Top 10 Best Strategic Planning Board Games of 2024
Hey, fellow board game enthusiasts! If you’re like us, you know that the heart of a great game night lies in those epic moments of strategic planning. Picking the perfect board game isn’t just about fun; it’s about challenging your mind and outsmarting your friends. So, we scoured our game closets and came up with a list of the 10 best board games that will test your ability to plan, strategize, and execute. From battling diseases to building civilizations, these games will keep you on your toes and make you think two steps ahead. Ready to see which games made the cut?
On this list:
10 Pandemic
Kicking off our list, Pandemic makes you and your pals disease-fighting specialists aiming to treat infections around the world while researching cures. The strategic planning comes in as you decide which cities to save first, juggle outbreaks, and manage your team’s strengths. It’s a race against the game, and every move counts!
9 Catan
In Catan, you’re settlers on a newly discovered island, competing to build the most prosperous settlement. Strategic planning is key in deciding where to build your roads, settlements, and cities. Resource management and trade are crucial to get what you need. It’s all about making the right choices at the right times.
8 Ticket to Ride
Here’s a game that turns you into a railroad magnate. In Ticket to Ride, you collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities across North America. The longer your routes, the more points you score. Planning your routes and blocking others are what strategic planning is all about here.
7 7 Wonders
7 Wonders will have you leading one of the seven great cities of the Ancient World. Gathering resources, developing commercial routes, and affirming military supremacy are all part of your strategic plan to leave your mark in history. Each decision impacts the future, making strategic planning a must.
6 Risk
What list would be complete without the classic game of Risk? The ultimate game of military strategy, you’ll need to plan your attacks, defend your territories, and carefully deploy your armies. It’s all about balance and strategic planning if you want to dominate the world.
5 Agricola
In Agricola, you’re a farmer in a wooden shack with your spouse and little else. Through strategic planning, you’ll decide how to use your limited resources to build a sustainable farm. It’s a balancing act of resource management, worker placement, and forward planning to be the most successful farmer.
4 Power Grid
Power Grid is all about efficiently powering cities. You auction power plants, purchase resources, and expand your electrical grid. Every decision in the game involves heavy strategic planning, from what power plants to buy to how to outmaneuver your competitors in the resource market.
3 Dominion
Dominion, the game that sparked the deck-building genre, requires players to carefully plan their strategy as they buy cards to build up their deck. Choosing the right combination of cards is crucial to amassing the most efficient and powerful deck to claim victory.
2 Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars puts you in charge of a corporation with the goal of making Mars habitable. You’ll manage resources, develop technologies, and build infrastructure. The strategic planning in this game is out of this world, as you balance short-term actions with your long-term goal of winning the terraforming race.
1 Scythe
Taking the top spot, Scythe is a game of farm machinery turned war machines in an alternate-history 1920s period. It blends resource management, diplomacy, and warfare seamlessly, necessitating a profound level of strategic planning. The multiple paths to victory, intricate player interactions, and stunning artwork make it a rich and rewarding experience for any strategy fan. This masterpiece is hailed for its deep strategic gameplay, making it our best pick for fans of strategic planning.
