Win or lose I love playing board games.
Playing your best game, and solving the puzzle in front of you feel good regardless of the outcome. Even if you’re not winning, you’re still learning, spotting patterns, and refining strategies. It doesn’t matter if you’re not top of the leaderboard, you can still uncover new layers of the game.
No matter who wins, games create shared stories. Bold plays in Brass Birmingham, lucky draws in Quacks, super-duper combos in Terraforming Mars, successfully blending in as a fake artist or the moment you reveal yourself as a Hybrid in Unfathomable. These memories become the folklore amongst your friends and family that you talk about long afterwards.
These are just a few of the fantastic games I’m particularly terrible at.
boop.
boop. is a cosy two-player full of strategy which you’re likely to enjoy if you like games like Onitama or Santorini. I love both (have won neither), but boop. is super cute to boot… or indeed boop. On the surface each player is just taking turns booping cats across a bed, but this is a really thinky puzzle wearing fluffy pyjamas. Played on a quilted grid, it’s a balance of planning and reacting, kittens appear, kittens boop each other, kittens become cats, and cats can’t be booped by kittens. Your brain gets those lovely dopamine hits from discovering clever placements and anticipating your opponent’s boops. To win you have to place three kittens in a row or have all eight kittens on the quilt, but that’s much harder than it sounds!
Each game finishes fast, there’s no long set up and the simple ruleset means that you’re not constantly checking the rulebook, allowing for multiple plays each session. Every loss makes me think ‘I can do better’… although it’s not happened for me yet.
Onitama
Onitama is one of the first games I ever played after my initial foray into modern hobby board games. It’s easy to learn, quick to play, has interesting choices and I have played it a lot. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never won, but I have got better, and that sense of progression is pretty pleasing. I also just really like the way it makes me think, it feels like it’s good for my brain.
A little like chess it delivers deep, thoughtful strategy, however, it’s a small pretty speedy game to set up and play. Like boop. I often play a few games in a row. Every move is meaningful since both players share the same limited set of movement cards, creating a constant balancing act between offense and defence. A single move can completely change the game. Never having won really takes the pressure off, I find it very relaxing to play and love how each game feels almost meditative.
River of Gold
This is relatively new to my collection, but I’ve already racked up lots of plays. It’s my favourite type of game; deep strategy depth without complexity. Players build thriving settlements along the River of Gold which as the name suggests is rich with resources. To develop their riverfront territory, players gather goods and resources, fulfil lucrative contracts for wealthy patrons and construct buildings. The river itself is a dynamic element in the game, as its flow dictates the availability of different resources, making position and timing crucial. The rules are intuitive and the turns simple, players can choose one of three actions; build, sail, or deliver goods.
Despite the hours I’ve spent playing I haven’t managed to win once. It doesn’t matter though; it’s such a satisfying experience because it has everything I love in a game. There’s plenty of interaction but no direct conflict and the river mechanism blends the gameplay and theme perfectly. Moreover, the art and components are beautiful, and whilst that’s not essential it certainly helps. Perhaps best of all for a game with interesting choices from start to finish it plays pretty quickly with fairly minimal set up. Sometimes I want to play again as soon as I’ve finished a game, who knows I might even win! 
Fromage
This is another fairly new addition to my board games, which has also had a lot of time at the table. Much like River of Gold It hits that perfect sweet spot of strategic depth with simple slick gameplay. In Fromage, players are running a charming little French creamery, producing and selling different cheeses. Each turn you simply place a worker, collect resources, or make cheese, but the timing of when your cheese matures and when the board rotates create interesting choices and opportunities for some clever planning.
Every game feels satisfying because everything just clicks. There’s plenty of interaction as players race to fulfil orders or claim market spaces. Although the spinning board could be considered a gimmick (and it is fun!) it’s actually a very neat way to tie theme and mechanisms together and feels like an innovative twist on worker placement. As well as being functional the components are lovely just like the beautiful artwork which give the whole experience a warm, rustic charm. It’s so well-crafted blending comfort and challenge that makes every play rewarding, a joy to return to time and time again.
Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes
Blitzkrieg! Has been in my collection for quite a while now and is a bit of a go to for a warm up, filler or weeknight game, it’s super speedy! Despite playing many times over a number of years now… I’m not sure I’ve ever really been close to winning. This is World War II distilled into a quick playing, elegant tug-of-war. On each turn players simply play a token and resolve its effect. However, every placement must be considered carefully as battles are fought over multiple fronts, creating new opportunities while closing off others. It’s astonishing how much tension and planning id packed into such a small and fast game.
As a tug of war game there’s direct interaction and the shifting theatres of war keep you constantly reassessing your priorities. I would describe the production as clean rather than beautiful, but I think that makes sense with the theme and the focus on functionality means that I’m set up and ready to lose in under a minute.
Ark Nova
Like my fellow bloggers I love Ark Nova (it was number one in our top 50 board games of all time: the ultimate list). Even if winning it feels like a pretty remote possibility I don’t think I’d ever say no to a game. Admittedly it’s a time commitment and it might feel like a steep learning curve, however, once you’ve got going and the gears start turning, it’s magic.
Players are designing, building, and managing a modern zoo, the heart of the game is based on conservation and education, not profit or spectacle. As well as scoring points in each game, I’m building a living breathing zoo thinking about how curating exhibits that attract visitors and support rewarding conservation efforts. The range of actions makes it feel puzzly and creative.
I love the action card system and the way that actions grow stronger depending on their position. It forces me to think several turns ahead and strike the balance between short term needs against long term gains. Despite it being a long game that tension keeps the game engaging from start to finish.
Every play feels fresh thanks to loads of content in the base game, although if that’s not enough the Marine Worlds expansion has even more without adding complexity. Each playthrough challenges me to adapt my strategy, whether I’m focusing on conservation, income, or synergistic card combos, although I’m yet to find my winning strategy.
Dune Imperium
This sort of mid to heavy-strategy game is my favourite thing to play so if I had more time I would have lost at this even more. Each player is the leader of a rising great house, navigating the treacherous currents of intrigue, military force, and economic ambition. The desert planet Arrakis is the heart of it all, rich in the rare mineral spice, and everyone wants their share. The game blends deck-building, worker placement, and tactical conflict into a single elegant game. Buying cards allows you to shape your strategy and deploying agents to the right faction or location can shift alliances, spark battles, or tip the economic scales.
Deciding when to commit and when to hold back is everything. Even a single well-timed troop can change the entire board. Whether you're forging clandestine deals with the Bene Gesserit, amassing legions for the emperor, or bending the power of the Spacing Guild to your will resources will be scarce and each hard-won victory point won extremely precious!
This does feel quite thematic to me and although I love the Dune world and feel it enhances the experience, I don’t think it’s essential to have read the books or seen the films to enjoy the excellent and innovative gameplay. It’s certainly never helped me win.
Tapestry
I love Tapestry and really appreciate that the setting is intentionally broad and fantastical, an alternate world where technology, exploration, science, and military power don’t follow historical timelines, letting every civilization evolve in wildly different ways. It’s a perfect blend of escapism and strategy which I really enjoy. The range of possibilities make it feel infinitely replayable, my civilisation might stumble into creating monumental architecture before writing, or unravel the mysteries of the cosmos before developing agriculture. It’s an imaginative sandbox that encourages experimentation rather than strict realism.
Players advance along four tracks; science, technology, exploration, and military with each one offering unique benefits and strategic choices. The rounds of the game don’t happen simultaneously as each player advances at their own pace, which creates this wonderful ebb and flow where one player’s civilization might be soaring ahead in one era while another player is carefully building momentum for the next. The asynchronous rhythm keeps every game dynamic and makes each decision feel deeply personal.
The combination of the asynchronous rhythm, and asymmetric civilizations make the game so interesting and feel different each time you play. On top of that the gorgeous components make this such a rewarding experience overall, even without a victory.
In summary
I always have a great time playing games, win or lose. The beautiful art, tactile components, and interesting themes make them lovely objects in their own right. It’s fun to play with them, not just to win them. The variable setups, asymmetric powers, and modular boards in games offer evolving strategies and fresh experiences. Spending time with friends or family, cooperating, negotiating, or just enjoying the chaos is more valuable than my score.
