12 Addictive Puzzle Board Games You Won't Be Able to Stop Playing
Hive
Hive is an abstract strategy game by John Yianni, first published in 2001. It’s similar to chess in strategy and tactical movement, but its insect-themed pieces move in unique ways, offering a fresh, engaging experience.
Objective:
The primary goal in Hive is to capture the opponent’s queen bee by surrounding it with other pieces. Once a queen bee is entirely surrounded and cannot move, the game ends, and the player whose queen bee was not captured wins.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Pieces**: Hive is played with a set of 11 hexagonal tiles for each player. Each set includes one queen bee, two spiders, two beetles, three grasshoppers, and three ants.
– **No Board**: Unlike many board games, Hive does not use a game board. Instead, pieces are placed on any flat surface, and the game area naturally grows as the game progresses.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Placement or Movement**: On a player’s turn, they can either place one of their pieces adjacent to an already-placed piece or move one of their existing pieces.
– **First Move**: The first piece a player places must touch only pieces of their color, but subsequent placements and moves can touch other colors.
– **Movement Rules**: Each type of piece has a unique movement pattern:
– **Queen Bee**: Moves one space in any direction.
– **Spider**: Moves exactly three spaces, sliding around the outside of the hive.
– **Beetle**: Moves one space in any direction and can climb on top of other pieces to block them.
– **Grasshopper**: Jumps in a straight line over other pieces, landing in an empty space.
– **Ant**: Moves any number of spaces around the outside of the hive.
3. **Restrictions**:
– **Hive Connectivity**: All pieces must be connected at all times; you cannot split the hive.
– **Movement**: Pieces cannot move if their movement would break the hive’s connectivity.
4. **Victory**:
– The game ends when one player’s queen bee is surrounded by either player’s pieces, rendering it unable to move. The opponent wins.
Strategy:
– **Piece Placement**: Choosing which piece to play or move can drastically affect the flow of the game.
– **Hive Control**: Maintaining control over the hive while attacking and defending your queen bee is crucial.
– **Flexibility**: Players need to adapt to their opponent’s moves and strategy, especially with the different movement capabilities of each type of piece.
Catan
Catan, originally known as “The Settlers of Catan,” is a classic strategy board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was first published in Germany in 1995 and has since become one of the most popular and influential modern board games worldwide.
**Objective**: In Catan, players take on the role of settlers on the island of Catan, aiming to establish their settlements and cities. The primary objective is to be the first player to reach 10 victory points through building settlements, cities, and other strategies.
**Gameplay**:
1. **Board Setup**: The game board consists of hexagonal tiles that represent different types of resources: wood, brick, wheat, sheep, and ore. The tiles are randomly placed to create a unique island map each time you play. Additionally, there is a desert tile with no resources.
2. **Starting the Game**: Players place their starting settlements and roads on the board. Placement is crucial because it determines which resources you will have access to during the game.
3. **Resource Collection**: During the game, players roll two dice on their turn. The number rolled determines which hexes produce resources that turn. If a hex produces resources, any player with a settlement or city adjacent to it collects resources.
4. **Building and Trading**: Players can use resources to build roads, settlements, and cities. They can also trade resources with other players to obtain the resources they need. Trading is a key element of the game and can lead to alliances or rivalries.
5. **Development Cards**: Players can purchase development cards, which provide various benefits such as victory points, special abilities, or the ability to build the largest army.
6. **Robber**: The robber is a piece that can be moved onto resource tiles, blocking their production. This happens when a player rolls a 7, and the player moving the robber can also steal a resource card from an opponent.
7. **Victory Points**: Points are earned by building settlements (1 point each) and cities (2 points each). Players can also earn points through the Largest Army card and the Longest Road card, each of which is worth 2 points.
**Winning the Game**: The game ends when one player reaches 10 victory points. They are declared the winner.
Blokus
Blokus is a modern abstract strategy board game designed by Bernard Tavitian and first published in 2000. It is known for its colorful, geometric pieces and straightforward rules, making it accessible and engaging for players of all ages and skill levels.
