Step 1: Choose Your Puzzle
Begin by selecting a puzzle that matches your skill level. If you’re new to puzzles, start with one that has fewer pieces. As you gain confidence, you can gradually move on to more complex puzzles.
Step 2: Set Up Your Space
Find a well-lit and comfortable area to work on your puzzle. Make sure you have a flat surface, like a table, and spread out the puzzle pieces. It’s a good idea to have a clear space so you can see all the details.
Step 3: Sort the Pieces
Separate the edge pieces from the rest. Edge pieces usually have a straight edge and will help you establish the puzzle’s borders. Next, group the remaining pieces by color and pattern. This will make it easier to find and connect them later.
Step 4: Start with the Edges
Assemble the puzzle’s border using the edge pieces you sorted earlier. This creates the framework for your puzzle and gives you a clear starting point.
Step 5: Build in Small Pieces
Instead of looking at the whole puzzle, zero in on tiny parts that are easier to handle. Search for unique marks like colors, shapes, or designs that can guide you in matching up pieces accurately. Bit by bit, those small solved sections will grow into bigger completed chunks.
Step 6: Stay Calm and Keep Trying
Solving jigsaw puzzles demands a lot of patience, so relax and take it slow. If you attempt to connect a piece but the fit feels off, don’t sweat it. Gently attempt different combinations until the right match clicks into place. When piecing together puzzles, staying determined to find solutions will lead you to success!
16. Secret identity games
Secret indentitiy games involve secret roles.
Players usually draft hidden roles that are kept secret from other players. Then, everyone bluffs their way to a win (or a loss) and usually tries to fool the other players. Secret Hitler is a classic example of a secret identity game.
17. Strategy games
There’s a lot of overlap in this category since most games involve some sort of strategy.
Still, a strategy game will lean into decision-making abilities. These games rarely involve much of a luck element. Examples of strategy games include Citadels or Twilight Imperium.
18. Tabletop games
This simply refers to games that are usually played on a table.
19. War games
War games often overlap with strategy games. These games involve two or more opposing forces who battle each other for the win.
These games often involve game pieces or figures. Risk and Street Fighter are examples of war games.
20. Worker placement games
In worker placement games, players control a set of “worker” game pieces that usually trigger their own actions or collect resources.
Worker placement games often have a lot of small pieces and can overlap with drafting games or strategy games. Everdell is an example of a worker placement game.
11. Party games
Perhaps one of the most popular categories of games, a party game typically plays a large number of people and is easy to learn.
These games have simple rules and mass appeal. Sometimes veterans in the game community snub them, but they offer the best chance of getting your non-board game friends to come over for a game night. Cards Against Humanity or Trivial Pursuit are popular party games.
12. Resource management games
Another game that is what it sounds like. Resource management games require players to manage their assets that they gained while playing.
For example, think of Settlers of Catan. How well you manage your sheep, wood, etc, will determine how many roads you can build and ultimately, how well you do in the game.
13. Push your luck
A push your luck game refers to a game where players decide to risk their current status or rewards for more, or alternatively play it safe and keep what they have.
Some games may have a push your luck element. For example, Mariposas offers better rewards for traveling further on the board, but it’s harder to get back if you venture too far. Incan Gold is another good example of a push your luck game.
14. Puzzle games
Puzzle games are exactly what they sound like and usually involve some type of problem solving.
This type of game sometimes has beautiful, tactile game pieces, even though they may not appear as a traditional puzzle. Hanabi is a good example of a puzzle game.
15. Racing games
Racing games sometimes overlap with strategy games. While there are often additional elements involved, a race game will usually have a race feature around the board with a finish line.
Racing games are generally good for players of all ages. Jamaica is an example of a racing game.
6. Dexterity games
A dexterity game is what it sounds like in that it relies on a player’s physical reflexes, coordination, aim and sometimes speed.
Dexterity games usually have fun pieces that will require you to balance or move them in challenging ways. Jenga is a dexterity game.
7. Dice rolling games
As you may have guessed, dice-rolling games often largely rely on dice. What you roll often will dictate what you can do in the game or on your turn.
Of course, this type of game typically involves a large element of luck. Some games may simply have a dice-rolling component, like Betrayal at House on the Hill, where six dice are rolled on almost every turn. Other examples of dice rollers include Yathzee or King of Tokyo.
8. Engine builder games
In an engine building game, you gain resources that mostly enable you to acquire more resources, which you can think of like building a machine that reaps its own rewards.
Essentially, things you build in the game work together to gain more resources or victory points to win. These game elements often have cascading effects that can build on one another.
Terraforming Mars is an example of an engine-building game.
9. Euro games
A Euro game is short for a “European game” and typically involves minimal player interaction. Euro games often overlap with strategy, engine builder games or abstract games.
You could usually play a Euro-style game single-player or with a group. Wingspan would be considered a Euro game.
10. Legacy board games
Usually, the term “legacy” will be added onto an already popular game that has come out with a version of itself that is designed to be played over multiple sessions, preferably with the same group of people.
For example, the popular game Pandemic came out with Pandemic Legacy, which is meant to be played as a series. It comes with stickers and game-modifying pieces that will affect future play over the course of time.
When the series has ended, you are usually left with a personalized version of the game that can be played as normal.
1. Abstract games
However, abstract games are typically in the same category as strategy games, except they do not have a theme, or at least have a minimal theme.
Abstract games usually display all the cards out on the table, quite literally. This means information about current game play is out in the open. Finally, abstract games do not involve a lot of luck or chance. An example of an abstract game is Sequence.
2. Campaign games
A campaign is most often referred to as a story in role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.
In this type of game, a dungeon master will lead the players through sessions that can be played out over months, where each session will pick up where it left off.
3. Card games
A card game can be any game that deals with playing cards, often instead of game pieces. Sometimes with a board, sometimes without a board.
A card game can refer to a standard deck of cards, but it also extends into specialized decks that have all kinds of art and special rules.
Sometimes a card game will involve collecting cards, which may be considered a trading card game.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Sushi Go are examples of card games.
4. Cooperative games
A co-op game simply means that everyone is playing on the same team. Essentially, everyone wins or loses together.
Occasionally, a game may be partially co-op. Most players may be on the same team while one player works as a “traitor” against them.
In many cooperative games, there will be a numbered chart in the rulebook that will tell you how well or how poorly your team played. In these games, you are playing to beat your previous high score. So Clover and Just One are examples of cooperative games.
5. Deck building games
Usually, players will begin with a “starter deck” and purchase or draft cards that will be re-shuffled into the existing deck, which will eventually increase in abilities and power.
A player’s deck will help them gain victory points over the course of the game, depending on the win condition. Dominion is an example of a deck-building game.