For Memorable Times With Family!
Innovative games made by Z-Man Games are now considered classics. Players must cooperate, playing to the strengths of their characters, and plan their eradication campaign before the diseases take over the earth.
Some of the real hits from the Stonemaier games catalogue are Viticulture, Euphoria, Between Two Cities, Scythe, My Little Scythe, Charter stone, etc.,
The traditional game of bingo has never been more exciting or educational than with Zingo! To win, match three or more picture tiles as you slide the Zinger to uncover them.
It's entertaining, challenging, exciting, and SEQEUNCE! Play a card from your hand, then place a chip on the game board in the matching location.
A ball-bouncing variation of connect four in which two players simultaneously bounce balls onto the grid and compete to obtain 4 in a row, up, down, or diagonally, of the same color, to win.
New Zealand is a country with a population of four million and millions of sheep. Most of the games created in New Zealand are education-focused, and they need to follow the modern way of following tedious mechanics and other frequently used technologies to build games. In NZ, board games are the most popular genre, with immense support and popularity, although only three or so have made it outside the country. The Maori community of New Zealand has also played an immense role in curating some of the board games which is used even today. The most famous ones are mentioned below in this article. New Zealanders often play.
These miniature games can be played both by adults as well as kids. It is one of the most popular among teens and adults, which also follows a great deal of fan support. This miniature gaming also follows a fantastic guidebook with rules and regulations to play the game efficiently.
This is one of the most famous gaming exports in New Zealand, which can be found in any toy store, kid’s book stores, or other tourist shops. They are built with tremendous but delicate components with various abstracts and visuals to confuse the players’ minds. It is one of those games that has also spread its wings to other countries. Hence, it is played not only in New Zealand but also by kids and adults from other countries.
This board game is considered a precursor to Tantrix, which has attractive yellow-colored boxes which bring back vague memories to the players. It is a little pirate game that is built with great details and with the player in mind. If you’re looking for an interesting board game in New Zealand, this is the one for you!
This game has four other versions, sometimes considered individual games. However, since all of the games follow a similar pattern, they are generally considered under one umbrella. All stonewall games generally have renewable timber resources, supporting sustainable lifestyle practices. The makers of this board game believe that people should have fun while worrying about the safety and sustainability of mother earth. It also provides a tremendous educational message for both kids and adults.
This is another well-known and popular board game from New Zealand, found in most bookshops and other game stores. This board game features a fair city with attractive pieces, which has added accessibility to the players.
It is one of the newer board games from a local designer who built it in more of a European style and follows styles and different trends. The players of this game should build assets while streaking coins and other elements from their anchors and opponents.
In the last 1- year, board games have gained wide popularity in New Zealand. These board games are divided into different categories – strategic games, party games, cooperative games, and much more. It is one of the great ways to have fun with family and friends. However, since there are different types of games out there, it can be intimidating for people to choose the best one. Hence, we have created a list of the best board games in New Zealand you can enjoy with your family and friends.
Type: Cooperative
Age: 8+ years
Players: 2-4
This cooperative board game involves a group of people to save the virus from spreading. The game fits the 2021 theme and is set to save the future, where four different types of viral diseases have broken out worldwide.
At the start of the game, the disease is randomly assigned to different cities, and from there, it will spread worldwide. Therefore, the players have to work in coordination and teamwork based on their individual capabilities to save the world. Although it is an easy game, it requires strategies, as winning the game can be challenging.
Type: Competitive
Players: 1-5
Age: 10+ years
This is a competitive board game about birds. It takes a slight deviation from the killing and defeating position, and it can be surprisingly challenging to win. This board game gained popularity in New Zealand because it involves extreme cooperation from team members regarding specific objectives. The players should find the different bird species on their own boards and take turns fulfilling their objectives. The one who scores the most points at the end is considered the winner.
Type: Competitive
Players: 3-12
Age: 8+ years
This board game of New Zealand is a settlement and trading game that challenges people about different settlements on the road and in other remote areas. The players should win victory points to build two different settlements on the board’s five supply entrances. The rules are simple for people to understand precisely but also complex enough to know about the different strategies and apply them to the game.
Type: Competitive
Players: 2-7
Age: 13+ years
New Zealand’s fantastic board game, seven wonders, is among teens and adults most popular. It involves building a tableau and earning points from the same. In this board game, each player needs to have three cards at the beginning, one of which is passed on to the next player. This round continues until each player has 14 available cards. These cards are then used to create wonders, each different from the other players. The players need creative hands to build the best wonder to gain the highest points.
New Zealanders spend their quality time playing board games and rugby. From young toddlers to adults and elders, they have different sets of board games that the Kiwis and everyone around the world can enjoy. If you need more information on the different types of board games in New Zealand, you can check them out here!
It is both a cooperative and competitive type of board game that has no time limit. However, the game can be paused whenever the player wishes to pause. The board game requires a minimum of three players and a maximum of 7 players and is recommended for kids above 14 years.
