To learn more about what board games are good for beginners click here.

To see what I think your two first modern board games are Click Here

Moving into our next two games – I took the same approach for what qualities the game should have in your next selection. Those qualities are:

• Easy
• Short
• Inexpensive

I should probably clarify that “easy” is meant to imply easy to learn – not that the game is simplistic. I want to make that important distinction now, because when I talk about Azul – it certainly is easy to learn – but as a person plays it more and more – they will soon discover that the game itself isn’t necessarily “simplistic.” Today I’ll be showing a great “tile laying” game as well as a very well known party game. Azul will run you a little bit more than the first two games I’ve shown – but I assure you it is well worth it. Codenames you can often find under $20, and even find it at major retailers. For under $40, I can get you into these two great games that will provide hours of fun.

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What is It

Azul does a terrific job of being an “easy” game to learn while opening players to thinking very strategically.  And it does it in such a sneaky way.  You don’t realize you are becoming a strategy shark!  

Regarding the theme or “story” of the game: in the game of Azul you are taking on the role of an Portuguese artist charged with crafting a beautiful mosaic tiled wall.  I get it -it is a bit of an odd theme. You will take on the roll of an artist – but what will you be doing?

The bulk of the game is known as “drafting”.  Each round you’ll be presented with a choice to take some tiles and figure out how best to place them on your board.  The color of the tile doesn’t matter in points – but after a few plays you’ll quickly see where AND when you place the tile does matter for points.  

To be fair, the pattern of tiles is already pre-set for you.  You can see that in the photo. The challenge is to get the right amount of tiles into the right row, at the right time.  You’ll notice that the rows can vary from only needing one tile to up to 5.  A careful observer will also notice that only one specific pattern is needed in each row.  That means once you place a “red” tile in row 2 – you’ll not be able to place another one into that row. 

This is the heart of the game play – deciding which tiles to grab – and when.  What you may not realize is that you also deciding what tiles you are leaving for your opponent – and what tiles you might not get a chance to pick later.  

If you don’t get the tiles you want – you might get the score you were looking for.  If you or your opponent ends up taking tiles you don’t want (or can’t place) you’ll end up with negative points.

What a Turn is Like

There are multiple disks that hold 4 tiles.  From one disk, you pick one pattern/color of tiles to take.  You take all that match that – so it could be one, or in theory all the way up to 4.  The ones you don’t use get put into the center of the table – not on a disk.  You can also choose tiles from that shared center – that pool will increase and decrease as new tiles are put in and tiles are removed.

It could be you are forced to take tiles you can’t use or simply do not want.  Those tiles fall to your floor and become negative points.  Careful – based on how many tiles are on your floor will increase your negative points – and not all negative point squares are the same.

During the Draft Phase – you’ll be putting the tiles to the left of the scoring area.  You’ll only get to score a tile if you complete a full row on the left.  Keep in mind – you can only have one color in each of those rows – no mixing and matching.  Once you score a row with one pattern/color – you can never place a tile on that row again.  

Scoring Phase

After all the drafting is done – players will move to score their tiles. Staring from the top row, and moving down, players will move one tile from each COMPLETED row over into the pattern portion.  

Depending on how many tiles are adjacent ornithologically to the tile being placed, will determine how many points you can score.  For example if you place a tile into a row and it is adjacent to another tile – you’ll count how many consecutive tiles it is adjacent too. Then you’ll subtract points based on how many tiles you were forced to put onto your floor.

Once of of the pattern rows is completely full – that signals the end of the game.

Why I picked it

I picked Azul for you new collection for a multiple of reasons.

Great at multiple player counts: Azul is a great head to head duel as well as a battle of wits between 4 players.  The game play is the same regardless of the player counts – the only difference is the number of starting factories (disks with tiles).  I enjoy the head to head aspect – especially with my wife.  It is also great at higher player counts, and if anything you do feel tension build as far as trying to get the tiles you want or fade the ones you don’t.

Easy Rule Set: I believe the entire set of directions is just shy of 2 pages.  I’ve given you the highlights already.  It is a very easy game to learn.  I play this with my 8 year old son with no problem.  In fact it can really be good younger players because there isn’t any additional reading that needs to be done. “Non-gamers” can quickly pick up on this game.  It is very tactile and intuitive. Teaching this game will take all of 15 minutes – once a player understands tile placement rules/restrictions – you are set. Honestly after reading this, you could probably play it now.

