Board Game Event: Games You Can Take On Trips To Visit People Who May Not Play Games (Yet)

Join us at Pandemonium for our 3-hour, bi-weekly session to learn and play a selection of games from our demo library! You’re especially welcome if you’ve never before played hobby board games (and are curious about where to start). 

One dilemma in the board game hobby is what to do when you’re traveling and want to share games with the people in your life (especially if they’ve not played many games). Not only does the game need to be accessible (and enjoyable), but it also needs to be portable. And so, for this Sunday, join us to try out some of the best board games to take on trips (that also happen to be fun and very replayable):

Just One tops the list as a game we know works with a) large groups, and b) gamers of all levels of experience (both within the hobby and also life). What is, at its core, a hot-seat, word-guessing game, takes on the extra challenge of giving clues that make the word easy enough to guess but also making sure they’re unique (because teammates who give the same clue remove their clue from the table!). If you love games that are fast, have interesting choices, and offer surprises every turn, we recommend this one.

Spyfall is a hidden-role, social-deduction game. One player will secretly be a spy trying to guess where the other players work, and each turn, one player asks another player a question about that location. Therefore, players who aren’t the spy have to balance giving an answer that convinces the other players they’re at the same location without being too obvious to the spy. And the spy, of course, has to guess (and bluff) equally well. Is it stressful? Perhaps, but each round lasts only 8 minutes, so you won’t be in the hot seat too long.

Machi Koro moves us beyond the realm of social games and into the realm of light engine-building, competitive gaming. You (and every other player) are the mayors of a small town tasked with growing it to greatness by the people you serve. Each turn, you earn money from your town’s economy – and eventually other players – and use it to build buildings that give you even more money on future turns. If you like games that take the edge off of competition (but still require you to think a few turns ahead in order to win), you may like this one.

Finally, there’s Arboretum, a game that’s ostensibly about building paths of trees but immediately reveals itself to be far more complex (and interesting). You have to frequently decide whether to score points immediately or push your luck for even more points at the end of the game! So if you like surprisingly thinky games, try this one out.

 So if you ever wanted to learn these games or just want to spend time with others who like playing games, come on out! And if these aren’t your cup of tea, stay tuned for more events to come!

If you’d rather we meet at a different time OR if there are any board games in our collection you’d like to see us feature – or even games you want us to add to the library for the future –  let us know by filling out the Google Form here!

RULES FOR ATTENDING: 

• Proof of COVID vaccination is required at EVERY EVENT. Either the presentation of the physical card or a clear picture will suffice. Pandemonium does not keep any records, written or otherwise, of vaccination status.
• Advance online registration is required.
• Anyone not registered in an ongoing event will not be allowed in the event space to maintain capacity limits.
• Masks are required and must be kept on unless drinking. No food will be allowed in our event space for the time being.