Objective:
The primary goal of Blokus is to place as many of your colored pieces on the board as possible while strategically blocking your opponents from placing their pieces. The player with the most spaces covered by their pieces at the end of the game wins.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Board**: Blokus is played on a square board consisting of a 20×20 grid.
– **Pieces**: Each player has a set of 21 geometric pieces in their designated color, ranging from single square tiles to larger shapes of different configurations. Each shape consists of one to five squares.
– **Starting Position**: Players start by placing one piece of their choice in one of the corners of the board. Each player has a designated corner.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Placement Rules**: On a player’s turn, they must place one of their pieces on the board. The new piece must touch another piece of the same color, but only at the corners—sides may not touch.
– **Blocking Opponents**: Players can strategically place their pieces to block opponents from placing their own pieces or reaching open spaces on the board.
3. **Strategy**:
– **Board Control**: Players must find a balance between expanding their territory and blocking their opponents.
– **Piece Selection**: Choosing which piece to play is critical, as some pieces may provide better opportunities for future placement or blocking opponents.
4. **Game End**:
– The game ends when no player can legally place any more pieces on the board.
– Players count the number of squares in their unused pieces. The player with the fewest empty squares wins.
– If a player manages to place all 21 of their pieces on the board, they receive a special bonus of 15 points.
Boggle
Boggle” is a classic word search game first published in 1972 by Parker Brothers (now Hasbro). Known for its fast-paced gameplay, it emphasizes vocabulary, spelling, and word recognition. Players compete to form words from a randomized letter grid within a time limit.
Objective:
The primary goal in Boggle is to find and form as many valid words as possible from a 4×4 grid of letters within a set time limit. The player with the highest score at the end of the round, based on the length and uniqueness of the words they found, wins the game.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Grid**: The game features a 4×4 grid of cubes, each face of which contains a letter of the alphabet.
– **Shaking**: The cubes are placed in the grid and shaken to randomize the letters. This creates a new letter arrangement for each round.
– **Timer**: The game includes a timer, typically set for three minutes per round.
2. **Finding Words**:
– **Word Formation**: Players must search the grid for words by connecting adjacent letters (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). Words must be at least three letters long.
– **Valid Words**: Words must be valid according to an official dictionary. Common nouns and verbs are typically allowed, but proper nouns and abbreviations are not.
3. **Scoring**:
– **Unique Words**: Players write down the words they find during the round. At the end of the round, players compare lists and cross out any words that multiple players found.
– **Word Length**: The scoring system usually rewards longer words with more points. For example, three-letter words may be worth one point, four-letter words two points, and so on.
– **Score Calculation**: Players tally their points based on the valid words they found and their length.
4. **End of Round**:
– Once the timer runs out, players stop writing words and begin comparing their lists.
– After scoring, players can play another round if desired.
Strategy:
– **Speed**: Finding words quickly is key to maximizing your score within the time limit.
– **Vocabulary Knowledge**: A broad vocabulary helps players identify more words and make longer connections.
– **Observation**: Scanning the grid efficiently and spotting potential word combinations can lead to higher scores.
Onitama
Onitama” is an abstract, strategic board game by Shimpei Sato, first published in 2014. It’s a two-player game combining chess and martial arts elements, offering a quick, engaging experience with high replayability. Players guide martial arts students to victory.
Objective:
The primary goal of Onitama is to capture the opponent’s master piece or move your master piece onto the opponent’s temple arch.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Board**: The game is played on a 5×5 grid board.
– **Pieces**: Each player has one master piece (the master) and four student pieces (students).
– **Starting Positions**: The master and students start in the first row of each player’s side of the board.
– **Movement Cards**: Players each receive two movement cards at the beginning of the game. One neutral card is placed to the side.
2. **Movement Cards**:
– **Deck**: The game uses a deck of 16 unique movement cards, each depicting a different pattern of movement for the pieces.
