You’ll find a large variety of 3 player board games to suit many audiences here, and we don’t think we’ve missed a single player type. And, every mechanic under the sun is included in one game or another.
Top 20 Three Player Board Games
Let’s take a look at some of the best, popular, not so popular and a couple that attract a certain three person crowd.
Troyes – Player Interaction at its Best
Set in the medieval times of the flourishing city of Troyes, located in the Champagne region of France, Troyes invites you to step into the shoes of an important family figure and to properly lead your lineage to become the most influential officials within the ranks of the church, the military and civil society.
| Game Type Medieval Theme. Economic, Area Majority /Influence Dice Rolling, End Game Bonuses, Hidden Victory Points, Lose a Turn | Play Time 90 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.5 - 5) Medium - Heavy |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Pearl Games and others | Published 2010 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $69.99 |
| Our Rating 8.6/10 |
This highly-acclaimed worker placement game comes with a unique twist: you’ll get specific colored dices as income depending on where you send your workers on the board. These dices will then be allocated to your city quarter and rolled at the start of each round. They will either be used by you or will be “hired” by your opponents for an incremental cost in gold. And this right here may be the highlight of the game: keeping an eye on opponents’ manpower in any given round and snatching it away for leveraging it to your use will definitely make you feel an adrenaline rush.
An action is triggered with a single/a group of dice of the same color (white, yellow or red), summing their pips up first and then using them on the revealed cards of the same color, or for countering the event cards which have a negative toll on all players. There are several scoring criteria at the end and once that’s done, the player with the most points wins.
Troyes is definitely not for easy-going players who’ll usually prefer multiplayer solitaire games. It’s medium to heavy difficulty that demands at least 90 minutes per play, combined with the constant tough and strategic decisions may prove to be a brain burner for most players.
Troyes is certainly a great 3 player challenge, if you’re up for it!
The Ladies of Troyes expansion may be added for even more replayability, but nevertheless the base game is a solid economic game on its own.
Great Western Trail – Point to Point Cattle Sprints
Being a rancher in the 19th century may have been a pretty common American dream for many. Great Western Trail sets up the scenery for you to achieve it, allowing you to raise your own cattle from a wide range of breeds. Hiring slick cowboys, skilled engineers and trained craftsmen will help with herding cattle between your little ranch in Texas and famous livestock markets in Kansas City or the distant San Francisco.
| Game Type Deck Building, Hand Management, Ownership, Point to Point Movement | Play Time 75 - 150 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.8 - 5) Medium - Heavy |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Pegasus Spiele and others | Published 2016 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $69.99 |
| Our Rating 9.5/10 |
Great Western Trail is a combination of deck building with hand management at its core, while the main scoring mechanic would encourage players to race along the constantly developing trail. Your deck is your herd and developing it to be as diverse as possible will grant access to cattle deliveries to more distant cities once reaching the trail’s end (which ultimately translates in more points for the end of the game). This race implies point to point movement on the board and forces players to stop on various buildings along the way – sometimes requiring tolls & taxes. Once a delivery is completed and you see your precious cattle leaving the train station, you hurry back home and start all over again.
As one of the Top 10 games on BGG, Great Western Trail can be easily defined as a ‘gamer’s game’, with a complexity ranging somewhere between medium and heavy. If you understand how a full delivery works, though, turns will be easier, but longer due to trail’s congestion.
There is a lot of depth in terms of strategy, the game letting you experiment in 3 main areas: more cowboys for a bigger hand size, more engineers for building massively, more craftsmen for reaching distant markets. Even though all 3 are winning strategies, at the end of the day pacing through the trail is key.
Dominion – If Pure Deck Building Had a Name
In Dominion, players act as heirs to a long line of monarchs, each trying to consolidate the scattered fertile lands under a single, reputable banner. In doing so, wealth will be the key for claiming land, hiring key councilors or building imposing structures.
