Easy to learn, quick to play

ona-whim

I would like to get some input on any tabletop games that are exceptionally easy to learn and can be played in under 30 minutes. This is necessary for me because I am going to attempt to set up several tabletop games at my wedding during the reception. I would like to have games that are less traditional than Chess, Checkers, or Poker and I don't expect to have a ton of space to lay out a huge board on each table. Also keep in mind that half the reason these games need to be easy to learn will be because most of the people attending will not be the type who have prior experience with non-traditional tabletop games.

38thDoe

Hey, That's My Fish can be explained and played in 5-10 minutes, and is a lot of fun.
Also its pretty cheap.

mi-go hunter

I heard some good things about Ingenious. Haven't played it though, but it looks like a simple game to learn and is playable in about 45 minutes.

GoodOmens

No Thanks! is a good choice. Super fast, easy to learn, cheap. It might be strange for non-gamers because the goal is to get the lowest score possible, though.

runeward

Totally a self plug, but you this is a full demo of a free game I developed that fits the bill. It is a simple card game that takes about 5 minutes to learn and games take anywhere from 5 minutes or longer depending on how you play. It also makes use of ad hoc elements (scratch paper, spare change, wedding favors lying around, etc).

At some point I plan to develop it into a real saleable product, but for now it is just a fun little freebee that prints up quick, plays quick, and is pretty fun. The final cards look more like this.

Lord Palington

Apples to Apples is always a great party game. Tsuro by Wizkids takes less than five minutes to learn and about 10 minutes to play even with 8 players.

Guillotine was a huge hit a few summers ago with my cousins, and it's pretty cheap.

Spoit

If we're talking card games, how about Fluxx?

Echo

38thDoe wrote: »

Hey, That's My Fish can be explained and played in 5-10 minutes, and is a lot of fun.
Also its pretty cheap.

We play this fairly frequently at bigger board game nights when waiting for the other group to finish their game.

Nullzone

HTMF is out of print right now so it may be hard to find. Fluxx is good, Zombie Dice/Martian Dice are great

I did a big list of game suggestions based on skill levels for PAX a while back, may be of some use. Not all of these are short, but you can find the ones that are among the lot.

Nullzone wrote: »

This comes up often in my circles...I should probably boilerplate a recommendation list. No better time than the present...

I've never picked up a card or die before in my life
Ticket To Ride
Carcassonne
Mille Bornes
No Thanks
Bazaar
Blokus
Zombie Dice
Cthulhu Dice
Dixit

These are all very simple to learn and provide a lot of fun and replay value without dealing with too much abstract concept or creating too many diverging strategies to play from.


I've played Monopoly or Uno
Settlers of Catan
Citadels
Dominion
Lost Cities
Bang!
Fluxx
Munchkin
Risk*
Forbidden Island
TransAmerica

These games have more depth, but the strategies diverge, the rules are a bit more procedural, and the concept starts to become more abstract. Still high fun and replay values though, and if you're already acclimated to playing any variety at all of card or board game, you shouldn't have much trouble learning these.


I love <insert game here, probably from the list above> but want more
Ascension
Pandemic
Power Grid
Puerto Rico
Agricola
Quarriors
Thurn and Taxis
7 Wonders

These games are either high abstraction, lots of decision making, or create a potentially intimidating experience for a new player, either due to game difficulty or the way the players interact. I don't recommend them for first timers but they're all a lot of fun, and if you've played any of the games further up on the list then you should have no problem getting into these.


One question I always ask anytime someone wants recommendations though: What is your favorite game (that you've played, of course) and what did you like about it? With that information I can usually point toward one or two dead ringers that can hit the high notes that you enjoyed from what you've already experienced.


*Some people may scoff at this one, but it's a great lightweight strategy game. There are better ones, but this is never a bad place to start; graduate from this to something like Memoir '44 or Viktory II.

tzeentchling

Blokus is simple to learn and quick to play - a game with 4 players might take 15 minutes or so? Still has enough complex strategy to keep it interesting after many games, too. Plays best with all 4 players though.