– **Card Rotation**: At the start of the game, each player is dealt two movement cards, while a fifth card is placed face up next to the board. After a player uses a card, they swap it with the neutral card.
3. **Player Turns**:
– **Choose a Card**: On a player’s turn, they must select one of their two movement cards and use it to move one of their pieces according to the pattern on the card.
– **Move a Piece**: After moving a piece, the used card is placed in the neutral card’s place, and the neutral card becomes the player’s new movement card.
– **Capture**: If a player’s piece lands on an opponent’s piece, the opponent’s piece is removed from the board.
4. **Victory Conditions**:
– **Capture the Master**: If a player captures the opponent’s master piece by moving a piece onto the space occupied by the master, they win the game.
– **Reach the Temple Arch**: If a player moves their master piece onto the opponent’s temple arch (the starting position of the opponent’s master), they win the game.
5. **End of Game**:
– The game continues until one of the victory conditions is met.
Strategy:
– **Card Management**: Onitama requires careful management of the movement cards, as they rotate between players each turn. Players must plan their moves to take advantage of the cards they currently hold while anticipating the cards their opponent will receive.
– **Positioning**: Players must strategically position their pieces to control key areas of the board and defend their master while attacking the opponent’s master or temple arch.
Quoridor
Quoridor” is a modern abstract strategy game by Mirko Marchesi, first published in 1997. Known for its simple yet deep gameplay, it involves movement, barriers, and strategy for two or four players, emphasizing tactical maneuvering and pathfinding.
Objective:
The primary goal in Quoridor is to move your pawn from your starting side of the board to the opposite side, reaching one of the nine squares along the designated goal line.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Board**: The game is played on a 9×9 grid board.
– **Pawns**: Each player has one pawn. In a two-player game, players start at opposite ends of the board on the middle square of their starting line. In a four-player game, each player starts at one of the four sides.
– **Barriers**: Players also have a set of 10 barriers (or walls) that they can place on the board to block their opponents’ pawns from advancing.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Choose an Action**: On their turn, a player can choose to either move their pawn one square in any direction (up, down, left, or right) or place one barrier on the board.
– **Pawn Movement**: Pawns can move one square in any direction, but they must not jump over barriers or move into squares occupied by another pawn.
– **Jumping Pawns**: If a pawn is directly adjacent to an opponent’s pawn, it may jump over the opponent’s pawn into the square directly behind it if it’s not blocked. If the pawn can’t jump directly behind, it may move diagonally.
3. **Barriers**:
– **Placing Barriers**: Players can place barriers between two squares to block their opponent’s movement. Barriers must be placed along the lines of the grid and cannot overlap.
– **Restrictions**: Barriers cannot be placed in a way that completely blocks an opponent’s pawn from reaching their goal line. Players must always leave a path to the goal.
4. **Game End**:
– The game ends when one player’s pawn reaches any square along their opponent’s goal line. That player is declared the winner.
Strategy:
– **Pathfinding**: Players must plan efficient paths for their pawns while also blocking opponents with barriers.
– **Barrier Placement**: Knowing where and when to place barriers can be critical for hindering opponents’ progress while keeping your path open.
– **Pacing**: Balancing pawn movement and barrier placement is key to outmaneuvering your opponent.
Santorini
Santorini” is an abstract strategy game by Dr. Gordon Hamilton, first published in 2004. Inspired by the Greek island, the game focuses on building white and blue structures, blending simplicity with depth for strategy enthusiasts.
Objective:
The goal in Santorini is to be the first player to move one of your workers to the third level of a building. This requires careful planning and strategic movement.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Board**: Santorini is played on a 5×5 square grid board, representing the island of Santorini.
– **Workers**: Each player has two workers (miniature figures) in their color. Players take turns placing their workers on the board, starting with the first player.
– **Buildings**: Players construct buildings on the board using plastic building pieces. Buildings can have up to three levels and a dome.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Move and Build**: On their turn, each player must move one of their workers to an adjacent square (orthogonally or diagonally) and then build a level of a building in an adjacent square. The build action occurs after the move.
