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Cooperative rather than competitive games?

24 replies

HarrietPotterska · 25/11/2020 08:29

Does anyone have any recommendations for board games where you need to work together, rather than compete? My DD is 8 but can get overwhelmed by games where there is a competitive element! We're a big family (4 older step-sibs from 23-17) so ideally something that everyone can enjoy!

OP posts:
HuntedForest · 25/11/2020 08:50

legends of Andor
whoowasit?

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 25/11/2020 09:03

Hogwarts Battle (has two expansions as well) Excellent cooperative deck building game, great for Harry Potter fans (uses artwork from the films), we have played this loads!

Burgle Bros - You are a group of thieves trying to sneak around a building and crack the safes while avoiding the guards.

Forbidden Island (and the sequels, Forbidden Dessert, Forbidden Sky) - a bit like pandemic (classic coop game) but more accessible for children.

Hanabi - cooperative card game where you are trying to play cards in the right order but you cannot see your hand only other people's hands.

The Crew - cooperative trick taking game - 50 "missions" to complete (with more missions available free to print off online if you finish them all!)

Codenames duet - might be a bit tricky at 8 but great word game.

Also the Unlock! series of escape room games are great fun if you like working together to solve puzzles but they are one time only play (though you can pass them on after use).

PolarnOPirate · 25/11/2020 09:03

Forbidden Island

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Tarararara · 25/11/2020 09:04

Forbidden Island is great for all ages and is a cooperative (work together to escape from the island before it floods) board game. Highly recommended

Tarararara · 25/11/2020 09:04

Cross post!

ComtesseDeSpair · 25/11/2020 09:05

Pandemic - players work together to find ways to cure and wipe out a dangerous virus. (And before the frothing “that’s sooo in bad taste” crowd come along, it’s been around for over a decade.)

Trisolaris · 25/11/2020 09:05

Rather topical but - Pandemic is great! I think it’s around 8+

You work as a team of scientists to clear the world of various diseases

ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings · 25/11/2020 09:08

We have a game called Zombiside which is about a group of survivors completing quests in a post apocalyptic zombie land, but it depends on your dd as to whether it'd be appropriate. It's not super graphic or scary or anything, but obviously the concept is quite adult.

ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings · 25/11/2020 09:09

*Zombicide

BatSegundo · 25/11/2020 09:15

Another vote for Forbidden Island. You can still lose (you all lose!) but that's good for modelling how to do it gracefully Grin

HarrietPotterska · 25/11/2020 09:36

Lovely ideas, thank you!

OP posts:
ineedaholidaynow · 25/11/2020 09:37

Another one recommending Forbidden Island

prettygirlincrimsonrose · 25/11/2020 09:48

Pandemic!

There's also a nice game Thunderbirds which works in a similar way and is based on the TV show (you each control a different character with different abilities, and you're dealing with disasters and working towards a few bigger objectives). Lots of puzzling out the best use of everyone's actions.

Mysterium is good too - one person is the ghost of someone who's been killed who doesn't talk but uses dream cards (slightly surreal pictures with a few different things going on) to give clues to particular people, places and things - and then tries to get everyone else to guess which combination is how they died. Hard to explain unless you can see the cards, but lots of fun.

Just One is a good light game. Person A picks a word (which they don't see), and everyone else has to write one word that will help Person A guess. If two (or more) people write the same word, Person A doesn't get to see those ones (we often play as a four with friends over Skype and we have all written exactly the same word before!) But basically you're all trying to work together to get the best score.

There's other light games that you can play competitively (trying to get the most right), or you just keep going until people get bored and not keep score - Conception is good for that (a bit like Pictionary, except you're using pre-existing symbols on a board to give clues to objects, people, films, places etc)

Hope that helps. Love cooperative games (and competitive ones for that matter!)

doodleina · 25/11/2020 09:56

Another recommendation for Forbidden Island!

Blueemeraldagain · 25/11/2020 10:02

Some great recommendations here. Pandemic is a great game but it’s not the most straightforward so your 8 year old might end up just being told what to do.
I’ve just bought Ravine, which is straightforward, bit quirky and fun. It also has lovely game pieces.

Explanation video here:

Stormspass20 · 25/11/2020 10:32

Jumanji

Kpo58 · 25/11/2020 10:39

Arkham Horror

Mansions of Madness

00100001 · 25/11/2020 10:42

For 8yo:

Flashpoint - have to stop a house burning!
Castle Panic - save castle from marauding goblins etc.
Forbidden Island - get the treasure before the island sinks!

Arkham horror/mansions of madness etc are a it "dark"
Pandemic basic game is good for 8ish, bit she'll likely enjoy forbidden Island more...

HarrietPotterska · 25/11/2020 11:26

Thanks everyone! As you may have guessed, DD is a very sensitive soul and so I'd like to avoid anything too 'dark'. She's quite frightened of the pandemic, so as fun as it sounds for the adults, I might leave that one for now! Forbidden Island is getting lots of thumbs up, so will definitely get this!

OP posts:
00100001 · 25/11/2020 20:42

Definitely forbidden Island, it's fun to lose and you really want to have another go!

Do try castle Panic,it has kid friendly monsters,and is good for visualisation of the 'pressure' and is great for kids decision making skills

InvincibleInvisibility · 26/11/2020 06:19

Times up is good for a quick fun game against the timer.

Basically each person takes it in turn to mime what is on the card and the others have to guess it. You re all working together to beat the timer. My 6 and 9 year old love it and it can cause lots of laughter depending on the mime.

Not sure 20 odd year olds would like it but as its quick they might tolerate a round or two.

Timshortforthalia · 26/11/2020 06:24

Collaborative scrabble. Exactly the same as normal scrabble but we combine everyone's score and try to beat previous scores. We also help each other out a lot. We call this Colabble. I came up with the name and am inordinately proud of it Grin

HarrietPotterska · 26/11/2020 13:36

@Timshortforthalia and rightly so! We kind of do this now with banana grams!

OP posts:
00100001 · 27/11/2020 10:39

Collabblle... brilliant! :D

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