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As some of you may know, I’m a true board game geek. But I’m not the only one. Here at Devolutions, there are many of us who get together during breaks, at lunch, and after hours to play various board games. Sure, multi-player video games are fun, but there’s something special about opening up a board game and diving into it.
Today, I’m going to share with you my list of the 7 must-have board games for the workplace:
Construction + Corruption
If you’ve never heard of Construction + Corruption, that’s pretty understandable. It’s a negotiation and worker-placement game that takes place in Montreal, Canada, which is very close to Devolutions’ headquarters. Each player owns a construction company, and the goal (believe it or not) is NOT to finish your work — because then you just keep getting paid! As you can imagine, this is a funny game and there are all kinds of seedy and illicit backroom negotiations.
Risk Europe
Risk Europe is strategic, fun and very, very addictive — like when you think you’ve been playing for about an hour, you look up at the clock and see that 3 hours have passed! In this game, players are medieval kings who must build castles, expand territories, tax subjects, and of course, go to battle against other kings.
Risk: The Lord of the Rings
As you can see, I really like the Risk series of games! In the LOTR version, players get to command either a good or evil force, and then go to battle across Middle-earth. You can play using classic RISK rules or add interesting twists that are unique to this version. Just keep in mind that this board game is now out of print and is considered a collector’s item, so if you want to buy it for yourself or as a gift you should be prepared to spend a bit of money. And make sure that you get all of the pieces, including the “one ring”.
Risk: Game of Thrones
Yup, more RISK! We love Game of Thrones here at Devolutions, and of course we had to get the game as soon as it was available. Frankly, I would say that the game is even better than the TV series — especially after the disappointing final season. There are three interesting ways to play this game: skirmish (more basic), dominion (more advanced), and world at war (play with maps and up to seven players using either skirmish or dominion rules).
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is actually quite old, and was re-released in 1999, and then again in 2008 as a 50th anniversary edition. Each player represents one of the Great Powers of Europe in the years prior to World War 1: France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and Austria-Hungary. Unlike many other games, there are no dice rolls or other elements of chance in this game. Success and failure are based purely on one’s negotiating skills, which includes backstabbing and betrayal. Let me tell you: we play a lot of board games here at Devolutions, and this is the one that almost started an actual war — so be prepared!
Skull
Skull’s a fun and elegant game that tests each player’s ability to bluff (i.e. mislead) others and detect when someone is bluffing. The rules are nice and easy to follow, but winning is difficult — which is why it’s such a great game. Skull is a must for every workplace.
Zombicide
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of Zombicide, but everyone else around here LOVES it. Each player is a “survivor” of a zombie attack, and must use their skills, improve their gear and equipment, and collaborate with others to escape the dungeon and stay alive. The good news is that the zombies are pretty stupid and predictable. The bad news is that there are many of them.
What Do You Think?
Have you played any (or maybe all) of these board games? If so, please share your experience and opinion. Please also suggest any board games you think we should add to our library here at Devolutions.
