Bata Library currently has fifteen games. If you are interested in learning more about each game click on the link in the list below. Here is the list of board games you can check out at the Bata Library:
Durham Campus Library & Learning Centre currently has 13 board games. If you are interested in learning more about each game click on the link in the list below. Here is the list of board games you can check out at the Durham Campus Library & Learning Centre:
| Betrayal at House on the Hill | Catan |
| Chess | Horrified |
| Just One | King of Tokyo |
| Marvel Splendor | Root |
| Ticket to Ride: Europe | Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza |
| Wingspan | UNO: Braille Edition |
| 7 Wonders |
"A game of 7 Wonders plays over three rounds, called Ages, during which you will choose cards with increasingly powerful effects. Each card you choose will influence your general strategy.
“Anomia plays off the fact that our minds are positively brimming with all sorts of random information: things to eat, pop songs, websites, etc... Sure, under normal circumstances, it's easy to give an example of a frozen food or a dog breed, but you'll find that your brain works a little differently under pressure!”...(Board Game Geek, 2010 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/67877/anomia)
Enjoy a thrilling suspenseful strategy game where one of your players may betray you, and each game is new experience!
"Betrayal at House on the Hill is a tile game that allows players to build their own haunted house room by room, tile by tile, creating a new thrilling game board every time. The game is designed for three to six people, each of whom plays one of six possible characters." - (BoardGameGeek, 2023, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/10547/betrayal-house-hill)
"Develop the landscape surrounding this medieval city one tile at a time—then fill it with knights, thieves, monks, and more!
Carcassonne is a tile-laying game where players collectively construct the area around the medieval French city of Carcassonne while competing to place followers on various features and score the most points!” -(Z-Man Games, 2023, https://www.zmangames.com/en/games/carcassone/)
"Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: after a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. Its name shall be Catan! But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of Catan - the race to settle the island has begun!" -(Catan, 2022, https://www.catan.com/catan)
"Chess, one of the oldest and most popular board games, played by two opponents on a checkered board with specially designed pieces of contrasting colors, commonly white and black. White moves first, after which the players alternate turns in accordance with fixed rules, each player attempting to force the opponent’s principal piece, the King, into checkmate—a position where it is unable to avoid capture." - (Britannica, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/chess)
Chess is a game anyone can play, including those with a vision impairment!
Modifications to chess sets enable a blind person to examine the position of the pieces on the board by touch. The black squares are raised slightly above the level of the white squares. The black pieces are distinguished by a small pin on the top. Some boards have a hole drilled in the center of each square and each of the pieces has a peg in its base which fits into the holes in the board. Other boards use magnets to secure the pieces. Each player uses a separate board and after making a move announces it to his/her opponent." -(Braille Chess Association, 2024, https://braillechess.org.uk/how-we-play-chess)
"What are these strange symbols on the map? They code for locations where spies must contact secret agents!
Two rival spymasters know the agent in each location. They deliver coded messages telling their field operatives where to go for clandestine meetings. Operatives must be clever. A decoding mistake could lead to an unpleasant encounter with an enemy agent – or worse, with the assassin!
Both teams race to contact all their agents, but only one team can win." -(Czech Games Edition, 2022, https://czechgames.com/en/codenames-pictures/description/)
"A science fiction and fantasy tabletop RPG set in a near-future where the Americas were never colonized, created by a team of Natives.
Coyote and Crow is a tabletop role playing game set in an alternate future of the Americas where colonization never occurred. Instead, advanced civilizations arose over hundreds of years after a massive climate disaster changed the history of the planet. You'll play as adventurers starting out in the city of Cahokia, a bustling, diverse metropolis along the Mississippi River. It's a world of science and spirituality where the future of technology and legends of the past will collide!” -(Kickstarter, 2024, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/connoralexander/coyote-and-crow)
"A picture is worth a thousand words!
Discover another way to play games with Dixit, the image interpretation game. Dixit is an enchanting card game inviting you to let your imagination run wild. Discover 84 dreamlike illustrations on large text-free cards and interpret those mysterious images.