Dominion at a Glance
| Game Type Medieval Theme. Card Game, Deck Building, Take That, Variable Setup | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Rio Grande Games | Published 2008 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $34.99 |
| Related Games Like Dominion - Top Picks | Our Rating 9.4/10 |
Dominion might easily be the ultimate definition of the deck building mechanism. The 500 cards included in the box are divided into 25 unique Kingdom card types from which any combination of 10 are included for a given play. Any game will therefore be different, although the winning condition remains the same: have the most victory points when either all the Province cards are acquired or any 3 supply piles are empty.
Within this game each player starts with the same 10 cards in their deck and on a turn they will draw a hand of 5 cards, sum up all the gold, then play 1 Action card followed by a buy phase. To wrap up the round, the purchased card and the revealed hand of 5 will be placed on top of that player’s discard pile and a new hand of 5 cards will be drawn. Once the draw pile is empty, the discard pile is reshuffled to form a new one.
We rate Dominion as light to medium from a complexity perspective and this classic will surely provide enough depth for its 30 minutes time span. The first edition may be hard to find, but do not worry: Dominion Second Edition came out in 2016 with streamlined rules and even better card artwork. There are dozens of expansion packs out there, so you won’t probably play 2 identical games ever.
Dominion is an excellent and engaging deck building game that play out at its best with 3 players.
Spirit Island – A Cooperative Clash with Mother Nature
Far, far away – some even call it at the edge of the world – a virgin island where natives lived in perfect harmony with the fearful, free roaming spirits for decades is now under threat of European colonists wandering where no conqueror is welcome. By joining their elemental forces, the spirits are now teaming up to chase them away.
| Game Type Environmental, Fantasy, Fighting, Mythology, Territory Building Area Majority/Influence, Cooperative, Hand Management | Play Time 90 - 150 mins | Skill/Complexity (4.4 - 5) Heavy |
| Age 13+ | Publisher(s) Greater Than Games and others | Published 2017 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 1 - 4 | Cost $59.99 |
| Our Rating 9.6/10 |
Spirit Island is one heavy cooperative beast, where players need to understand and develop the unique powers of their spirit to fight off the invaders as soon as possible. The actions of each turn are simultaneously selected by all players and the key of this hand management mechanism is to sync power cards with your spirit’s elemental affinities.
Intricate planning is needed as the game progresses and saving your energy for the semi-predictable invaders’ movement might prove crucial later in the game. Let the invaders destroy any spirit and the game is lost. Winning, on the other hand, would imply the destruction of every single settlement or city on the island, but once you raise the level of terror among the invaders high enough, most of them will run away and victory will become easier.
Spirit Island is definitely not addressed to casual gamers and even if it is rated as heavy, it comes with different adversaries, each of them scaling different in terms of difficulty. Winning the game is a consistent challenge and you sure need to play this with the appropriate team players, considering you’ll usually spend 2 hours per play.
While Spirit Island can play out with 1 – 4 players we have found 2 – 3 players is best.
Terraforming Mars – Setting up the Ground for Mankind’s Future
Even though surveillance rovers are constantly being sent to Mars nowadays, it will take until early 2400s for the human race to actually establish living conditions on planet Mars. With the World Government incentivizing the terraforming, players take the roles of global corporations striving to ensure the optimal temperature and oxygen levels for human life.
| Game Type Economic, Environmental, Science Fiction, Space Exploration, Territory Building, Card Drafting, End Game Bonuses, Hand Management, Hexagon Grid | Play Time 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.3 - 5) Medium |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) FryxGames and others | Published 2016 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 1 - 4 ( 3 is perfect) | Cost $59.99 |
| Our Rating 9.6/10 |
In Terraforming Mars, players will essentially focus on drafting project cards from a deck of over 200 cards and then buying them for later play in their tableau. These cards may represent production improvements, instant bonuses or end game scoring conditions. Buying cards and then playing them becomes pretty expensive, therefore one of the key factors in the game is to develop the 6 types of production lines for having enough resources. Aside from card scoring, player will earn additional points for raising the 3 global parameters, completing milestones and awards and building futuristic cities on the board. Once the 3 global parameters reach their optimal level for Mars to be inhabitable, the game will end.
This multi-awarded title is the all-time favorite for most seasoned gamers. While not being too heavy, Terraforming Mars offers a satisfying area of strategy and choices for each single generation, being one of the top choices for space exploration aficionados. It’s also great 3 player board game choice.
