Board game

A board game is a game for one or more players played with a premarked surface and game counters. This page classifies board games according to the concerns which might be uppermost for someone organizing a gaming event or party. See the article on game classification for other alternatives.

Two-player abstract strategy games Players know the entire game state at all times, and random generators such as dice are not used.

Classic abstract strategy games

• Alquerque
• Go
• Chess
• Checkers
• Gomoku
• Pool Checkers[?]
• Shogi
• Nine Men's Morris
• Mak-yek
• Mancala
• Rithmomachia[?]
• Xiang Qi
• Hnefatafl

Modern abstract strategy games

• Abalone
• Alak
• Amazons
• Andantino
• Arimaa[?]
• Breakthrough
• Chinese checkers
• Connect Four[?]
• Crossings
• Epaminondas
• Fanorona
• Five Field Kono
• Gonnect[?]
• Halma
• Havannah
• Hex
• Kensington
• L Game
• Lines of Action
• Ninuki-renju
• Orbit[?]
• Pente
• Phutball
• Reversi
• Spangles[?]
• Tanbo
• Three Musketeers
• Trax[?]
• TwixT
• Y

Two-player games of chance Luck or hidden information may decide the outcome, but skill predominates.

• Backgammon
• Battleship
• Liu po
• Parchisi
• Senet
• Sugoroku
• Stratego

Multi-player elimination games Participants are typically eliminated before game end.

• Diplomacy
• Monopoly
• Risk
• Titan

Multiplayer games without elimination Everyone can play along to the end. These games are especially suited for mixed play with adults and children.

• Acquire
• Bohnanza[?]
• Can't Stop
• Carcassonne
• Careers[?]
• Civilization
• Clue
• El Grande[?]
• Elfenland
• Euphrat und Tigris
• The Game of Life
• Java
• Kill Doctor Lucky
• Lost Cities[?]
• Pay Day[?]
• Puerto Rico
• Rail Baron
• Settlers of Catan
• Scotland Yard
• Seven Deadly Sins
• Tikal
• Torres[?]

Modern Wargames Accurate simulation of historical or hypothetical battles is an objective.

• Advanced Squad Leader[?]
• Axis & Allies[?]
• France 1940[?]
• Third Reich[?]

Party games A large and variable number of players can compete.

• Apples to Apples[?]
• Articulate[?]
• Balderdash
• Charades
• Outburst[?]
• Pictionary
• Taboo[?]
• Trivial Pursuit

Word games Play revolves around forming letters into words.

• Anagrams
• Boggle
• Scrabble
• Option
• Upwords

Games of physical skill Coordination, finesse, or other physical skills are necessary.

• Caroms[?]
• Crokinole
• Subbuteo[?]

Children's games[?] The rules are easy to learn and the outcome mostly or entirely due to chance.

• Candy Land
• Snakes and ladders
• Ludo
• Sorry[?]

See also: History of Board Games, Solved board games, Computer Olympiad, Card game, Mind sport, Zillions of Games

External links

• BoardGameWiki (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/wiki/) - a wiki dedicated to board games.
• Funagain Games (http://www.funagain.com) - an online retailer; includes short profiles of many propriety games.
• Boardgame Geek (http://www.boardgamegeek.com) - a board gamer community site; includes user reviews, strategies, and session reports.
• The Games Journal (http://www.thegamesjournal.com/) - a boardgaming monthly; good source for in-depth articles about boardgaming.
• Traditional Games (http://www.tradgames.org.uk/) - includes information on classical games.
• International Journal for the Study of Board Games (http://www.boardgamesstudies.org/)
• Boardgame Players Association (http://www.boardgamers.org/) - World Boardgaming Championships

Literature

• The Boardgame Book, USA 1983, Exeter Books
• Sackson, Sid. A Gamut of Games. ISBN 0-486-27347-4
• Schmittberger, R. Wayne. New Rules for Classic Games. ISBN 0-471-53621-0