Top Board Games

What is it about board games that we all love? It is probably that they give us a chance of being something we're not. We can be a gallant knight in chess today and a millionaire at monopoly tomorrow. It is also the thrill we get after winning a big pot or the opposition 'missing a turn'. They have adapted themselves to be more and more in sync with daily trends. For example, during the days of kingdoms and warfare, vintage games like chess understandably enjoyed popularity while today we have fun family games like Picnic and Life. So we can say that board games are truly representatives of the times!

Top 10 Board Games

1. Chess:
   The undisputed king among board games, chess has been played for centuries in one form or the other. Unlike many others, it is a game of skill and not of chance. No wonder it is probably the only board game that is played competitively. The basic premise of chess is that there are two players commanding two 'armies', each piece having its predefined move. The game ends when the opposing king is 'checkmated'.
2. Scrabble:
   I correct my previous mistake saying that chess is the only board game played competitively! Scrabble competitions too are held across the world. The object of this game is to form words on a board with randomly picked letters. There are points for each letter and each square on the board and players try and maximize their score. It is usually played by 4 players or less. The game ends when all the letters are over and the person with the maximum score wins.
3. Snakes and Ladders:
   Even though we consider this as a game for kids, even adults cannot help but enjoy this very easy game. It is definitely one of the immortal board games. In snakes and ladders there are 100 squares and the number on the rolled dice decides the number of squares to move. And then of course there are snakes and ladders at reasonable intervals. The if you hit a square with a snake on it, you go back till the end of the snake's tail. On the other hand, if you hit a square with a ladder on it, you move up to the end of the ladder.
4. Monopoly:
   Another immortal game! Monopoly was invented with the rise of capitalism. It gives a fictional setting in England where players go on buying prime properties and then charge rent for it. Although kids play it more, I for one started enjoying this game after growing up! Player with the most money at the end of the game wins.
5. Life:
   The game of Life is a very simple board game that uses a wheel to decide the number of moves, as opposed to dice. The number thrown on the die decides the number of squares to move. There are actual events written on the squares, which come in life like employment, kids, buying a house, etc which will involve spending or earning money. We decided the winner of the game in two ways. Either the one who completed the game first won, or the person with the highest amount of money on completion won. Perfect game for families!
6. Picnic:
   A game which is essentially similar to Life but the setting and premise are slightly different. In Picnic, the players go on a 'picnic' and the dilemma is whether to take the expensive, short routes or the cheap, longer routes to the finish line. Again, when we played the winner would either be the richest person at the end of the game or the one who finished first.
7. Ludo:
   Well I've put this game a bit lower on my list because, although immensely popular, it is not one which I have enjoyed too much. The point of the game is quite simple. There are four teams in four colors. Each team has four pawns. When all the pawns of one team reach the designated place, that team wins.
8. Checkers:
   Checkers is another very popular game among young and old alike. It is similar to chess in many ways as the playing board is 'checkered' and the moves of the disks help eliminate the other team's pieces. It is a two player game that ends when the opponent can no longer make any moves
9. Scotland Yard:
   Scotland Yard is a detective game that involves a criminal and police. The criminal 'Mr. X' reveals his position at certain times during the game and the police gives a limited number of moves each. If Mr. X is caught within the number of moves, the police win. If not, Mr. X is the winner!
10. Memory Game:
    There are many forms of the memory game. In a memory game set, there are cards with different animals, vegetables or fruits and the players are given a set amount of time to memorize all the cards and their placements. The player who identifies the most number of cards wins!

Hope you enjoy playing them as much as I did!