Accessible and family-oriented, Dixit is the ideal game to play with family or friends and to get to know your peers from another perspective!” -(Libellud Games, 2023, https://www.libellud.com/en/our-games/dixit/)
“Fiasco Classic is the award-winning GM-less game for 3-5 players, designed to be played in a few hours with six-sided dice and no preparation. During a game you will engineer and play out stupid, disastrous situations, usually at the intersection of greed, fear, and lust. It's like making your own Coen brothers movie, in about the same amount of time it'd take to watch one” (DiveThruRPG, 2020 https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/78548/fiasco-classic).
"Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You'll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm. Find the flying machine and escape before you all become permanent artifacts of the Forbidden Desert!" -(Gamewright, 2022, https://gamewright.com/product/Forbidden-Desert)
"The stakes have been raised. Imagine living in a place so wretched that it's not plagued by one, two, or even three monsters — but seven of the most horrifying fiends!
In this game, you'll come face to face with them all as you work together to rid the town of the maniacal or misunderstood creatures…before it's too late." - (RavensBurger, 2023, https://www.ravensburger.us/products/games/family-games/horrified-universal-monsters-60001836/index.html)
"Fast and original, Just One offers you 550 mystery words to guess! Bonding, laughter, and fun are assured!" - (Repos Production, 2024, https://www.rprod.com/en/games/just-one)
"In King of Tokyo, you play mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and strange aliens—all of whom are destroying Tokyo and whacking each other in order to become the one and only King of Tokyo." -(BoardGameGeek, 2022, https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/70323/king-tokyo)
"Dominoes with a kingdom building twist. Each turn, connect a new domino to your existing kingdom, making sure at least one of its sides connects to a matching terrain type already in play. The game mechanics for obtaining the tiles is clever: the order of who picks first depends on which tile was previously chosen. Make sure to secure tiles with crowns- these royal treasures help to multiply the worth of your kingdom at the end of the game! The game ends when each player has completed a 5x5 grid, and then points are counted based on number of connecting tiles and crowns." -(Blue Orange Games, 2022, https://www.blueorangegames.com/index.php/games/king-domino)
"Will your love letter woo the Princess and win her heart? Utilize the characters in the castle to secretly carry your message to the Princess, earning her affection.
Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and luck. Designed by Seiji Kanai, the game features simple rules that create dynamic and fun player interactions. Players attempt to deliver their love letter into the Princess’s hands while keeping other players’ letters away. Powerful cards lead to early gains but make you a target. Rely on weaker cards for too long and your letter may be tossed in the fire!” -(Z-Man Games, 2023, https://www.zmangames.com/en/games/love-letter/)
THE SUPER HEROES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE TAKE OVER SPLENDOR!
This classic game returns in a new version! Rediscover Splendor through the Marvel Universe! Rules as simple and smooth as the original Splendor, with a distinct allocation of colors to provide a different experience of play. Each turn is quick: one, and only one, action! Diversify the tactics with the Avengers tile that passes from hand to hand and discover a new game end: get hold of the Infinity Gauntlet! A game by Marc André" (Space Cowboys, n.d., https://www.spacecowboys.fr/splendor-marvel-en)
"In Planet, spread your mountain ranges and your deserts, expand your forests, oceans and glaciers. Strategically position your continents to form hospitable environments for animal life to develop and try to create the most populated and diverse Planet!
Each Player receives a planet core without anything on it, at each turn players will choose a tile with mountain/ice/forest/desert on it and place it on the planet. Then the player who fulfills the most the condition of apparition of some animals, gains its card." -Blue Orange Games, 2022, https://blueorangegames.eu/en/games/planet/)
"Qwirkle is a must-have for your next family game night. Players of this addictive game score points by building rows and columns of brightly-colored tiles that are either all the same color or all the same shape, without creating duplicates. Look for opportunities to score big by placing a tile that touches multiple pieces with matching attributes; create a line of all six in a row, and you score a "Qwirkle". The player with the most points when the tiles run out wins! Qwirkle combines the game play of Dominoes and Scrabble and is the perfect combination of skill and chance! This easy-to-learn, yet challenging game for children and adults will have all three generations on the edge of their seat! Grab your family and friends and see for yourself why everyone is hooked on Qwirkle!" - (Mindware, 2022, https://www.mindware.orientaltrading.com/qwirkle-a2-32016.fltr)
"Root is a game of woodland might and right. Stalk the woods as one of the Vagabonds, seize the initiative with the Eyrie birds of prey, rule over your subjects as the Marquise de Cat, or command the Woodland Alliance to create a new order. With creatures and cunning, you'll rule a fantastic forest kingdom in the ultimate asymmetric board game of adventure and war." -(Leder Games, 2022, https://ledergames.com/products/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right)
"Make words with what you have and place it on the board connecting with other words (like a crossword game). Your points will be the sum of each letter plus any applicable multiplier you can find on the board."(Board Game Review, 2018, https://boardgamereviewed.com/reviews/scrabble-board-game-review/)
"Sequence is a pattern-building game that combines a unique board with regular playing cards. The aim of the game is to create sequences on the board before your opponents do." (Game Cows, 2022, https://gamecows.com/sequence-review/)
"Make your board games fun for everyone!
