Jeff: Ticket to Ride

For Boilermakers, a game about trains is an easy sell. The game play is simple but has some good strategic decisions to make. Do I claim a high-traffic leg early and risk my opponents knowing my route, or do I collect a bunch of cards and complete my route in just a few turns?

Rose: Lanterns — The Harvest Festival

Place tiles to decorate the palace lake with paper lanterns. Collect the right colors of lanterns to gain favor with the emperor. Since everyone gains a lantern with each tile placed (even on other people’s turns), it’s easy to keep the whole family engaged.  

Jeff: Schotten Totten

Claim enough stones to win by playing poker-style combinations of cards. It becomes a bit of push-your-luck when you’re waiting on a specific card or two and have to decide when to change your strategy or to press on. This is a travel favorite because it’s in a small, compact box.

Rose: Patchwork

Can you fit the Tetris-like patches together on your game board to create the most complete quilt? You’ll have to balance your resources of time and cost in order to get the perfect pieces. This is a great transition into board games for anyone who loves puzzles.

Jeff: Skull

A game of bluffing and reading your opponents, the artwork is gorgeous, but you can technically play with any deck of cards. To win: Find all the roses you can without flipping a skull. Rumor has it that the Hells Angels MC used to play this back when it was called Skull and Roses.

Rose: Dream Home

When I can’t decide whether to watch HGTV or play a game, we play Dream Home! Design your home by choosing and placing rooms. Get bonuses based on which rooms are in your house, their location, and decor. To top off this fun theme, the art on every single card is unique.

Jeff: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle

This game comes with seven boxes (one for each book) that you open progressively to gain new cards, enemies, and even game mechanics. It starts out as a very simple deck-builder but gets more and more difficult the further into the Harry Potter story you get.

Rose: Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game

Everyone starts with the same cards, and the decks evolve over time. Work together to defeat enemies. There are many versions to choose from (e.g., X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Civil War or non-Marvel properties like Alien, Firefly, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). 

Jeff: Diamonds

If you like trick-taking games like euchre, spades, or hearts, then Diamonds should be a hit. Follow the lead suit if you can, but suit provides a different off-suit benefit. Get your gems behind the screen to keep them safe; otherwise, they might get stolen! 

Rose: Saboteur

This game has potentially made it to the table more than any other game we own. It’s great for groups up to 10. Play as dwarfs digging a tunnel to find the hidden gold. Watch out for coal, but more importantly, watch out for the saboteurs on your team who are trying to lead you astray.

Jeff: Junk Art

Stacking big wooden shapes may not sound exciting, but this game is a riot. The pieces are a variety of shapes, and each round has a new set of rules. Sometimes you want the highest tower; sometimes you want the most pieces; and sometimes you build on other people’s towers. It’s a blast!

Rose: Flip Ships

Even the least dexterous gamer will enjoy this cooperative endeavor to save the city and defeat the mother ship. Balance your ship token on the edge of the table and flick in order to flip it onto the attacking ships. If you don’t get them, they’ll get you!

Jeff: Eldritch Horror

Try to defeat one of HP Lovecraft’s Old Gods before you go insane. Fight off monsters, complete expeditions, and hope the dice are on your side while equipping new spells and items to your character. The story sucks you in, and you forget that you’ve been playing for a few hours.

Rose: Dead of Winter

Venture out of the safety of your colony to get food, medicine, fuel, and weapons, but don’t get bitten by an attacking zombie! In this semicooperative game, everyone has a secret individual objective but is also probably working toward the ultimate goal of survival … probably.

Jeff: Codenames

This has been a hit with everyone. Each team has a spy master that gives clues and tries to get their team to guess the right word before the other team does, but watch out for assassins; otherwise, it’s game over! Super fans will appreciate Disney-, Marvel-, and Harry Potter-themed Codenames.

Rose: One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Everyone starts knowing their role, but everything could change once eyes are closed. Guided by a phone app, players secretly perform (or don’t!) their special ability before accusations begin. Can you catch the werewolf, or will they convince you it’s someone else? 

Jeff: Carcassonne

This was my gateway game into hobby gaming. Place tiles and meeples to build roads, cities, farms, and monasteries all while trying to limit the possibilities for your opponents. The base game is great, but a ton of expansions vary the game play.

Rose: Elder Sign

Set in the same HP Lovecraft universe as Eldritch Horror, this is lighter on game play but still packed with theme. Complete adventures, defeat monsters, and work together to collect enough elder signs to defeat the ancient one before it awakens and starts attacking!