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Top 5 favorite games at Four Kitchens

3 Min. ReadWork life

Our upcoming game night at BADCamp 2013 had us thinking, what are our favorite games? The Web Chefs chipped in and shared what their favorite games are. There was huge variety, so below, you will find our top 4 games, plus some honorable mentions.

1. Munchkin

It’s like Dungeons and Dragons, but without having to create characters. I know, I know, creating characters is the most fun part in D&D; but it can also be quite time consuming if you’re just getting started. In Munchkin, your character is determined by the cards you draw, which makes for interesting gameplay. This also keeps gameplay in flux, as you can change who you are based on the cards you draw throughout the game — you can add to your character, or you can discard traits.

Gameplay is based on two very simple actions: draw a monster card, or draw treasure. If you draw a monster, you must defeat it to get a treasure and level up. The first player to get to level 10 wins the game. Where the game gets tricky (and fun!) is how other players affect your turn. Other players can help you defeat a monster if you’re willing to make a deal with them (back deals, oh my!), or they can alternatively put a curse on you or even play a monster card of their own. All is fair in war and Munchkin.

The other great thing about Munchkin is all of its different variations, like Munchkin Cthulu, Munchkin Zombies, or The Good, The Bad, and The Munchkin.

Munchkin on Board Game Geek

2. The Resistance

This game is one of the best games of all time. There, I said it. It’s also a friendship killer. You know, like Risk or Monopoly. Well, I’ve never actually lost any friends as a result of a game of Resistance, but things do get hairy and fun. The Resistance is a game set in a world where a malignant government has taken control. As a member of the resistance, you must figure out which among your group is a spy working to bring down the rebels from within. The dynamics of the game really do change depending on who’s playing and who’s the spy, so no game is ever the same. The great thing about this game is that it only takes about 30 minutes to play, so it can be a great start to any game night, or a quick game with your friends while waiting for dinner. That is, if you all still trust each other after 😉

The Resistance on Board Game Geek

3. Smash Up

Ever wanted to be zombie pirates or robot dinosaurs? Well then, Smash Up is your game. In Smash Up, each player selects two factions to play. You can choose from zombies, pirates, ninjas, dinosaurs, tricksters, wizards, robots, and aliens. You can be pirate ninjas, zombie wizards, or pretty much any combination that strikes your fancy. The great thing about this game is that each faction has a special power or ability, and strategy comes in when you combine different factions with each other. Some combinations really work well together, and some don’t. For this reason, gameplay can be very versatile. As you play Smash Up, it will quickly become apparent who is good at playing which faction — some factions are really hard to control and take a special skill from players to really “get.” For example, I suck at playing with wizards, but I’m really good with dinosaurs.

Smash Up on Board Game Geek

4. The Rivals for Catan

“Does playing the same game every day for 2 weeks make you a nerd?”
Anything you do for 2 weeks straight makes you a nerd.”
But that is how good The Rivals for Catan is. Some of our Web Chefs have played it that much. The Rivals for Catan is a card-based two player version of Settlers of Catan. In Rivals, you play opposing princes of Catan, vying for total domination. Or well, superiority over their opponent’s province. Plus, there’s an iOS version of the game, so you can play pretty much anywhere!

The Rivals for Catan on Board Game Geek

Honorable mentions

If you like any of these games, or want to try them out, join us at our Drupal game night during BADCamp! You can find out more info here!


All images credit to Board Game Geek.