Top 5: Games to Play

Here are a few of my favorite games. My personal player-preferences are biased toward tile placement and cooperative play. My play over the last few years has been mainly games that my husband and I can play after the kids are in bed, or ones we play with our kids. My kids are still young gamers (5 and 7 at the time of writing), so the kids’ games reflect that dynamic.

Cooperative play

1. 1. Pandemic
2. 2. Forbidden Desert
3. 3. Forbidden Skies (I still haven’t won this one…)
4. 4. Shadows over Camelot
5. 5. Castle Panic

Playing with kids

1. 1. Carcassonne Hunters & Gatherers (we’re using the adult version with some simplifications)
2. 2. Outfoxed
3. 3. Dragon’s Breath
4. 4. Tsuro
5. 5. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

2-Player version playability

1. 1. Call to Adventure
2. 2. Tokaido
3. 3. Eldersign
4. 4. Codenames (or Codenames Duet)
5. 5. 7 Wonders

Fantasy themed

1. 1. Call to Adventure
2. 2. Lords of Waterdeep
3. 3. Mice & Mystics
4. 4. Gloomhaven
5. 5. Castles of Mad King Ludwig (okay, not strictly speaking “fantasy,” but the castles are pretty fantastical)

Fast(ish) play

1. 1. Numbr9
2. 2. Sushigo
3. 3. Tsuro
4. 4. Cribbage
5. 5. Set

There are so many wonderful games out there…I know I’ve missed your favorites. What are your favorite games to play? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!

This summer In All Things is light-heartedly including recommendations, tips, and joys that we would love to share with you, readers, in the format of Top Five Fridays, switching up our themes each week.