Top Board Games For Novice Players

All of us have to start somewhere. No matter whether you’re looking for a gift for a friend, getting into the hobby yourself, or everything in between – finding the right game to create a collection is a tough one.  

So, here are eight of our favourite beginner-friendly games that play well, are easy to teach, and bring a lot of repeat fun to your table.  

Starting with- 

One of the biggest obstacles for new players is the theme. Some players may not like knights, spaceships, or monsters. But everyone can understand chowing down on a bunch of sushi. A lightweight classic, SGP asks players to draft their batches of sushi and collect sets and bonuses to get the most points. With cartoony graphics and simple rules (“take one and pass”), SGP is effortless to teach and scales all the way to 8 players, with the sweet spot sitting at around 4 – 5 individuals. Add an absolute mess of sushi types and your group can increase the challenge, add considerations, or take advantage of a surprisingly deep strategy. Order a sushi feast from your nearest restaurant and watch the game sing.

As with the previous entry on the list, letting people ‘get’ what a game is about can make teaching and initial play so much easier. With this, you just have to say three words: “racing with camels”. Now in its second edition, Steffen Bogen’s Spiel-winning game has players placing bets on what camels they think are going to win a particular leg of a race, or the derby itself. Coming complete with gorgeous components, the game has a wonderful sense of tactility as you pop dice from a 3D pyramid, stack wooden camels, and pick up chunky coins and betting slips to leave strewn across your gaming table. Add in the latest version’s addition of ‘rogue camels’ and the game is an absolute joy for all the family.

Discovering new genres and play opportunities is one of the greatest joys of starting out in boardgaming. And when it comes to trying co-op play, there are few options better than Flashpoint. Now celebrating its tenth birthday, the game’s simple play keeps things fresh. Players play as firemen working together to rescue survivors from a burning building. This involves extinguishing fires, helping victims, or gently picking your way through the property. Rewarding decisive play, the game teaches the value of teamwork and communication. And once you’ve got the basic game beat, you can switch to the ‘expert’ variant and deal with randomization, fire events, or pick up any of the eight modular expansions that can help continue to add value to your play.  

Another co-op classic from the mind of Antoine Bauza, this lightweight marvel is perfect for up to seven players and is guaranteed to bring your table to grins and groans. Taking a distinct anime approach to the Kurosawa classic, Samurai Spirit sees you and your friends playing as the noble samurai guarding their village against invading forces. Played over three turns, your group draws from a deck of villains and decides to fight, protect the village, or protect a friend – letting the baddies pass. Before long, the game dissolves into a glorious debate where you try to figure out how to manage your resources and deal with the boss characters, sacrifice parts of the tow, and if it’s better to die so that the people are saved. Simple, clean, and undeniably moreish. It’s a fantastic pick. 

Want to put on a murder mystery night that’s actually fun? Published by Libellud and coming with a fantastic presentation, Mysterium repurposes mechanics first found in Dixit and asks players to catch a killer using psychic clues. In practical terms, this involves being given visions (cards) by the ghost player and trying to narrow down the list of suspects to a killer. While this does involve a little bit of stewardship on the part of the ghost player, this is a fantastic introduction to the range of options that boardgaming represents. And with two expansions that add new cards and wrinkles to play, it’s the perfect pick for a group that likes to solve the odd mystery or three. 

Just a lovely introduction to two-player gaming in a box. Jaipur puts you in the fine boots of two rival merchants, using guile and tactics to buy and sell items at the best price possible – letting players pick up bonuses for certain sets or snap up ‘wild’ camels to get the most points possible. Playing quickly and an absolute dream to teach, Jaipur’s friendly design and beautiful color scheme make it a fantastic choice for players of all ages and backgrounds. Throw in a tiny physical footprint and budget price-point and it’s an absolute no-brainer.  

That started it all. The hobby’s first deck build, Dominion is a feather-light game of optimization and engine building with an astonishing level of depth under the hood. Letting you play as a landed noble building his real, play involves buying and selling components for your castle with the aim of purchasing the victory points you need to win. Except, these gum up your hand and you’re aiming for efficiency. Throw in a wealth of expansions that can beef up your favorite game elements, Dominion is the perfect pick for newcomers and leaves more than enough space to grow in a way that works for your interests.  

Ok – we’d be the first to admit that this may not be the spiciest pick. But bear with us. Recognizable theme? Check. Simple but rewarding rules? Check. Highly replayable thanks to randomization and mass of expansions? Checkity check. Quick to play and moreish in a way that defies description, KB is the perfect next step after Catan and avoids much of the complexity and intimidation factor of more complex games. An ideal lightweight euro with enough randomization to level the playing field for all ages and confidence levels, this is a solid starting point for any would-be gamer. And for those that are confident that the game will go down well – then look no further than the Big Box.  

What board games would you recommend for new players? Tell us in the comments!