6 Games to add to your next game night for strategy gamers.

So I love board games. Let's just get that clear straightaway! I love games from Scattergories to Ark Nova to Mario Party. I particularly enjoy a strategy board game where you settle in for an afternoon knowing you are going to be hurting your brain in the best way possible. I have rounded up some of my favorite strategy board games for you in no particular order.

1. Settlers of Catan: This is a classic for a reason! Farming, stealing, building- oh, the fun you will have! Catan was the gateway game for me. It was the first strategy game I was ever introduced to, and it hooked me and pulled me into a whole new world of fun! The goal of this game is to score 10 points before your opponents by collecting resources to build roads, settlements, and cities.

   

2. Everdell: The cutest and most whimsical game you ever did see! Players use their critter meeples to collect resources and buy cards to place in their cities. Each card has a unique advantage, such as lowering the cost of a new build, immediately gaining a resource, drawing more cards, etc. Points come from a variety of places, but the player with the most points at the end wins!

   

3. Above and Below: Creatures and caverns and quests, oh my! Players use their explorers to explore above and below ground and gain coins, resources, and remedies to heal their explorers for the next round. To explore underground, players must read from a booklet of scenarios and decide how much they are willing to risk in order to get a better reward. The game ends after a set number of rounds (depending on the number of players).

   

4. Ark Nova: Novice gamers, beware. Ark Nova is not for the faint of heart or the faint of sitting in a chair hunched over a board game for a minimum of a couple hours. This game is long and brain-jumbling, but it is SO worth it! First of all, it is beautiful to look at. Second of all, it promotes a positive view of animal conservation and care. Third of all, it is extremely fun. In this game, players use a unique zoo map and animal cards to build their own zoo. They build their zoos through buying animals, collecting sponsorships, partnering with different continents, donating to conservation projects, and so much more. Their pieces move along 3 different tracks (reputation, conservation, and appeal), and the winner is the first to have two of their tracks overlap each other from opposite sides of the board. Highly recommend!

   

5. Wingspan: Bird lovers unite! Each player has their own board where they are trying to collect birds for various habitats and lay eggs to gain points. There is scoring after each round and at the end of the game. There is something calming about this game, even though players are actively trying to out-bird each other.

6. 

   Honey Buzz: One of the most exciting games to look at, in my opinion (Kardashian reference intended). In this game, players are in control of a beehive that they control by using their Beeples (so cute) to forage for nectar to make honey and buy points. The hive is made up of smaller pieces that must be strategically placed in order to trigger actions on each turn. Beautiful game that is also calming while you annihilate your competition.

   

Have you played any of these? Are there any you would be excited to try? Let me know!

Also, I have upgrades for a few of the included games on my Etsy page- check it out if you would be interested! https://www.etsy.com/shop/LifeAwakened?ref=dashboard-header