Strategy games for beginners

1. Settlers of Catan
Settlers of Catan is the game that started the 'German invasion' with award winning game play and a constantly changing board. Players strive to develop the newly found continent of Catan, building roads, settlements and cities while fighting off the predations of the thief with knights at the same time. A fun combination of strategy in settlement placement and development and luck with resources being created by the roll of a dice, Settlers of Catan has great replayability. And to add further spice to the game, multiple Settlers of Catan expansions have been released. 2. Ticket to Ride
A game that can be learnt in minutes, Ticket to Ride takes much longer to master. The goal of the game is to build and control railway routes across North America. The tension and fun in the game comes from the need to balance greed - drawing more cards to develop railways - with fear as competitors claim routes. As an added twist, Destination Tickets to new cities provide more points to players, adding complexity. Often considered a 'gateway board game', Ticket to Ride is simple to learn but provides a high level of tension and action for new players. 3. Carcassonne
One of the most popular board games, Carcassonne has a wide variety of expansions that add to the basic game, providing even more fun down the road. Carcassonne's main mechanic is the drawing and placement of the tiles that will make up the game board. Each tile represents a unique opportunity to take control of a new land feature which include roads, cities and farms to gain victory points. As points are only counted when a feature is completed (or in the farmer's case, when the game is over) players must balance long-term goals with short-term gains. Like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne is highly replayable as each tile is drawn randomly, forcing new strategies on players each game. Less competitive than Settlers, Carcassonne is often considered the better gateway game. 4. Dominion

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