Beyond Monopoly
by Ryan Jones

Monopoly takes too long and is very random. The smartest people always win Trivial Pursuit. Chess is stale. Risk takes little strategy. For solutions to this dated, mainstream mess, look no further! Revitalize your childhood love of board games with these much improved, little known games.

Classic Game #1: Monopoly

Replacement: Settlers of Catan

Improvements: Increased Player Interaction, More Strategy, Random Board

Settlers of Catan is a German made board game that has solidified its place as the face of European board games, at least to the av0erage American consumer. It has even made the jump from smaller gaming stores to the big outlets such as Wal-mart and Target. Much like Monopoly, it is an economic game. However, it has a randomized board and it improves upon the idea of owning properties and receiving income from them. Instead of money, Catan uses resources such as wood, brick, and sheep. These resources are used to expand your group of cities, which will garner you more resources. The increased player interaction comes from the trading of these resources to and from other players. With the aspect of trading being the main focus of the game, Catan highlights the greatest joy of face to face board gaming: social interaction. If you enjoyed playing Monopoly, but want more interaction and choices, Settlers of Catan is the place to find it.

Classic Game #2: Chess

Replacement: Hive

Improvements: Portability, Variation,  Ease of Play

Chess is one of the oldest and most beloved games played today. However, some people find it to be too complex, too stale, or too daunting. Enter Hive, a fantastic chess-like game that needs no board to play and can be learned in five minutes or less. Like in chess, each piece has its own movement rules and the object is to take out the oppositions’ king, or in Hive’s case, the queen bee.  While both games feel similar, Hive is much easier to learn and play due to the reduced number of pieces and the lack of a board. Chess lovers will like Hive for its similarities to chess and chess haters will love it for its differences from chess, but both sets of gamers can come together to enjoy this quick, easy bug themed “chess lite”.

Classic Game: Trivial Pursuit

Replacement: Wits and Wagers

Improvements: There is only one: you don’t have to know the answer to win!

Suggestions to play Trivial Pursuit are often met with groans and grumbles from people who know very little trivia. The field is not even and they feel disadvantaged from the start. Well, what if there was a trivia game that didn’t require you to answer correctly to win? Enter Wits and Wagers. The twist in this trivia game is that you can bet on other people’s answers to win and ride them to victory. Its horse racing meets jeopardy and its one of the best and most unique trivia games ever created.

Classic Game: Risk

Replacement: Ticket to Ride

Improvements: Shorter Length, Less Luck, Hidden Goals

Risk is an epic, long game of dice rolling. Its basically a math problem that takes the better half of a day to play. If you’re not a mathematical probability buff or can’t dedicate an indefinite amount of time for one game, Ticket to Ride is your best bet. Ticket to Ride, or TTR, is similar to Risk in that the player’s main goal is to expand their army (train routes) across the map. TTR improves on this model by giving each player a separate set of goals, or route connections. Players score more points for longer connections between cities. Much of the fun in the game comes from trying to figure out your opponenets’ hidden routes and trying to block off their routes. To minimize the random aspect of the dice, TTR has a pool of 5 route cards to choose from, which makes finding the colors you need to build routes much easier and less random. Ticket to Ride is a great game to play with any group; it is simple enough to understand the first time, but there are deeper levels of strategy that will reveal themselves with multiple plays.

Many people have misconceptions about the board gaming hobby, and I think it stems primarily from ignorance. Ignorance of the plethora of amazing games that are out in the world waiting to be played. When people hear board games, I’m sure most think back to the board games of their youth: the classics like monopoly or chess. While these hold special meaning in our memories, they have newer, fresher replacements that have well earned their space on the shelf.