Tabletop 101
Top 5 Chill-out Games We Love
by Serban, Quartermaster @ The Guild Hall
November 23, 2020
There are times where your brain just wants to turn off. If you’re going to play something simple and welcoming, let us show you our current favorite chill-out board games. These are 5 games that can give you that calm game night experience.
Chill-out board game #5 – Discover: Lands Unknown
When this game was released, it stirred a fair bit of criticism. No two copies of this game are alike. Everyone has an entirely different experience, with different zones and characters.
At its core, Discover: Lands Unkown is a game about adventure. You’ll spend most of your time traveling around, discovering new areas, defeating some enemies, gathering resources, and the like. What’s better, there are a few unique playable characters, which will offer plenty of replayability.
Chill-out board game #4 – Villagers
From a game about exploration and adventure, we’re going to one about not moving at all: Villagers. Villagers is a card drafting game in which you’ll be the founder of a settlement. Slowly but surely, you’ll gather quite a motley crew and the better they work together, the better it is for you.
What’s even better, the game has a small box and easy rules. It also provides some decent space for maximization if you also want something more thoughtful. Overall, it’s a perfect bridge between chilling and putting in some brain work.
Chill-out board game #3 – Takenoko
If you’re into board games, chances are you’ve probably heard of Takenoko, but that doesn’t make it any less of a masterpiece. This game is a crash course on chill games. All you have to do is build a garden and take care of a panda who keeps eating all the bamboo. As stressful as it sounds, the game is relatively easy to play and you are guided through the entire experience by an excellent player aid. If you’re looking for something that’ll be a success even with the most casual players, this one’s it.
Chill-out board game #2 – Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon
Although Ishtar will seem quite overwhelming at first, with its mainboard, drafting board, player board and plenty of little pieces, it’ll all quickly gel into a beautiful experience of turning the desert into the Gardens of Babylon. Mostly, it’s a game that thrives on moderation. It has a moderate duration, moderate difficulty and moderate adherence to the theme. It’s nothing fancy, but it is cute, fun and allows for a fair bit of strategy and planning.
Chill-out board game #1 – Calico
ithout exaggeration, Calico won my heart from the moment it arrived in our store. It is a perfect combination of Patchwork, Azul, and feline goodness. All you have to do is make sure that the little blanket you are sewing together for your cats fits as many point criteria, either by matching patterns, colors, or both. It’s then further mixed up by some additional special rules given at the start of each game. Overall, it’s one of the best chill-out board game ever. And it’s pushed over the edge because of cats (because cats are great).
That’s our list! If you want other recommendations you can check out this and this article for more relaxing games. If you’re interested in buying them, you can buy them from either our online shop or real-life store. They also make great gifts, so if you’re more interested in handing them out to a friend, we can wrap them up for the good ol’ price of nothing! Is any game chiller than these? Be sure to let us know and we might even update our list with your suggestion.
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