Photosynthesis – Witness the Birth of a Forest
Environmental awareness is the main topic on the agenda in Photosynthesis, as players will cultivate various trees from their own supply of seeds. Along the way, they will survey the land for the brightest spots, so that the sun’s rays will ensure rapid forest growth.
| Game Type Abstract, Nature Theme, Environmental, Action Points, Area Majority / Influence, | Play Time 30 - 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Blue Orange Games and others | Published 2017 |
| Categories Abstract, Family | Players 2 - 4 ( 3 is perfect) | Cost $39.95 |
| Our Rating 9/10 |
Photosynthesis uses an action points allowance system, based on each tree’s life cycle and the light points collected from the leaves better exposed to the sun. The challenge for the players is to speculate the brightest areas for planting the seeds, so their trees outgrow the opponents’. While being an abstract game, the 3-dimensional trees will add a stunning table presence to an impressive tactical package. Points will be granted for fully-grown trees, which will then be removed from the board.
Goes without saying that this was a massive hit across the globe due to its environmental theme and 100% use of recycled materials for its production. Being awarded as 2018 Mensa Select, Photosynthesis tends to be light to medium and a fantastic choice for families and casual gamers alike, and it plays out so well with 3 players.
Kingdomino – All Kingdoms Start with a Domino
In Kingdomino, you are competing against the other lords at the table trying to expand their kingdom through exploring new lands. Leaving the comfort of your castle and going out in the fields will let you enjoy the fruits of your labor later.
| Game Type City Building, Medieval Theme, Territory Building, Card Drafting, Pattern Building, Tile Placement | Play Time 15 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.3 - 5) Light |
| Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Blue Orange Games and others | Published 2016 |
| Categories Family | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $19.95 |
| Our Rating 8.6/10 |
Another game from Blue Orange Games and another prestigious winner, awarded with Spiel des Jahres in 2017. Kingdomino has two very simple mechanics at its core: tile drafting and tile placement. Tiles come with 2 squares displaying one of the several types of terrain, resembling domino pieces. Players need to build large territories of the same terrain type and gather as many crowns as possible while they’re at it. Once a 5×5 terrain grid is completed, the game ends and points are tallied.
Kingdomino is very easy to learn and primarily addressed to families or children, due to its light complexity. There isn’t too much strategy involved in a 15 minutes game, but for its target audience this is one of the top picks, and the reason it belongs on the top 3 player board games list.
Mechs vs. Minions – Cooperative Programming Against a Tiny Army
The world of Runeterra is the home of Corki, Tristana, Heimerdinger and Ziggs, usually known for their well-designed mechs. For their latest challenge, all of them joined forces for deploying the perfect squadron of minion repellent mechs, since these tiny haywire robots keep spawning all over the place and try to rob everything they catch.
| Game Type Thematic, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures, Video Game Theme, Action Queue, Card Drafting, Cooperative, Dice Rolling | Play Time 60 - 120 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.6 - 5) Medium |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Riot Games | Published 2016 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $69.95 |
| Our Rating 8.6/10 |
Mechs vs. Minions is widely known as League of Legends on a board. It is in fact a cooperative tabletop campaign including 10 different scenarios with specific objectives. Each player controls their minion and on any given round, each one drafts 1 or more command cards from the 5 revealed in the first phase, then they program these cards by adding them to their command line, followed by the actual running of the command line. With 6 slots in the command line and with the possibility of stacking cards with similar symbols on the same slot for upgraded actions, there is plenty of room for strategy in fighting the horde of constantly spawning minions.
With a medium complexity and an immersive story-driven thematic experience, Mechs vs. Minions will sure be a delight for any video game geek and fits the best 3 player board games category very well.
