"Speak friend and enter"
Listen in on some of our Game Experts
Everything You Need to Know About Their Favourites
Dungeons and Dragons
""It's truly a game where one can escape to another world for a time and let your imagination run wild!"
by Talon Schierling, October 15th, 2018
"My favorite board game isn't really a board game. Its dungeons and dragons. There are many reasons why I like this table top game over all others. Firstly, it's a great excuse to get out of the house and see my friends on a regular basis. Secondly, its the most multi-dimensional game there is; any thing can happen. Its not just rolling dice like a lot of people think. There are puzzles, mysteries, moral dilemmas and just plain black- and -white good vs evil conflicts. You build relationships with the characters and watch them grow as the game progresses. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Thirdly, it's a game that actually builds life skills. You have to learn to think ahead and prepare. Work as a team. Fast math never hurts! It's truly a game where one can escape to another world for a time and let your imagination run wild!"
Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle
""This game keeps things interesting as more and more cards with new items and spells and characters are added into play the farther you advance."
by Jenny Robson, October 15, 2018
"One of my favorite boardgames is Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle. Not only is the theme based off of a series of books I grew up on and love, but it also emerses the players into the battles that happened over the years in the Wizarding World. It provides you with the opportunity to take on the villians or creature-villians yourself and is a cooperative game that is fun for 2-4 players. It is a deck-building game which means you will have a series of cards to pick and choose from and play throughout the game. The game is separated into seven games and is played by starting with game #1 and then once you've beaten it, you will be able to advance on to the next. This game keeps things interesting as more and more cards with new items and spells and characters are added into play the farther you advance. This game is perfect for Harry Potter fans or people who like magic and deck-building games and is not only aesthetically pleasing, but teaches players how to come up with strategies while working together as a team. If you've always dreamed of joining Dumbledore's army, this is the game for you."
Terra Mystica
""I love Terra Mystica because of the enormous amount of viable strategies a player can choose from to win the game."
by Trevor Robson
"Terra Mystica is a game about creating a strong economy, terraforming hostile terrain and settling new territories for two to five players. There are 12 factions to choose from and each faction has different strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities that can be utilized for huge advantages. I love Terra Mystica because of the enormous amount of viable strategies a player can choose from to win the game. It doesn’t hurt that the artwork is gorgeous and the game is aesthetically pleasing in just about every way. The drawback to Terra Mystica is that it’s a gamer’s game and not everybody’s idea of a fun and wild Friday night. But to those people who like a challenge, enjoy games of strategy and don’t mind a solid thirty-minute explanation, it is definitely worth checking out."
Game of Thrones: The 2nd Board Game Edition
by Alex Yang
"A Game of Thrones: the board game (2nd edition) is my pick for my favorite board game. Easy to learn, tricky to master, the game pits 3-6 players against each other over a large scale battle of intrigue and conquest. Fans of the fantasy series by George R.R. Martin will be drawn immediately to the familiar locations and characters as each player plays the role of one of the great houses of Westeros, the fictional setting of the series. But the game also holds appeal for board game lovers who are unfamiliar with the world. The game is set up with each player/house controlling specific regions with tokens representing military units. Each turn, each player/house assigns a command (of which there are 5 types) to each unit occupying a region. At the end of each round, plot “stories” unfold which affect every player, requiring each player to adapt their strategies according to conditions on the board. Victory is granted to the player who at any point gains control of 7 strongholds, or controls the most strongholds at the end of 10 rounds! I am an avid fan of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, as well as HBO’s TV adaptation Game of Thrones. But the reason I love this game is for its delightfully balanced mechanics. With hundreds of colourful pieces inside a fairly heavy box, the game may seem intimidating at first for beginners and full of stressful decisions, but is rewarding in the long run and associated with some of the best memories I’ve ever had around a table. Downtime (or the average amount of time a player must wait until it is his/her turn) is low because so many actions are simultaneous, the rules are simpler than the size and weight of the board may suggest, and role playing as one of the great Houses of Westeros has been a fantasy of mine for a long time. The game is also incredibly social; a player must make alliances with other players (and sometimes break them) to be successful in defending his/her kingdoms while embarking on conquest. The game also has tons of replay ability (the ability to be played many times without similar events occurring) and is being expanded to include a new House and additional board next month! Whenever I have a board game night (and 2-4 hours of time), this game is a must!"
Cranium
by Jenna Gambier
"I think one of my all-time favourite games is Cranium.
What I really like about Cranium is just how many different categories there are and how many different challenges you must complete with your teammate in order to win (i.e. questions about vocabulary, trivia, acting, singing, sculpting, drawing etc.). It’s really fun with a good teammate, and hilarious if your teammate is tone deaf.
It’s also really cool that the blue and green cards (entertainment and creativity) sometimes have different rules. For example, you have to draw the clue with your eyes closed or you have to act out the famous person without using words.
I think a downside to Cranium would be the fact that sometimes it’s very “American”, with a lot of the entertainment questions based on American TV shows and movies, and perhaps it’s difficult for some people to understand the reference. But on that note, it’s very easy just to pick a different card and try something else.
I remember when I was a kid I used to despise the red cards because I always thought they were too hard, what with all the science and math and educational stuff. Boo. Who wants that?
Nowadays, I live for the red cards. That’s not to say I’m a genius and just know everything, but I love learning new things and being challenged. It’s also really fun when you know a random fact that you thought would never come in handy and boom Cranium fulfills your dream of demonstrating a glimmer of “intelligence”.
I also love the acting out cards, but mostly because it’s really fun to watch everyone get creative in trying to explain a who or what the clue is.
Cranium still continues to be one of my favourite games and I really love playing it with good friends!"