Five Board Games That Get Your Heart Racing!
Intent: Inspire you to try new games and use them to invite more people into the hobby.
Board games allow you to feel a range of emotions, some can make you feel cozy, while others get your heart racing in a matter of minutes! Are you an adrenaline junky? Do you often find yourself searching for the next thrill? Well these games might just be for you. We’ve put together a list of five games that keep you at the edge of the seat and have your heart racing! Try out these games and share the experience with ones around you and I guarantee you’ll build some valuable memories like we have.
A fantastic element of these games is that “edge of the seat factor.” Most of us have experienced that feeling where your whole body is tense yet filled with an exhilarating tingle. This can happen in positive ways such as being on top of a mountain, riding a rollercoaster or simply doing something daring, and also in negative ways as well, such as an important job interview you’re extremely nervous for, being uncomfortable speaking in big crowds or simply doing something embarrassing with everyone watching. What I love about these games is that you can become familiar with that feeling, comfortable with it even, which can translate to strengthening your personal skills and overcoming variety of barriers that this feeling puts up for yourself.
With the serious elements aside, these games are A LOT of fun and you’re about to learn why. We love introducing individuals to them and have some great stories playing these specific games that I know we will share for many years to come.
Now let’s learn about these games in order of complexity, that being said none of these games are too complex and are fairly accessible to all.
The Mind
Designer: Wolfgang Warsch
Artist: Oliver Freudenreich
Publisher: Pandasaurus Games
Player Count: 2-4 players
Length: 15 minutes
Overview: In this cooperative game, your goal is simple. Play the cards in ascending order. The catch? You can’t communicate with your team or give any clues that might reveal the card(s) in your hand. The game starts off at Level 1, you and your team members will each get one card from the shuffled deck numbered one to a hundred. You will then begin the game. You must work with your team to play all the cards you have in ascending order. It’s better to just jump in and trial your own strategy but in general, if you have a lower numbered card such as a seven you likely want to play it pretty quickly than if you had eighty. Don’t worry if you make a mistake, you’ll only lose a life. You’ll have a set of lives to start off the game and a throwing star as well, which you can use to get rid of your and your teammates lowest card each at anytime during play. That’s pretty much all there is to it. As you win more levels your hand size will increase but you’ll also gain more lives and throwing stars inching closer to victory. Will you be able to have a collective mind and succeed in defeating all the levels in this game? We unfortunately haven’t yet.
Heart Racing Factor: This game is super straightforward but such an exhilarating experience! The hands are dealt and all the sudden you find yourself in a staring match with those around you, holding onto your lowest card unsure of when to play it. You see someone go for it, but WHAT IF IT’S HIGHER THAN YOUR CARD? You rush and play your 25 and WOW! Your teammate plays 26 right after! It doesn’t stop there, your other teammate quickly plays the 27, to which the next player plays the 29. You have 32, but does anyone have the 30 or 31? You can see how exciting this game gets and through all of our times playing it we’ve definitely witnessed some veins surface on foreheads.
Fun Fact: If this game wasn’t enough excitement for you, check out The Mind: Extreme. It features two decks of cards both 1-50. One deck must be played ascending, while the other descending and guess what? There’s some rounds where you must play the cards face down rather than face up and check for mistakes at the end of the level. It’s certainly an experience.
Hanabi
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Artist: Antoine Bauze, Gerald Guérlais and Albertine Ralenti
Publisher: R & R Games
Player Count: 2-5 players
Length: 25 minutes
Overview: Have you ever wanted to ignite fireworks inside your home? Here’s your chance. In Hanabi, you will be working together as a team to put on the most incredible firework show by playing cards in ascending order. The deck of cards consists of five colors of cards numbered one to five, with different quantities of each number. You’ll be dealt four cards each to start the game and your goal is to play all the five colors in ascending order. Now of course there’s a catch. You’ll be able to see all of your team members cards BUT won’t be able to see your own, meaning your hand will be held outwards. The game proceeds in player order. Each turn you have the three options of actions you can do. First option is to give a hint to a player indicating a color OR number of the cards they have in hand, doing so causes your team to discard a blue time token. Giving clues is tricky as you can’t say this is a red four instead you have to point to all red cards or all fours they have. Second option is to discard a card, doing so gains a blue time token back. Third option is to play a card, if you’re successful it’ll stay in play, however, if a card played is out of order, you’ll get one step closer to detonating the bomb, which after three times will end the game. Also, if you play the five finishing off the color set, you also gain a blue time token. You then draw a card to replenish your hand and keep playing clockwise. Game ends when the deck runs out or the bomb is detonated.
Heart Racing Factor: As you don’t know your own hand it’s always nerve wracking to play cards. I don’t have the best memory, so often when I forget my own clues, I hold my breath as I play cards hoping they’re the correct ones to ensure a perfect firework show. The balance between giving clues, discarding cards and playing the right cards is tricky and you and your friends will be at the edge of your seats throughout the whole game, hoping everyone is at their best!
Fun Fact: Hanabi means fireworks in Japanese. This game also won Spiel des Jahres in 2013, the most prestigious board game award.
