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Make Family Board Game Night an Experience to Remember with Kosmos Games

Greetings! It is no secret I am a board game nut in addition to a tabletop roleplaying game nut. Likewise my family loves board games and gaming together. Today I want to share with you a selection of a few of our favorite board games by Kosmos Games. These games keep your mind sharp and provide opportunities to work together to complete common goals. My family has had tons of fun enjoying these games together and I hope these recommendations lead to creating memorable gaming experiences for you and your family too.

Ubongo

Unbongo is a competitive game pitting players against each other and the clock. Each player gets a number of game boards and a series of blocky pieces and they have to fill in the game board with the selected pieces before the time runs out.

Play begins when one player rolls the die and consults the image on the game board. Each player has a random game board with a random set up so each playthrough is guaranteed to be different. You look at your board and flip the timer over. Each player gets one minute to find their correct pieces and get them aligned correctly. The first player to solve their board cries out Ubongo! and claims a blue gem. The second player to finish claims an amber gem. All players who finish gets a random gem. Everyone resets and gets a new board for the next round. Play continues for nine rounds and whoever has the most points of gems wins.

The game has two difficulties: three pieces per board and four pieces per board. Each has six different options per board side for a lot of different options to challenge yourself with. This is great because it can be just a challenge to yourself. Unbongo has rules for 1-4 players. My family enjoys playing games that make you think and this one assuredly is one such game. With a range of ages of 8-40+ we each had at least one round on the easy side of the board of time winning out on us and not being able to solve. The family is looking forward to playing this one again though we might have the adults play the harder side and the kids play the easier side.

Exit

Exit is an amazing experience combining the concept of an escape room with all the fun of a board game and not needing to travel or be around others. There are over a dozen different versions of Exit. There is a whole series of these great games and I have had the chance to play a few of these now and I love the experience. Each game gives you a cool story set up as an escape room does and then sets you along a path. I will not be giving any spoilers so no worries. The game provides nifty cards and options that move you from place to place as you try to solve the overall puzzle to get out. Most of the games are designed to be solved in 1-2 hours and each step has hints to get you moving along. I will say we have used hints and I am not ashamed to admit it. The Catacombs of Horror is a double box and on expert and can take 2-4 hours to complete. As a gamer I am considering picking up a second copy and converting it for use to a D&D adventure. I will say as a warning that each game of Exit is a one time experience as you move, manipulate and even destroy items in the game making it a one time playthrough, but do not let this stop you as it is well worth the experience. I loved the game and look forward to checking others in the series.

Adventure Games: The Dungeon

This is another game that was an utter blast to play. I have so much to say but do not want to spoil the adventure so let me give you an excerpt from the instruction booklet:

“In this competitive game, you and your team will try to escape from a dungeon. You will be part of a story that plays out in three chapters, that can take 90 minutes per.”

This game differs from Exit in that it has high replayability.

“You wake up in a dark dungeon. It seems impossible to find your way out, especially since none of you can remember what brought you there.”

Brainwaves

Brainwaves is a game designed to help train your brain in 15 minutes while adding the game element into it.  Players draw or play cards but only glance at the animal on it before facing it towards the fellow players. If you play it and make a match you take the cards earning a point. The player with the most points or matches wins the game. This like many other games by Kosmos has varying difficulty of play and recommends starting at easy and build from there. The cute animal pictures drew my daughter in and we are looking to get another game going in a higher difficulty next time.

And there you have it — great games by a great company. I highly recommend you check them out and expand your gaming library of board games. Thanks for reading, until next time, stay nerdy!