The best board games to offer at Christmas

One of our favorite board games is one of the classics: Cosmic encounter No doubt it's the oldest game on the list, actually published by a dozen different companies since the late 1970s.

In this game you can mix and direct various external forces with a large number of different combinations, meaning that each game will be different.

The game starts with five planets, a small ship of about 20 spaces and an anonymous card that tells you what your special powers are (which will be something of a rule you can ignore or change).

The purpose of the game is to capture your atmosphere by force and violence to defeat five different planets.

Initially you get eight cards, some of which are a number one attack card. When you meet another alien, each of you will play one of these attack cards that will place on his or her face on the floor. Whoever wins the highest number (focusing on special powers) wins the fight.

In addition to the attack cards, there are bargaining chips with which you can try to reach a good agreement on both. If you say you want to negotiate, but draw an attack card instead of negotiations, and then someone else believes you, you will win the battle automatically. Most likely, though, that both sides end up lying.

Of course you are already thinking of a battle against your friends when that strategy you decide to use, and the cards you receive, will have to try to win this battle.

If your friends love board games, strategy, ridiculous rules and fun, Costmic Encounter will make you have a great time.

Better extensions: There are currently six expansion of Cosmic Encounter, the last one, Cosmic Eons, which arrived in early 2017.

We recommend that you get one of the first three descriptions, which provide you with additional player and new types of aliens: Raid, Conflict and Alliance.

Of the three, Raid is at the forefront as his rewards give the defense ally in a way that balances the game well. Alliance is probably the weakest extension of all.

New extensions (Hurricane, Dominion and Eons) do not feature a new player, only offering as new aliens and control changes. In this case we stay with Dominion, because we can prove the quality of the aliens, in addition to giving you rewards cards.

Details:

• 3-5 players (more can be added by extension)
• For over 12 years
• Duration: 60-120 minutes
• Difficulty: medium-heavy

This is the only game on the list that will make you work as a team, The disease It gives you the task of wiping out the world of four terrible diseases. Each player will play a role: medical, scientific, researcher, isolation specialist, etc; and associated energy.

You will need to play together to treat infections, prevent outbreaks and find remedies. However, there are many ways to die: do not become outdated, without antibiotics or multiple outbreaks can be created.

There is only one way to win: find a cure for four diseases. How to play as a team win or lose everything.

One of the activities of these group games is the way other players often take the game. Make sure this doesn't happen! Your opportunity is just as important as that of others, especially because of the special power that each of you will have.

There's also a Pandemic version of the iPhone or iPad that is less expensive than a board game. If you wish you can download it by clicking on this link.

Better extensions: There are three growing areas, On the brink including the role of Bio Bio Terrorism, Lab and State of Emergency

Details:

• 2-4 players
• Over 8 years
• Current Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: medium

Carrassonne game It starts with one tile (representing a green field, a narrow road and a city edge) in the center of the table.

The goal of each player will be to get the maximum number of points. To do this, they would have to build cities and roads and have control over monasteries and stadiums.

Each player will download the chips from time to time and will have to position them properly on the board so they can join the corners of the stadiums, fields and paths that make them look like the tiles already built on the board.

So that no other player can take the road or palace that we build, we can put any of our pictures on. Of course, there is no other player in the area.

Better extensions: Excellent expansion of this game, in our opinion, Traders and Builders. The piece of construction will allow you to have two consecutive shifts if you craft it. In addition, commercial goods can be obtained, given to people who fill cities.

Inns & Cathedrals is another great place to expand. Another expansion called Princess & Dragon has just come out.

Details:

• 2-5 players
• Over 8 years
• Duration: 30 to 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

At first Blue may seem like a very relaxing board game, but if you upgrade to plan levels then you have to first make deliberate decisions. And of course, the break will be over.

And we don't care, because this game of evocative tile can offer so much more than mental exercise. The tiles are distributed randomly at the "factory" center, and you take turns taking all the factory colors, or disposables, and arrange them in rows on your table. Complete the line and you'll get some points; If you keep the excess, you will be penalized.

It has a great aesthetic and we get a great deal of creative satisfaction when we create crisp color patterns and collection points (something that quickly, and satisfactorily, eventually turns).

But we also love the options of soft but durable techniques in the game, whether you want to finish the lines quickly or concentrate on completing the lines in the right places. And in any case you should always pay attention to the human element.

In

You will have to buy stations, oil (oil, coal, waste, nuclear or renewable energy) and build cities. The more cities you can provide the plants and the more fuel you have, the more money you will earn.

And with the money you get, you can buy more powerful plants, more fuel, and provide even more homes.