Biblios – Massive Auction for Sacred Books
One of the daily concerns for a medieval abbot is to ensure a vast and well-managed scriptorium, where sacred books and manuscripts from all over the world should find shelter. Once that’s up and running, it may offer spiritual guidance on the trickiest questions the human brain may fabricate. The only thing is, there are several abbots doing the same, so being the most reputable one will require some influential strings.
| Game Type Medieval, Religious, Auction/Bidding, Card Drafting, Commodity Speculation, Hand Management | Play Time 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.7 - 5) Light |
| Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Dr. Finn's Games and others | Published 2007 |
| Categories Strategy / Family | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $19.95 |
| Our Rating 8.5/10 |
Even if the theme may not be too pregnant in this game, Biblios is a nice package of hand management, auction, push your luck and set collection. There are 5 colored dices which will be influenced during the course of the game and the number of pips facing up at game’s end will dictate how many points the player with the largest set of matching cards will get. In the first phase, players will draft cards, exhausting the main deck, but keeping some of them hidden and in the second phase players will bid for the hidden stacked ones. The gold cards are the main currency for purchasing the sets, therefore stashing them for high valued cards is always a good strategy.
We rate this as light and since there are only a few rules overall, Biblios is a great family game played in just 30 minutes. Its deluxe and portable box comes with a magnetic seal and that’s why it is ideal for trips.
Raiders of the North Sea – Vikings Being Vikings
The Viking Age is unfolding as we speak. The Chieftain gathered all the Viking warriors for an abundant feast and told them that glory and riches will be granted to the one who’ll invade the north and come back with the most plunder. Grab your axes, boys, and let us face the perils and the harsh sea!
| Game Type Medieval, Nautical, Dice Rolling, Hand Management, Set Collection, Worker Placement | Play Time 60 - 80 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Garphill Games and others | Published 2015 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $55.95 |
| Our Rating 8.9/10 |
While worker placement is one of the most used mechanics in board games, it is also the core of Raiders of the North Sea, but it comes with a nice twist: you place a worker in a desired location, then take a worker from an already occupied one.
Players in this board game alternate turns and try to get the best spots on the board to prepare their incursion in the northern lands where they try to conquer fortresses. Conquering specific spots is done with the help of the cards plus rolling the dice and tallying up the strength. In some cases, Valkyries will send some of your warriors to Valhalla, but this will push you up on the Valhalla track. Points are gained through raiding, sending warriors to Valhalla, upgrading the armor, making offerings or through character cards. One other highlight is represented by the multi-use cards which offer plenty of decisions to take. A game usually ends when all but one fortresses are conquered.
Raiders of the North Sea is the second and the best received title in the North Sea Saga. Its medium complexity will let casual gamers approach it as well, but even hardcore gamers will have a blast playing it. There are 2 major expansions out there completing this Viking quest.
Yokohama – The Rise of a Common Fishing Village
The Meiji Era meant a new chapter for the Japanese nation. Spanning between 1868 and 1912, this era represents the first half of the Japanese Empire, when Japanese people shifted from a feudal society to a modern and industrialized nation state. This drastically reduced the risk of European colonization and ensured an in-house stable economy. Yokohama was part of this change and it actually played a pivotal role as an open harbor for trading with foreign countries. Fruitful transactions in the harbor come down to clever merchants.
| Game Type Economic, End Game Bonuses, Grid Movement, Modular Board, Network and Route Building | Play Time 90 mins | Skill/Complexity (3.4 - 5) Medium |
| Age 14+ | Publisher(s) OKAZU Brand and others | Published 2016 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $59.95 |
| Our Rating 8.8/10 |
One other take on the worker placement front is encountered in Yokohama, where the modular board will frequently set up a different game. On a turn, players either place 2 workers in any region, or 3 workers spread across multiple regions and then the president will be moved, activating a certain region. The numbers of workers in a region will exponentially pile up and unlock more power actions – in some cases buildings are also allowed.
There are 4 basic resources in the game, utility locations, ports for overseas trade orders or technology regions for ongoing bonuses. Various conditions might trigger the end of the game.
Yokohama feels like an authentic Japanese experience and it is mainly addressed to seasoned gamers as it tends to be medium to heavy, not necessarily because of the amount of rules, but because of the immense variety of options. New players would most likely face some analysis paralysis due to that, but at the end of the day Yokohama is a solid 90 minutes game.
Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done – The Knights of the Rondel Table
King Philip IV of France, also called Philip the Fair ruled between 1285 and 1314. During his reign, the order of the Knights Templar expanded and gained a lot of influence, hence King Philip was forced to dismantle it in 1307 as it became a threat. In Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, players lead their Templars through Europe and try to conquer as much land as possible before raising King Philip’s suspicion.
| Game Type Medieval Theme, Area Movement, Mancala, Rondel, Variable Player Powers | Play Time 40 - 60 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 14+ | Publisher(s) Tasty Minstrel Games and others | Published 2018 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $59.95 |
| Our Rating 9/10 |
Rondels and mancala mechanics are often overlooked in board games, but Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done brings both of them on the main stage. Each player has a knight board with the rondel and 4 types of buildings disposed on 4 rows. The mancala mechanic constantly shifts the distribution of power across various actions across the rondel. By spreading across Europe and erecting your buildings, you unlock an engine builder interlinked with the rondel actions.
We consider this game to be of medium difficulty, being accessible to a wide audience of board gamers and plays very well with three people . It plays relatively fast, with an average of 40 to 60 minutes per game. It also comes as deluxified variant and its expansion provide more strategic options.
Three Kingdoms Redux – 3 in 1 Means Triumvirate
One of the most prominent dynasties in ancient China was the Han Dynasty, which collapsed after nearly 400 years in charge. One of the decisive events for the aftermath was the Yellow Turban Rebellion which was the beginning of many feudal regions not recognizing Han’s authority anymore. As a result, 3 independently ruled areas consolidated: Wei, Wu and Shu, giving birth to the Three Kingdoms period.
| Game Type Ancient, Civilization, Economic, Novel-based, Territory Building, Area Majority/Influence, Auction/Bidding, Card Drafting | Play Time 135 - 165 mins | Skill/Complexity (4.2 - 5) Heavy |
| Age 14+ | Publisher(s) Starting Player and others | Published 2014 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 3 | Cost $45.95 |
| Our Rating 8.9/10 |
In Three Kingdoms Redux, players take the roles of Cao Wei, Sun Jian and Liu Bei, governing the aforementioned 3 kingdoms. Right from the start, Wei starts with more generals, while the other 2 factions team up to ensure a proper balance in the bidding phase. Players will send out generals in what seems to be a worker placement action, but that spot will only be activated by the player with the highest number of generals – that’s where the 2 weaker factions will collaborate. What spices up the bidding process is the unique set of generals each clan has and their associated powers, which usually cause unexpected resolutions.
Three Kingdoms Redux is the only game on this list which can only be played as a 3 players board game. It is a heavy and meaty economic game, with beautiful artwork and a time span of 2.5 to 3 hours. Do not try this game with inexperienced players under any circumstances, but rather look for Chinese culture and Chinese history fans who have previously played heavy strategic games.
Burgle Bros. – When Stealing Runs in the Family
In Burgle Bros, players gang up and try to pull the perfect heist, looting multiple safes and then escape through the roof. And just like in the movies, the crew members share responsibilities for various areas: deactivate lasers or cameras, fool guards, have each others back and many more.
| Game Type Thematic, Action Points, Cooperative, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement | Play Time 45 - 90 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.3 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Fowers Games | Published 2015 |
| Categories Family | Players 1 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $47.95 |
| Our Rating 8.9/10 |
Burgle Bros. is a cooperative game for 1-4 players, each with their unique set of skills, trying to rob all the safes in a 3 story building and then get out. Each floor has a 4×4 grid of tiles and at the start of the game the ground floor will be explored. Safes are cracked through dice rolling and each player has to watch out for his 3 stealth tokens – if guards exhaust all 3 for any player, the game is lost and the robbers are busted. Once the third floor is cleared, the gang runs away with the idle helicopter.
This game is full of suspense and somehow manages to replicate the feeling of the movie ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and other heist movies. Since it is light to medium, it makes a good team effort game for the family. Even if the game comes in a small box, custom components for actually assembling the 3D tower are available for purchase.