Replace the dice in your favorite board games with these tactile dice and make them accessible to the whole family. Large white dice with black dots are easier to see than standard sized dice. Know the value rolled by touching the raised/tactile dots. Great for the blind and those with low vision as well as those with arthritis and limited manual dexterity." -(SLSBVI, 2024, https://slsbvi.org/product/game_-tactile-dice/)
"Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America.
The longer the routes, the more points they earn.
Additional points come to those who can fulfill their Destination Tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to the player who builds the longest continuous railway." -(Days of Wonder, 2022, https://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/usa/)
"The second installment in our best-selling Ticket to Ride series of train adventures, Ticket to Ride Europe takes you into the heart of Europe. In addition to the new board map, Ticket to Ride Europe offers you brand new game play elements including Tunnels, Ferries and Train Stations. We’ve also upgraded you to First-Class accommodations with larger cards, new Train Station game pieces, and a lavishly illustrated game board.
Like the Spiel des Jahres winning original, the game remains elegantly simple, and easy to learn. Ticket to Ride Europe is a complete, new game that does not require the original version and is guaranteed to offer you hours of enjoyment." - (Days of Wonder, 2022, https://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/europe/)
"Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza! As soon as there is a match between a card and a spoken word, race to slap your hand on the central pile of cards. The last one to do so must take them all.
Be quick to be the first to get rid of all your cards. But watch out! Your mind will play tricks on you. This addictive game is as unique as its name. Enjoy!" - (Blue Orange, 2021, https://blueorangegames.eu/en/games/taco-hat-cake-gift-pizza/)
"UNO and The National Federation of the Blind have teamed up to create UNO Braille so blind or low-vision players can easily play!
Like in classic UNO, match cards by color or number in a race to deplete your hand and play action cards like Skip, Reverse and Wild Draw Four to throw off the competition. Score points by being the first to get rid of all the cards in your hand, and when you're down to one card, don't forget to yell, "UNO!" - (Mattel, 2023, https://shop.mattel.com/products/uno-braille-gmm14)
"Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from designer Elizabeth Hargrave and Stonemaier Games. It is the 2019 winner of the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres award.
You are bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth:
The winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds." -(Stonemaier Games, 2022, https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/)
"Fun for the whole family! This set of playing cards feature both large-print and Braille markings, making these cards an entertaining game option for the blind and visually impaired. " -(Wisconsin Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 2024, https://store.wcblind.org/store/games).
"TRIGGER WARNING
Subject matter includes abuse, violence, assault, suicide, death, abduction, racism, sexism, classism, and cultural genocide. The contents of this activity are based on real events in Canadian history that may be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. This activity is crafted as a guide to help people engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content.
The Truth in Truth and Reconciliation Educational Board Game is an essential educational resource that gives participants an immersive learning experience of the process of colonization in a board game format. Through Truth and Consequence Cards, participants can explore iconic Canadian historical events in this immersive, thought-provoking, TRUTH-telling educational board game. As an Indigenous participant, your goal is to circle Turtle Island to collect four Eagle Feathers before being stripped of your Land, Language, Culture, and Identity by the policies and actions of the Church and the Crown. Collect all Four Feathers and you are a SURVIVOR!" (Medicine Wheel publishing, 2022 https://shop.medicinewheelpublishing.com/products/the-truth-in-truth-and-reconciliation-tool-kit )
"The Quiet Year is a map game. You define the struggles of a community living after the collapse of civilization, and attempt to build something good within their quiet year. Every decision and every action is set against a backdrop of dwindling time and rising concern". (Buried Without Ceremony, 2019 https://buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year).