Board games for beginners

Board games for beginners—a perennial topic in the gaming world. Is there even a right answer to such a question? Let's take a closer look at this issue. If you are a beginner player, or if you've grown tired of playing Catan, Carcassonne, or Monopoly, this article is just for you.

Board games have seen a massive boom in the last few years, and publishers churn out tons of new titles every year. How is a newcomer supposed to choose? To answer that, we need to consider a few important facts.

Do you want to play board games alone or with others? Will you be playing with family or friends? And what themes interest you? We have fantasy, war, and medieval games, as well as movie-themed titles and many others to choose from. In the following text, we will show you several games that are easy to learn, suitable for beginners, and will open the gates to a vast world of board games full of unlimited possibilities.

Role-playing games

Role-playing games (some of you may know them as RPGs), or dungeon crawlers, are games where you take on the role of a fearless hero. You go on one adventure after another, usually with your party (other players), which builds an entire story. You might explore various dungeons and mysterious places to face monsters. A great entry-level game that teaches you the basic principles of the dungeon crawl style is a Czech-made title called:

Karak

The game is designed for 2-5 players and takes about 30-60 minutes. Karak is a family game with simple rules. Each player takes on the role of a hero and ventures into the labyrinth beneath Karak Castle. The game is truly simple and suitable for children from age 7. Combat is resolved using six-sided dice with simple addition. The map itself is made of individual tiles, so you always get a unique labyrinth. In the maze, you will encounter various enemies, from skeletons to dragons. The animated art style will please both kids and adults.

Karak should not be missing from any family that isn't afraid to dive into dangerous corridors and face all sorts of traps. Plus, the price of around 750 CZK is affordable for a start, and the game can be expanded with further expansions.

Are you a bit older and want something more substantial to start with, something you can spend more time on? Then there is the smaller sibling of the ultimate game Gloomhaven, called:

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is for 1-4 players aged 14 and up. The box says you should set aside about 60 to 120 minutes, but don't take that too seriously. You will be going through a series of connected scenarios that can be easily saved at the end of each one, allowing you to continue playing next time.

You might wonder why such a large and complex board game is among the games for beginners, but the explanation is simple. What Jaws of the Lion does perfectly is the way it teaches you the rules. Although there are many components and extra content, you just need to set up the game according to the picture, open the scenario book where the pages serve as the game board, and you can start.

It really is that easy. Since the game teaches you how to play as you go during the first few scenarios, you will learn the important aspects of the rules in a completely simple and intuitive way. And when you encounter keywords you don't understand, you check the rulebook and can return to playing in no time.

In the game, you will explore the world of Gloomhaven with your epic hero, using cards to move around the map and fight. You gain experience from combat, which allows you to upgrade your hero. On top of that, the game guides you through a gripping story, and your amazing deeds from the adventure will be talked about long after the game ends.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a perfect fantasy dungeon crawler to start with, which will delight even seasoned players. The game not only looks great, but the gameplay experience is very intense. You won't be able to tear yourself away from it. For about 1400 CZK, you get everything you could wish for from a role-playing game. Who knows, maybe after finishing it, you'll buy its big brother, which is currently ranked as the best board game in the world on BGG, and the journey can continue.

Build, collect, discover

The next games we'll look at are for those who love playing for the maximum number of points and don't hesitate to rack their brains over what to do in their next turn. We are talking about games with the worker placement mechanic. An ideal economic and building game for someone who really likes dice is:

Stone Age

Stone Age is designed for 2-4 players aged 10 and up and provides fun for about 60-90 minutes. It is a civilization game where your main task is to provide enough food for your tribe, develop, and build huts. The rules are simple, clear, and you'll get into the heat of the action after just a few minutes of play. In your turn, you place your tribesmen on individual work spots, and depending on the dice roll, they will bring you a certain amount of food, wood, clay, stone, or even gold. You then use the gathered resources to develop your tribe. If you are a player whom the dice don't favor, don't despair; there is an option in the game to improve your roll with tools, so you don't have to worry about bad luck losing you the game. Points are awarded for practically everything, so the final scoring can be really exciting and can shuffle the rankings.

Stone Age was released back in 2008, but you can't tell its age at all. With its great design and production, it shows us that it still has its place on the market. With a price under 1000 CZK, it should not be missing from your library.

Another game with the worker placement element, suitable not only for beginners, was created by the famous Czech duo Mín and Elwen:

Lost Ruins of Arnak

Arnak is for 1-4 players aged 12 and up and takes 60-90 minutes. A group of adventurers has discovered an island in uncharted ocean waters with ancient traces of a civilization. As players, you lead an expedition to explore the island thoroughly.

First and foremost, the game will captivate you with its beautiful graphics and design. You won't find many games on the market that can match Arnak in this regard. The game board, components, and cards are graphically perfect, which creates a great atmosphere, and at times you will feel like Indiana Jones. The game combines deck-building and worker placement mechanics.

In Lost Ruins of Arnak, you will discover uncharted locations on the island and fight the guardians of these locations. You will also be able to write everything in your research journal, transcribe carvings in the temple, buy necessary equipment, and last but not least, search for valuable artifacts. How you play is entirely up to you, and you get victory points for every bit of progress at the end of the game. The rules are written very simply and clearly, and are supplemented with plenty of examples from the game. The game is not complicated, and thanks to its depth, you will enjoy it even after you become experienced players. Due to the many options, you have to think in every turn about how to get the most points and lead your expedition to victory.

Lost Ruins of Arnak is suitable for all players who want a beautiful game to start with, where they can rack their brains in a pleasant atmosphere with a tiny portion of luck. The price of the game is around 1200 CZK, but believe me, you won't regret a single crown, and Arnak will become the most frequent decoration of your table.

Puzzles and assembly games

The last category we will look at are, as the title suggests, puzzles and assembly games. These games are very accessible to players, have simple rules, and are suitable for relaxation. A family assembly game suitable for beginners is, for example:

Cascadia

Cascadia is for 1-4 players aged 10 and up and takes 30-45 minutes. The rules are, just like the games mentioned above, easy and clear. Even children will master them quickly. In Cascadia, you will try to create the most harmonious landscape possible, in which various animals will live. You will assemble tiles of individual biomes, such as forests, rivers, mountains, etc., into all sorts of shapes and then place the appropriate animals, such as salmon, bears, and foxes, into the nature you've created. A drawn card at the beginning of the game determines for which created shape of a specific region you get points. As usual, the player with the most points at the end wins.

Cascadia is a colorful family game priced around 1000 CZK with simple graphics and easy gameplay. Not only will you enjoy it, but you will also relax beautifully, even if you don't win.

This was our introductory selection of games into the board-gaming world; we hope you found inspiration for your purchase. On the market, you will find a huge number of games with various mechanics, styles, and themes, and many of them will also be suitable for beginners, but you won't go wrong with our selection. You will have a lot of fun, no matter who you play with. So, happy gaming! We look forward to seeing you in our shop.

author: Daniel Korčák