What are some must-have board games for a newly married couple?
I would recommend the Settlers of Catan Card Game, especially if you like Settlers of Catan. It’s an excellent strategy card game my wife and I love. We play “tournament style”, meaning we have two sets and have built our own personal decks, as opposed to both selecting from the same card pool. We also enjoy Ascension (review here), and it scales well up to four players. Summoner Wars and Memoir ’44 (review here) are also great two player games, as is Race for the Galaxy.
Get Mancala for sure. It is a beautiful game, easy to learn and play, meant only for two people. You can find a lovely wooden board with glass or onyx or special stones, or just get a cheap one at Walmart (even the Walmart ones are wooden). My husband and I played it often, and loved it. It is deceptively simple yet amazingly complex. You might also consider cribbage, which is great for two people, or three or four. All card games are popular and you might want to consider a poker set, very trendy right now. There is a game called Barricade, which is fun if you can find it. It is sometimes hard to find. Chess and checkers are old standbys if you like those sorts of games. If you don’t already have one, get a Scrabble board that swivels – really neat, and the letters stay in place. It is hard to beat Trivial Pursuit if you can find a version that suits your interests. Have fun!
