14 great games on Board Game Arena
I've gone diving in the sea of turn-based board games.
Not so long ago, playing board games online held little appeal for me. Tabletop Simulator and Board Game Arena had nothing to offer, really. I understood the value for others, but for me? I would rather have played a game physically, sitting around a table with friends.
This isn’t to say that my preference in that regard has changed. I would still almost always rather play games at the table, engaging with my friends directly. There’s a joyful quality in spending time with others, and that can’t easily be erased.
But while my preference remains intact, my desire to play games in virtual environments has changed. I’ve moved recently, and I’ve had friends and family move, too. It’s the way of things, and it’s been nice to not let that get in the way of spending some time together.
Of course, there are some factors that might have changed my tune a little bit, too, aside from an ever-lengthening distance. The array of games on Board Game Arena has grown considerably, and owing in part to its Asmodee ownership, there are plenty of very recognizable games there, too. (For example: I just started a turn-based game of Ticket to Ride there.)
If you’re looking to expand your game playing into the virtual realm with Board Game Arena, there are two things you must consider. First, are you interested in playing turn-based games or real-time games? (Or both?) If you’re playing turn-based games, how often are you able to take a turn? Once a day? That’s totally fine! There are tables out there for you, or you can create one yourself and let others filter in if they’re interested. Or, if you know somebody you’d like to play with (hint, hint), you can invite them to a table, too.
If you’re instead playing real-time games, make sure you’ve set aside the time to play the game to completion. I’ll be recommending a slew of games that work well turn-based, but there are so many more to play, and playing them real-time would be a considerably better experience than playing once a day. (Still, it’s always an option!)
10 great competitive turn-based games on Board Game Arena
My favorite turn-based game on Board Game Arena right now is probably Can’t Stop, a push-your-luck game in which you’re rolling four six-sided dice, splitting them into two groups, then advancing on columns numbered 2 through 12 according to the sums of the pairs. If you’re satisfied just moving forward a little bit, you can stop. But if you’d like to push forward despite the odds being against you, you absolutely can do that, and that’s what makes this game great. It’s particularly good on BGA because there’s no context you need to carry from turn to turn. The board contains all the information you need to know — except, of course, your appetite for risk. Designed by Sid Sackson.
7 Wonders is a classic drafting game in which you’re constructing stages of a wonder of the world and assembling an empire of cards. It works well on BGA because you can get a fair few people in a game (up to 7!) and the wait between turns is still only as long as the slowest player at the table. Simultaneous drafting allows turn-based play to shine. Designed by Antoine Bauza.
Azul is an abstract strategy game in which you’re drafting tiles to place on your board, earning points at the end of each round for the way you’ve placed said tiles. It works particularly well on BGA because each turn is very short and requires little context. Unlike some abstract games, in which you might be able to plan several turns ahead, I don’t love to plan too far ahead in this one. Too many times, I’ve made a plan and had it immediately foiled because somebody selected the tiles I wanted — and then my backup option was picked up, too. When you’re removed from your previous turns, it becomes easier to just make the current best option. Designed by Michael Kiesling.
River Valley Glassworks has only recently hit Kickstarter, but I’ve been playing it for weeks now after published Allplay released the game on Board Game Arena. I’ve become pretty familiar with this little drafting game in which you’re placing tiles on a single space on a river matching that piece’s shape, then collecting tokens from one of the two adjacent spaces along the river. Those pieces you collect go on your board, and you’ll gain points for having fairly uniform numbers of tokens in various colors, as well as for having many of one color. The colors are not all equally easy to find, so the game will test you on your ability to plan ahead. Like Azul, this one works well in that you’re incentivized to not plan too far ahead — you’ll inevitably miss something useful if you do. Designed by Adam Hill, Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle.
Two-player abstract strategy games are particularly strong options for online play as a result, and I’ve played several of them with several good friends from Salt Lake. Some games I’ve enjoyed include:
boop., a game in which kittens and cats push each other off beds as you try to place three cats in a row. The trouble is, the cats push each other around constantly, so the game ends up feeling chaotic and funky. I like it. Designed by Scott Brady.
Hive has players placing various bug tiles, each type of which has different abilities, in an effort to surround the other player’s queen bee. I’ve played a lot of this game, and I’m still sort of figuring out the strategy. I’m not very good. Challenge me to it if you’d like to win. (I do really enjoy it!) Designed by John Yianni.
Donuts is all about connecting five of your donuts in a row. When a donut is placed in a position, that position determines where the next donut can be placed. Plus, if you sandwich your donut between the opposing player’s donuts, you’ll flip all their donuts to actually be yours, instead. It’s neat, and it makes me hungry. Designed by Bruno Cathala.
In Quantik, you’re trying to position four different shapes on a 4x4 grid in a row, column or 2x2 sub-section of the grid. It doesn’t matter which player’s pieces are there, only that you are the person who placed the last one. Designed by Nouri Khalifa.
Santorini is about building those really lovely blue-topped Greek homes. You win if you reach the third level of a building, but can you get there before your opponent caps it? Designed by Gord!.
That Time you Killed Me is a game that needs to be played to really grasped. It casts itself as a time-traveling game, and I think that’s accurate enough, but in a way, it’s sort of like a three-dimensional chess-like game. Ensure your opponents aren’t on two of the three dimensional planes, and you’ll win. It’s real neat. Real weird. Designed by Peter C. Hayward.
Four great cooperative games on Board Game Arena
Burgle Bros is one of my absolute favorite cooperative games. In this one, you’re trying to rob a bank (or other sort of secured facility) while avoiding security guards. It’s full of twists and turns that reveal themselves as you explore the multi-floor building. It plays particularly well virtually, and I’m always quite happy to play it. Designed by Tim Fowers.
Daybreak is one of the hottest new cooperative games, and it’s really compelling. You’re all playing as a different segment of the world attempting to stop or even reverse climate change, which you’ll do by playing a variety of cards in one of five stacks in your area, with some cards getting better based on the symbols of the cards underneath it. The BGA adaptation explains the game well. As play is simultaneous and tends to take a few minutes for a turn, it works particularly well, as you’re never waiting for three or four turns before you’re given the chance to take yours. Designed by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace.
Pandemic is simply the classic cooperative game, but it sometimes gets a bit of stick for requiring a bit of upkeep — drawing cards, placing cubes, trying to jog your 9th grade geography lessons out of cold storage, that sort of thing. This really eases that, because the game really does handle everything for you. Designed by Matt Leacock.
Sky Team really has captured my attention of late, as you might have noticed by my having written about it last week. I won’t go into two much depth here, but the BGA adaptation requires just a minute of your time. Spread that throughout the day, and you’ve got yourself a perfect cooperative diversion. Designed by Luc Rémond.
Tips and tricks for getting the most out of Board Game Arena
Two player games are an excellent option. There’s a reduced time between games, and it’s a great chance for some one-on-one time with a bud.
Games with low context and an easy visual read of information will be much easier to step back into after a day away. Give yourself the best opportunity to understand the game.
Card games are great on BGA — but I think they’re best when you’re playing real-time. There are so many trick-taking games there, and I love playing them, but playing a card a day is not for the faint of heart. That’s doubly true for partnership games. (Still: I’ve really liked The Crew, Cheez Tricks, Yokai Septet, 12 Chip Trick and Crisps. Even more great games are in alpha right now.)
Games where play happens simultaneously are excellent on the platform, and it can really reduce the amount of downtime.
Thank you, as always, for joining me here! I hope the week’s been a good one. If you want to play games on BGA — well, just send me an invite. I’ll be there. Next week: Replacing Catan in your collection.
Bookmarking this. Thank you.