Boredom brings new life to the idea of bored … err … board games. And being financially broke, which many often are in college, equals boredom. Should these struggle scenarios arrive, it is often helpful to stock your college apartment with a varied collection of boardgames. Here are some of the best games to give the ol’ “dustaroo.”
7 Wonders
A deep-strategy game, but a simple play, 7 Wonders consists of three “ages”. In each age, players get seven cards. They take turns picking a card to build in each turn. Once a card has been chosen, you pass your hand to the next player. Each player also knows what choices the next player will have in the next round. This adds a layer of strategy — but without complicating gameplay at all.
Battlestar Galactica
Obviously any fan of the series should have this gem stashed away. For three – seven players, but best played at four. Complex compared to most board games you know, it’s a cooperative game at heart, but one or two people are not on your side. Who they are is a mystery (until they reveal themselves) and there is always suspicion in the air.
The goal for Humans: players is to escape from Cylons by jumping a set number of times. The goal for Cylons: is to defeat humans.
Smallworld
Like Risk but with less chance, Smallworld pits 2-5 players players against each other with relying on tactics for success. If you have more units, you win! The aim is to collect the most gold by taking over and controlling areas on the board. Players take over areas by using a larger number of people than your opponent has. This takes almost all risk out of the game.
There are two features that make Smallworld replayable. The race you are with grants you special abilities. These abilities come from two sources. The race itself has a special ability – Humans gain an extra gold for farmlands they control – and you also receive a special power token – Commando allows you to conquer any area with one less unit.
Special abilities and races are shuffled and paired together. In one game, you may choose Commando Humans, in another you may get Merchant Humans. This changes the way you play, so you can’t use the same tactics over and over.
The other feature adds a lot of depth, allowing players to make races decline. If you’ve spread your forces thin, you can choose to decline your race and choose a new one. This has benefits and drawbacks, choosing the right time to decline could win you the game – each player usually declines 1-3 times.
Pandemic
Pandemic is a completely cooperative game which is great for the less competitive ones among us. You live together, you die together!
The goal in pandemic is to fight off a deadly virus which is spreading fast. You’ll band together to travel to population centers, treat the infected, discover a cure and build research stations. In addition, each player has a unique ability which should be utilized to stave off the virus which is no easy task.
The Golden City
The Golden City is a strategy/adventure game for three to four players. You start our as settlers who’ve come to an island with a golden city at the center. The goal is to establish yourself as a trader and get access to the coveted golden city itself.
During the game, you’ll settle on specific areas on the game board which will grant you resources and points. Each round has a sub-goal that – when met – will award the player additional points. To expand, players will need to use your auctioning skills to grab the best tiles and use them to settle on specific areas.
If none of these unique games can pop your boredom bubble, Monopoly, Life, Chutes and Ladders, Battleship or Balderdash never get old!
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