Splendor – Poker Chips As Jewels
During the Renaissance period in Europe, the people were organized into 5 social classes: royal rulers, nobles, merchants, workers and peasants. There were major social and economic changes at that time: taxation of citizens, trading techniques improved, global trade routes became a reality. Merchants learned that getting rich became easier and easier and for that matter they played a pivotal role in Europe’s economic growth. In Splendor, players take charge of jewelry merchants on their way to the top.
Archaeology: The New Expedition at a Glance
| Game Type Card Drafting, Push Your Luck, Set Collection | Play Time 20 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.5 - 5) Light |
| Age 10+ | Publisher(s) Z-Man Games and others | Published 2016 |
| Categories Family | Players 2 - 5 | Cost $21.99 approx |
| Our Rating 8.7/10 |
Splendor invites players to collect gems (chips) of 5 different types and once they have enough they buy cards from the main display. Think of these cards as permanent gems, so as soon as you stack similar colored cards, the lesser gems you will need for buying additional ones of the same type. Cards can also be reserved until being able to pay and you’ll get a wild gem in exchange, but this will cost you a round. The first merchant to reach 15 points will end the game.
Splendor has quickly become a ridiculously popular family game, especially since it plays so smooth, in under 30 minutes. Due to its light complexity, it can be taught to kids or used as an introductory game into the hobby for non-gamers, and it plays perfectly with 3 players.
Camel Up – Betting on the Right Camel
Camel racing is a frequent sport in North Africa, Western Asia, Pakistan, Mongolia and Australia. Professional races are transformed into betting events and leveraged towards tourist attractions. The average speed of a camel within such a race is close to 40 km/h.
| Game Type Animal Theme, Racing, Betting and Bluffing, Roll and Move | Play Time 20 - 30 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Eggertspiele and others | Published 2014 |
| Categories Family | Players 2 - 8 | Cost $44.99 |
| Our Rating 8.6/10 |
Another Spiel des Jahres winner in 2014, Camel Up is a very light and straight forward roll and move racing and betting game. There are 5 camels competing in the race and they are allowed to be stacked on top of each other when on the same spot. If the camel carrying others on their back needs to move, then the whole stack moves with it. Bets are made for the winning and the losing camels and traps will tamper with the pace of the camels stepping on them and thus influencing the aftermath of the bet. Most money at the end of the race wins.
There is nothing too complex going on in this game and that’s why it is primarily addressed to kids and families, as there is no way a deep strategy can be planned. It’s a simple roll the dice and move game, averaging a 20-30 minutes per race. The pyramid being a dice tower and the stacking of the camels will definitely draw kids into it.
Camel Up can be played with up to 8 players and does play out well with three people, as a cool and light family option.
Azul – Building Mosaics for the King
In Portugal, Azulejos constitute a main cultural and architectural focus, the habit of decorating both interiors and exteriors of churches, palaces, schools, restaurants or even ordinary houses going way back. This art form displayed on ceramic tiles is derived from its Moorish counterpart and it was adopted from the 13th century onwards. In Azul, King Manuel I of Portugal challenged you, a tile-laying artist, to decorate the walls of Royal Palace of Evora.
| Game Type Renaissance Theme Abstract Card Drafting Pattern Building Tile Placement | Play Time 30 - 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Good Medium - Light Abstract Strategy |
| Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Plan B Games and Others | Published 2017 |
| Categories Family / Teens / Abstract Strategy | Players 2 - 4 | Cost Approx $29.99 |
| Our Rating 9.5/10 |
Azul is an abstract strategy game by definition, with tile drafting and tile placement as main mechanics. Abstract games may not please a wide range of people, but a well-produced and a visually stunning one would do. With these tiles, players try to build specific patterns on their player boards for amassing the most points once one player completes a full row in their grid. The boards are double sided, having no predefined patterns on the back, but the back side should be avoided with new players.
Being the number 1 game in the abstract category on BGG, and the 4th in the family section, Azul is considered by many to be the best gateway game out there. There is no surprise it gathered dozens of awards all over the world since it came out, 3 years ago. There are 2 other reimplementations of it for more seasoned gamers – this one is light in complexity and should be in everyone’s collection.
The Quacks of Quedlinburg – Did Somebody Call for a Doctor?
