Staff Picks: Check Out These Cool Board Games from AADL!
by eapearce
Did you know that AADL offers board games for checkout? You can peruse a wide variety of popular—and more obscure—games in our collection and take some home to try out! Not sure where to start? Read on for some of our suggestions!
Ticket To Ride | Request Now
The object of this game, which can support two to five players, is to complete train routes across the United States to earn points faster than your opponents complete their own routes. To start, players draw route cards dictating what routes they must attempt to build, then strategize the most efficient way to accomplish completing the routes. Players can always draw more route cards as the game goes on—but beware: points are lost for routes not completed! The premise is made more fun by building routes that get in other players’ way, stealing routes or positions from other players, and trying to hit particular cities as you build your routes. Though it takes a little bit to become super skilled at the game, most players over the age of ten or so can learn in fifteen minutes or less.
Carcasonne | Request Now
Set in southern France, this classic game involves placing tiles with various features on them including cities, roads, bridges, cloisters, farmland and more. Players then place small figures, called “meeples,” strategically around the growing board as farmers, robbers, knights or monks, claiming different parts of the territory as more tiles are placed. Once a certain area is “completed,” meaning it is cut off from other areas by an encircling road or edge of the board, players score points with the meeples they have in that area. Although Carcasonne can certainly get intense based on the personalities playing, it can also be a very gentle, family-friendly game and the scenery is lovely.
Sushi Go! | Request Now
This is a fun, fast-paced card game played with adorable, brightly colored kawaii-esque sushi cards. The goal is to build the best, most delicious sushi out of items that whiz by you in the game as players pass cards around the table. What’s particularly fun is that there are lots of different strategies to make that yummy sushi! You can make the greatest number of maki rolls, complete a full set of sashimi with all of the fresh fish options or add dipping sauces to your rolls to increase their value. This can be played with two to five players, but is definitely most fun with four or five! Great for kids, too!
Codenames | Request Now
Codenames is a fun, social game with a simple premise but challenging gameplay with technically no limit to the number of players that can participate. 50 cards with single words on them are laid out in five rows of ten on the table or floor. Players divide into two teams and one “secret agent” is chosen from each team. The two agents then look at a special card that details to them which of the words on the grid belong to them. The agents then have to come up with a word that describes one or more of the words that belong to them on the board, with the number of words it applies to following. For example, if one of the agents had the words “tree, “spinach,” and “frog,” the agent might give the clue “green for 3” to their team. The first team to correctly guess all their words wins—but be careful! There is an assassin word on the grid and if the team guesses that, they automatically lose! This is a great game for larger groups and for folks who like word games.
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