Board and card games for beginners

Which board game should you choose as a beginner? Go for Kingdomino or Codex Naturalis. You can explain the rules of both in five minutes, and even kids will grasp them easily. We’ve organized the rest of our recommended beginner games by situation, not by rank.

First, figure out who you're playing with and how much time you have:

Situation	Our pick	Price range
Just want to try it out	The Mind	under 500 CZK
Family with kids 8+	Kingdomino	500–800 CZK
Two people, one evening	Forest Shuffle	500–800 CZK
Group of 5+ players	Dixit	500–800 CZK
First 90-minute game	Stone Age	800–1,200 CZK

When you just want to see if you'll get hooked

We'll show you three games under 500 CZK. If they don't click, you won't lose much money. You'll spend at most half an hour at the table with them.

The Mind

The Mind is the easiest way to understand modern board games. You play together against the game and aren't allowed to talk. You lay down cards in numerical order, but no one knows what the others are holding. It sounds like nonsense, yet it works perfectly.

A game takes about twenty minutes. After the first round, players usually want an immediate rematch. Customers at our store often pick it up just to try it out. It doesn't suit everyone, though. If you need a clear plan, you'll put it away pretty quickly.

Codex Naturalis

Codex Naturalis is a card game about building a forest ecosystem. You place cards on the table, overlapping corners to reveal symbols that earn you points. You'll master the rules in three minutes. Figuring out the right move takes a bit longer. It works best with two to four players. It fits in a backpack and takes up less space on the table than a dinner plate, so you can easily play it at the pub.

Sea Salt & Paper

Sea Salt & Paper is the cheapest item on this list. You collect pairs of cards to build sea-themed sets. You decide when to end the round, and that timing is what makes it a full-fledged game. The cards feature beautiful illustrations, and the box fits right in your jacket pocket.

For families with kids

These two games work well with both adults and the average second-grader. Parents often stop by our store to pick them up. You can get both for around 500 CZK.

Kingdomino

Kingdomino won the Spiel des Jahres in 2017, the most prestigious award in our field. You use domino-like tiles to build your own kingdom, trying to connect matching landscapes. A game lasts fifteen minutes, so you can easily play it right before dinner. It's the safest choice in our selection for your first game with kids.

Karak: Labyrinth

Karak: Labyrinth follows up on the Czech classic from Albi. You explore an underground dungeon, revealing corridor tiles and fighting monsters. Everything is decided by a simple dice roll. Combat is just basic addition, so even younger kids can handle it. Every game looks a bit different because players build the labyrinth as they go. If Karak hooks you, you can easily buy expansions and figures for it.

For a group that just wants to have fun

Deep strategy doesn't work well with more than five players. Here, pure fun wins. You'll pay under 800 CZK for Dixit. King of Tokyo costs a bit more.

Dixit

Dixit won the Spiel des Jahres in 2010. Nothing in the genre has replaced it since. The storyteller describes their illustration with one word or a short sentence. Others add their own card face-down that fits the description, the cards are shuffled and revealed, and everyone guesses which card belongs to the storyteller.

You can explain the rules in a minute, and it plays up to six people. We also stock standalone expansions with new artwork.

King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is a fast-paced battle of giant monsters over the Japanese metropolis. You roll six dice and can re-roll them up to three times. Depending on the result, you attack opponents or heal yourself. Whoever occupies Tokyo scores valuable points but also takes hits from everyone else. Players are gradually eliminated during the game. This fast-paced brawl works perfectly for us at the table.

Forest Shuffle

Forest Shuffle is a popular card game about building a forest. Released in 2023, it quickly found its audience. You can play every card in two different ways: either as a tree or as an animal on its edge. This single decision forms the basis of the entire game. It takes about an hour with two players. You can find more similar tips in the Two-player games category.

Your first bigger board game

Here you'll find games that take about an hour and a half. You'll actually have to think for the first time. You'll pay around 1,000 CZK for any of these.

The Quacks of Quedlinburg

The Quacks of Quedlinburg won the 2018 Kennerspiel des Jahres, an award for more demanding games. You pull ingredients from a bag to brew a potion. Your own courage determines the end; one extra draw might mean your pot explodes and you lose half your profit.

This tension makes the game so much fun. It often ends with suppressed laughter at the table over an opponent's mistake. Yet, the rules remain perfectly simple. Even someone used to nothing more than Ludo can handle it.

Stone Age

Stone Age was released back in 2008, but it's still the best entry point into worker placement. You send members of your tribe to game spaces to mine wood, stone, or gold. Once the first player occupies a spot, the second can't go there. An hour and a half flies by. If this game hooks you, you'll open the door to modern Euro games that emphasize strategy, economy, and planning.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is an absolute classic among board games. You build a medieval landscape from drawn tiles, gradually sending your followers to roads, cities, and monasteries. You'll understand the rules within the first few turns. It works great with two or more players. Once the base game hooks you, you can easily buy more expansions.

Once you're hooked

Expect that you won't stick with just one game for long. We've selected two that make sense as your second purchase. You'll pay over 1,200 CZK for both.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal is a race of historic formula cars. You shift gears using cards. It looks complicated at first glance, but the first lap will reliably teach you everything. It holds an 8/10 rating on BGG.

Ark Nova brings a unique strategic experience where you try to restore life and build a functioning ecosystem. Well-thought-out game mechanics will fully immerse you in building a new paradise on Earth. It's a standalone game, so you don't need anything else and can start playing right away.

The takeaway

The most common mistake when buying for the first time is choosing the biggest box. Better to reach for a game under 500 CZK. Play it three times, and only then buy something more expensive. We have all the games on this list in stock and fully in English.

Check out our entire selection of Family games. Did the low-key The Mind catch your eye? Head straight to Cooperative games.