Your Skill Grows: This is the main reason I picked this game. Maybe it seems like an odd reason to pick it – but I think it is an important one early on. At first you’ll likely play this game, very much focused on your board and what pieces will work. As you continue playing, you’ll realized you can subtlety impact not only your board – but ever so genteelly manipulate how your opponents boards will shape up. Then you’ll reach cut throat stage, where you will recognize that even a sub-optimal move for your board may still be the “right move” because it could have a devastating impact on your opponents. This all done by being selective during the drafting phase when you are picking tiles and what tiles to leave behind.

Azul also has multiple spin offs. If you like Azul – there is a decent chance you’ll enjoy some of the new editions. The overall concept remains the same – but there are some great new wrinkles that have been added in.

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“…the apparent simplicity of Azul hides devious depth…”

— Paul Dean, Shut Up & Sit Down

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Codenames is a word party game – what does that mean? Let start with the “Party Game” – 

Party games are games that encourage social interaction. They have easy setups, quick to learn rules, and they can accommodate large groups of people and play in a short amount of time.  But perhaps most important – they are generally just excuses to get a bunch of your friends around and laugh at each other.

Codenames is that in spades!

But Codenames is also a word game – what is that about? Well as you might guess – the game itself is focused around words.  In games like Scrabble, Boggle, or Bananagrams – that involves being able to spell out words.  In games like Taboo or Poetry for Neanderthals it involves trying to guess a particular word.  Codenames is a bit like that. In Codenames you’ll have two teams face off.  Each team will have a “code giver” and then the rest trying to decipher the clue and guess the appropriate word(s).

The game will delight you with your own cleverness as you come up with in getting your teammates to guess words.  You’ll laugh at giving clues with inside knowledge that will tie seemingly unrelated words together and have your partners guess them correctly. You will pat yourself on the back as you give a seemingly impossible clue that ties 4 words together. Most of all you laugh and high-five with your teammates as you collect your words.

What is a turn like

As mentioned, you start the game looking at a grid of words. Within that grid you need to get your team to guess very specific words. The words you need them to get are represented in a color coded grid that corresponds to the grid of words.  If they guess the wrong one, they may end up guessing a blank and the turn ends, or worse guessing a word belonging to another team inching them closer to winning, or even worse – guessing the”kill” word inadvertently – ending the game for your team and handing the win to your opponents.

If I am the Blue Team – I want you to guess the following words:

• Spy
• Carrot
• Thief
• Mole
• Water
• Paper
• Ninja
• Police
• Pie

Also in this example “Bed” is the word that no team wants to guess inadvertently as it will let the other team automatically win.

The clues are always a number and a single word.  The number (in theory) represents how many words out there you word clue would pertain to.  Then you say one word.  Using that single bit of information – your team will attempt to guess the words you are alluding too.  They aren’t required to make use all all their guesses (always one more than your number), and in fact may elect to stop because they are unsure.  Remember if you guess your opponents words – your helping them win – or you definitely don’t want to have your teammates guess the kill word.

Can you guess what words I’d want you to guess if I said “4-Hidden” as my clue in the above image – Answer at the end….

Why I picked it

I picked this game because every collection should have a great party game in it.  This one is fantastic.  You could play it with as few as 4, but I prefer 6 or 8 to really make it shine.  Generally whenever I’ve played it we always played it such that each person had a chance to be the code giver – but that isn’t necessary.

One of the unofficial caveats of a party game is that it is easy to learn.  Codenames fits that bill nicely.  The concept of “one number/one word” is certainly easy enough to grasp.

I like how the tension builds as teams are getting closer to the amount of clues they need to win the game.  I really like hearing the discussion amongst the guessers on what words they they are supposed to get.  Cringing as they contemplate potentially a word for the other team – or the kill card.  I like how you can “know the players” and use that to help shape clues.  Since the game is essentially a race to set amount of points – being efficient in the clues and guesses is important.  It is so satisfying to have your team pick up 4 words, based off of one clue.

This is a REALLY good game to break out at family gatherings/holidays.  It is so accessible and encourages family play.

The game has multiple spinoffs as well, including a duet/two player version.  I’ve played the Duet and Marvel version – and definitely prefer the first version overall.  Often you can grab this game for under $15 at many big box retailers as well as online.

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“I’m going to be buying these for all my friends and family that like partyish games.”

— Dan King, Game Boy Geek

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Enjoy these next two games. They offer plenty of play with multiple player counts. Both are easy to learn, don’t take up much space, and will be done within an hour.

Can you guess what words I’d want you to guess if I said “4-Hidden” as my clue in the above image – Spy, Thief, Ninja, Mole — How did you do?