Pause for deep sigh.

This all started when Monopoly got… well… too “Monopol-ike”. Don’t get me wrong, that game had (and still has) appeal, especially when the grandparents are around. We all like games – so much so that our teenaged daughter could not leave the house this morning until she had earned a certain achievement in WOW. Talk about dedication.

Here are some games we already have that meet my opening paragraph’s requirements, at least mostly. I’ll start with the 5 year old’s favorite – Reiner Knizia’s Samurai. I know, right? That isn’t the first game that comes to mind when one is thinking of 5 yo fun.

Reiner Knizia's Samurai

But consider the fact that most of us in the family, myself included, have very little patience when it comes to games like Mousetrap, or Chutes and Ladders. Games that employ no strategy or skill whatsoever are just not worth playing; these that are based 100% on luck do not even classify as games. They are more like – entertainment. Anyway, I digress. Samurai is a game that involves both skill and luck. The luck aspect was brought home to me recently when the 5-yo nearly beat me in a game. Despite flawless strategy on my part, I only won by a helmet.
Call me crazy, but I don’t want my children growing up thinking that bad things just sort of happen without reason, or cause. Actions have consequences, and actions ought to be governed by thoughtful purpose – strategy. Here is another of my 5-yo son’s favorite games: The 2001 edition of “The Hobbit”

The Hobbit

Of the games mentioned in this article, this is the one game that the aforementioned hard-to-please dad does not really like. But this game plays best with two players anyway. So dad can bow out gracefully. The appeal is that shiny gemstones are accumulated throughout the gameplay, and there is a model of Smaug’s mountain in the center. The luck aspect of this game probably outweighs strategy on the whole, but there are plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs; fans of the story of the same name would especially enjoy this one.

A game for 2-4 players that is best played with 3 or 4 is Klaus Teuber’s Candamir, The First Settlers, 2004.

Candamir, The First Settlers

This is not Mr. Teuber’s best known creation, but certainly it’s more fun for a child who is just learning to read. In my opinion, this is one of the best family games I have ever played. Great for all ages, it teaches competition as well as risk-taking, goodness and decency. This game appeals to those who like to roleplay without all of the gore, mayhem and madness that make up the worst parts of human nature. Variants in the rules make this game enjoyable for 2, 3, or 4 players.

Teuber’s best work is a game that often is listed in the Top 10 of all time. Considering there are thousands of games, this is quite a distinction. The game is “Settlers of Catan”, and we play all of the variants. Unless we play only the original version, without many of the added complications, the youngest member of our gaming family holds his own. In the more challenging versions, he ends up losing interest about halfway through.

The Settlers of Catan

I must mention it here because we have had hours of enjoyment sitting at our dining room table with these tiles at the center. Catan opened the door to many more incarnations of the civilization-building strategy games, of which the titles are too numerous to mention. Settlers of Catan is the iPad of the genre. Everyone else hopes to share in its success. A game that deserves another look is a newcomer from a surprising source: Lego. The game is Lego Heroica. There have been several introductions to the table game world from Lego. This one has promise. The version played by myself and the youngest is Heroica: Fortaan.

Lego Heroica: Fortaan