November is International Games Month. If you’re feeling a little “board” with the games sitting on your shelves, we’ve rounded up a few you can borrow from our collection to take your game nights to the next level.
And for even more fun, join us Saturday, Nov. 11, at Nichols Library for “Game On!,” a full day of programming dedicated to all things gaming. Explore games from around the world, test your knowledge of classic video games, score five-in-a-row at Bingo, or take a turn with new or traditional board games.
See our full list of Game On! events at www.naperville-lib.org/game-on. Meanwhile, here are a few games in our collection you might want to check out.
If you like Clue, try Mysterium
In the 1920s, gifted astrologer Mr. MacDowell detected a supernatural being upon entering his new house in Scotland. Searching for help, he gathered eminent mediums for a séance to contact the ghost and solve an old mystery. Unable to talk, the amnesiac ghost communicates through visions, which are represented by illustrated cards in the game. The players, or mediums, must decipher the images to help the ghost remember how he was murdered. Who did the crime? Where did it happen? The more the mediums cooperate, the easier it is to catch the right culprit!
If you like Qwirkle, try Calico
Calico is a puzzle-type, tile-laying game of quilts and cats! Players compete to sew the coziest quilt as they collect patches of different colors and patterns. Each quilt has a particular pattern that must be followed. Players are also trying to create color and pattern combinations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also able to attract the cuddliest cats.
If you like Connect 4, then try Lucky Numbers
Fill your grid first, but you never know which tiles you’ll have to work with! Each player starts with four random tiles and a 4×4 grid. On your turn, pick a face-down tile from the pile or a face-up tile from the table. You can place the tile in an empty space on the grid, swap the tile for one already on the grid, or discard it. The catch? A tile must be higher in value than the one directly above it or to its left, and lower in value than below it or to its right. Whoever fills their grid with 16 tiles first wins!
If you like Risk, try Spirit Island
Defend your island against colonizing invaders! Spirit Island is a complex cooperative game, where players are spirits of the land, each with their own unique elemental powers. Every turn, players choose which of their power cards to play while the invaders build settlements and ravage the land. The game escalates as it progresses: spirits spread their presence to new parts of the land and search for more potent powers as invaders continue their colonization efforts. Each turn represents one to three years of history. Will you be able to destroy the settlements and defeat the invaders?
If you like Apple to Apples, try Codenames
Codenames is a great party game to solve puzzles. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. On the table, there will be 25 cards with different words. Team leaders use a single word that relates to one or more cards to help the rest of their team guess which words, or agent codenames, are on their team. Red Team and Blue Team compete to see who can make contact with all their agents first.
If you like Ticket to Ride, try Trekking the National Parks
Trek the trails that define our nation’s most valuable public resource — the National Parks. Trekking the National Parks is a spirited family board game that allows players to compete in a cross-country race to visit the National parks and collect the most points. Gather colored trek cards to move across the map and be the first to visit a park. Make tough tactical decisions at every turn to emerge victorious and call yourself a National Park connoisseur.
Ashlee Conour is the marketing specialist at Naperville Public Library.