I think Hive is a really good alternative to chess (a bit simpler, but still very fun!) But thinking of games to replace classics can be tricky just because so much of it depends on exactly WHAT you like about the classic game itself. For Mancala for example - do you like the counting and strategy of it, or do you like the clicky game peices and stone-dropping mechanic? There are probably some good games in each category, but it kind of depends.
It was merited! Did you see my 60-second short? Man, that got over 1 million views. I think the cat theme really connected with audiences who were perusing shorts, but it’s also a great game!
1) A simple game for the mancala alternative is Fruit Picking. One of my fave simple games! It's on BGA. 2) Mountain Goats is a good choice for Backgammon! I think Dandelions is another good one. It sure feels a lot like Backgammon. 3) I honestly cannot think of a game I've played that feels like Cribbage. I'll check out Nirvana!
You are 1,000% correct: Fruit Picking is the best modern substitute. It plays like Crusaders but eliminates the map and knight movement, which I think is importance to get to the core of Mancala. I played it on BGA a while ago and forgot about it. The only problem is: finding a physical copy is pretty difficult. In the final version of this list, I might make note of Fruit Picking but then rest on Crusaders. Nirvana is by Korea Boardgames, so if you like Fruit Picking, you might like it, too.
Did you consider Stratego and Othello for your list of classic games? Fugitive or Mr. Jack (or another hidden movement game) would be alternatives to Stratego. Ingenious or Qwirkle would be alternatives to Othello.
I love these ideas! I probably won’t do Othello unless I can think of thematic game to replace it. Nothing against abstract games, but in order to not bite off more than I can chew, I have a flimsy fence around what type of games I cover. I haven’t even played Ingenious or Qwirkle! I was thinking of Mr. Jack as my hidden movement game recommendation (for Battleship), but I went with Mind MGMT because it contains mini expansions and many more ways to play.
I don't have a Go Suggestion, but Pictionary might be another classic worth covering? Top of mind for me only because I just tried out Pictomania and Mondrawsity recently. Those are a bit "on the nose" though. Might be some other more creative alternatives I'm not thinking of. That same night (we were "testing" family weight party games for a friend's upcoming family trip) we also played Concept. Concept can be a great alternative to Charades. It's all about piecing together a story of clues to drive towards an answer. Another option for Charades would be Monikers, but I think Concept is a better example of a tabletop game.
Go is all about area control and cutting off a bigger area for you to score so the Go to game IMO is Hey That's my Fish. For Moncala, check out Longhorn, 2 player and is sort of 5 Tribes light. I love Crusaders but the Moncala is a bit different l, if that is your measure maybe Gold West, but that is a time resource allocation- brilliant but not exactly moncala.
That’s a good point about Go and HTMF. Someone else recommended Fruit Picking for Mancala and I had to agree. I’m not familiar with these other ones you are recommending.
