Now, back to the list.  As you know we like to diversify our lists because we understand board gamers come from all walks of life and have their personal preferences. That being said, we found this list to be slightly more difficult to diversify because of the lack of reviews and or information on games recently produced.  We found most of the games receiving a lot of praise were typically for more advanced board gamers.  And quite frankly, we here at bestboardgameslist.com have not had enough time to play them all.

So, I turn to you.  Following our list, I would love to hear feedback from YOU! What was the best new board game(s) you played in 2013? What board games released in 2013 would you recommend for Families, Parties, etc?  What do you think of the games on our list?

Please leave your comment at the end of this post – I know our readers and fellow board gamers will greatly appreciate it.

As always, we separated our list of the Best Board Games of 2013 into the following most popular categories;

• Family
• Party
• Strategy
• Fantasy
• Kids

BEST BOARD GAMES 2013 List

Best Board Games 2013	Category	Age	Players	Playtime	Rating (1-5) Stars
Forbidden Desert Board Game	Family	10+	2~5	45 min	4.5
Eldritch Horror	Fantasy	14+	1~8	2~4 hrs	5
Rampage Board Game	Family/Kids	8+	2~4	30 min	4.5
Caverna: The Cave Farmers	Strategy	12+	1~7	120 min	4.5
DrunkQuest	Party/Adult	21+	3~6	20 min	4.5
Duel of Ages II Basic Set	Fantasy	12+	2~8	60 min	5
Jungle Ascent	Family	8+	2~4	30 min	5
Zombicide Season 2: Prison Outbreak	Fantasy	13+	1~6	60 min	4.5
Star Trek Attack Wing: Starter Set	Strategy	14+	2+	30 min	4.5
Bang!: The Dice Game	Party	8+	3~8	15 min	4.5
Ghooost Card Game	Family	8+	2~6	20 min	4
Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Rise of the Runelords Base Set	Fantasy	13+	1~4	90 min	4.5
Nations Board Game	Strategy	13+	1~5	2 hrs	5
Corporate America	Party	13+	3~6	90~120 min	5
Firefly: the Game	Strategy	12+	1~4	2 hrs+	4.5
Warhammer 40k Relic Boardgame	Fantasy	14+	2~4	2 hrs+	5
Space Cadets: Dice Duel	Party	14+	4~8	30 min	4
Blood Bound Game	Party	14+	6~12	30 min	4.5
Carcassonne: South Seas	Family	8+	3~5	30 min	4.5
Level 7 [Omega Protocol]	Fantasy	14+	2~6	60 min	4.5
HeroClix DC - Batman Gotham City Strategy Game	Strategy	14+	2~4	60 min	5

That’s why I think this list might be one of my favorites, because this list would probably be about the same even if I wrote it ten years ago. These games have withstood the test of time and remain some of the best games you can find out there. To help you narrow down your options of which of the best classic board games to pick from, we’ve put together our list of games that you’ve probably heard of but perhaps have not tried. There’s a reason these games have been around and so popular for so long. Everyone should play these games at least once in their lifetime.

Classic Board Games	Age	Players	Best With	Playtime	Rating (1-5) Stars
No Stress Chess	7+	2	2 players	~	4.5
Balderdash Game	12+	2~6	5~6 plyrs	60 min	5
Clue The Classic Edition	8+	3~6	4+ plyrs	45 min	5
The Game of Life	10+	2~6	4+ plyrs	45 min	4.5
Risk Game	10+	2~5	4 plyrs	120 min	4.5
Sorry Classic Edition Board Game	6+	1~4	2+ plyrs	20 min	4.5
Monopoly - The Classic Edition	8+	2~8	4+ plyrs	45 min	4.5
Scrabble Diamond Anniversary Edition	8+	2~4	4 plyrs	90 min	4.5
Candy Land - The Kingdom of Sweets Board Game	3+	2~4	2+ plyrs	30 min	4.5
Parcheesi Royal Edition	8+	2~4	4 plyrs	30 min	4.5
Hi Ho Cherry-O	3+	2~4	2+ plyrs	15 min	4.5
Classic Yahtzee	8+	2+	4 plyrs	35 min	4.5
UNO Attack!	7+	2~10	4+ plyrs	30 min	4.5
Pictionary - The Game Of Quick Draw	12+	3+	4+ plyrs	30 min	4.5

For two players- Chess

This one might be a bit of a given. Chess is the quintessential head-to-head battle of the minds. I can’t honestly say that I play that much Chess, but every time I go back and play, I’m astounded by the complexity and amount of thought that must be put into every individual move. If you’ve never played before, it won’t take very long to memorize all the different movements that are available to each piece.

