Modern tabletop games are wonders of design and narrative, running the gamut from cooperative dice-rolling adventures to elaborate setups that allow for tense negotiations over resources. But sometimes you want to walk away from the table knowing that your carefully considered decisions not fickle chance or fast-talking negotiations are what led you to sweet victory or, more often than I care to admit, crushing defeat. This is where strategy games shine.
We spoke with board-game experts and retailers. And we spent 44 hours researching and 48 hours playing 15 different games with 25 people, to find the best options for players looking for a deep and rewarding strategic experience. We wanted to get a wide variety of opinions, from long-time gamers as well as those who were new to the table.
Strategy games naturally take longer to play and to learn than other games, but the ratio of time investment to enjoyment is important. We prized games with easy-to-explain rules. Whether you prefer exploring the ruins of a lost civilization , building a logistics network in turn-of-the-century England , waging a war to control a woodland forest , building a really nice zoo , brewing the best booze possible , or fighting an evil machine for control of a city , these games provide the framework for hours of fun while you try to outthink your friends.
Before we could test strategy games, we had to face the tricky task of defining what they actually are. As a result, categorizing them often means relying on some combination of mechanics and perceived complexity, plus a general gut feeling. Armed with their expertise and our own research, we chose to focus on games that heavily emphasize decision-making skills, that are more complex than the picks in our guide to beginner board games , and that usually take between 45 minutes and two hours to play.
We made a special effort to include a mix of games with different mechanics and genres— economic games , war games , engine-building games , hidden movement games , and even a deduction game. We also looked for—and were pleasantly surprised to find—games that had rules for solo play. This is a great option, considering how hard it can be to get players to the table for some of these games. For some game groups, strategy games can be intimidating because they ask more from players in terms of time, concentration, and energy than more-casual games do.
