Most newcomers to board games when asked about them would imagine games such as classic Chess, Monopoly, or Scrabble. Occasionally that person may have heard of Catan or Ticket To Ride. Whilst there may be a game out there for everyone, there has been a recent popular rise in demand for more abstract board games.
Abstract board games typically refer to games with perfect information, meaning that luck and randomness rarely factor in during play. Apart from usual crowd favorites such as Chess and Go, other types of games in this genre may appear strange, bizarre, or even weird at first. However abstract board games can train the mind to strategize and use logic more effectively as it encourages critical thinking. Though many are familiar with the classics, newcomers can enjoy fun abstract board game alternatives.
8 Onitama
Onitama is similar to Chess but on a 5X5 board. One could say that it is Chess-lite but with a twist. In Onitama, two opposing martial art schools must face off against one another. Players have 5 units which include 4 disciples and a master. The objective of each side is to either capture the opponent’s master (similar to eliminating the king in Chess) or to have their own master reach the opponent’s master seat.
What makes movements interesting is that each side has 2 cards available to them at the start of the game that determines the pathway. On a player’s turn, that person will move their designated unit according to the pathway of the chosen card and replace that card with a neutral one in the middle. The other player does the same and the game continues until the conditions for victory have been met.
7 Santorini
Though it may look cute and remind people of the beautiful blue-domed rooftops of the Greek island tourist destination, Santorini is a deceptive little abstract gem. Up to 4 players can control worker meeples to build their way to victory. The first player to reach a third story building is the winner but players can only move one story up at a time per turn. This gives rivals the chance to block a victory by placing down a blue-domed rooftop to prevent anyone from claiming victory.
That’s just the basics. Now add Greek god powers to each of those meeples and players will find a whole new depth to the game. Some powers allow meeples to move twice instead of once whereas others can build several things during one turn. Abstract, zany, and with an appealing theme, newcomers will want to play this one over and over.
6 Patchwork
A two-player game where players must compete to make the most high-scoring (and aesthetically pleasing) patchwork quilt. Players must purchase patches using buttons (currency) to fit them onto their quilt in a Tetris-like fashion before their token on the advance board reaches the end.
Although the patches are randomized in the beginning to ensure that a match is never quite the same, all patch pieces can be seen (as well as their cost) by both players, encouraging foresight and planning. Easy to learn and strangely addictive, this entry is an easy choice for newcomers to the genre of abstract gaming.
5 YINSH
In an abstract game reminiscent of Reversi, two opposing players will deploy rings in the attempt to flip their opponent’s rings to their color. To win, players must attempt to create a row of 5 markers of their color face up. By doing so, they can remove one of their rings and the player who removes 3 rings is the victor.
That said, the more rings a player removes, the ‘weaker’ the player becomes as the game becomes more difficult for them making victory all the more difficult. Very tricky indeed.
4 Photosynthesis
A beautiful game involving multicolored trees vying for limited space to grow within a forest. Up to 4 players compete against each other by planting their seeds within the forest grounds whilst the sun revolves around the center. As sunlight is required for the seeds and trees to grow, strategically placing one’s trees can potentially block opponents attempting to grow their trees as well.
A green strategy abstract game that is gorgeous, straightforward to learn but cutthroat, this game is ideal for those that enjoy pretty things and like to bury their adversaries in the soil.
3 Kemet
Slightly different from the rest of the entries, Kemet is a wargame set in mythological Ancient Egypt that is similar to Risk. However, how this game differs from Risk is that the game encourages players to attack one another to control strategic points. One can say this game makes players ‘Kemet’ to the offensive. These strategic points allow players to harness powers as well as purchase stronger buffs and units to deploy on future turns.
Kemet also doesn’t include dice. Instead, when players enter combat, they will combine their army strength with a selection of cards that will determine what stance and damage they will do against an enemy. The catch is that all players have the same combat cards and it’s a matter of deducing what the opponent will play and when. Once a player uses a particular card, it is out of commission until all the others have been used upon which, the set of combat cards are reshuffled back into a player’s hand. A great game that scores points for its theme, combat, and power abilities though it requires some commitment to learn.
2 Mysterium
A cooperative game whereby one player acts as a ghost attempting to commune with the other players and inform them of how it died. However, the ghost cannot speak and must instead relay information through ambiguous dream-like cards at its disposal. The cards represent visions in which the other players must correctly deduce the person, place, and weapon used to murder the ghost.
With a surreal and whimsical theme, newcomers will be thrilled to make all the wrong choices only to come back for more. The game can play up to 7 people and it is recommended that the ghost be a player who is familiar with the game as that player leads the experience.
1 NMBR 9
In Nmbr 9, players will stack numbers in a grid-like fashion on top of each other to score points, the higher the level the number is on, the more points one will score. Players will draw cards and place tiles until the deck is finished. So a zero stacked on each other will always score zero whilst a 3 number 8s on top of one another will give you 24 points (8X3 is 24 if one can’t math).
Though sounding complicated, the game is very straightforward and super easy to learn making it a family favorite in some households and a quick game to pass the time.