Best Board Games to Play Online...

 Best Board Games to Play Online...

...for those of us who don't like technology. Yeah, okay, the title was a bit misleading. This article is for people who miss playing board games in the middle of a pandemic, but don't get a ton of pleasure out of playing board games through Tabletopia or Tabletop Simulator (TTS). Don't mistake me: I think those programs are great! I really do! But I've tried playing through both, and neither really works for me. Some brief background before I dig into the games I've most enjoyed playing online.

For a long time, I asserted that the reason I had stopped playing video games was because they had become increasingly faster and required more investment of time and energy than when I played on Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, or Game Cube. While both of those things may be true, I've learned those largely aren't why I stay away from playing video games these days. What I most loved about playing video games while growing up in the 90s was that I had to be in the same room as my friends while playing with them. We'd sit side by side while playing on a console, or set up a LAN party while playing computer games like StarCraft or Heroes of Might and Magic. I'm an extrovert by nature. I recharge my batteries mostly by being around people I love and enjoy. I'm also a very tactile person. I was taught how to play the Conquest LCG (Living Card Game) on TTS, and liked the game, but didn't want to play it online. I ended up buying into the physical game and then couldn't get enough of it. Talking to people over headset isn't enough by itself to keep me invested in a game. Moving digital pieces just doesn't give my brain the same feedback and as a result, I don't have as much fun. 

Armada is one of my favorite games, and I've been invited to play it online countless times, but as much as I miss it, I've declined every time. I hate playing Armada online. I've done it, and I just loathe it. Because it's "not the same." I know that can sound like a very childish complaint, and I won't contest that assertion. But I'll also say that we all find enjoyment in our own way, and sometimes, it just isn't up for debate. You can explain to me why playing Gloomhaven online is better (no cleanup, easy setup, faster, etc), you can insist that playing Armada online makes way more sense than playing in person (precision of tools and ship placement, automatic dice, FAR cheaper, etc.), or why Tabletopia is better than playing in person (far cheaper an investment than buying every single physical copy of the board games I want to play), and I'll agree with everything you say! But it simply won't change my mind.

During the course of this pandemic, I have learned there are some games that I can play online because they translate well to having a lead board in one location, and then people playing in other locations simply run boards that mirror the lead board. I won't try to argue that this is easier than TTS or Tabletopia, because I'd be lying. But I'll say that I can see and talk with my friends via Zoom or whatever while playing a physical game, and while it can be slower than just playing online, THIS is the best way for me to play board games during a pandemic. Some games don't translate well to this format. I would never play Armada this way. Twilight Imperium is another one I would avoid. But I have tried playing the following games this way, and it's been tremendous. 

1. Spirit Island: This is, by far, the most difficult to run well online. There are just a ton of components, and it can be easy for mirror boards to miss an update on the lead board (keep an eye out for sharing when new presence is placed on the board, as well as where Invaders land/move!). But it also works as long as you're willing to commit the time to it and you don't mind acknowledging that sometimes, powers will be duplicated. It certainly is possible for the lead board to be the one drawing minor and major powers, then relating what is drawn to the player who did it. But then the player has to go through their own massive power decks to find said cards. It just adds a lot of time. So when I've played, we're soft on that and simply acknowledge it isn't perfect. But as I mention elsewhere in this blog, Spirit Island is by far my favorite board game (and has been since it came out a couple of years ago!), and so I get the most fulfillment from playing this one.
2. Five Tribes: This game is surprisingly easy to play with lead and mirror boards! The biggest difficulty is locking in the language players use as they pick up pieces and move them. After playing several times, my friends and I landed on something like this: Treat the playing board like a chessboard by creating a grid of letters and numbers. Then use cardinal directions while moving. "Starting at C2. South Green, West Green, West Red, South White." This means I've started at the tile three in from the left and the second down from the top. I've picked up all those Meeples, then dropped a green one on the tile below my starting tile. Then I've dropped a green Meeple on the tile to the right, then a red Meeple on the tile to the right, and then ended on the tile below this last one, picking up all the white Meeples on that tile." Again, it takes a little getting used to, but once you do, I promise, it is extremely easy!
3. Black Orchestra: This game is really easy to play in this format (especially since the only secret cards in the whole game are Interrogation cards, which are always shuffled into the Interrogation deck after resolving anyway). Highly recommend in this format!
4. Quacks of Quedlinburg: There's not much to say about this one (or Flash Point, for that matter), as the games basically take care of themselves since everyone has their own components. The only thing you want to make sure you track is which spell components have been purchased each round so if by some miracle one component is unavailable for purchase, everyone knows it.
5. Flash Point

Again, the added requirement is that the people you play with also have copies of this game (for the most part), but this is what works for me, and maybe it will work for you too! Things are getting better with the advent of a vaccine and new leadership in the White House, but we're still a decently long way from kicking COVID to the curb. Hopefully, this list is useful to some folks. In the meantime, frustrating though it is, please stay smart and safe so we can all see each other at the game table when it's safe to do so once again!