Board games for the intelligent

Wolfkin

Wolfkin

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My girlfriend is bringing me to visit some of her relatives and since I'm the game guru I'm tasked with picking out a toy to bring for her niece and nephew. From what I heard of these kids they're smart. Not just kid smart almost prodigy level smart. Which makes sense because the environment they live in is in a word odd from what I've been able to gather.

Anyway I don't know if they have a gaming system or are allowed to play computer games so I'm thinking I might go with a board game. Unfortunately while my video game-fu is strong my board game-fu is weak. In terms of board games the only non-kiddie ones I know of are Munchkin, Killer Bunnies and Settler of Catan. Can anyone recommend me some good board games preferably something that's heavy in strategy?
 
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12 & 8 thank you I knew there was a board game website that I saw once that would be perfect for scouting. BGG will be very much helpful
 
Everybody thinks their kids/grandkids/nieces/nephews/etc are all brilliant. Remember that most are not. All of my siblings and in-laws believe it....but they are all a little skewed on the topic.

All that being said, buy something that you want to play or that you are good at. You may as well enjoy yourself.

Lots of people play Carcassone. Settlers of Catan would be a decent choice as well. I've always been partial to Starfarer's of Catan, but that's more complicated and expensive. I also like a board game called Tikal, but it may be out of print and hard to come by. If you like video games, you may like the new board game based on Starcraft.

If none of these work, teach them Texas Hold 'Em.

TBW
 
you might want to try finding one called puerto rico... its sort of hard to explain but its similar to settlers of catan at least in terms of trading =)
 
If they are as smart as you say they are, I would recommend chess since there are many levels of competition with it. Also, it is a cheap gift too.
 
If they're into fantasy, Magic the Gathering! OK, I know no parent wants their kid to learn that. More mainstream ones are "Cranium", and if you want a game that's incredibly fun no matter what go with "apples to apples"
 
Chess is something everyone has, I'm sure they have a chess set. I'm not trying to get them their 'first' game, just a game. Magic would probably quality on the intricacy level but CCGs have their own inherent problems namely you have to collect cards. I'm looking for something in the self-contained side of the Venn Diagram. If Sirlin had finished his Yomi FightingCard game that would be exactly what I'm looking for but alas it's still in testing. Risk is a game I've played and can personally vouch for. I forgot about that. Pretty good game that's deep enough and not as banal as Monopoly. I'm too tired to look up the others tonight but feel free to keep the suggestions coming. I'll check 'em out in the morning.
 
Catan is like reverse monopoly, and you can usually learn the game pretty quickly. Matches require at least 3 people and probably last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Great game.

I'd suggest Carcassonne - it usually goes hand in hand with Catan - but I don't want to imagine the difficulty in calculating the final scores for each player. Granted I've never played it in real life - only on XBL - but watching the computer tally up the scores seemed frightening. Maybe it's less than I give it credit for, but it seems like a pain.

Ticket to Ride is like Catan: All Road Building Edition. So simpler than Catan, but still a good amount of fun. Games are quicker overall.

You could try out Bohnanza as well - it's a card game that's mostly built on resource management and deal making. Kind of like Monopoly, but you don't have a board to move around on. Very shrewd game. Might be fun to watch little kids dream up strategic bluffs in it.

Good luck.
 
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