Cooperative games (and one impostor) for family quarantine

A friend recently asked me for cooperative board game advice, and since we've been very actively gaming through the last seven months of insanity, I thought I'd share some opinions

Codenames Duet
Classic word association game that you and a partner could play and the kids could 'assist' to whatever level they feel like. Best for proficient readers though. Big focus on Theory of Mind and knowing how someone else will interpret the verbal clues you give them. Infinite variety on replay.

The Crew

My partner's latest obsession, only requires number and color recognition, great trick-taking cooperative mission based game that's fast to play but gets very challenging near the end of the campaign. Awesome for a mixed age or skill group, and replayable.

BFF (Best Friends Forever)

A favorite role-playing and story-telling game in our household, accessible to any and all. BFF is very open ended and amusing, with just enough structure to keep it moving but super easy to learn. Replayable and lets you record your adventures in a delightful logbook to reminisce. 

Exit Games

These 'escape room in a box' games have been fun for me and my partner, and the kids often get involved to help. Easier ones are good for middle-grades kids, harder ones are stumping the adults regularly. Takes about two hours, but can easily be broken up into multiple sittings. Good mind-bending coop puzzle solving, and easily enough clues included to get you unstuck without internet searches.

and one oddball...

Machi Koro Legacy

Building and economy-making game, competitive but not aggressively at all. I add it because we played the core game it's based on a lot for early math skills, and other families I know have had success with it. A great foundational learning game to understand engine-building and cost/benefit trade-offs, but still approachable by a six-year-old.

Spot It

How:

A small space to put a stack of cards, be it a table, floor, seatback tray or train seat.

What:

Multiple quick visual matching games, emphasis on speedy image recognition.

Who:

Kids who like pictures. Adults who like visual stimulus. Adults and kids who like playing together, especially when the kids win!

Where:

Your friendly local game store, or Amazon for $12.

Why:

Young minds pick up the details of Spot It quickly, and will trounce you in minutes. It's a great game for groups, easy to learn and fun to watch. Grab it to throw in your bag for that extra-long wait in line or the delay at the airport. Toss it into your closet as a last-minute gift for the person who's tough to shop for.

Animal Upon Animal

How:

The floor, or a very steady table, and a small child or three.

What:

A cute, simple balance game, with small wooden animals stacked based on dice rolls. Think 'Toddler's first Jenga' with a little jolt of randomness.

Who:

Kids with enough fine motor control to stack small blocks or shapes on top of each other, and the adults who love them. Two to four players, or one curious kid with time on their hands.

Where:

Your friendly local game store, or Amazon ($22).

Why:

Simple rules that a three year old can handle. A first exposure to turn taking and dice-based action. Adorable, sturdy, satisfying wooden pieces. A game that both my kids requested playing again and again. This is easily my favorite gateway game for the three and four year old set, with no reading at all required.

What's a roleplaying game? What's a LARP?

Roleplaying games (RPGs) tend to

• have two to seven people sitting around a table together 
• or maybe on Hangouts or Skype
• have one person acting as Game Master, coordinating the story
• use paper, pencils and dice to play (including a character sheet)
• use counters or chips to track resources
• be more mechanically complex
• involve you narrating what your character is doing and where they are going
• have you talk as your character
• usually expect no costuming

On the other hand, Live Action Roleplaying Games (LARPs) tend to

• be played standing up, walking around, or moving within a space (a room, building, field)
• have two to 100 people playing together
• use very few tokens, dice or papers
• frequently have a character sheet with some background and statistics
• use physical props to represent important items in the story
• invole you talking, moving, and expressing as your character
• be more mechanically simple
• sometimes costuming irrelevant, sometimes optional, sometimes strongly encouraged

I've played many RPGs and LARPs that I quite enjoy, and often they scratch similar itches. For me LARPs are usually less structured, more player driven and more immersive. And then there are many games that blur the line, or bring exceptions that prove the rule. 

Have you found any that are hard to categorize?

Games with colleagues?

What's your favorite game to play with a set of diverse, smart coworkers?

I have a team meetup coming next week, and looking for some fresh ideas. Mix of gamers and non-gamers in the audience, probably 5-8 people.

Apples to Apples

How:

Cards, friends or family, and a table.

What:

Free association, pop culture, creative persuasion and a lot of silliness make this card game a family friendly source of laughs.

Who:

Kids, adults, families; small or large groups. Just make sure you aren't in a quiet spot... it gets loud.

Where:

Your friendly local game store, or Amazon ($18).

Why:

It's so simple: pick an adjective, then others have to pick nouns that best fit. But the fun comes in unexpected juxtapositions, silly arguments for your own card, and knowing how to read the judge to predict what they will like best. Lots of fun, short gameplay, kid friendly.

Once Upon A Time

How:

Cards, friends, minimal table or floor space.

What:

Story telling collaboration with surprise theft of narrative control and awesome ending phrases that each is trying to work towards.

Who:

Children, adults, and anyone who likes taking random, disparate elements and weaving them into a fairy tale style story.

Where:

Your friendly local game store, or Amazon has it ($24).

Why:

This one crosses all age groups, getting to our storytelling instincts very effectively. I played a ton of it in high school, and just recently recommended it to some older friends to bring along for a visit to some family with children. Kids get this quickly, adults can jump in easily, since the rules are light and the replayability very high. Plus it's small and portable.

Borderlands 2

How:

PC, Mac, Xbox, PS3, even Linux soon.

