With March Break here already, or coming soon for others, let’s take a look at some epic board games that are perfect to play during this extended time off. I want to focus on games that will take you longer to play or have a lot of value in revisiting the game over and over again. It’s not often that you have time to sit down and play the same game for hours at a time, but maybe during March break you would!
I’ve talked about Pandemic Legacy Season 1 and Season 2 on the Best Buy Blog before, but this is a great time to start (and finish!) playing a Legacy game. Legacy games change as you play them! You add stickers to the board or to the cards based on actions you take, and you get to open new envelopes and boxes that contain extra components and add new rules to the game. Another Legacy game to try would be Seafall. This is from Rob Daviau who was one of the designers on the Pandemic Legacy games. Seafall is a competitive game, whereas Pandemic was a cooperative game. In Seafall you are discovering new islands, developing trade, and sending out raiding parties. It’s definitely harder than Pandemic, so only approach if you are ready for a challenge.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is not a Legacy game, but it does evolve after each play. The game uses the deck building mechanic where players start with a small number of cards in their hand, use those cards to buy bigger and better cards, and then add them to their growing deck of cards. By the end of a game, players’ decks are full of dozens of new cards, each with their own special abilities and effects. What makes Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle so interesting is that there are 7 levels of game here. After playing one level of the game, you unlock the next level, which includes new components and rules to comprehend. March break would be a perfect time to make it through all 7 levels of this game.
If you enjoy the Star Wars universe, then maybe now is the time to jump into the Star Wars X-Wing game from Fantasy Flight. This game involves little miniature X-Wings and TIE Fighters in epic space combat! The game comes with 3 unique missions, but each mission will never play out the same way twice due to a clever damage deck that not only deals out damage, but also adds unexpected events. No need to bring out a measuring tape to determine how far your ships move because once you think you’ve had enough of these missions, then you can always purchase any number of expansions which offer more ships to battle and more missions! If you’ve always been interested in playing a game with miniatures but were worried about it being too complicated, then Star Wars: X-Wing is probably the game for you as it’s very accessible and easy to start playing.
Go on an adventure during Spring break
If you’re looking to go on an adventure, then check out Legends of Andor. This is a cooperative game where you have to defeat the monsters that are approaching and invading your fantasy-set land. The game has a great learning curve as it walks you through your first adventure as you learn it. There are five missions included in the box that are very narrative driven, and there are loads of expansions available. Legends of Andor won the coveted German strategy game of the year in 2013. You could spend a lot of time playing in the world of Andor!
Finally, if trying to survive a zombie apocalypse is more your cup of tea, then check out any season of Zombicide. You play with your friends as you collect gear and battle hordes of zombies. Each character has its own benefits, so you can get some replay value in trying out new characters. The game comes with 10 scenarios to play through, but you can download more for free, or create your own, and you can also purchase any number of expansions available for the game that will give you even more longevity out of it.
So, if you’re looking to hunker down during the March break, then grab one of these epic board games and have a memorable time with your friends and family. Which games are you playing during the March break?
