There are few experiences that can compare to that feeling of having 3 hours of complex strategy come together into that one magical turn where you take the lead.
But let’s be realistic. We don’t all have 3 hours to play a single game.
So let’s take a look at the best strategy board games that don’t take all night. Here are our favorite strategy games that can generally be played in around 90 minutes.
Tend
Tend is a roll and write game that has a bit of randomness, but plenty of opportunity to explore a bunch of different strategies. This game has a lot of simultaneous actions that allow players to quickly finish their turns at the same time, and that means that once you know what you’re doing, this is a strategy game that you can probably finish two games in a single sitting.
Everdell: Silverfrost
This is probably the longest game on the list, and at higher player counts, it can go over the 90 minute mark, but for players who know how to play, this is a quick-playing, simplified version of Everdell that offers the same set collection, tableau building and worker placement mechanics that you’ve come to know and love. The biggest thing helping this one make the list? The components and setup are surprisingly easy given the number of pieces this game has.
Formaggio or Fromage
These two cheese-building games are basically the exact same game, and almost operate as standalone expansions for each other. In the end, it doesn’t matter which one you choose, these are some strategy games that you can easily set up and play in 90 minutes or less. We particularly like the variety in setup and scoring, especially if you can pull boards from both games. And like Everdell: Silverfrost, this game has a great insert that keeps everything organized inside the box that really helps speed things along.
The Game Makers
The biggest game on this list, the Game Makers is a game about making games. It has a cool factor that is hard to beat, and the components and central board are not only easy to store, but also easy to play. The crank that turns the window of available action spaces is really well made. Simultaneous play and an unconventional freedom of turn structure make this one a unique game on the list.
Guildlands
Guildlands is a game where setup is just handing players a helper card for their faction. This game offers the same kind of tile-laying satisfaction as Carcassonne, but with a lot more strategies because each faction has unique scoring and victory conditions. This one is really interesting because it can play really high player counts in a similar amount of time as playing at low player counts.
Yokohama
Yokohama is one of our family’s all-time favorite board games. The ability to focus on building, or contracts, or sales, or even church gives players a wide variety of choice in how to achieve their goals
and the quick turns and simplified actions make it possible to teach this one quickly.
World Wonders
Like Guildlands, this is one where you set up the game as you go, and tear down is more difficult than setup. This is a great game for playing quickly because it’s so easy to play your turn ahead of time, and there is very little downtime between turns.
Star Trek: Captain’s Chair
This is the most complicated deckbuilding game that I’ve ever played, and it’s a measure of how good this game is that I love playing it despite having a very mild interest in the source material. I’ve watched the movies, but I couldn’t tell you who most of the characters, or even the captains are. But I do like sending out my ships and away teams, building up my weapons and item reserves, and increasing my stats on my player board.
Common Ground
There are three things that most of these games have in common that really help these stand out as the best quick strategy games that won’t take all night: simultaneous play, limited player counts, and easy setup.
Simultaneous play lets you do some simple round setup, and then spin out a full round in the time it takes a different game to complete one turn. That’s efficient and helps to prevent a bit of analysis paralysis.
Limited player counts again helps to make things work a bit more efficiently. Even without simultaneous turns, playing with three players instead of four can theoretically cut 25% of the turns out of a game’s length.
Easy setup is a great way to get invested in the game right away without having to spend a lot of time putting out all the different bits.
These are our favorite strategy board games that don’t take all night. What are yours? Please tell us in the comments.
You Don't Need a Three-Hour Game to Be a Board Gamer
In fact, you don't need an entire Saturday afternoon to enjoy a good strategy game.
Sometimes you've only got an hour and a half, a few friends, and enough time to play before everyone has to go home. That's part of what we love about board gaming — there's always another game that fits the night.
And if you're the kind of person who knows exactly what “simultaneous play,” “analysis paralysis,” and “one more game” mean, you might as well dress like it.
BoardGamingTees makes shirts for people who actually play board games — strategy-inspired designs, inside jokes, and plenty of designs made for game night.
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