This was a post from 2017 in which I look at some ‘gateway’ games. Gateway games are board games that are easy to learn and quick to play, making them an ideal introduction to the hobby for new players. These games are often simple in terms of rules and mechanics, but they still offer a fun and engaging experience that can capture the interest of both new and experienced players.
Gateway games are often used as a way to introduce people to the world of board gaming, as they provide a gentle introduction to the hobby without overwhelming new players with complex rules and strategies. Some popular examples of gateway games include Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Codenames. These games are often seen as the first step in a player’s journey into the world of board gaming, paving the way for more complex and challenging games in the future.
I cover a number of really good games in this post, including:
I think these games hold up pretty well. I still play them all, at least on occasion. If I were to ditch any, it would likely be Catan, which is still good but does feel somewhat dated. I’d probably replace that with something like Century.
I stand by my pick for my favourite gateway game, at least from the options I presented. Ticket to Ride is a fun, solid, little game. We actually ran a tournament for it locally here (I came 4th of, if I remember, 12) which went really well.
I also took a look at next-step games. These are games that are just a little… ‘gamier’ than the gateway options. They have a little bit more going on, and are a bit more satisfying to the established board gamer. Again, I picked out four titles:
I discussed each one, and I really enjoyed going through these games. I think if I were dropping one of these, it would be Smash Up. I just got sick of it. Today, I’d swap in Clank!. It’s great. It would also probably replace Lord of Waterdeep as my winning title.
In the post itself, I write about each individual title and give some thoughts on how they fulfil the Gateway or Next-Step roles. You can find a link to the post below:
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