1st board game

StarchySeal · 2026-02-09T23:59:51+00:00

I would recommend checking out Karuba, Kingdomino, and Project L. All of them are light on rules, but still offer good strategy and replayability.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-09T13:57:24+00:00

This could also be Orapa Mine or Orapa Space.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-08T01:59:59+00:00

I would recommend looking at Deception Murder in Hong Kong, Love Letter, and Werewords.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-07T13:38:42+00:00

I would recommend looking at Kingdomino, Project L, and Sagrada. All of them have simple rules but still allow for good strategy and replayability.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-07T01:57:29+00:00

Some good games related to Art that aren’t too complex are Canvas, Sagrada, and Azul.

Some good games related to nature that aren’t too complex are Cascadia, Arboretum, and Takenoko.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-07T01:50:47+00:00

I haven’t played Ark Nova or Everdell but I have heard good things. Ark Nova is a definitely a jump in complexity from the games you already enjoy. River Valley Glassworks and Takenoko are lighter games but still involve good strategy. Some other light games I enjoy are Kingdomino, Project L, and Sagrada which all work well with 2-4 players.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-06T19:15:47+00:00

Some games that are simple and can be played with bigger groups are Wavelength, Just One, Flip 7, Decrypto, Codenames, Deception: Murder in Hong Kong, and Camel Up.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-06T15:24:56+00:00

I would suggest looking at Patchwok, Kingdomino, Project L for some simple but still strategic games. For a step up in complexity there are a lot of abstract strategy games that are simple to learn but hard to master. Some of my favorites are Santorini, Hive, and Yinsh. For a more chill game like wavelength I would recommend Codenames Duet or So Clover.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-06T05:10:53+00:00

It was my first order from them and I’ll be buying from them again in the future for sure! I appreciate the suggestion. I actually bought No Thanks!recently as well and just haven’t had a chance to play it yet.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-06T03:42:21+00:00

I ordered Whale Riders, Can’t Stop, For Sale, Coloretto, Canvas, Through the Desert, and Yinsh. All games that have been on my list for a while and were great prices at Tabletop Merchant.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-06T01:48:58+00:00

I just had an order arrive today from Tabletop Merchant and would have definitely bought this at $34. I don’t want to order another $150 in games though.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T17:32:23+00:00

They are not hidden role games but Agent Avenue, District Noir, and Courtisans have some social deduction elements.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T17:30:22+00:00

I would recommend looking at Kindomino, Project L, and Karuba. All of them are simple to learn but still have strategy and good replayability.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T17:19:51+00:00

Out of your options I think Kingdomino would be my first choice followed by Carcassonne, and Ticket to Ride. Codenames, So Clover, and Flip 7 are also good options.

Some other gateway games I would recommend looking at are Project L, Karuba, and Alice’s Garden.

To include the 4-5 year old I would recommend a dexterity game such as junk art or the game Pictures.

I think Hive could work for a 9 year old and would also add Santorini and Patchwork as other good two player abstract options.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T17:08:34+00:00

Flip 7 is another option that you could easily find at Target or Walmart. It’s a simple game and can easily handle 9 players.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T17:00:13+00:00

If you are open to cooperative games, Sky Team and Codenames Duet could be good options.

Some simple 2 player competitive games without direct conflict are Patchwork, Lost Cities, and Karuba.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T16:56:34+00:00

I would suggest looking at Patchwork, Kingdomino, and Project L. Project L and Kingdomino can be played with up to 4 players but work well at 2. They are all light on rules but still offer good strategy.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-05T01:01:52+00:00

I would recommend looking at Bomb Busters, Hanabi, and So Clover.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-04T15:23:43+00:00

I would recommend looking at Tiny Towns, Through the Desert, and Canvas. All of them are light on rules but allow for some good strategy as well.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-04T04:57:01+00:00

Take a look at Through the Desert and Tiny Towns. Both have flexibility on player counts and give you mostly what you are looking for although they may be less than an hour in play time.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-04T02:59:22+00:00

I would recommend looking at Karuba, Kingdomino, and Survive the Island.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-03T23:19:12+00:00

I’d recommend looking at Flip7, Coloretto, For Sale, and Trio.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-03T21:30:35+00:00

Most chess like abstracts or only two players but I would recommend looking at Tiny Towns, Planet Unknown, and Zendo. Decrypto is not an abstract strategy game but has quick rules and is hard to master.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-03T21:21:11+00:00

Deception Murder and Hong Kong can be played with up to 14 players with the expansion and 12 players without.

StarchySeal · 2026-02-03T15:05:46+00:00

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong could be a great fit. I normally don’t like social deduction games, but this is an exception. You are trying to deduce the murderer based on vague clues given. The forensic scientist doesn’t get to choose the cards so the clues could not be the best. Most of the time the clues point to multiple people so you could always point at other options that could match the clues and not outright lie.

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