Tabletop games and the hobby itself have evolved drastically over recent years. One of the ways the hobby has changed is that there are now many board games that players can only play one time. This could be because the game has a finale, it has a puzzle that must be solved, or the game gets permanently changed as a result of playing it.
Many players that are new to the hobby are generally taken aback when they discover that some games are not made to last forever. Some even require gamers to rip up cards and throw away components.
10 Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Brings The Books To Life
Sherlock Holmes is a beloved series of stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The tales of this incredible detective have been adapted into multiple movies, TV shows, and board games. Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective gives players the feeling of acting like the detective himself, attempting to solve a case with only a little amount of information. The game provides neat components like a full fake newspaper, a map, and more. Players must work together to solve the case. At the end of the game, players get to see how elementary it was for Holmes himself.
9 The King's Dilemma Gives Players Difficult Decisions
The King's Dilemma is a very unique game full of twists and turns. In the game, players will decide on difficult decisions for the kingdom as they take on the role of leaders on the council. The game offers many branching paths with an evolving deck of cards and multiple different finales.
In each round of The King's Dilemma, players draw a card from the dilemma deck that poses a tough question which they must resolve on the King's behalf. The story unfolds uniquely for each game group leading to players having a completely different, but equally exciting, experience.
8 Charterstone Allows Players To Craft Their Own Game
In Charterstone, players use their workers and cards to populate and change an evolving village. Each player controls one of six different colors which will provide them with unique abilities and avatars. As the game progresses, players remove building stickers from cards and place them on the board, creating new actions available to everyone at the table. Charterstone also features crates that can be opened to add new cards, avatars, and more to the game. When the game is finished, the players will have a one-of-a-kind game unlike anybody else's.
7 Unlock! Is A Modern Approach To Escape Rooms
Unlock! utilizes a mobile app that players interact with to solve puzzles. This is unlike many other escape room games where cards and components have to be ripped, folded, or cut. The game continues to innovate and surprise gamers with the ways it uses the app to elevate the gaming experience. Sometimes the app is simply used to input a code and other times it completely takes over, turning the technology into a puzzle itself. Since no cards are destroyed or written on, the game can be gifted to friends and family once players have completed it.
6 Deadline Combines Cards & Detective Work
Deadline is a cooperative card game that puts players in the shoes of classic detectives as they solve cases in New York, the city that never sleeps. As old-school gumshoes, each player attempts to play cards in the correct order with one another. Cards have symbols on them that need to be played in a specific order to help solve each case. Players will have to work together to gather clues, interrogate suspects, and investigate crime scenes to complete the cases. Deadline comes with a total of twelve cases to solve.
5 Detective Combines The Internet & History
Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game is an in-depth detective game that lives up to its name. In the game, players work together to solve five connected cases that can take anywhere from 2-4 hours each.
Detective: A Modern Crime Board Game is based on a real historical event combined with some liberties taken for the story's sake. Players get to watch the security camera footage, use the internet, and take notes as they attempt to learn key details and solve the case. The game has spawned multiple versions of the game, all with different cases.
4 T.I.M.E Stories Is A Time-Traveling Fantasy
T.I.M.E Stories is a game system that comes with one scenario set in a mental asylum. Multiple other modules and scenarios are available to work with the core game. In each scenario, players take on the role of different characters that have unique stats and abilities. The game is heavily story-based and offers players new worlds and themes to explore with each scenario. The game has been criticized for its ending in the ninth, final module, but the game is highly rated overall. Each module plays differently and offers something for everyone.
3 Risk Legacy Turns The Game On Its Head
Most gamers know of the game Risk. This classic game has been sold for over six decades and has remained popular ever since it was first released. Hardcore tabletop gamers often don't enjoy the game of Risk, but the reimagined game, Risk Legacy, changed everything. Not only did hobbyists enjoy the game, but it also created an entire genre. Legacy games are board games that have permanent changes such as ripping up cards, writing on components, or putting stickers on the board. Risk Legacy is ranked highly among hobbyists and the mainstream audience.
2 Exit: The Game Brings Escape Rooms To The Home
Exit: The Game is an escape room game that has many different versions including jigsaw puzzles and advent calendars. Each Exit game features bending cards, cutting paper, folding maps, and more.
Players work together to solve puzzles and decipher clues to beat the game and score their attempts. All of the Exit games are different from one another with completely different puzzles and ideas, keeping the games fresh for even experienced players. Exit has gone on to be one of the most successful series of games of all time.
1 Pandemic Legacy Defined A Genre
Pandemic Legacy is the legacy version of the modern classic, Pandemic. The game is played in a series of different sessions. In the beginning, the game functions as the original game but as the group plays through different sessions, the game changes and evolves into an entirely new experience. Pandemic Legacy has won multiple awards and is currently ranked as the second-best game ever made, according to hobbyists on the website Board Game Geek. Pandemic Legacy also has two sequels that have been met with high praise.