Board Games

PLAYERS: 2-8
AGE RANGE: 14+
PLAYING TIME: 15 min. +

DESCRIPTION: "Codenames is a social word game with a simple premise and challenging game play. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the table. Their teammates try to guess words of their color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin. The game works very well with 4 players if you prefer to guess without help. Or you can add more players if you prefer lively discussion. There is also a cooperative variant where a single team tries to achieve the highest score they can by playing against the game itself." -- Manufacturer's site.

PLAYERS: 2-5
AGE RANGE: 7+
PLAYING TIME: 10-20 min. rounds

DESCRIPTION: "Exploding Kittens is a card game for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats. In this highly-strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, players draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten, at which point they explode, they are dead, and they are out of the game -- unless that player has a defuse card, which can defuse the Kitten using things like laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches. All of the other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the Exploding Kittens. Exploding Kittens is the most-backed crowd funded project ever, the most-funded game in the history of Kickstarter, and has paved the way for peace and tranquility in the modern world." -- Amazon

PLAYERS: 2-4
AGE RANGE: 8+
PLAYING TIME: 30 min.

DESCRIPTION: "Add cards to a grid, making sure that color, shape and number are either all the same or all different across the line. Sounds easy but as the grid expands, so do the possibilities. Whoever sees the opportunities will seize the win. Iota - the pocket-sized game that's big time fun." -- Manufacturer's site

PLAYERS: 2 and up
AGE RANGE: 6+
PLAYING TIME: 30 min.

DESCRIPTION: "The suspense is building — and so are you! Carefully pull a wood block out of the tower and place it on top. It’s easy at first, but as more blocks get pulled, the tower starts to get unsteady…and you’ll be on the edge of your seat just trying to keep it from falling! Stay cool, stay calm and stay steady, because the last player to complete their turn before someone makes it topple, wins!" -- Amazon.

PLAYERS: 2-4
AGE RANGE: 8+
PLAYING TIME: 15 min.
"In Kingdomino, you are a Lord seeking new lands in which to expand your kingdom. You must explore all the lands, wheat fields, lakes, and mountains in order to spot the best plots. But be careful as some other Lords also covet these lands...

Dominoes with a kingdom building twist. Each turn, connect a new domino to your existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. The game mechanics for obtaining the tiles is clever: the order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen. Make sure to secure tiles with crowns- these royal treasures help to multiply the worth of your kingdom at the end of the game! The game ends when each player has completed a 5x5 grid, and then points are counted based on number of connecting tiles and crowns." --Amazon

PLAYERS: 1-4
AGE RANGE: 8+
PLAYING TIME: 20 min.
Numbers aren't worth anything in NMBR 9 unless they're off the ground floor and looking down from above.

The game includes twenty cards numbered 0-9 twice and eighty tiles numbered 0-9; each number tile is composed of squares in some arrangement. After shuffling the deck of cards, draw and reveal the first card. Each player takes a number tile matching the card and places it on the table. With each new card drawn after that, each player takes the appropriate number tile, then adds it to the tiles that they already have in play, with each player building their own arrangement of tiles.

The new tile must touch at least one other tile on the same level along one side of a square. A tile can also be placed on top of two or more other tiles as long as no part of the new tile overhangs the tiles below it; new tiles placed on this same level must touch at least one other tile, while also covering parts of at least two tiles and not overhanging.

Once all the cards have been drawn and the tiles placed, players take turns calculating their score. A tile on the bottom level — the 0th level, if you will — scores 0 points; a tile on the 1st level above this is worth as many points as the number on the tile; a tile on the 2nd level is worth twice the number on the tile; etc. Whoever scores the most points wins! --Board Game Geek.

PLAYERS: 2-4
AGE RANGE: 8+
PLAYING TIME: 30-60 min.
"Welcome to the world of Photosynthesis, the green strategy board game! Plant and shape the ever-changing forest as you cultivate your seeds and your strategy. Take your trees through their life-cycle, from seedling to full bloom to rebirth, and earn points as their leaves collect energy from the revolving sun’s rays. Carefully pick where you sow and when you grow, as trees in the shadows are blocked from light, and from points. This game features realistic gameplay and beautiful graphics."-- Manufacturer's site.

PLAYERS: 2-4
AGE RANGE: 10+
PLAYING TIME: 45 min.

DESCRIPTION: "Prime climb is a beautiful, colorful, mathematical board game designed for 2 to 4 players. Roll the dice and add, subtract, multiply and divide your way to the center of the board, picking up prime cards and bumping your opponents back to start as you go. The first to land both pawns on 101 wins the game! everyone can learn to multiply and divide using prime climb's unique color coding. Inspire deeper mathematical understanding while mastering arithmetic! prime climb is a perfect game for families & schools, kids & adults. Awaken your love of math, with prime climb." -- Amazon

PLAYERS: 2-4
AGE RANGE: 10+
PLAYING TIME: 90 min.

DESCRIPTION: "Put letters together, build words, add up your points and win! This Deluxe Edition of the classic game features all kinds of details Scrabble fans will love. The convenient carrying case with handle lets you take the game on the go and two slide-and-store trays ensure that your wooden letter tiles stay safe and sound. When you open the carrying case and you're ready to begin, you'll love the convenient and colorful recessed game spaces to help keep the tiles in place. Rotate the game board with ease on the six soft rubber wheels to view your next moves from every vantage point. Do you see a word your opponent hasn't seen? A special opportunity to use your tiles to build a word and earn big points? Make your move and do your best to win." -- Amazon

"One of the most celebrated games in the world can now be experienced in a two-player arena. 7 Wonders Duel takes the game play and excitement of the original and adapts it for one-on-one battles. Take control of your civilization and decide to invest in science, military or prestige. Two new ways to win will keep you on your toes and watching every move your opponent makes. If you fail to build defenses your capital city may be destroyed, but ignore technology and your people may be left in the dark ages. It's a constant tug of war. 7 Wonders Duel is an exciting new way to play the game that took the world by storm. Great for both fans of the original and those new to the hobby." --Amazon

PLAYERS: 2-5
AGE RANGE: 8+
PLAYING TIME: 30-60 min.

DESCRIPTION: "Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway." -- Manufacturer's site