Together instead of against each other: co-operative games that are fun
25.11.2019
Translation: machine translated
Rolling the dice correctly in "Mensch ärgere dich nicht" or a +4 in "Uno" feels good, but have you ever won against the game together with your friends? So-called co-operative games are fun. You have to work together to decide how to proceed and come to agreements. In the end, everyone wins or loses.
I've already tried out a few co-operative games with my gaming group and found them to be good: The "Legends of Andor" and "Pandemic". I had to try out "Quiztopia" with the family, who listened to the Kangaroo Chronicles with great enthusiasm. Further suggestions in the form of "Just One" and "Escape Room" came from colleagues when I told them about my article idea.
The Legends of Andor
The Legends of Andor is a role-playing game in board game guise. Four heroes must protect the land of Andor from the invasion of evil creatures. This can only be achieved if up to four heroes work together and the dwarf, warrior, wizard and archer use their different skills wisely. Battles are of course decided by dice. You don't have to study the rules for long, as they are explained as the game progresses and new elements are always added. The game itself takes on the role of the game master and guides you through the story, which is divided into several chapters and in the course of which the group of heroes improve their skills and reach the underworld on the back of the game board. Even without the expansions that are now available, fun is pre-programmed for several game evenings
Pandemic
In "Pandemic", things get medical and catastrophic: four different epidemics have broken out around the world. Players fight the epidemics as a team of experts, each of whom has special skills. As a scientist or researcher, they must simultaneously develop vaccines and, as a paramedic or quarantine specialist, keep the epidemics in check. Of course, resources and travelling time are limited, so decisions have to be made time and again as to what is more important in the fight: research or acute measures. This is where logisticians, crisis managers and operational experts can help. However, no more than four people can save the world together. So choose your roles carefully.
My team had to admit defeat to the epidemics in the first attempt. To prevent boredom after the first successes, there are several difficulty levels and if the game, which was released in 2009, is very popular in your environment, there are several sequels available.
Quiztopia
Your knowledge and that of your fellow players is in demand in "Quiztopia". Only one person at a time is asked a question from the twelve categories. The others can help, but only if there are still hint cards available and then only with individual words or pantomimes. There is no guessing, but with a bit of luck there is "help in need" - for example through a data leak. There are four levels of difficulty and the aim of the game is to protect the buildings of Quiztopia from the darkness with the correct answers and bring them to your colourful side. You can play "Quiztopia" alone or with up to six people who must be at least 16 years old. The game was devised by Maria and Marc-Uwe Kling and if you pay attention, you might spot a kangaroo.
Just one
"Just One" received the Critics' Choice Award for "Game of the Year 2019" and is described as a party game. You need two to six players aged eight and over. The aim is to guess as many of the 13 secret words as possible together. Only one person is allowed to guess per round, the others can look at the solution and write down a word as a clue to help them. Of course, without any collusion. With a playing time of 20+ minutes, it is much more entertaining than Quiztopia, Pandemic or Andor.
Escape Room
If the escape room in your city spontaneously doesn't accept registrations, is already closed in the evening, has already been solved or someone doesn't want to be locked in, you can still solve puzzles with up to four friends to "escape" from a room. In "Escape Room - The Game", you each have 60 minutes to solve one of the four puzzles: Break out of prison, defuse a bomb, search for an Aztec treasure or contain a virus. If you haven't had enough after these four adventures, there are now numerous expansions to choose from.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