Power Grid has some very clever alternatives, including a feed-and-demand system that increases prices when the resource is popular; or certain soft rubber bands provide those who miss the initial selection of new plants and better fuel prices.

The key part of the game is knowing when to move on to success, since taking leadership soon is often punished.

Better extensions: We do not believe this is a game that really needs to be talked about. The standard game comes with two maps: one from Germany and one from the United States.

By going up you can add more countries to the game. Italy for example will make the game more complicated, and France will make it easier. Each additional country will create different game strengths.

Details:

• 2-6 players
• From the age of 12
• Current Time: 120 minutes
• Difficulty: difficult

This is undoubtedly the most economical game And it's easy to move this whole thing. The Love Book is simple, simple and ideal for short game sessions and warm environment.

You will find sixteen cards, a handful of counters, a rule book and a small red bag to keep everything. In these simple ingredients a special reassuring game will be prepared.

The purpose of the game is to end the session with the highest gross card (the highest is the princess, everyone trying to cheat), but there are many sloppy ways to chase your opponents before reaching that point.

Better extensions: There is a premium version of Love Letter, which adds a lot of new cards, such as the killer, which even though it has a value of 0 chases people when they point you to the Guard.

Details:

• 2-4 players
• For over 10 years
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

In King of New York You can control the beast from the movie (King Kong, Godzilla, Robbie the Robot, etc.) and take turns with other players to roll the dice with odd symbols instead of numbers and try to create chaos.

If you take a nail, you can crush some monsters; if hearts, you'll heal them; Take some rays and you'll collect money for the game; roll a monster type on the dice and you'll improve your level by purchasing cards.

It's a fast, easy and surprisingly fast game where the last two monsters hit the limits of health levels.

We recommend The King of New York, although the older version of King of Tokyo is also good, which is much easier when based solely on dice and cards, instead of a board that lets you get around town, as in the case of New York City.

Better extensions: We recommend that you keep the game as it comes. If you're looking for cards for big monsters, consider buying a lost game, since New York-type monsters can be used in Tokyo and vice versa.

There is an extension of each game, with different updates for each beast. This makes the games more durable and (in the eyes of other players) less enjoyable.

Details:

• 2-6 players
• For over 10 years
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: easy medium (King of Tokyo version is simple)

This game (which focuses on boys and girls), tries to build train networks and, like the best board games, has the potential to be a friendly or unhappy cooperative game, it all depends on the nature of the team.

You will start the game by picking up some road cards that will be on your way. Each will name two cities (certainly separate from each other), which you will need to join, in addition to the number of points you will receive to complete the mission.

You will spend this game trying desperately to connect Edinburgh with London, London and Paris, Paris and Brussels, and so on until you have a cheap rail network across the continent.

In the meantime, some other players will even try to build their own sidewalks that will definitely wipe out the parts of the board you really need and force you to twist your lane and depress your mission.

Better extensions: Since the game is light and strong, it is a perfect fit to stretch and add a variety of touches and complexities. We recommend the 1912 expansion adding new location and map changes, in addition to the archives.

Details:

• 2-5 players
• From 8 years
• Duration: 30-60 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

It's a good but difficult game that is quite brutal by nature. Stage is a small forest; Your job is to plant and cultivate trees to catch the sun's rays around the board without being torn down by your rivals.

The sun offers a clean indoor game clock (at the end of its third shift stops playing) and a constantly changing atmosphere.

The most important area, in terms of points, is the center, but obviously this is a very difficult place to find lightning; So there is still risk and reward.

Photosynthesis is easy to take, but it has a lot more depth than you might expect: you can try to avoid other players altogether, leave regions with too high a mark, or focus on growing a small number of plants as tall as possible to block the light of others. And the last thing is that trees get points only when they die, which is a little melancholic.

Details:

• 2-4 players
• From 10 years
• Duration: 30-60 minutes
• Difficulty: easy medium

Before you continue reading about this fun board game, remember that it is currently only available in English. You only need to learn the rules and rules of the game, which you can find by translating on the Internet, if you don't know how to speak English.

Home Deception On The Hill It's an awesome game where you'll have to explore the dark realm. The files of each room are drawn randomly to complete the three-story map.

As you enter each room, an event, item, or card will appear. Each one will start a bad situation that often requires a roll of dice to find out whether the results are good or bad for you.

You will have to work as a team with other players to explore the house and avoid traps. Every time someone pulls a missing book, the prose scene, the twist in history, and the series of tension will be brought straight from horror books and movies.

You will have to deal with the dead through travel, scientific experiments, and endless experiments. They all have a common statistic: there is always a helper that goes inside. Each player receives different rules, so the game can go from one team to the other.

