The best board games in the Netherlands

Intro

Today, I will talk about the best board games that you can find in the Netherlands. Before that, I would like to express my experience with board games. I did not grow up to play such games, and there weren’t many available in Tunisia, nor in the UAE. The only board games I knew and played were Monopoly, Dominos and some card games. The moment I moved to the Netherlands, I realized that Dutch people admire board games. Every house I visit, I can see an area in the living room where plenty of games are stored.

Why does the Dutch like board games?

It’s difficult to say exactly why Dutch people like board games, so I tried to understand. There are a few factors that may contribute to the popularity of board games in the Netherlands.

Games for everyone

First, people of all ages can enjoy board games. This makes them a popular choice for families and groups of friends. You can also enjoy playing board games in a variety of settings, such as at home or at a cafe. Board games offer them a convenient form of entertainment.

Social activity

Second, board games can be a social activity. Board games provide an opportunity to come together and engage in friendly competition. which can be a fun and enjoyable way to spend time with others. Unless It’s a monopoly, then it is personal.

The weather

Third, whenever the sun is out and it is warm, you never see a Dutch person indoors. Everyone is absorbing that vitamin D. But when it is gloomy, cold and dark, people tend to stay indoors. Besides watching movies and series, Dutch people play board games to forget about it all.

Mental stimulating activity.

Finally, board games can be a good mental stimulating activity. Many board games require strategy and decision-making skills. It can be an engaging and satisfying challenge for players.

What are the best board games in the Netherlands?

Board games have long been a popular form of entertainment in the Netherlands. There are many different games that have proven to be popular with Dutch audiences. Here is a list of the top 7 best board games in the Netherlands. Of course, in my opinion.

Monopoly

This is what I like to call: The OG. It is an economics based game. Here, players buy and sell properties and attempt to bankrupt their opponents. This game has been a hit in the Netherlands and worldwide for decades.

Get Monopoly from Amazon here.

Risk

Risk is a classic board game of global domination. The game is for 2-6 players. The goal is to conquer the world by capturing and holding territories on the world map. Each player starts with a set number of armies. The players use their armies to attack and capture territories from other players.

Get Risk from Amazon here.

Ticket to Ride

This popular railway based them strategy game. The players have to follow a randomly selected routes to build rail networks across a map. The game takes time to finish, and is best played with several players. I honestly think this is a must have. The game is extremely popular in the Netherlands.

Get Ticket to Ride from Amazon here.

Qwixx

This is one of the easiest and most famous games you can play. It is a dice game and 2-5 players can play. The goal of the game is to cross off as many numbers as possible on your score sheet by rolling a set of dice. The game is fast-paced, and players must quickly assess their options. The game ends when a player or all are unable to make a mark on their score sheet. The player with the most crossed-off numbers wins. In 2014, Qwixx won the Dutch Games Prize.

Get Qwixx from Amazon here.

Stratego

Stratego is a two-player strategy board game. Each player has a set of 40 game pieces representing individual officer ranks in an army. You have to achieve one of the 2 main objectives. Either to capture the opponent’s flag. Or to capture so many of the opponent’s pieces that the opponent cannot make any further moves.

Get Stratego from Amazon here.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a very interesting strategy game. Players have to make use of the tiles they have in hand and. They need to carefully plan and place meeples on the terrain feature they want to control. Also it’s a well balanced game as it can be played by players of different ages and skill levels.

Get Carcassonne from Amazon here.

Pandemic

This is a cooperative challenging board game. Players work together to try to stop the spread of four deadly diseases that threaten to wipe out humanity. The game board represents the world and is divided into several regions, each of which can be affected by one of the four diseases. The players take on the roles of a team of specialists, each with their own unique abilities. The players work together to treat infections, share knowledge, and research cures.

Get Pandemic from Amazon here.

Conclusion

To summarize, the Dutch like to play board games, especially during the cold rainy days. There are a lot of board games to choose from. Start off by playing the games I have mentioned. Build your own collection so next time when you have a gathering at your home, you have plenty of options to offer.

Would you like to check more articles and blogs about the activities that I recommend in the Netherlands? Than click HERE.

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