I love board games, from the classics of my childhood to the complex games of today. I’m a big fan of Risk Legacy and how it improved on the original game.
Conversely, I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing more modern, complex board games like Eclipse and Manhattan Project. Then, of course, there are wonderful social games like Werewolf, which are always great at a party.
Still, the classics are something I hold near and dear to my heart. These are the vintage board games I miss and will always have a special place in my heart.
Risk
I fell in love with Risk the first second I played it. Yes, the marathon games can make Monopoly look like a walk in the park, but there’s just something special about Risk.
Whether as a kid begging my parents to play with me or in college playing all night until we passed out from exhaustion, Risk was, and still is, my jam.
Axis & Allies
From one war game to another, Axis & Allies is a classic for a reason.
It’s a more streamlined version of Risk, borrowing many of the same concepts while trimming a lot of the fat.
Clue
Clue, also known as Cluedo, seems like a simple game, but it’s surprisingly deep and complex.
Yes, navigating the board is done with a simple roll of the dice, but there are over 300 different combinations to solve with the outcome, which means that there’s a lot of detective work and sleuthing required by the player.
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Monopoly
Let’s start with a controversial take. Yes, Monopoly isn’t perfect, but I still love it.
Despite featuring a lot of luck and random chance, there are still many strategies involved in being successful at Monopoly. As a kid, I was obsessed with Boardwalk and Park Place, but as an adult, I knew that the orange properties were where it was.
Catan
Often described as a “gateway game,” Settlers of Catan is a great way to try your hand at a more complex game while sticking with a simple premise.
For those looking to bridge the gap from Monopoly to more advanced games, Catan is a great place to start.
Cosmic Encounter
This one was a longtime staple in my rotation.
Despite being released in 1977, it shares many similarities with some of the more advanced board games of the modern era. It may not be a childhood staple, but I quickly fell in love with it in college.
Sorry
I don’t know what it was about Sorry, but opening this box always felt like a special occasion as a kid.
Again, navigating the board was simple, yet the hook of having players bump others back to the starting point led to some tense family moments.
Also, the board’s older design is incredibly elegant. I’m pretty sure we had the 1950s version at our house growing up, and it looked so clean compared to the other games we owned.
Stratego
As a kid, board games needed the right amount of chance to even the playing field. I was in no way, shape, or form able to compete with older family members on skill alone.
Enter Stratego, which offers the perfect balance of strategy and luck. Best of all, it only requires two players, making it easier to play versus needing a larger group of people for the other classic board games we’ve discussed.
Candy Land
There’s little to no strategy to be found in Candy Land, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great game. It’s all about doing what the cards say as you traverse the colorful board.
This is one of the first board games I remember playing, and it will always hold a special place in my heart, even if I rarely won.
Mouse Trap
My childhood enjoyment of Mouse Trap was from going through the motions of building the trap. Can you blame me, though? I was a kid.
Maybe that’s why this was the preferred game in elementary school for me and my friends. We were always jealous of the winner here more than any other game.
Operation
Is it water on the knee? We may never know, but I do know that I’m the doctor for you.
As someone with fairly large hands as a kid, I always felt disadvantaged while playing Operation. I still tried my best to avoid hitting the buzzers, though.
Mall Madness
Call me crazy, but I loved Mall Madness as a kid. My sister and I got so much mileage out of playing this game.
Shopping through the mall, swiping your credit card, and trying to return to your car first was far easier said than done, especially if you got stuck behind a long line at a store.
Seriously! That was a thing that happened, and it threw me for a loop every time.
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