Date Ideas - Board Games

Board games are an age old classic where you can screw people over and just say it's all part of the strategy. There's a whole world of board games beyond Monopoly, and there's a couple places in Melbourne I recommend for beginners and hobbyists alike. I also provide some board game recommendations at the end to ensure an enjoyable experience!

Places to Play Board Games in Melbourne

Marche Board Game Cafe (Marche) - Melbourne CBD

Cost: $20/person for 3 hours (comes with 1 free drink)

Marche offers a wide selection of board games, including most of the games you've heard of. The environment is nice to play in, has good lighting, and considered to be one of the best board game cafe places in Melbourne.

Marche also offers karaoke should you wish to double up on karaoke and board games.

Marche is located near Melbourne Central Station/RMIT University Tram Stop in the city. Their opening hours are from 3pm - 1am every day. Because they are very popular, bookings are recommended.

Pixel Bar & Cafe (Pixel) - Huntingdale

Cost: Free but it's nice to order a drink (~$8 Milkshake)

Pixel offers a limited selection of board games, so it is generally better to bring your own games. The environment is a bit messy with dim lighting, but it's free to play here so I have no complaints.

Pixel also offers various consoles with games already set up (Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros) and computers to game on (Tetris anyone?). As such, their primary focus is more geared towards video games.

Pixel is in an ideal location for Monash University students as it is right next to Huntingdale Station. Their opening hours vary from 4pm - 10:30pm before work days and 4pm - 1am on the weekends. Bookings are available, but not required.

Board Game Recommendations

If you haven't played many board games, I have a several recommendations for you. All games should take 20 - 30 minutes once learnt.

Patchwork (Beginner - Available at Pixel and Marche)

The goal of the Patchwork is to make a quilt with tetris like pieces. You will inevitably have holes in your quilt and require "patches" to patch them up along the way. The winner scores the most points from the resources they have left over at the end of the game, but beware of the penalties you receive for each hole in your quilt.

Hanamikoji (Beginner - Available at Marche)

Hanamikoji is my personal recommendation as it has the easiest learning curve with beautiful artwork. Aim of the game is to earn the "favours" of the 7 Geishas. You win the game by earning the majority of the favours - 4 out of the 7 Geishas, but if the opponent earns enough favours from high value Geishas, they will steal the victory from you.

Jaipur (Beginner - Available at Marche)

The objective of Jaipur is to earn the most amount of money through selling various commodities ranging from low value (leather) to high value (gold). The winner is the the superior tradesperson who earns more money, but watch out for some camel trickery.

Magic Maze (Beginner - Available at Pixel and Marche)

Magic Maze is a co-operative game where you work together to rob a shopping centre and escape scot free. You're not able to talk most of the time, so prepare for some intense staring rallies when you can't read each other's minds.

Azul (Beginner - Available at Pixel and Marche)

Azul is a pattern building tile laying game where you aim to create an aesthetically pleasing tile wall. The winner is the one who creates the most aesthetically pleasing tile wall, which thereby leads to scoring the most points.

You can play a online version of this game for free over here to learn the rules.

7 Wonders Duel (Intermediate - Available at Marche)

The goal of 7 Wonders Duel is to score the most points through the various ways of developing your civilisation - science, war, "wonders" and more. The winner is the one who has the most points at the end of the game, but be careful of your opponent immediately winning the game through war or scientific research.

I would recommend learning this game beforehand as I don't think it's possible to learn it on the spot. It offers the most strategic depth and is most varied in replays. You can play an online version of this game for free over here to learn the rules.