But, learning how things move is only about 4% of what makes up the learning curve in the game of Chess. People commonly hear about the concept of having to think several moves ahead with every turn that a player takes, and that is absolutely true. Chess requires a level of foresight that takes time to acquire, and that may also be its biggest turnoff for people. The learning curve is a bit steep and intimidating, but Chess is not for the weak-minded. If you want to commit yourself to getting good at Chess, you should probably accept that you will be bad at Chess for a while before that actually happens.

Party- Balderdash

Balderdash is a great party game because the gameplay is generally rather fast, and players can be good at it without actually knowing any of the answers. In fact, if you know most of the answers in Balderdash, you should probably pick up an application with NASA. This game favors people that are better at sounding like they know what they’re talking about more than it favors players that actually know what they’re talking about.

In Balderdash, all players except for the judge are given a word/phrase/acronym/etc., and are required to provide a definition of that word/phrase/acronym/ etc. The judge is responsible for reading everyone’s answers and deciding which one they think is correct. If the judge guesses the correct answer, they get to roll the dice to advance on the board. If a player has their answer chosen, they get a roll of the dice.

This game can be tame and stimulating, or at times raucous and silly. It’s great for hosting a group of friends that you know has an interest in wordplay. English majors tend to be great at this game, which, as a writer, is fine by me.

Family- Clue

Clue is looked on as a piece of pop culture now. It has been turned into a movie and has been referenced in the media an uncountable number of times. It caught on with so many people so quickly that it makes you wonder how it’s even possible that you don’t hear anyone actually talking about the game itself anymore.

Clue is a great time for those that like a heavy dose of mystery with their tabletop gaming. That strong thread of “who dunnit” that runs throughout the game makes for a terrific climax at the end of every play session. Laughter and finger-pointing are a staple of Clue, and it has just the right amount of goofiness to it that people are reminded to not take the game too seriously. After all, has anyone ever really been murdered with a candlestick? I’m sure the answer to that is yes, but that’s besides the point. Play Clue, it’s really fun.

Kids- Life

The game of Life actually has a surprising amount of life lessons contained within its gameplay. The most important thing I learned when playing Life was that things are not going to go according to plan. But also that things will probably work for the best, even if it doesn’t look anything like you had expected.

The game contains a wheel to spin at the beginning of every turn, which every kid will love. And the game is constantly changing because of the different circumstances that Life will thrust onto you like having another child or having your house foreclosed on. Life is entertaining enough for adults, and is interesting for kids because they get to feel like adults for a little while by making adult decisions. Life was a regular during my childhood, and I think every kid should play it at one point or another.

Strategy- Risk

The way I like to think about Risk is that it is a global chess match between several different parties. Of course, the game can also be played with just two people, which can create some very interesting stare-downs (literally and metaphorically). This was another game that I played with my brothers all the time growing up, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I saw that this game was built from the ground up for groups of siblings to sit around a board and get mad at each other.

Few games can bring on such an immediate and powerful urge to flip over a game board, especially for something as inconsequential as losing the Ukraine. By the middle of your first game you will understand both why this game can be so fun and why this game can be so difficult. You have to constantly be thinking about the distribution of your troops and where the next threat is coming from. Risk is the very definition of a classic board game, and should be experience by everyone that calls themselves a gamer at least once. Just remember, someone you are playing with will stab you in the back and it will make you want to scream. The joy comes later when you’re able to get them back, hopefully.

This is why finding the best family board game for everybody can be so difficult. You have to walk a fine line between interestingly nuanced and too confusing for grandma. There are a million games that are family friendly, but finding one that is genuinely going to entertain everyone involved isn’t easy.

So, because we know you want to avoid another awkward post-dinner conversation with Uncle Gene, we’ve put together a couple of suggestions (below our list) for people looking to game out with the entire family.  As with our other lists, our list of the best family board games (below) is separated into categories which can be adjusted to help you in your search.

Best Family Board Games List

Top Family Games	Age yrs	Players	Best With	Playtime	Rating 1-5 (stars)
Ticket To Ride	8+	2~5	4plyrs	45 min	5
7 Wonders	10+	2~7	4plyrs	30 min	5
Apples to Apples Party Box - The Game of Hilarious Comparisons (Family Edition)	12+	4~10	4~6plyrs	30 min	4.5
Smart Ass	12+	2~8	4+ plyrs	30 min	4.5
Qwirkle Board Game	6+	2~4	2~4plyrs	45min	5
The Settlers of Catan	10+	3~4	4plyrs	90 min	4.5
King of Tokyo	8+	2~6	4plyrs	30 min	5
Blokus Classics Game	5+	2~4	2~4plyrs	20 min	5
Pandemic 2nd Edition Board Game	13+	2~4	4plyrs	60 min	4.5
Telestrations the Telephone Game Sketched Out!	8+	4~12	8plyrs	30 min	5
Small World	8+	2~5	4plyrs	90 min	4.5
Bananagrams	7+	1~8	2~4	15 min	4.5

Our Favorite Family Board Games!!

