I love boardgames. I have a fairly large collection of them, and I play them often with friends and family. When people see my collection, they often ask for recommendations on what to play. Here are some of my favorites.

Party Games

Opening up with some quick wins - games that are easy to learn, and play in 10-20 minutes. When you need a good entry point for a group of people, these are my go-tos:

• Love Letter: A quick deduction game where players try to get their love letter to the princess while avoiding other players' letters. It's simple, fast, and has a lot of thematic variants if you want (Marvel, Adventure Time, Batman, Star Wars, etc).
• Sushi Go!: A drafting game where players pick sushi dishes to create the best meal. It's easy to learn and has cute artwork. It has a mechanic called 'draft and pass' where you pick a card and then pass the rest to the next player.
• Movable Type: A word-building game where players use letter tiles to create words on a shared board. Also has 'draft and pass' like Sushi Go!, but with a bit more strategy as you can block others from completing words. Four rounds to collect a set of cards to use in the fifth and final round which is all that counts.
• For Sale: A quick auction game where players bid on properties and then sell them for the highest price. It's simple, fast, and has a lot of replayability. Two rounds - first you buy properties, then you sell them.
• Secret Hitler: A social deduction game set in pre-World War II Germany. Players are secretly divided into two teams (liberals and fascists), and must work together to pass policies while trying to figure out who the fascists (and Hitler) are. Needs 5-10 players but is a lot of fun with the right group.

Railroad Ink

Railroad Ink is a lovely simple roll-and-write game where you roll dice to determine the types of roads and rails you can draw on your wipe-clean board with a marker. The goal is to connect as many exits as possible while creating a network of roads and rails. What I love about this game is that each player gets the same dice rolls, but the way they choose to draw their network can lead to very different outcomes. At the end players simply compare their scores - so it's lightly competitive but can also be played solo and takes about 20-30 minutes and supports n players (technically 6 but you can always print out more boards).

Pan Am

In Pan Am you play as the CEO of an airline in the 1960s. You buy and sell routes, upgrade your planes, and try to outmaneuver your competitors. But, at some point, Pan Am will buy your airline - make it as valuable as possible before that point (without knowing quite when it is). Will you push your luck for big gains in the hope you have long enough to see them through? Or be modest but confident in your outcome? The game has a great balance of strategy and luck, and the theme is really well done. Takes about 90 minutes and is for 2-4 players.

Tokaido

Tokaido is just stunning. In it, each player is a traveler on the East Sea Road in Japan, trying to have the most enriching journey. You can stop at various locations to collect souvenirs, visit hot springs, eat meals, and meet people. But to visit the locations you want, you may have to give up others. The art is beautiful, and the gameplay is simple yet strategic. It's a relaxing game that takes about 45 minutes to play and is for 1-5 players.

The Manhattan Project

I love love love The Manhattan Project. In this game, you are competing to build the most powerful nuclear arsenal. You need to manage resources, build factories, and train scientists and engineers to help you. The thing I love is that there are multiple paths to victory - you can focus on building bombs with uranium or plutonium, give up immediate points to implosion test, and more. There's also an offensive mechanic where you can bomb opponent's buildings. This is a worker placement game where players must spend an entire turn to recall workers, freeing up the board for others, so planning is key. Takes about 90-120 minutes for 2-5 players.

Power Grid

Power Grid is a classic economic strategy game. You are trying to build and power the most cities in a network. You need to buy power plants, acquire resources, and expand your network while managing your money. The game has an auction mechanic and simulates supply-and-demand for resources. It's a bit more complex than some of the other games on this list, but it's very rewarding once you get the hang of it. Takes about 120 minutes for 2-6 players.

Dominion

Dominion is the game that started the deck-building genre. In it, you start with a small deck of cards and use them to buy more cards to add to your deck. The goal is to have the most victory points at the end of the game. What I love about Dominion is that there are so many different cards and strategies to explore, and each game can be very different depending on the card selection (a box comes with 20+ cards, you only play with 6 at a time, and there are expansions for more). Takes about 30-60 minutes for 2-4 players.

San Juan

San Juan is a card game where players are trying to build the most prosperous city by constructing buildings and producing goods. The game has a unique role-selection mechanic where players choose roles that determine what actions they can take on their turn. Cards act as buildings, currency, and resources. It's very cool how the cards have multiple uses, and the game has a lot of strategic depth. Takes about 45 minutes for 2-4 players.

Thronestorm

A game for 2, Thronestorm challenges players to be the first to create a full set of matching relics (helmet, armor, sword, shield). To do this, you shift cards around a shared table. You have to be thinking multiple moves ahead, as your opponent can easily disrupt your plans. The game has a lot of depth and strategy, and the artwork is fantastic. Takes 10 mins. This one was also designed by friends of mine, which is a nice bonus.

And the rest...

I love boardgames. This is a tiny introduction to a few you likely haven't heard of. On the social side, I also love Ca$h 'n Guns$, Spyfall, and Cockroach Poker. There's also a whole realm of cooperative games I enjoy, like Pandemic, Forbidden Island, and Hanabi. As a Disney fan I am probably disposed to like Disney Villainous and collectable card game Lorcana too.