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Let’s be honest. Every once in a while, it helps to take a break from the competition in gaming and enjoy something a little more relaxing with friends. If you already own Tabletop Simulator, then you already have thousands of different tabletop games. If you don’t, then you’ll be pleased to know that you can get all these and more for under $20.
Tabletop gaming primer
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If you’ve never played any board game more complicated than Monopoly, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. The world of tabletop gaming has grown immensely, and with Tabletop Simulator available online there’s never been a better time to give it a shot.
If you're new and interested, here are five tabletop games I highly recommend to anyone looking to try something new with a few friends. Some of these are cooperative, some of these are competitive, some are both, and all are fun.
Explore a scary house in
Betrayal at the House on the Hill
Betrayal is first on this list because it’s pretty much the best place to start for anyone totally new to tabletop gaming. A group of 3-5 players take turns exploring a haunted house, gathering items, running into ghouls, and talking with ghosts, all the while trying to avoid death or insanity.
As the game progresses, at some point someone will reveal a cursed artifact and trigger a “haunt,” an event which will reveal one of the group as a traitor and change the game entirely. Despite being occasionally complex, the rules are easy to follow, and once your group has a few games under their belts it becomes much simpler.
Betrayal comes in a few different varieties. Players can enjoy the classic version or play the D&D themed Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate if they want to trade in Eldritch horrors for eye of the beholders, or Betrayal Legacy should they wish for their choices to carry over from game to game.
Solve mysteries and battle the occult in
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
While Betrayal keeps the game on the table, Arkham Horror lets players play from their hands instead. In this card game, 1-4 players pick an investigator and build a deck within the restrictions of their chosen character. Once everyone is ready, it's time to select a scenario and start a campaign.
Campaign-based tabletop games are usually meant to be played over multiple sessions, with the results of previous games affecting later games. In Arkham Horror. players earn experience points, which can be used to upgrade the cards in their decks, and endure trauma, which lingers throughout the story.
This game might take a bit longer and require a dedicated group to play, but as far as these kinds of games go Arkham Horror is one that allows for a high degree of creativity in deck building. It also features multiple difficulties, so more experienced groups can keep playing after they’ve beaten it.
Defend democracy and prevent a coup in
Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler is one of those strange tabletop games that swept the world by storm. It's quickly become one of the most popular of the hidden role tabletop games. Hidden role games assign everyone a secret team and role and pits the teams against one another.
In Secret Hitler, 5-10 players are split into teams called the “liberals” and “fascists,” with the liberals being the majority but not knowing who to trust and the fascists being the minority but knowing exactly who their teammates are. One of the fascists is assigned the role of “Hitler,” and doesn’t know who their teammates are.
Games end when Hitler is elected to power, killed, or when enough laws are passed that the country locks in its democracy or descends into fascism. The game sounds rather complex, but the rules can be explained in under 4 minutes. This game includes a lot of talking (and lying), so when playing online make sure to have a mic.
Combat a global plague in
Pandemic Legacy: Season 1
Pandemic Legacy saw a massive increase in popularity due to, well, recent events. This tabletop game is largely responsible for Legacy games taking off a few years ago, winning 20 awards in 2015-2016.
In this tabletop game, 2-4 players play as doctors throughout the world all attempting to fight back a global disease. The game takes place in month long intervals, with the team attempting to accomplish a certain number of goals and overcome debilitating events.
Failure is expected and defeat is likely, but losing one part doesn’t mean the game is over. Instead, the game will instruct players to mark or destroy cards as they play to affect future games.
Fair warning, this game takes a long time to play and a fair amount of dedication (12-24 play sessions), so absolute beginners may want to learn the basics elsewhere to make sure they can fully enjoy this tabletop game when they get around to it.
Relax after an adventure with a cup of ale and your friends at the
Red Dragon Inn
Rounding off our list is perhaps one of the most thematic tabletop games available. A game about friends coming together for an evening of fun at their favorite tavern, the Red Dragon Inn. Characters tell stories, cast spells, and drink like there’s no tomorrow.
This tabletop game can host as many players as you are willing to share a table with, though it’s usually played with 4-8. Players draw cards from a prebuilt deck and attempt to last the longest at the table, downing a drink each turn and using a host of tricks to gain the advantage.
Players lose when one of two things happen; they run out of money and get thrown out of the bar by the bouncer or they pass out drunk where they sit. No other game will feature pixies outdrinking trolls, rowdy stablehands letting their animals run wild through a bar, or mages casting spells on their friends to get the drunk.
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