Who Needs Solo Games When You’ve Got These 5 Great Cooperative Board Games?
You can’t always depend on the kindness of strangers, so here’s a list of cooperative board games that play best with a tightly knit group.
We’ve disproved the idea that a good game night needs more than one person with 5 great solo board games. The only person you need for a fun game night is me, myself, and I. Or you, yourself, and you again. You know what I mean.
But the world of gaming moves fast. Solo games are out! Now, cooperative games are all the rage. Let’s take a look at five cooperative board games where friendship reigns above all else.
Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is often woefully left out for how little it gets brought up in discussions of cooperative board games. Players work together to build decks with cards representing various heroes and allies from Middle-earth. The more players there are, the more each player can specialize a little bit more, making the whole team stronger together.
Campaign play allows for a full narrative journey from start to finish. Each game will have players face off against threats like the Balrog or Sauron. They must work together in order to complete each scenario before they succumb to the threat.
Space Alert
You might think you understand stress and anxiety, but until you’ve played Space Alert, you know nothing of true stress and anxiety (It’s fun, I promise). Space Alert is a game about surviving in deep space under constant threat of one emergency after another. But here’s the kicker. Each player has their own responsibilities on the ship; they must plan their actions multiple turns in advance, and, worst of all, there’s a time limit.
Space Alert is hectic, chaotic, wildly entertaining, and from the same designer as Codenames and Mage Knight. It’s a game that rewards clear communication and teamwork. But it’s a game that is at its best when none of the players have any of that “cool under pressure” nonsense.
The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine
You and your fellow astronauts are hunting for a mysterious ninth planet before we lose the one we already had. But communication systems are failing, and the only way to survive is to match cards according to suit in ascending order! Oh no!
Okay, so the mechanics don’t always fit the theme, but this Kennerspiel des Jahres winner is as highly rated as it is for a reason. Players must use their limited ability to communicate and clever deductive reasoning to suss out what the rest are planning, and act accordingly. It’s a unique gameplay experience that rewards players who can always tell what the rest are thinking.
Pandemic
When it comes to cooperative games, Pandemic is one of the biggest and most well-known. It’s also one of the most soul-crushing as the game starts to get ahead of you, and winning seems more and more out of reach.
In Pandemic, players take on the roles of different specialists as they try to contain and cure a worldwide pandemic. Is it too soon? I truly don’t know anymore. Players work together to strategize the best next move and find themselves constantly chasing new disasters around the globe. It’s one of those games that toes the line between fun and stressful. But when you manage to win, it’s a great feeling and a well-earned sense of pride.
Spirit Island
Saving civilization was nice right? Now let’s crush it.
In Spirit Island, colonizers are trying to take over your island. But they have a habit of destroying every island they’ve ever touched, so it’s time to remove them by force. Players take on the roles of different spirits, defending the island from these invaders and the blight and destruction that they bring. Working together will help strengthen everyone, for an area-control game that isn’t necessarily about blocking out each other, but a common enemy.
Castle Panic
Hoards of monsters are attacking your castle, and now your team has to defend its walls! Castle Panic is a strategic, survival, card-and-board game that will bring a fierce battle to your table. Games aren’t meant to take more than 45 minutes, and the game is meant to be played for casual players to very experienced adventure-takers. Making this one of the more family friendly games on the list, as well as a game that may have a welcoming entry point for not-gamers.
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