– **Movement Rules**: Workers can move up one level at a time, stay on the same level, or move down any number of levels. Workers cannot move onto squares with domes or occupied by another worker.
3. **Building**:
– **Construction**: After moving, players must build one level of a building in an adjacent square. Buildings can consist of up to three levels and a dome. If a dome is built on a building, it is complete and workers cannot move onto that square.
4. **Game End**:
– **Victory**: The game ends when one player successfully moves one of their workers onto the third level of a building. That player wins the game.
Strategy:
– **Positioning**: Players must strategically position their workers to control the board and limit opponents’ movement options.
– **Blocking**: Players can use domes to block opponents from reaching the third level and achieving victory.
– **Long-Term Planning**: Anticipating your opponent’s moves and planning several turns ahead can provide a strategic advantage.
Decrypto
Decrypto” is a party game by Thomas Brunet, first published in 2018. It combines word association, communication, and deduction, challenging players to convey coded messages to teammates while hiding them from the opposing team.
Objective:
The primary goal in Decrypto is for a team to successfully communicate secret codes to its members without allowing the opposing team to intercept and decipher the codes. The first team to win two rounds by either intercepting codes or successfully communicating codes without losing wins the game.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Teams**: Decrypto is played in two teams, each with its own set of code words and communication device.
– **Code Words**: Each team draws four code words from the deck of words and keeps them secret from the opposing team. The code words are labeled with numbers (1-4).
– **Code Cards**: Each round, one player from each team (the clue giver) draws a code card that specifies a sequence of three numbers (e.g., 3-1-4).
– **Communication Device**: Both teams use a red filter device that enables them to read secret messages.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Clue Giver**: In each round, the clue giver from each team provides a one-word clue for each number in the sequence, aiming to guide their teammates toward guessing the correct code words.
– **Interception**: The opposing team listens to the clues and tries to match them to the correct code words. If they successfully guess the code sequence, they earn an interception token.
3. **Guessing**:
– **Team Guesses**: The clue giver’s teammates try to guess the correct sequence of code words based on the clues provided.
– **Interception Guesses**: The opposing team listens carefully to the clues and tries to intercept the code by matching the clues to the code words.
4. **Scoring**:
– **Successful Communication**: If the clue giver’s teammates guess the correct code sequence, the team earns a success token.
– **Failed Communication**: If the clue giver’s teammates fail to guess the correct code sequence, the opposing team earns an interception token.
– **Interception**: If the opposing team correctly intercepts the code sequence, they earn an interception token.
5. **End of Round**:
– After each round, the next clue giver is chosen from each team.
– The game continues for a set number of rounds (usually five rounds).
6. **Winning**:
– The first team to earn two interception tokens or two success tokens wins the game.
Strategy:
– **Clue Giving**: Clue givers must strike a balance between giving clear enough clues for their team to understand while avoiding obvious clues that might allow the opposing team to intercept.
– **Deduction**: Both teams must pay attention to the clues and make educated guesses to decode the opponent’s code words.
– **Pattern Recognition**: Over time, teams may pick up on patterns in the opposing team’s clue-giving style, helping them intercept future rounds.
Pandemic
Pandemic is a cooperative board game by Matt Leacock, first published in 2008. Players act as specialists working together to stop four deadly diseases from spreading and wiping out humanity.
**Objective**: The goal in “Pandemic” is to discover cures for all four diseases (red, yellow, black, and blue) before one of the end-game conditions is met (e.g., too many outbreaks occur, or there are no more disease cubes left in the supply).
**Gameplay**:
1. **Setup**: The game board is a map of the world, with major cities connected by lines indicating travel routes. Players start with their pawns on a predetermined city, and the initial infection levels of various cities are established using a deck of infection cards.
2. **Player Roles**: Each player assumes a specific role, such as medic, researcher, scientist, operations expert, or quarantine specialist. These roles provide unique abilities that can significantly affect gameplay and strategy.