Back in the old days, when the medical system was very fragile and mainly available for kings and nobles, a whole industry of potions made from obscure ingredients was on the rise. Some of them healed patients, others offered placebo effects, while others simply blew in your face. In Quacks of Quedlinburg players serve as such experimental doctors, somewhere in the heart of medieval Germany.
| Game Type Medieval Theme, Catch the Leader, Bag Building, Dice Rolling, Push Your Luck | Play Time 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2 - 5) Light |
| Age 10+ | Publisher(s) North Star Games and others | Published 2018 |
| Categories Family | Players 2 - 4 | Cost $59.99 |
| Our Rating 9/10 |
The concept of bag building is not too frequent in games, but it is the whole focus of this one. Players simultaneously draw ingredient chips from their bag and add them to their pot. High numbers on the face of the drawn chip is better, as it dictates how many spaces further it is placed in the pot. Drawing too many white, cherry bomb chips will make your pot explode and ruin the potion for that round. This continues for 9 rounds, and at the end of each one players are buying new ingredients and adding them to the bag. In other words, push your luck as much as you dare.
Being on the light to medium side, The Quacks of Quedlinburg offers even more ingredients if you add any of the expansions. Adding the better ingredients to your bag and constantly in hope of taking them out is one satisfying feeling for the whole family. After 45 minutes, you can declare yourself a herb master!
Century: Golem Edition – Crystal Clear Engine Builder
In Caravania, you are nobody if you do not own a caravan. And all caravan owners are traveling all day long in search of the precious crystals which serve as fuel for ancient, rusty golems.
| Game Type Economic, Fantasy, Action Retrieval, Card Drafting, Hand Management | Play Time 30 - 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (1.7 - 5) Light |
| Age 8+ | Publisher(s) Plan B Games and others | Published 2017 |
| Categories Family / Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $49.99 |
| Our Rating 9/10 |
One nice alternative to Splendor is Century: Golem Edition. Even if it is not a new concept and it is in fact reimplementing Century: Spice Road, the first title in the Century series, re-theming it and replacing wooden cubes with translucent crystals made this one a favorite card drafting, engine building, set collection title for many people. Long story short, players act as crystal traders, harvesting crystals or converting them into new ones using cards in their hand and ultimately buy victory point cards, paying their crystal cost. The first one to claim their 5th victory point card triggers the final round and then the total points are counted.
You might not like the simplicity of this light resource conversion game if you are into intricate strategic decisions, but its great components, gorgeous art and simple learning curve, all make Century: Golem Edition an excellent 30-45 minutes filler game. It’s also a perfect 3 player board game.
The King Is Dead – Long Live the King!
The death of King Arthur in the early 6th century set Britain on fire. Mixed feelings of gloom and uncertainty were ravishing most of the folks, but there were also exceptions. While the whole nation was in grief and mourning the legendary king, knights, lords and nobles were plotting on who should be crowned the next ruler. Players act as king contenders, all of them trying to prove they’re the best solution for the incoming Saxon invasion.
| Game Type Medieval Theme, Political, Area Majority / Influence, Hand Management, Team-Based Game | Play Time 30 - 45 mins | Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5) Light - Medium |
| Age 12+ | Publisher(s) Osprey Games | Published 2015 |
| Categories Strategy | Players 2 - 4 (3 is perfect) | Cost $49.99 |
| Our Rating 8/10 |
Last but not the least on our list of the best board games for 3 players, let’s have a look at The King Is Dead, a game where players try to influence The Romano-British, The Scott’s and The Welsh factions for supporting them to the throne. The core mechanic of the game is area majority over the 8 historic regions on the board. Cards which mainly imply cubes of different factions move between regions are played each round and then tokens of faction supremacy are placed on each region. At the end of the game, the player with the most cubes in their supply matching the most influent faction across the board takes the crown.
Playing this game in 4 players turns into a weird team-based game, but it works really well with 3. The board, the cubes and the cards may benefit from a graphic overhaul and a deluxe treatment, but apart from that, the game is solid, it has medium complexity and will most likely be over in 30 minutes. History fans will definitely find this attractive.
And, that’s about it for the best 3 player board games category, for now!
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