Our top 10 board games for students

It's that time of year again!

Every September, the streets of the city become awash with hope, youthful optimism and the smell of Jägerbombs. That's right - our Cardiff students are back! 

Whether you're a brand new fresher or an old and broken third year, you've got time between lectures to fill with something fun - student board games to the rescue! And we've got the best 10 of 'em for you and your student crew...

Visit our full student board games collection!

If you're new to gaming, we run a weekly Monday night Board Game Bar at Urban Tap House, from 5-10pm every Monday for just £3 per person. Don't panic about turning up alone, or as a newbie - we'll set you up with a group & a game :)

1. Exploding Kittens

A brilliant Russian Roulette style game, packed full of our furry feline friends. Exploding Kittens is super simple; players must draw cards until someone draws a exploding kitten, that person loses, of course!

The longer the game last the more tense it becomes as the fewer cards in the deck means a much greater chance of pulling an exploding kitten and meeting a fiery, feline-y end!

2. Bucket of Doom

Tell me, friend - how do you plan on escaping from the belly of a sperm whale using just a sweaty yoga mat and a pack of sausages?

In Bucket of Doom, players are thrown head first into dangerous and deadly situations. Using one or more of the useless objects in their hand, they'll have to think up a cunning exit route, with the best plans winning the card.

3. Sushi Go

In this teeny tiny card game full of adorable artwork called Sushi Go, players are dining at an uber cool sushi restaurant and trying to grab as many fishy items as they can!

Collecting the most of one type of sushi or making a full set of another are both ways to score points - you can also use dips for extra yumminess and value, then finish the whole thing off with a dessert.  

4. Gloom

Remember all those times you wanted to curl up in a ball of self-pity and cry tears of teenage angst? Say hello to Gloom!

Players take control of a misfit family full o' freaks who believe they can only find true happiness in death, after a long and miserable life. You'll be doling out dollops of depression and servings of sadness to these people, while throwing buckets of cheer and happiness at your opponents, as you need them to keep smiling. An emotional rollercoaster for all unstable students!

5. In A Bind

The perfect pretzel student party game! In A Bind features a deck of cards, each one featuring a simple "bind", e.g., "one finger touching nose", "left elbow above shoulder", "two hands touching" or "this card on top of head", and its instruction must be obeyed for the ENTIRE REST OF THE GAME! 

When you have so many binds that you are unable to comply with them all, you lose. The last person standing wins.

6. Spyfall

Spyfall is a party game unlike any other, one in which you get to be a spy and try to understand what's going on around you. At the start of each round all players receive cards showing the same location — a casino, a traveling circus, a pirate ship — except that one player receives a card that says "Spy" instead of the location.

Players then start asking each other questions — "Why are you dressed so strangely?" or "When was the last time we got a payday?" or anything else you can come up with — trying to guess who among them is the spy. The spy doesn't know where he is, so he has to listen carefully. When it's his time to answer, he'd better create a good story!

7. Codenames

Yet another student party board game revolved around spying! In Codenames, two teams compete against each other to see who can make contact with all of their operatives first.

Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right operatives while avoiding those that belong to the opposing spymaster. And everyone would do best to avoid the assassin...

8. Hanabi

Don't fancy showing your new student housemates how competitive you can be? Let them find that out on their own, and play a co-operative card game called Hanabi instead!

Players work together to put on a spectacular fireworks display. Unfortunately, players hold their hand of cards face-out in front of them, meaning everyone else can see your cards, but you can't. Players spend tokens to give and receive hints about the numbers and colours of each others cards, but careful - hints are in limited supply, and time is running out for this fireworks show!

9. Dead of Winter: The Long Night

Pause the party games, and turn your attention to this epic zombie fight for survival. Enter a frozen wasteland and try to survive as encroaching zombies get closer and closer... In Dead of Winter, players will have one shared objective they'll try to reach together, along with a secret goal they'll try to complete secretly, in secret. There's also a double secret 'betrayer' among you, so keep an eye out for them...

Dead of Winter: The Long Night is a stand-alone board game as well as an expansion for Dead of Winter so players can start afresh or continue their epic struggle for power and survival. It features the new and mysterious 'Raxxon' pharmaceutical location for you to sink your teeth into...

10. Billionaire Banshee

Have you ever wondered how low your friends' dating standards are? In Billionaire Banshee, players are looking for a soul mate. There are Perk cards and Quirk cards; the player turns over both, and everyone else has to secretly vote if the player would date that weird combination.

For example - your potential date has a pet unicorn called Mister Cinnamon, BUT! They steal your tears while you sleep. Would you take the plunge? Your friends can only guess (and hope you wouldn't).

Don't forget, you can try all of these games and MORE at our weekly #BoardGameBar!

Every Monday @ Urban Tap House, 5-10pm, £3 entry!

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