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I always think it is a hallmark of our relationship that my partner and I love to enjoy games nights. And when it comes to vacations we even enjoy taking some of our favourite games with us. Some (cough, Ark Nova, cough) we just wouldn’t have the space for, but others very easily can and should allow us (and you!) to take that game night experience with you, to the caravan, the beach, the plane even.
I started this month by contributing to the Game of the Month with one of these titles (Azul Mini), so I won’t linger too much on that game here, but I will provide you with some food for thought on some others which make up some of the precious car space and luggage allowance on our recent trips.
Note: Just for how our life is at the moment, I am focusing on games suited for 2 player groups, but a few of these games scale nicely up to four, so I will note those as they come up for any readers who have a larger family.
Also, in October I will be going on a much larger group trip in the UK and absolutely will be sneaking a couple of bigger games into the car. This may be a future blog opportunity too, as a lot of the group on that upcoming trip will be semi-novice to any games heavier than monopoly, which could add to the fun! Watch this space!
So with no further ado, here are my recommendations:
Azul Mini – Check out my contribution to this month’s Game of the Month piece to hear my thoughts in full, but suffice to say that this is a tiny but gorgeous abstract puzzler, which can be played in less than an hour and can be tailored for 2 to 4 players, will comfortably fit into a hand luggage bag or beach bag in this form, and it has quickly become one of my and my partner’s favourites, even on returning home since our break!
Sea Salt and Paper – Another game which can be scaled up to 4 players, this game is no bigger than a standard deck of cards, but instead of kings, queens and aces in this deck you will find sharks, crabs and mermaids. There is a push your luck element and choosing when and how to end rounds when you think you are ahead is crucial to victory. The rules are simple to get your head around or teach, and you can all be playing in minutes with any age group. And did I mention the cards themselves? All of the artwork is nautical themed (very holiday topical!) but with art made from origami figures which are gorgeous!
7 Wonders Duel (including expansions) – A slightly larger box now (although with some of the folded space ingenuity the expansions all fit neatly into the base box! Highly recommend this which is available here on Zatu as well!), this is a two player card game around empire building. Multiple paths to victory (which you definitely need to keep an eye on if only to defend yourself against). This game reminds me of those years of my youth spent playing 4X and RTS games like Age of Empires and Civilisation series, and can be another quick game (approx an hour) for a quiet night in or rainy moment (as we found one night in Devon earlier this spring!)
Caper Europe – Another two-player tug of war card game which fill happily fit into any suitcase; this one set around planning a series of heists around various cities in Europe. Each city adds cards and rules to the game so you can tailor your strategy whether you are in London, Paris, Barcelona or Rome, and with a deck of locations both generic and specific to each city, the game becomes very re playable indeed. The flavour is very “Oceans” and classic spy/thief in the artwork and with some very clear iconography you can quickly pick up and learn/teach this game. It also plays quick enough that if you did a “teaching” game for one round, there is plenty of time in an evening to do a rematch (or even a best of three!)
Targi – Another small box card game, but with a twist to the others on this list; the cards are both cards and also the board you are playing on! It’s a fun, simple take on a fusion of cards, area control, resource management and set collection. There are also a set maximum number of rounds to up the pressure. Only for 2 players but an absolute win at the table we keep coming back to.
Jaipur – Not quite as small as Sea Salt and Paper if only for the addition of a series of resource tokens to count up the victory points. This is a classic set collection, push your luck style card game where you are competing against your opponent to claim buy and sell resources whilst they have the most value. Very quick to learn and play, and second in terms of smallest box size on this list, so it easily slots into a backpack as a 2-player gem which could easily be played on a tray table mid-flight.
Hive Pocket – Another two player gem, but this time not a card in sight! This version comes in a very small drawstring bag of tile hexagon tokens. As strategy games go, this plays like a game of chess (if there was no “board” to restrict yourself to) and could easily fit onto a surface on a plane/train/beach mat. You take turns adding a new piece or moving an existing piece to surround the opponents queen (bee) using your own varying bug tiles (each moving in unique ways). The varying strategies and tactics each game produces makes for a very re-playable experience and the handy reference guide for how each of the pieces move will have new players off and running in minutes.
Bonus: Dungeons & Dragons / RPG writing – One last bonus for all of my fellow RPG players and DMs off on their travels this year; always have a pen and paper handy because you never know when that inspiration for the next character, trap, dungeon or encounter will come!