot, which then prevents other players, at least temporarily, from taking that same action. So, you are not only choosing what the best action is to further your progress in your own game, but must do that while considering what the other players in the game might be doing as well. The theme of this game is Vikings, and that obviously is going to appeal to some and not to others, but the point is that this game would be a good one to introduce yourself to worker-placement style games. It’s really not a very complicated game, and even if you are new, it has a very clear rulebook and straightforward icons on the board and cards. Jackson says in addition to a great theme he likes the fact that you always get two actions on your turn but with so many fun locations to choose from. One other game I’ll mention that we love that has some similarities to this game is Kingsburg. In this one, you place the dice that you roll, rather than meeples, out on the board as your workers. It’s a really fun game mechanic.
4. Everdell (tableau building game). If you, like me, grew up loving stories with woodland creatures like Wind in the Willows or Redwall, then the theme of this game will definitely appeal to you. Beyond its cozy theme and beautiful artwork, this game is also just so well-designed. A tableau building game is one in which you play cards, often cards with multiple abilities, into your own personal tableau in front of you. Your goal is to play cards that create powerful combinations with the other cards you have played to maximize every turn you take. This game also involves worker placement (the meeples are super cute woodland creatures), but if you just place your workers and don’t play your cards right, you will run out of actions quickly. Jackson says he likes the cool theme, lots of cards, so many fun choices, and the idea of the rounds of the game being the four seasons of the year. This is the sort of game that makes a lot of people’s top ten.
5. Lost Ruins of Arnak (deck-building and worker placement game). As more board game mechanisms have been created over the last few decades, designers have not only tightened how they function in new games but also found interesting ways to combine them together. Lost Ruins of Arnak is a great example of this because one of the things you can use your meeples to do is buy cards, which then go into your expanding deck, thus giving you further options on future turns. Another unique aspect of this game is that it isn’t over when some trigger happens within the game, as is common. Instead, you are able to manage your actions in this game to extend your actions in a way that might be quite different from what other players choose to do. If you enjoy the Indiana Jones movies, then the theme of this game is right up your alley. This is probably the most complex game that we own, and it just so happens that the last time we played, Jackson absolutely smoked me (Amy also got a lot more points than I did that game). Jackson loves the fun theme of this game as well as the fact that there are several unique areas on the board that allow you to decide the method by which you are going to score lots of points to win the game.
All of these games require a little more investment of mental energy to get into (and table space), but they are very much worth it once you do. I wouldn’t start out with these games, but I would heartily recommend all of them once you have grown into the hobby a little bit. All of these games would also be excellent choices for a get-together of adults for a board game night.
Are there any more serious games that your family loves? What fun activities do you do with your precocious children?