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Christmas is just two-weeks away and it’s time to dust off those classic board games. But if you fancy something new, here you’ll find our list of the best family board games. We’ve made sure to include games that have got something for both the kids and adults to enjoy. And we’ve made sure not to include the hell that is Monopoly (although we have tips on how to win Monopoly if you’re interested). Construct a glorious empire with special tiles and resources Build a kingdom of aeons using nothing more than a handful of dominos.
Slide Quest also requires a surprising amount of communication between players, with everyone needing to occasionally stop what they’re doing and discuss who needs to do what next. All this collaboration makes for a very effective family bonding exercise and could do a lot to bring everyone together - if only for an hour or so. Publisher Plaid Hat Games is renowned for adventure board games about flights of fantasy, with Stuffed Fables being perhaps its most family-friendly example. Unlike the slightly denser and darker dungeon-crawler Mice and Mystics - which is still one of the best modern board games around - Stuffed Fables keeps the gameplay lighter and the tone far more whimsical. In Stuffed Fables players take control of a brave band of cute little stuffed animals as they attempt to rescue their owner from the clutches of a devious villain. But they’ll have to use every inch of bravery as they encounter menacing foes and any number of dangers in their quest to save the day.A beautiful game about caring for lovable pandas and growing them delicious bamboo Any game is better with pandas. Takenoko is no exception. The first thing you might notice about Slide Quest are the funny little plastic handles attached to each side of the game’s box, these are what the players will be using to move their little hero figure across the board. Unlike in Flip ‘em Up! - another fantastic dexterity board game that involves artful sliding - Slide Quest has its players controlling the board rather than moving the actual character token.
Escape from Atlantis hits that perfect blend of desperation and strategy, working to get hold of a lifeboat while evading the threats around you. But there's not enough boats to go around. You can try swimming - anything's possible, I guess - but your chances are far better if you can find some sort of vehicle, so players will be battling for the few boats available, adding another layer of strategy. It's a solid set of mechanics that leads to good-length games that never stop being boring. The game’s fast playing time and fantastic components are only let down by the fact the dominos and dice come in a box that is both overly big and pretty rubbish, with an egg box-style insert. In a nice fabric bag or the right compact travel case, this could be an essential travel game for a frantic few minutes. For us, it’s worth the extra bit of effort. Stuffed Fables is a wonderful introduction to adventure board games that remains enchanting whether you’re young, old or something in-between. One day a wandering ninja—calling himself Master Meow—entered Phee Lion’s temple and challenged him to a game of Clawfuku. The loser of this contest would be cast into exile forever. Master Meow had developed a technique he called, “The Cobra Paw”. With this technique, Phee Lion was defeated —happiness and many good things returned to the land. Although countless opponents have challenged Master Meow throughout his life, none came close to defeating him. To this day, Cobra Paw tournaments are held to honor the legacy of Master Meow, and it is believed that if one can master the Cobra Paw technique, Master Meow will rise again…A restoration of the original game created in the 80s, Fireball Island is a rip-roaring exploration game designed to evoke adventure stories like Indiana Jones, with players escaping traps and scooping up treasure from jungle temples. Stones may be snatched from the common pool or from other players. Snatching must be done with the fingers, not the whole paw. It is considered shameful to cover the stone with one’s paw. Defeat dark wizards, learn ancient magic and pass exams in this excellent licensed game Hogwarts Battle rises above other licensed tie-in games to become something truly special. A few optional variants provide some variety, but there’s little need to overegg what is at heart a very basic but simply enjoyable crowdpleaser. No wonder they put a cat on the front.
Kids just love How to Train Your Dragon, don’t they? And what do those films have apart from dragons? Vikings. Which is why Valley of the Vikings is sure to be a hit with younger audiences. As for adults? Well, bowling seems to be a fairly popular activity regardless of your age and Valley of the Vikings has its fair share of rolling balls. A narrative odyssey set in a fairytale world A spirited game with an emphasis on narrative, story time was never so much fun. Enter a galaxy of endless possibilities in Stars Wars: Unlimited! In this fast-paced, easy-to learn trading card game, you and your opponent face off in exciting head-to-head battles full of iconic Star Wars characters. Colourbrain is a very kid-friendly game, but one that'll still give adults a run for their money. The actual nature of it couldn't be simpler - just a series of questions about colours, in which you'll have to spend cards to answer. What colour is Mr Bump? What shade is the lid on a Marmite jar? Are you sure? Think hard, the match might depend on it. Players must snatch with just one paw. A combatant may roll with one paw and snatch with the other, however, two-paw snatching is forbidden.The Catnippon Dice are bigger than usual D6 and have a really nice feel to them. They feel particularly sturdy and yet nice to hold and roll. The Clawfuku Stones are equally weighty with their pleasing little dimples and bold symbols. A game for two to four players, Kingdomino is all about matching tiles and building a cohesive environment for your subjects to live in. For you see, you are a lord and you’re looking to expand your kingdom (or kingdom-ino) but so are all the other lords and there’s just not enough land for all of you - hence where the actual gameplay of Kingdomino comes in. Each turn players get to select a tile of their choosing from a shared pool with every tile having two sides, just like a normal domino, that can show a variety of terrain, such as water, grass, forests and houses - not like a normal domino. Once selected the tile must be placed adjacent to a matching tile - for example, water connects to water - with the aim being to create a five-by-five grid containing as many connected tiles and valuable crown symbols as possible. Potion Explosion is all about unpredictability, and that's what makes it so replayable, getting completely different results each time you try and working to manifest it as something worth using. Just make sure you still have your eyebrows when it's all over.
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