What:

First person shooter, action RPG (levels, skills), hilarious writing and awesome coop campaign play.

Who:

You like shooting things and finding cooler gear as you level up, while also appreciating a rich and hilarious storyline with many jokes, cultural references and oddball elements.

Where:

Steam or your favorite game retailer

Why:

Gearbox made its own new story and setting for these two games, soon to be three, and it's hilarious. Standard dystopian sci-fi with a huge dose of zany humor and over the top bad guys, plus a cast of NPCs that are both memorable and silly. Cooperative play (up to four) is where Borderlands 2 really shines, and the class and specialization system makes each grouping different in tactics and playthrough.

Elements

How:

Web browser, mouse only.

What:

Customizable card game, similar to Magic The Gathering or many others, in which you create a deck and then play cards as you draw from your deck. Twelve elements make for many strategies, whether using only one or two 'colors' or blending all of them at once.

Who:

Play Elements if you like card games where you think about deck building but also card selection and timing.

Where:

Online at ElementsTheGame

Why:

Starts off simple, gets very rich in strategy. Twelve areas to focus on, with two-color decks being common and powerful, meaning many possible options to explore. This game has a variety of tough AI opponents, a long advancement curve for boosting your deck's power, and some very creative player vs player modes, both simultaneous and asynchronous.

Hearthstone (Blizzard)

How:

Free download (via Battle.net) for Mac, Windows and iPad.

What:

Turn based, one-on-one collectible card game using Warcraft universe and a mix of monsters and spells.

Who:

Play if you like deckbuilding strategy, human vs human multiplayer, sealed or constructed deck play and class-based differences.

Where:

Free download from Blizzard.

Why:

Hearthstone is easy to pick up, especially if you've played card games like it. The deckbuilding offers a variety of valid strategies and you can earn and unlock a variety of cards as you play more and more. For those who want a completely free experience you can earn in-game money through quests and participate in sealed deck Arena play, which is similar to Drafting in other games.

Drowning in Problems (Ludum Dare 29 submission)

How:

Web browser, mouse only, with a little reading and a lot of deep thought about the meaning of life. Mobile friendly.

What:

Meditative contemplation of existence... Simple and artistic story game... Parody of human suffering... I'm not sure what it is.

Who:

If you like games that make you think, or like philosophy, you should try it; it's very short!

Where:

Online (phone friendly too)

Why:

Notch has made some other awesome games, and this is one of the few games in recent memory that made me think both while playing and after playing. It's clearly a sort of essay and contemplation, in simple game form.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen

How:

In person, with 3-8 friends, some drinks, and coins.

What:

Lightweight story game of tall tales, humorous interruptions and collaborative crazy narratives.

Who:

Play Baron Munchausen if you like to make up stories on the spot, like to see your friends squirm a bit, and enjoy extravagant boasting with silly accents.

Where:

Buy the book online (it's back in print after a long hiatus).

Why:

The game itself is simple, just about two pages of instructions, but the book is a very funny read, and works well aloud. This game works well for small groups or larger ones, and is great for evening entertainment after dinner with some drinks in hand. It can be adapted to children easily and always brings laughter.

Civlization 5, from Firaxis and Sid Meier

I'm a longtime fan of Sid Meier's games and the Civilization series specifically. No surprise in my mind that the latest game is quite good.

How:

Buy it from Amazon, or Steam.

What:
Turn based, deep strategy, timeless classic computer game. Guide your country from the Stone age through the Internet age, seeking to achieve dominance through diplomacy, culture, might or science.

Who:
Play Civ 5 if you like turn-based strategy, resource management, simulation and replayability. Play if you want to conquer the world, learn a wee bit of history, and see what happens when the Maya drop a nuke on the Assyrians in 2012 and then land on Alpha Centauri to win!

Where:
On your Mac or Windows computer.

Why:
The Civilization games offer very high replayability, with each culture (whether Assyria, Maya, Venice) providing different quirks, benefits and special abilities. Combine that with random maps, new opponents, scenarios and variable difficulty, and you can easily pour many days (and late nights) into these games. I'm having a blast with Civ 5 and the expansions: Gods & Kings as well as Brave New World.

Fallen London (aka Echo Bazaar), from Failbetter Games

(First, how awesome is Failbetter Games as a company name?)

I'm taking this in the order of "What am I playing right now?" so you'll hear about the things I play as I play them, if they are awesome enough that YOU should play them too. I'm also experimenting with my template, and would love feedback. If you're asking When? the answer is Now!

How:

Web browser, mouse only, mostly just text.

What:
Turn based, supernatural, narrative game with novel mechanics, long story arcs, and cooperative or competitive social interactions. Freemium in very good ways.

Who:
You should play this game if you like filling in narrative gaps and a deep story taken in small pieces. Play if you enjoy a casual yet long-term game, which you can pick up for 5 minutes throughout the day. Play to explore a novel, creative world that is spooky and funny and adventurous.

Where:
Online at Fallen London

Why:
Their storytelling mechanism allows you to fill in many details and interstitial gaps for your own character's narrative while giving you all kinds of fun choices to make. Rarely have games made me pause and think for a minute about my next action, but this one has multiple times.

Where I talk about games

I love games, of most any type, and I play a lot of them.

Frequently I get questions about games, like:

• What game should I buy my nephew?
• What game would be good for an 8 year old?
• What game is fun on a long flight?

And I figured I'd start assembling those answers, and more, on a specific place.

Also you'll hear me go on and on about what I'm playing now. Hooray!