In this board game, the players will take the role of crew members on an old pirate ship to fight sea monsters and other horrific creatures. The game also involves different map tiles to find treasure and solve all the quests. Players can either work together until the finish line or play individually, challenging other players. The game is flexible and can be paused whenever necessary.
This is a competitive type of game that can require up to 2 hours to finish. Therefore, a minimum of three and a maximum of 6 players are required to finish the game with a recommended age group of 12 years. The players generally take the role of alien players who try to achieve victory over their opposing players and colonize their planters. In this board game from New Zealand, the players attack other randomly assigned players with alien abilities and generally outplay their opposition players. It contains simple rules which have a massive amount of depth. Even though many strategies are involved in playing the game, the alien race’s abilities can be used to defeat them using mind and strategy.
Although the board game mentions Tokyo, it is generally played in New Zealand and is also enjoyed by people worldwide. The game is recommended for kids. It has a length of 30 minutes and requires a minimum of two players, and can extend up to 6. Even in this game, every player assumes the role of one of the six giant monsters, and the player who keeps the monster alive throughout the game wins.
In this board game, the player must keep others from attacking other places and diminish their health by acquiring their energy cubes. This will also help the player in gaining beneficial cards. It is a game of chance, as dice are rolled to determine the other players’ moves. However, hard decisions should also be made to keep the player alive by choosing the movement of their monster and causing enough damage to kill the opponents’ monsters.
New Zealanders are rich in their culture and open-mindedness and are also the masterminds behind the fun and exciting board games. If you wish to know the best ones, read the article ahead to find out!
This board game also features cards directly translated into the Maori language. The players need first to memorize and learn the rules of the game, post which they can dive ahead to winning the game. The game lasts for about 15 minutes, during which the players flip two cards and find the matching symbols. The player who manages to find the correct translation card wins the entire game. It is targeted at the younger audience who plan on improving their Maori vocabulary.
For all the people who love games like a treasure hunt, these are the best adventure games inspired by Hoard- the adventures of the sleeping dragon. In this board game, the players can also hunt for their bait at the appropriate time, awakening the fearful beast inside. It has excellent management and collection and presses one’s luck throughout the gameplay.
The aim of this board game is simple – the player with the most Victory Points wins the game. Taking plunders, completing quests, and raiding settlements help gain victory points, for which all the players need to assemble a crew and train their animals to collect all the provisions. It is fun gameplay, especially for the younger generation, which keeps them engaged throughout the gameplay. This game is also inspired by the game called Raiders of the North Sea. Every Scythian hero in this board game has their own unique power, which can be used throughout the gameplay.
The gameplay follows the theme of the West Kingdom of 850 AD, where the architects must impress the king regarding their design and display. They should also construct landmarks throughout their appointed domain where they can collect raw materials and hire a watchful workforce to build an empire. The aim of this game is that the player with the most points wins the game. Points are generally collected by constructing catchy and admiring buildings. Once the player constructs a set of buildings, the game ends, and that player is considered the winner.
This game mainly focuses on putting the player at the center of the board. It follows simple gameplay and focuses mainly on having action at the center and front of the board. It is split with teams facing one another with six slots in front of them. These spots indicate the ball’s position in the field and the available cards. There can be as many as 15 players on each team, but only a few will be in action each time.
If you’re looking for one of the best games played in New Zealand, you have to check out Mu torero, which the Maori community introduced in New Zealand. It is played by two players who are opposite each other in the game. Further details about the gameplay, rules, and design are mentioned below in this article.
This board game originated in New Zealand and followed a simple gameplay with each player having four different counters. The game is simple to follow for beginners and requires a ton of patience. However, experts in the game can see up to 40 moves ahead and plan their next move strategically. Apart from Mu torere, other games are introduced by the Maori community, all of which are played on a game board, also called a papa takoro, in the official Marian language.
The board game is also associated with different historical stories and histories which are tightly woven with the cultural past of the land. For example, earlier, the player of Mu torere in New Zealand was challenged by Governor George Grey to play a match with him. Still, he politely declined because almost the entire country’s population were experts in the game and were known to win large sums of money.
Mu torero’s gameboards are called papa takaro, the markings of which are mainly inscribed on sand or clay. The board also consists of 8 pointed stars, all of which have endpoints, known as kewai in the official terms. These kewai remain connected to the center of the board, called putahi. The lines from the Center Points are strictly pointed at 45-degree angles, which makes the gameplay all the more enjoyable.
As mentioned above, the game is played by four players, and the angles are divided equally between the two players, where each player is assigned four counters, also called perepere. These perepere’s are initially placed on the board.
Each player takes turns moving the counter for every turn into an empty point. On each move, they can move only one step adjacent to the kewai. The players can also move to the center point, only if the moved counter remains adjacent to the other players’ counter. The one that blocks all the opponent’s counters is considered the game’s winner.
Although it is simple to follow, it requires lots of strategic planning and practice, which can be intimidating for beginners. The game on board has over 1180 positions which the players can achieve. Of these moves, only 208 are winning, 844 are draws, and 128 are losing. If the players return to their initial position with no clear winner, it is considered a draw match.