3. **Player Actions**: On a turn, players can take a limited number of actions such as moving between cities, treating disease cubes in a city, sharing knowledge with other players in the same city, or discovering a cure for a disease.
4. **Curing Diseases**: To cure a disease, players must collect five cards of the same color and use them at a research station. Once a disease is cured, it is easier to treat because all cubes of that disease color can be removed from a city with a single action.
5. **Infection Phase**: After a player’s turn, they must draw infection cards to determine which cities experience new outbreaks of disease. If a city reaches three cubes of the same color and receives a fourth, it triggers an outbreak, spreading the disease to neighboring cities.
6. **Epidemic Cards**: Interspersed throughout the player deck are epidemic cards that increase the infection rate and cause the infection discard pile to be shuffled and placed on top of the infection deck, potentially causing a series of outbreaks in already infected cities.
7. **Winning and Losing**: Players win the game by discovering cures for all four diseases before running out of time. The game is lost if the deck of player cards runs out, if there are eight or more outbreaks, or if there aren’t enough disease cubes left in the supply to place on the board.
Codenames
Codenames is a word-based party game by Vlaada Chvátil, first published in 2015. It challenges players to communicate creatively and strategically with teammates to identify secret agents in a grid of words. Known for innovative gameplay, it suits large groups.
Objective:
The primary goal of Codenames is for each team to identify all their agents on the grid of words before the opposing team does. Each team is led by a spymaster, who provides one-word clues to guide their teammates toward guessing the correct words.
Setup:
1. **Teams and Spymasters**: Players are divided into two teams. Each team selects one player to act as the spymaster.
2. **Word Grid**: The game board consists of a 5×5 grid of words. These words are randomly selected from a larger deck and laid out on the table for all players to see.
3. **Key Card**: A key card, which is hidden from the players except for the spymasters, indicates which words in the grid belong to each team, which word is neutral, and which word is the assassin.
Gameplay:
1. **Clue-Giving**: The spymasters take turns giving one-word clues followed by a number that indicates how many words in the grid relate to the clue. For example, if the spymaster gives the clue “fruit 3,” it means three words in the grid relate to fruit.
2. **Guessing**: The team of the active spymaster then tries to guess which words in the grid correspond to the clue. Teammates discuss and can guess one word at a time. After each guess, the spymaster reveals whether the guess is correct.
3. **Outcomes**:
– **Correct Guess**: If the team guesses a word that belongs to their side, they can continue guessing up to the number given in the clue plus one extra guess.
– **Incorrect Guess**: If the team guesses a word that belongs to the other team, the turn ends, and the other team earns a point.
– **Neutral Word**: If a neutral word is guessed, the turn ends, but no points are scored.
– **Assassin**: If the team guesses the assassin word, they immediately lose the game.
4. **Turn End**: The turn ends if the team guesses incorrectly, chooses to stop guessing, or runs out of guesses.
Winning:
The game continues with the teams alternating turns until one team successfully identifies all their agents on the grid, winning the game.
Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven” is a cooperative tactical board game by Isaac Childres, first published in 2017. Combining strategy, role-playing, and dungeon crawling in a detailed fantasy world.
Objective:
The primary goal of Gloomhaven is for players to work together to complete a series of scenarios, which together form a branching campaign. Players take on the roles of mercenaries exploring dungeons, battling monsters, and uncovering secrets as they progress through the story.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Campaign**: Gloomhaven is played as a campaign consisting of multiple interconnected scenarios, each with its own objectives and challenges. The campaign is non-linear, allowing players to make choices that influence the direction of the story.
– **Characters**: Players select a character class and customize it with unique abilities, equipment, and perks. Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses, contributing to a diverse party dynamic.
– **Components**: The game includes a variety of miniatures, maps, tokens, cards, and other components for players to use during gameplay.
2. **Player Turns**:
– **Initiative**: At the start of each round, players choose two cards from their hand to determine initiative and available actions for that round.