Best Family Board Game for a small group (immediate family) - Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a terrific game that is easy to pick up but still finds a way of surprising you over the course of several play sessions. For comparison sake, I would call this Settlers of Catan in a train setting, but that may not be doing the game justice. The resource gathering is somewhat similar and there is a “longest track” card, but Ticket to Ride doesn’t really feel that derivative.

Every turn is an opportunity to build track pieces leading to destinations that are decided by what destination cards you draw. You play as a contestant in a competition to see who can see the most North American cities, the winner receives a prize of $1 million. The further you travel, the more victory points you earn, the winner is the first player to get to 40 total victory points.

Each game takes between a half hour and one hour, but the turns go by decently fast. The pacing of the game plays out very nicely, keeping everyone involved and making it worth it to pay attention to other people’s turns while figuring out your own strategy.

If there’s one complaint I have about the game is that there are times that a player can attain a lead that seems insurmountable. Unexpected comebacks have occurred on a handful of occasions from my experience, but getting an early lead can be a big advantage. It helps that most games are done in less than an hour, so even if someone builds that kind of lead, the next game isn’t far away.

The physical build of the game feels good. Once you’ve handled a large variety of game pieces (or “bits” for people in the business) you gain an appreciation for quality. And these bits, as well as the game board are very solid.

Ticket to Ride is recommended for people above the age of eight, and hosts as few as two and as many as five players in one game. There are also a few expansions that are worth looking into once you’ve played more than a few rounds of the core set.  Boardgamegeek.com  has Ticket to ride and it’s expansions on the their top 10 best family board games list .

Click Here for more Ticket To Ride Info, Pricing and Reviews!

Best Family Board Game for a Large Group - Smart Ass

Okay, so I realize the name of the game does not sound very family friendly, but if you can beyond that, there is a wildly fun trivia game in the box. As long as you can deal with the possibility of having to explain to your kids that “ass” is another name for a donkey. But, that may spur a whole other list of questions, so I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to avoid it.

Smart Ass is a great game for large groups because it encourages people to blurt out. The game is simple. One player reads a list of clues from on a card that is in one of three piles. Each pile represents whether the answer will be a person, place, or a thing. So, the player reading the clues speaks in the third person. For example, if the answer was the Eiffel Tower, the first clue would be something like “I am a world famous national monument,” then “I was built during the first World War,” then “I was built in Paris, France,” with several other clues in between.

The clues get progressively more obvious, and players are allowed one guess for each line of clues. This is where the game can get interesting, you want to beat everyone else to the punch, but you need to have some restraint to gather enough clues to validate your answer. By the last clue, the answer is usually a giveaway. Once someone answers correctly, the round is over and that player gets to roll the dice to advance along the game’s rather simple board.

The luck of the dice can be a major factor in the game just because you can get stuck on a single spot of the board for long periods of time even if you are answering questions correctly. If you keep landing on that “go back two” space, you’ll never get ahead. Games usually go by quickly, with most rounds getting done in no more than 40 minutes.

The game creates a lot of really fun moments with everyone silently competing and then bursting out with answers as if they would lose if they didn’t shout them. In the case of a tie breaker, that can sometimes be the case.

The core game set comes with a healthy stack of cards for each category, so don’t feel the need to rush out and buy an expansion. It’s also fun to leave the board out of the game entirely and just do a trivia night based on the cards alone. If you can get past the name on the box, Smart Ass is a terrific trivia game that will create some memorable laugh-out-loud moments.

Click Here for more Smart Ass Info, Pricing and Reviews!

