Warhammer 40k

Warhammer 40000 is a miniature board game based on dice rolling. Players use painted miniatures representing futuristic combat units. Groups of these miniatures comprise armies that are used to fight against other armies of other players. The players choose a battle scenario and play on a table without a board. Miniatures are moved physically on the board according to the game rules.

The game itself is considered a form of art in terms of painting the miniatures. Out-of-the box miniatures come unpainted, and most players spend a great deal of time painting them (which is a rather long and detailed procedure) to greatly enhance their looks. Painting the Warhammer 40k miniatures is not mandatory for playing the game but it makes the battlefields during the actual play look a lot better.


Each miniature of Warhammer 40k has its own statistics that determine its power and abilities in combat. Actions take place based on dice rolls according to a complex amount of rules. Terrain also plays an important role in the outcome of combat and the game's publisher has released several terrains appropriate for combat. The distance between units also plays a role in the outcome of combat, therefore rulers are being used during the game.

Ratings:

Fun factor: Very High. The complexity of the game along with a great variety of units and miniatures make it extremely funny to play. Warhammer 40k players tend to spend many hours playing each time they gather.

Cost: High - Very High. There are a lot of miniature sets available and buying those miniatures as well as the appropriate paint costs a great deal of money for a board game. Thus the game appeals mostly on collectors.

Complexity: Medium - High. The rules are straightforward in general but there are many exceptions one has to learn to play correct.

Duration: Varies depending on the scenario and the amount as well as the experience of players

Replayability: Very high. Customization of terrain along with the large amount of available miniatures offer endless possibilities.

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The Settlers of Catan!

The Settlers of Catan is an astonishing game that you can enjoy during your stay at home. Four players, a board that represents an island, a card repository, a black pawn, two dice and there you go! The purpose of the game is to build villages, cities and roads, and expand your territory in order to reach a specific amount of points which makes you a winner.

Use the land materials wood,stone,wheat and wool that you get from the hexagons that produce them, in order to build, exchange them with your opponents, trade with the bank and ports that are near your buildings. But beware...the thief might take half of your goods when a seven is rolled on the dice! A very enjoyable, interesting board game to spend one and a half our with your friends and family.

View more photos from our last playing session.

Ratings:

Fun factor: High. The players' interest rises as soon as many points are gathered and they reach the winning level. Dice rolls can completely change the outcome quickly.

Cost: Normal. The price is pretty standard for board games of this type.

Complexity: Medium. Someone has to play it 2-3 times in order to learn the rules well and play quickly.

Duration: 60-120 minutes. It depends of how experienced the players are. Occasionally dice rolls can prolong the game.

Replayability: High. Random distribution of tiles on each game completely changes the strategy needed to win.

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Jeopardy!

"Jeopardy!" is a very popular american TV quiz game testing the players for their knowledge in a variety of topics. Unlike traditional question games, the clues in "Jeopardy!" are the answers, and the players have to find the corresponding questions.

Jeopardy! gained worldwide hype this past few weeks after a competition between IBM's supercomputer Watson against the best human Jeopardy! players. More than a decade after the battle between "Deep Blue" and Garry Kasparov over a chess match, a machine wins again over humans. Watson's superior artificial intelligence along with several Terabytes of data helped him prevail over two Jeopardy! champions.

The popularity of the TV show has led to the development of several other versions of it, including PC and console games as well as board games that can be used to experience the game at home with your friends.

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Monopoly and variants

Monopoly is perhaps the most well-known board game around the world. It is named after the economic concept of monopoly, which refers to a single entity dominating a market. The origin of the game concept can be traced at early 20th century, but its modern version appeared on the 1970s.

Monopoly takes place on a specially designed board that contains property squares which represent valuable entities a player can buy and use to make money. Most of these entities are areas or streets, depending on the game version. Some squares can be also railway stations or other public companies. Players move around the board (using a pawn representing them) and can buy areas they land at, if they are still unclaimed. Players can also buy houses or hotels in some of the areas they own to increase their profits. If the pawn lands in an area that another player owns, some rent must be paid. If there are houses or hotels, the rent is substantially higher. Finally there are some chance cards that enrich the game with random effects. If a player runs out of cash and properties he is eliminated. The last one standing wins! Detailed information about the game can be found here.

The game has countless fans all over the world that spend a lot of time playing it. It is especially popular among families, helping kids to learn how to perform money transactions in the process. Due to its popularity, a large amount of variations has been created to make it more interesting. Many people believe that monopoly is the king of board games.

Ratings:

Fun factor: Medium. Game can be quite funny, especially the first few times playing it. However after a few rounds it gets a bit monotonous. It is arguably a rather luck-based game, though it still allows for strategic decisions.

Cost: Low. Everything needed to play is conveniently sold in one package. There are tons of monopoly variations one can find.

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Complexity: Low. Monopoly is easy to learn, 1-2 games are enough to get a feel for it.

Duration: 10-15 minutes to setup. Each round lasts 1-3 hours.

Replayability: Low-Medium. After a few play throughs, the same situations appear again and again. House rules can help alleviate this problem. More complex versions of monopoly are substantially better in this regard.

Werewolf (Mafia or the night falls at Palermo)

Werewolf is a party game suitable for a somewhat large group of people. It originated in Russia (first appeared in the late 80s).

In werewolf, the players are split in two teams. One team consists of the werewolves (or mafia) and the other consists of innocents. The werewolves (who know each other) try to kill all the innocents while the innocents aim to discover the werewolves (with the help of some among themselves that have some information or possess special powers) and do away with them. Depending on the number of people playing the game, various roles can be assigned to enhance the gameplay and make it more complex. 



The game is extremely fun if played well. It is a mix of accusations, assumptions and even risky decisions for players of both groups. Using additional roles can alter the strategy needed to win a lot. It is very cheap to set up - the only thing needed is few pieces of paper with roles written on them (usually playing cards are being used). The game can be played anywhere.

Complete instructions on how to play Werewolf can be found in wikipedia, as well as information about how the game was created and became popular.

Ratings:

Fun factor: Medium-High (assuming people are familiar with the rules and follow them!)
Cost: Free
Complexity: Low-Medium. It may take some time to get used to each role and how to play it well.
Duration: Depends on playing style and number of players. Each round typically lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Replayability: High. Large amount of possible roles that people assume taking turns makes each game quite different.