

Watch on YouTube Looking for something a little more modern? Here are some top Jenga replacements You’re allowed to tap a block to see how much give it has before committing to move it, but any contact with the tower runs the risk of toppling it over and dramatically ending the game. But eventually those simple plays are all taken and then bolder strategies are required, like gently pushing through centre blocks.

The first few turns are usually pretty easy, with players jiggling loose blocks from the sides and easily placing them on top. As more blocks are extracted from the stable bottom layers, the tower becomes increasingly precarious. Players take turns extracting a wooden block from a tower and then placing it horizontally on the top layer. The concept is both simple and challenging enough that almost any age can enjoy it. Image: StockSnap/PixabayĪ tense game of manual dexterity and physics, Jenga is a staple in family living rooms and bars. You should be pretty confident before you call someone out because you’ll lose your next turn if their play was correct.Ĭarefully move blocks without toppling the whole tower Leslie Scott's iconic game of careful block-pulling has gone on to inspire countless other dexterity games - and even replace dice in tabletop RPGs such as Dread. Other players can challenge what you’ve laid down and you’ll lose your turn if you were in the wrong. Scrabble obviously puts your vocabulary to the test and you have to watch out for spelling errors or made-up words. Watch on YouTube Lolies cooks up some edible Scrabble tiles You just need to watch out for the possibility that another player will tack an S onto your big score and also claim the points.

Ideally you also want to strategically place your high-scoring letters and words so that you can capitalise on the tiles that will double or triple the point values. Scoring is based on the letters used in the word, with more obscure ones such as X and Z worth significantly more than vowels or common consonants like S and N. Two to four players effectively construct their own crossword puzzles on the board’s grid using a set of randomly drawn tiles, building on the words others have already placed. The inspiration behind a wide range of word games ranging from Boggle to Words with Friends, Scrabble was first released in 1938 and became a global phenomenon. Whether you like word puzzles, party games or scheming against your friends as you try to conquer the world, these are the best classic board games are still worth playing today.Īre you sure that’s a real word? A true board game classic at almost a century old, Scrabble is a competitive spellathon. There are classic board games released in the 20th century that established genres and mechanics that changed the hobby - and continue to inspire modern titles. You don’t have to go back hundreds of years or focus on the newest releases to find a game worth playing. While the hobby went through a renaissance in the ‘90s thanks to the advent of collectible card games and Eurogames, traditional board games have been around for millenia. Yet real enthusiasm for board games is hardly a new phenomenon. Board gaming has exploded in popularity over the past two decades, but the uninitiated still often express incredulity about the hobby because they associate it with entirely luck-based classic board games for kids like Candy Land or the brutal slog of Monopoly.