Of course, Go Fish is only going to be so stimulating for so long. And that’s true for both the parent and the child. When shopping for the best board games for kids, you will run into a variety of different play styles and learning curves. That’s why we’ve broken down our list and our recommendations for the best kids board games into three different categories:

• Board Games for preschoolers – Ages 2 to 5
• Board Games for kids in grade school –  Ages 5 t0 11
• Board Games for kids in middle school – Ages 11 to 13

Best Board Games For Kids List

Best Kids Games	Age yrs	Recommended	Players	Playtime	Rating 1-5 (stars)
The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game	3+	3~7yrs	2~4	15 min	4.5
Disney HedBanz Game	7+	7~12yrs	2~6	30 min	4.5
Chutes and Ladders Super Hero Squad	3+	3~7yrs	2~4	15 min	4.5
King of Tokyo	8+	Boys	2~6	30 min	5
Hi Ho Cherry-O	3+	3~6yrs	2~4	15 min	4.5
Rory's Story Cubes	8+	8~15yrs	1 or more	15 min	4.5
Thinkfun Roll and Play Board Game	18Months+	1~3yrs	1	15 min	5
Richard Scarry Busy Town	3+	3~8yrs	2~4	15 min	5
Don't Break the Ice	3+	4~8yrs	2~4	15 min	4.5
Qwirkle Board Game	6+	6+yrs	2~4	45 min	5

In order to help you find the right games for your children, here are my personal favorites from each category.

Our Favorite – Best Board Games for Kids!

Best Board Game for Pre-school kids – Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, other than being incredibly difficult to say ten times fast, is a great game for young children for a number of reasons. From a technical standpoint Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is a game that requires some physical dexterity to play, as well as some strategic thinking to get your kids analytical brain involved. The gameplay is very simple: spin a wheel, take action indicated by wheel, next turn.

The game is played by a minimum of two players and a maximum of four. Each player is given a stump in which they can store up to five acorns, each acorn slot having a color ring around it corresponding to the different colors of acorns. The wheel you spin at the beginning of each turn allows actions like “steal an acorn” or “lose an acorn” to go along with the more typical “take an acorn of X color.” Once a player has an acorn of each color, that player wins and the game is over.

Kids will have fun using the tongs, or as they cleverly call them, “Squirrel Squeezers,” to pick up and move the acorns. The involvement of these tongs also helps improve fine motor skills, for parents concerned about substance in their kids’ playtime. This game is light at first glance, but it involves a surprising amount of thought from its young players, and will be a game every parent can enjoy playing with their child. Note: this game contains very small pieces that could be a choking hazard so it is advised that your child be above the age of three.

Click Here for More Info, Pricing and Reviews!

Best Board Game for Grade School Kids – King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is a game created by Richard Garfield, who is well-known as the creator of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering. This dice game is much simpler than that, and is absolutely perfect for a parent that is looking to add a little more complication to their child’s board games without making things too difficult. This game gets the players extremely involved with quick turns and lots of dice to roll, but still contains plenty of very interesting decisions.

This game supports up to six players, with each player representing a monster that is trying to destroy Tokyo Godzilla style. With a hit point and power-up system that is comparable to that of a video game, there are many things about this game that are accessible for younger children yet still fun for adults. As an adult, I absolutely love this game. I play it with my other, also adult friends all the time. But, that hasn’t stopped me from bringing it to my 9-year-old nephew’s house to show him this cool new game he’s going to love (which he did).

The combination of the dice system and the power-up cards creates a lot of great moments for strategy. There can be big swings in momentum, and no lead is ever safe. Even playing with five other people, I still felt like my turn was coming around fast and that my strategy was well thought out. Simulating a big fight between monsters as big as buildings is a great theme to draw in kids, and then once you open the box you realize that there’s more to this game than you thought, but not too much for a younger crowd. I highly, highly recommend this game. Boardgamegeek.com rated this game 7.5 and is #12 on their top family board games list.

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Best Board Game for Middle School Kids – Settlers of Catan

Settlers of Catan is a cornerstone of the tabletop gaming world. It’s simplicity allows for a brief, gentle learning curve that still allows for some highly strategic moments, forcing the best players think long term. At first, Settlers of Catan can look, to put it simply, boring. Unless you invest in one or several of the expansions, the vanilla game is spent gathering resources (clay, sheep, wheat, etc.) and building a select few number of structures. “Oh, so I just build roads?” Yes, and earning the “Longest Road” card is an accomplishment on par with winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

Catan is a bit slow to start, but by this time your child is nearly a teenager, so they can show a little patience, right? The dice keep things active while also instilling an exciting dose of pure chance into the game. The layout of the board is hugely variable and customizable, which adds a great deal to its replay value. This game has a number of expansions that add complexity to the game, but I wouldn’t dive right into any of them.

I advise someone new to the Settlers of Catan series to just play the core game for a while. Adding in features like oceans, boats, and warfare sound tempting, but they sound more fun than they really are. The base version of Settlers of Catan is a great way to get your middle school child introduced to board games that can be as fun as they are thoughtful. Catan is a gateway to a number of other fantastic games.  Not only is this game one of the best board games for kids, but is widely considered as one of the best board games of all time. boardgamegeek.com rating 7.5

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