That's why you can't lower your guard: you have to stay alert and try to figure out what the other purpose is and who your partner is.

It's a fun game that will make you have a great time with the company, especially if you are a fan of Horical Classics.

Better extensions: There is currently only one extension available for Betrayal: Widow & # 39; s Walk. This expansion adds new cards and tiles, including a new shape. A great addition with 50 new dyes.

Expansion doesn't change the game's art, but it does add content to the stories that will be enhanced as the plot of each game progresses.

Details:

• 3-6 players
• For over 12 years
• Duration: 60-120 minutes
• Difficulty: medium

The game is surrounded by brilliant gems and Splendor coins, which are fast, light and amazingly competitive card game.

At your home you can take colored jewelry tokens, or use them on cardboard table cards – cards represent jewelry mining, and that will give you a discount on future purchases.

This way your purchasing power gradually increases with the more expensive cards (which gives you win points, as well as the discount) you can reach. Get enough mines and you'll get a & # 39; good management cards & # 39; and multiple points.

Resist the temptation to spend too much time building your credit card engine, which is satisfying but does not give you points for a while. The first one to get 15 points wins, and you'll notice that things quickly turn up fun as one approaches.

Details:

• 2-4 players
• From 10 years
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

This game is great. Celestia has a great design, able to accommodate a team of good size, the game will be quickly investigated and will suddenly feel defeated by a collective decision.

The game takes place on a ship that then cuts the cardboard. At the start of each race the players put their pieces inside, to show that they are in the boat. But as the ship pours out a series of islands, the boats face dangerous dangers (randomly selected by dice) to be defeated by the cards by the captain (one of the players, taking turns).

In each dice line, unarmed passengers have to decide whether they want to jump on the current island, collect a reward, or stay on board and get a big reward on the next island – but risk losing the game, crashing and getting no reward.

It's about trying for fate, and hand-wringing. Does the captain have two pirate cards and a thunderstorm? And you want to live on another island, knowing that it's going to be your turn to be captain?

Details:

• 2-6 players
• From 8 years
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy

Takenoko is in the Emperor's garden and needs players to grow bamboo and face the greedy panda. Your response to the previous sentence may tell you all you need to know about the game.

At each speed you can do two of the five possible things: expand the garden, mow the irrigation drainage, move the garden (you will grow bamboo wherever you place it), move the panda (which will start with bamboo wherever you place it) or Choose a new activity. In the journey you are done by performing four other actions in a certain way, and you will receive points.

We're not sure there is much depth of strategy here, and that there has been a lot of competition in the games we've played. But most importantly it's very friendly, and beautiful to look at. The elements are above the top notch.

To Scottish Yard Game, one of the players will have to play the role of Mr X, an unknown criminal. Some of the other players will be searchers trying to drag and hold the first player.

If the game ends and Mr X is still unavailable, the player acting as a refugee wins the game, although we have been able to confirm this does not happen very often.

The unusual "semi-operative" structure of Scotland Yard is its first title. The second is a clever way when hiding information from multiple players. Investigators move their pieces to the board (map of London), where they will have to pay for the trip by taxi, bus and less than their estimated budget costs.

Mr X goes private, checks the board to see what is his best option (he will have to try to prevent his teammates from seeing when he wants to protect his identity).

Scotland Yard proposes a different game for each play, but it's always full of tension and emotion. The times when refugee escapades seem impossible can be memorable.

Better extensions: No add-ons available.

Details:

• 3-6 players
• From 10 years
• Current Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: medium

There is no doubt that Devir Catan is a producer, which is exactly why many of us are passionate about board games.

The Catan board contains unchanged hexagons that show different types of land. One of these countries produces a particular service. You will need to roll the dice to improve those resources.

For example, if you are in a forest area and you get 6 or 8 you are likely to produce more wood. A 12-mountain plateau may have produced rare minerals.

The purpose of this game is to build roads and villages in all areas, gain control of the most important hexagons and collect points of victory.

Keep in mind that there is something huge at random as everything depends a lot on the number that keeps the dice. However, the game ends up being a very addictive and entertaining activity. It's good to try.

Better extensions: The extension called Seafarers is great because it adds sea slabs to the game board, which can be expanded with ships instead of roads and allows you to generate additional resources.

There is another expansion called City & Knights that is much more technical than this because it changes the style of the game so much that makes everything a little more complicated.

We recommend that you stay away from the 5-6 player expansion as it makes the wait a bit longer for the taste of any player.

Details:

• 3-4 players (can be expanded to 5-6 players in total)
• From 10 years
• Duration: 60-120 minutes
• Difficulty: medium