Top 5 Board Games for 'Normal People' to Play

'Normal people' is definitely a bit of a hook here; something convenient to fit the title. There's no such thing as a 'normal person', or, at least, I've never met one. What I have here instead is a list, in no particular order, of the five games I consider to be the best to play with people who are not traditionally gamers, games which are much, much better than the boardgames people tend to have encountered during their childhood. A common thread here is that none of these games tend to result in newer players getting shafted due to lack of experience, for different reasons in each case.

Most of these have been featured on Wil Wheaton's Tabletop at some point, so I've included the links below if you want to learn more about the games.

Zombie Dice

This one is as simple as they come. A press-your-luck dice game that fits in a small pot, with rules that can be explained in about thirty seconds. The major part of it is luck, but there is just enough depth to allow for some strategic decision making. It's carries with it the right mixture of the casual and the competitive, and is good for travel, the pub, or just as a nice, low-intensity game that still has the potential to entertain. As a bonus, it's short.

Buy it on Amazon

King of Tokyo

THE KING IS SAD (couscous salad not included)

This one can go both ways - I've had people love and it and not really warm to it - but I guess that applies to everything on this list, really. You each play as a kaiju monster, competing to tear up Tokyo. It's very quick to pick up, and doesn't take too long to play. I love the vibe of this game; it makes you feel like a giant smashy monster, even down to the slightly oversized dice. A different style of press-your-luck dice game, there's plenty to do and plenty of drama that is at the same time impossible to take seriously, a winning combination.

Buy it on Amazon

Ticket To Ride

(Image: Chunky Rice, cc by-sa 3.0)

Slightly further out on a limb for me, since I've not played this one in its true cardboard form, but I've played it plenty on the iPad (Google Play link), and have read and seen enough about it to be happy including it on the list.

Ticket To Ride puts you in the place of a railroad tycoon (not that Railroad Tycoon) trying to build train routes across the continent. The mechanics are fun, and it's competitive enough without being grounds for any fights. One of the big things for me here is that the competition is not based around warfare, the driving metaphor behind many boardgames, and an element I know turns some people off.

Buy it on Amazon

Tsuro - The Game of the Path

In Tsuro, you play as a majestic dragon, swooping around the board, trying to be the last one standing. You are dealt a series of tiles with 'paths' on them, and take turns to place these down before your dragon. Each player with a new 'path' before them moves along it as far as they can. You're eliminated if you collide with another dragon, or are swept off the edge of the board.

It's simple, has great pacing (nice slow start, building to an unpredictable and dramatic conclusion), is quick to play, and is visually stunning.

Buy it on Amazon

Forbidden Island

Forbidden Island is one of my favourite games. You are put in the role of a daring explorer, landing on an island to loot it for its ancient treasures. The island, though, has other ideas, and is gradually sinking into the sea, taking with it its treasures, and, if they are unlucky, any daring adventurers who happen to remain.

It's a cooperative game, which is a plus for some people who don't like competitive play as much. It's simple to learn, though optimal planning and tactics take a little longer to pick up - offset by the teamwork angle. It has a nice set of visually appealing components, second only to Tsuro on this list. Above all else, it's fun, with plenty of depth and replay value, without relying on confrontation or individual tactical mastery.

Buy it on Amazon

Honourable Mention: Pandemic

It feels wrong not to include Pandemic on here. The only reason I didn't is because it is so very similar to Forbidden Island, and I didn't want to have both on here side-by-side. The mechanics are very similar, the play style is broadly analogous, and it is almost equally as fun.

Forbidden Island edged it out for me because a) it's slightly cheaper, b) it's a lot smaller to transport and easier to set up (fitting into a handy tin), and c) I find it slightly easier to sell people on the metaphor ('you are an intrepid adventurer' sounds better than 'you work for the Center for Disease Control'). Not that Pandemic isn't fantastic in every way.

Buy it on Amazon