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Here we are… it’s summer at last! Time to fire up the BBQ, enjoy the company of loved ones and sit out in the garden on a lazy weekend.
But if you want to make the summer extra special, why not infuse those sunny days with a healthy dose of board gaming - Board Games To Play In The Sun? Now I know what you’re thinking, “Why would I want to sit INSIDE playing games when it’s a beautiful day OUTSIDE?” Well if this quandary concerns you then why not check out this selection of games that are perfectly suited to being played in the sun, be it the garden, the decking or the park. Every one of these games is compact enough to take outdoors, so there’s no need to worry about big set ups or needing large play areas.
Love Letter
You don’t get much more compact than Love Letter. Seiji Kanai’s classic game of risk and deduction in the royal court is always a worthy contender for a quick gaming session. Sat round with a group of friends or family, Love Letter is perfect for some casual gaming in the sun as you attempt to woo this fretful princess; the formula is simple… draw a card, play a card and enjoy. It won’t need much explaining to new gamers and can be happily played from a sofa, sun lounger or even a hammock ( hashtag lifegoals! )
Azul
Few games speak ‘Summer’ quite like Azul does! You just can’t beat this modern classic when it comes to capturing that Summer vibe - It’s bright and colourful, mellow and breezy… and it’s just perfect for conversation. In this Portugal themed drafting game, players take turns drawing from the available tiles and adding them to their palace walls. But be careful you don’t over extend yourself, as having too many tiles will mean you have an excess and that will lose you those precious points. Now I have to say that this is a great game at any time of the year, but with the right playing conditions, it’s easy to be transported away to the world of Azul and imagine yourself sitting under the Portuguese sun. Blissful!
Vivarium
I love games that are easy to teach and quick to get into with minimum amounts of set up time. Vivarium has a real Pokémon feel to it, except it focuses on the “gotta catch ‘em all” philosophy as opposed to the battle aspect. Oh, and it has dominoes… yes, you heard right, dominoes! This is a fast paced set collection game where you will be using the coordinates on your dominoes to gather monsters, quests and items as you endeavour to catalogue these fascinating new discoveries and take your place among the greats of science! Vivarium lends itself nicely to being played outside, it’s not a big game and can easily fit on a garden/park bench or table.
Diamant
Closing out our selection is a good ol’ push your luck game. Gather together your crew and head into these foreboding caves in search of fame and fortune. Along the way a path will be laid out at random so each individual player must choose to press forward and risk the perils ahead, or turn back with their stash of treasure. Once the same obstacle appears on the path for the second time, everyone who has chosen to carry on must drop their treasure and head back to camp. Diamant is one of those really fun push your luck games that has you kicking yourself one way or the other; at times you’ll head back with very little and then watch helplessly as your opponents push on and get richer, whilst other times you decide to take things that little bit too far and go home empty handed! Again this is a nice compact game, even as the path ahead grows, so it works perfectly outdoors.
Well, there we have it, Board Games To Play In The Sun. There are plenty of great games available out there to make this a memorable Summer and these titles are just the tip of the iceberg. So go grab a cold beverage, stick on some shorts and sandals, sit back and enjoy some tabletop gaming… outdoors!