My City
Designer: Reiner Knizia
Artist: Michael Menzel
Publisher: Thames and Kosmos
Player Count: 2-4 players
Length: 30 minutes
Overview: Building your own city is not easy but if you’re up to the challenge My City is your perfect opportunity! This game is a competitive legacy game, in which you build your city and score the most points to claim victory at the end of the 24th episode. (A legacy game is a game that changes permanently over the course of a series of sessions, in this case eight chapters with three episodes each) Each player has their own board, which is composed of squares in which you can built. Your goal initially, is to place buildings leaving trees uncovered, rocks covered, and as many light green spaces filled as possible. During each episode the top card of the deck will be revealed corresponding to a building each player will have to place in their city, making sure they place the first building by the river. The next building revealed will have to be placed to already placed buildings. You may pass if the building does not fit, but if you do, you lose a point. The game ends when everyone has decided they are finished or the cards run out. Each episode, a winner is declared and that’s where the board modifications begin to occur. Now I won’t get too into the rest of the game as I don’t want to spoil the surprises. What I will tell you is to absolutely try this game, it’s been a pleasure to play and I don’t think we’ve been as excited about a game as much as we’ve been excited about My City.
Heart Racing Factor: As the building tiles are all different shapes, you constantly have to adapt. You may have a perfect plan, and know exactly how the rest of the game will play out, but then the wrong piece gets drawn and you quickly have to scramble to recover. Each card drawn feels slow motion and your heart races as you hope the ideal shape is drawn for you. Will your buildings fit perfectly?
Fun Fact: This game also comes with a non-legacy variant, which you can play without having to worry about modifying the game permanently.
Space Base
Designer: John D. Clair
Artist: Chris Walton
Publisher: Alderac Entertainment Group
Player Count: 2-5 players
Length: 60 minutes
Overview: Are you tired of Earth? Want to command your very own space fleet? In Space Base, you will compete to be the most successful commander sending off ships to expand your base, gain income, and grow your influence through the galaxy. The first player to reach forty victory points is the winner. This game is an engine-building, dice rolling game, and the best part is that every dice roll you have the opportunity to benefit! (Even on your opponents turns!) On your turn you will roll two dice, all players may claim awards from those dice. You can choose to claim from both the dice or the combined value. For example, if you rolled a three and six, you could claim from both three and six OR nine. If it is your turn you can only claim from the blue sections of the ships, if it is not your turn you can only claim the red sections, meaning the ships will have to be deployed to benefit you. After rewards are gained, you have the opportunity to purchase more ships and grow your fleet. As new cards are added to your base, more ships are deployed and before you know it, you have a booming economy! Will you have a high-stake strategy banking on the high rolls, or will you play the odds and build a stable growth strategy?
Heart Racing Factor: As you can invest heavily into a specific dice roll, you’ll find yourself at the edge of your seat hoping the luck is in your favor. The funny thing about odds is that you never really know what’s going to happen. Tens can be rolled for six turns in a row, which just might win you the game.
Fun Fact: John D Clair the designer of this game, also designed a game called Mystic Vale, where you craft cards! It’s an innovative and exciting design you should check out.
Pendulum
Designer: Travis Jones
Artist: Robert Leask
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Player Count: 1-5 players
Length: 60-90 minutes
Check out our review for Pendulum!
Overview: Ruling Dünya is not an easy feat; not only must you compete in power, prestige, and popularity, you must also complete a legendary achievement in order to qualify and let your citizens know that you are a worthy leader. Pendulum has four real-time rounds, in which you will place workers, build up your resources, and convert them into desired victory tracks through worker actions. (The most important rule is you can only place a worker or take a worker off a row with no timer, and you can only take an action with your worker where the timer is, which essentially locks your worker until the time runs out.) After each real-time round, there is a council phase where players have a moment to rest, strategize, and claim privilege through votes. Not only is this game real time, worker placement, and resource management, it is also an engine builder, meaning the game scales up as you make your way through the rounds and you surely feel legendary once the new leader is declared.
Heart Racing Factor: This game has timers, but that isn’t why this game gets your heart racing. You have plenty of time to make decisions as the timers are going, the biggest heart racing factor happens when timers are flipped as it’s so essential to move your workers to the right spot before the spots become occupied or blocked by a timer. There’s moments in this game that are extremely still, everyone is watching the board and timers, and you can hear your own heart beat. This games pushes you to be hyper aware of the entire board in order to have the opportunity to execute your own strategy and become victorious.
Fun Fact: Pendulum is the highest rated game in the history of Stonemaier Design Day.
Heart Racing Trends:
Playing cards with a risk of losing the game for your team or on the other hand winning and letting out a large sigh of relief.
Tossing dice and hoping for that perfect roll that will seal your victory.
Waiting for the right moment to act so that you can benefit to the highest degree.
High blood pressure.
Having everything planned out to have a wrench thrown into your plans and now having to adjust to a less optimal strategy.
Have another game you would include in this list? Let us know by commenting or connecting with us on social media!