Catan

As you and your fellow explorers gaze across the uninhabited landscape of hexagonal tracts of terrain, you quickly realize that this unique land arrangement provides ample space for each of you to put down roots.

You race off to establish your respective communities by gathering resources from nearby terrain, building your infrastructure, and nurturing trade relationships. 

Watch out for surprises! Your rivals can block your path or send the robber to plunder your wealth!

Am I cheating by putting Catan (formerly "The Settlers of Catan") on the list? No, I say! Pshaw! Without Klaus Teuber's seminal classic, hobby board games as we know them would not exist (and neither would IKG!) First released in 1995 Catan brought the concept of "euro games" (low conflict, no player elimination, often multiple paths to victory via a points system) to the global stage. 6th Edition was just released earlier this year and we've now got a full spread of expansions in stock, including the 5-6 player add-ons, plus several of the standalone versions too. There's a reason this game is still seeing print 30 years later; its an absolute classic! Dice rolling, bargaining, building roads and dropping a robber on someone at the perfect point all come together to be an outstanding mix that has been many peoples introduction to the wider hobby!

Perfect for: Families who want to move beyond Monopoly, but still want the equivalent joy of "you landed on Mayfair with double hotels" (seriously - just try putting the robber on an "8"!)

Complexity: 2.29/5

If you like this, try: Carcassonne