Entertaining

New and classic board games to suit every personality type

Published: July 22, 2016 Updated: June 18, 2022
A Boggle board.
For the word nerd: Boggle

Though Boggle is just a simple word-search game from the 70s, it still holds up against even the most innovative modern games. The race against the timer keeps each round exciting, and it's not uncommon for a game of Boggle to get fiercely competitive. Trust us, there's no better feeling than finding the "habitual" hidden among all the "hits" and "hats."

Game charater cards, box, and cardboard coins
For the compulsive liar: Coup

Coup is a card game in the hugely popular Resistance Trilogy. In a post-apocalyptic society, you struggle to gain control by eliminating your competitors, which is mostly done achieved through assassinating them or getting them to botch their attempts to assassinate you. The key to the game is bluffing. The game's card depict characters, but if you want to pretend to have a character that's not in your hand, it's perfectly acceptable. However, if you get called out for your lie, you'll lose a card. This game breeds a hilarious level of distrust and paranoia, so after a tense game, you might have to hug it out.

Telestrations
For the artist: Telestrations

Telestrations is a twist on two classic games, Pictionary and Telephone, and it combines the best parts of both. To begin, each player is given a word or phrase to draw in one minute. When everyone has drawn their picture, they pass it to the next player, who must write down what they believe the drawing depicts. Then the phrase is passed to the next person, who draws it, and around it goes. This is one of those games you almost don't want</I to win because, as in Telephone, the mix-ups and moments of confusion are what lead to the most bizarre and hilarious ideas.

People acting out charades
For the ham: Reverse Charades

In Reverse Charades, instead of one person trying to act out phrases for several people, several people act out phrases for one person. Each round lasts sixty seconds, and during the round, the team tries to help one member guess as many words as they can. The team that gets the most words correct wins. You've probably seen members of your family jumping around and gesturing furiously before, but it's never been so fun.

Kids playing Twister
For the person who just can't sit still: Twister

Right hand...red! Left foot...Green! If you grew up playing Twister, these phrases are probably burned into your memory. This one is great for kids who can't sit through a game of Go Fish, let alone something more substantial. It's probably the only board game that you're more likely to win if you do yoga.

People playing Anomia
For the chronic interrupter: Anomia

Name a hairstyle. Or a breed of dog. Easy, right? After playing Anomia, you may not be sure. Anomia is a deceptively simple card-based game—and after a few rounds, you may wonder whether all the trivia your brain has been storing since childhood was accidentally deleted. The goal of the game is to be the first to name an example of a category. The catch is, you only face off against someone if you each put down a card with a matching symbol. This means you must vigilantly scan constantly-changing symbols, all while trying to remember flavours of doughnut. This results in a lot of blurted out answers, incomprehensible shouts, and attempts to interrupt your competitors—and a lot of fun.

Game of Thrones board
For the fantasy nerd: A Game of Thrones

This game is a tie-in with the massively book and television series, but it's not just an empty piece of marketing. The Game of Thrones board game stands on its own as a highly entertaining and deeply satisfying war game. The players play as the Houses of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, each trying to gain control of the iron throne. Strategy, negotiation, and a bit of chance all factor into who claims victory in this epic battle game. If you love Risk, but want to switch it up and try something new, A Game of Thrones is your answer.

Game board and cards
For the pacifist: Pandemic

Most board games involve trying to crush your opponents under your mighty fists, but if you're not into competition, Pandemic is a completely collaborative game that still has high stakes and requires a lot of strategic thought. Each player has unique abilities, but only through planning and cooperation can you use those abilities to stop a deadly virus from destroying humanity. No pressure!

Breaking out a board game is a classic cottage pastime, and there has never been a better time to be a board game enthusiast than right now. Despite the popularity of cellphone games, streaming TV, and highly sophisticated video gaming systems, board games are experiencing a huge resurgence. There’s just something special about getting together with family and friends to hang out, crack jokes, and engage in a little friendly (or heated) competition—no screens, required.

These days, the only problem with sitting down to play a board game is choosing which one to play. There are so many options out there, it can be tough to know which games will suit your players best. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best games, old and new, for every personality type. Whichever of these games you choose, fun is pretty much guaranteed.

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