Saturday, February 9, 2013

The Best iOS Board Games To Play While Taking Shelter From The Snow



Some of us will be stuck inside while this blizzard goes about its business this weekend.

Instead of watching boring TV reruns, why not engage your brain a bit and check out some iPad board games?


Catan HD



The aim of the game: You need to be the first player to accumulate 10 "victory points" as you build roads and cities while harvesting resources from the unsettled island of Catan.

Difficulty to learn: Medium. The tutorial gets everyone started quickly enough.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? We think so – the AI is good enough to keep you interested and an online multiplayer function is in the works.

Price: $5



Monopoly



The aim of the game: Buy property and bankrupt your opponent – it's the classic Monopoly game.

Difficulty to learn: Medium.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yes. It's timeless.

Price: $10


Ticket to Ride



The aim of the game: Draw cards that tell you which cities to connect via rail. At the end of the game, you'll get a 10 point bonus for having the longest track. But keep in mind your opponent is trying to cut you off and beat you to locations.

Difficulty to learn: Easy! Just follow the tutorial.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yes -- there are a few expansion packs available as in-app purchases that will hold your attention for a good while.

Price: $7


Scrabble



The aim of the game: Build long words using rare letters to get more points than your opponent. Time to brush up on your vocab.

Difficulty to learn: Easy.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Definitely – yet another timeless game.

Price: $10


Puerto Rico



The aim of the game: This one's tricky to explain in a soundbite, but it's similar to Settlers in that you're trying to accumulate victory points and manage resources. Each turn, you can select one of six different roles, such as Settler or Mayor, for different bonuses.

Difficulty to learn: Hard! There's a tutorial, but it's better if everyone already knows how to play.

Will you play it by yourself after Thanksgiving? If you already know and like the game, then definitely yes. If your only experience is with the app, then it's a solid maybe.

Price: $7


Carcassonne



The aim of the game: Accumulate points by strategically building a town and claiming its roads, cities, and fields.

Difficulty to learn: Easy to medium. The tutorial will have you on your feet in no time.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yes. It's simultaneously fun and casual while offering a serious element of depth and strategy.

Price: $10


Risk



The aim of the game: Live out your Napoleonic fantasy and take over the world!

Difficulty to learn: Easy to medium.

Will you play it by yourself after storm? Potentially, if friends and family are up for it – there's no online multiplayer, which really bummed us out.

Price: $7


Bang!



The aim of the game: Players draw cards that determine their roles throughout the game. The Outlaws hunt the Sheriff, the Sheriff hunts the Outlaws, the Deputy is ready to sacrifice himself for the Sheriff, and the Renegade wants to kill everyone.

Difficulty to learn: Easy!

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yes. Online multiplayer means there's always someone ready for a standoff.

Price: $2


Samurai



The aim of the game: You want to exert your influence over several islands to capture key pieces and control the board.

Difficulty to learn: Medium.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yep! This game is hugely replayable and enjoyable if you love strategy games.

Price: $5



Battleship



The aim of the game: Sink your friend's navy before he sinks yours. If that gets old, check out some of the awesome variations on the classic that they've built into the app.

Difficulty to learn: Easy.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Yep! It's effortless to set up a multiplayer game with a friend or just duke it out with the AI.

Price: $5



Mancala!



The aim of the game: You probably remember this one from elementary school -- move your stones around the board in an attempt to capture more of them than your opponent.

Difficulty to learn: Easy.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Eh. It's a game that appeals more to younger kids, but there's no reason not to play it when you're stuck in an airport somewhere.

Price: $1



The aMAZEing Labyrinth



The aim of the game: Navigate through an ever-changing maze to collect treasure and eventually escape the labyrinth.

Difficulty to learn: Easy.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Young kids will like it because of the wizards and magic, adults will like it because it's fairly engaging too. If either of these apply to you, then it's money well-spent.

Price: $6


Cargo Runners



The aim of the game: You're the captain of a ship, sailing around the world in an effort to collect the proper combination of goods before returning to port to collect your cash.

Difficulty to learn: Easy.

Will you play it by yourself after the storm? Probably. Be warned – there's no AI, meaning that if you want to play by yourself, you need internet access for multiplayer. The game is really meant to be played with real people sitting around a table.

Price: $6




Data source: BI (By Dylan Love)

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