– **Actions**: Each card has a top and bottom action, representing different abilities. Players must choose one top action and one bottom action from their selected cards.
– **Combat**: Combat is based on tactical movement and card abilities. Players can perform attacks, move, and interact with the environment to defeat enemies and achieve objectives.
3. **Scenarios**:
– **Objectives**: Each scenario has specific objectives that players must complete to progress the story.
– **Monsters**: Players face various types of monsters controlled by an AI system, which determines their actions based on attack decks and rules.
– **Rewards**: Completing scenarios rewards players with experience points, gold, and items that they can use to level up their characters and improve their equipment.
4. **Campaign Progression**:
– **City and Road Events**: Between scenarios, players can experience city and road events, which can have positive or negative consequences and add flavor to the campaign.
– **Retirement**: As characters complete personal quests, they can retire, opening up new character classes and storylines for future playthroughs.
– **Legacy Elements**: Gloomhaven includes legacy elements, such as stickers and alterations to the map, that persist throughout the campaign and change the game world.
5. **End of Campaign**:
– The campaign ends when players complete the main story objectives, which may involve multiple branches and outcomes depending on the choices made during the campaign.
Strategy:
– **Hand Management**: Managing your hand of ability cards effectively is crucial, as exhausting your deck can lead to failure.
– **Party Synergy**: Coordinating with your teammates and combining character abilities can lead to more effective strategies and combat outcomes.
– **Adaptability**: Being flexible in your approach and adjusting your tactics based on the scenario objectives and enemy behavior is key to success.
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective
Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is a cooperative mystery-solving game designed by Raymond Edwards, Suzanne Goldberg, and Gary Grady, and first published in 1981. Players act as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, solving complex mysteries in Victorian London.
Objective:
The goal in Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective is for players to work together to solve a series of mysteries by gathering clues, interviewing suspects and witnesses, and ultimately answering questions about the case. Players aim to solve the mystery in as few steps as possible while scoring higher than Holmes himself.
Gameplay:
1. **Setup**:
– **Mystery Cases**: The game includes a series of standalone mysteries for players to solve, each with its own storyline and challenges.
– **Case Book**: Each mystery is contained in a case book that provides an introduction to the case, key locations, and characters involved.
– **Map of London**: The game comes with a detailed map of Victorian London, which players use to navigate the city and visit different locations relevant to the case.
– **Newspapers**: Each case provides a newspaper from the day with additional information that may or may not be related to the current mystery.
2. **Player Roles**:
– Players take on the roles of Holmes’s associates and work together to solve the case. While there is no specific turn order, players discuss their theories and plans collaboratively.
3. **Investigation**:
– **Choose Locations**: Players choose locations from the map and use the case book to read the relevant narrative passages. These passages contain information about the location, characters present, and any clues found.
– **Gather Clues**: As players visit different locations and talk to witnesses, they gather clues that may help them piece together the mystery.
– **Take Notes**: Keeping track of key information and clues is essential for making deductions and connecting different aspects of the case.
4. **Solving the Case**:
– When players believe they have solved the case, they can answer the questions provided in the case book. The answers must be based on the evidence and clues gathered during the investigation.
– After submitting answers, players check their answers against the solution provided by Holmes. They receive a score based on the accuracy of their answers and the efficiency of their investigation (i.e., how few locations they visited).
5. **Scoring**:
– Players compare their score to Holmes’s score. If they score higher than Holmes, they have successfully solved the case.
Strategy:
– **Observation and Attention to Detail**: Players must carefully observe the information provided in the case book and newspapers, as clues can be subtle.
– **Critical Thinking**: Making logical connections between clues and considering multiple theories is key to solving each mystery.
– **Teamwork**: Collaboration is essential for sharing insights and solving cases efficiently.
In conclusion
Puzzle board games blend strategy, creativity, and fun to keep players engaged. With options for all skill levels, they boost brainpower, spark social interaction, and offer hours of quality time with loved ones.