Classic Vs Modern Board Games: Which To Buy For Your Family
Most British houses own Monopoly, Cluedo, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, and haven't bought a board game since. The modern ones are genuinely different, and not always better.
Here's the honest comparison.
Cards for the people you play with
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
What the classics do well
- Everyone already knows them, which saves twenty minutes of rules.
- They're cheap, easy to find, and often already in the loft.
- Scrabble and cribbage stand up against anything designed since.
- Nostalgia counts for more than game designers like to admit.
Where the classics fall down
- Player elimination - being out of Monopoly at 3pm with two hours left is nobody's idea of fun.
- Length. Risk and Monopoly both outlast the goodwill in the room.
- Luck over decisions. Snakes and ladders is not a game, it's a dice-rolling ceremony.
- Downtime between turns, which is where phones come out.
What modern games changed
- Games end on time - most modern designs aim for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Nobody is eliminated. You finish last rather than leave the table.
- Everyone has something to do between turns.
- Cooperative games exist now, which changed family game nights completely.
What to buy if you're upgrading
- If you like Monopoly: try Catan.
- If you like Cluedo: try Mysterium or Codenames.
- If you like Scrabble: try Codenames or Just One.
- If you like Trivial Pursuit: try Wits and Wagers.
- If you like Uno: try Skip-Bo, Sushi Go or Dobble.
How to write it so it lands
- Keep two classics for the relatives and buy one modern game a year.
- Player elimination is the single biggest reason a family game night goes wrong.
Where to shop next
- Board games hub
- Best family board games: curated picks
- Board games for adults
- Board games for kids
- Board games for two players
- Board games for toddlers
- Board games for teenagers
- Best card games for families
- Christmas board games
- Boxing Day games
- Quickest board games to learn
- Board games under £20
- Board games for big groups
- Monopoly rules explained
- Uno rules explained
- Articulate rules explained
- Cluedo rules explained
- Games for older relatives
- Kids' party games by age
- Charades word lists
- Free feel good tools
- Shop all cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
Are modern board games better than classics?
Generally they're better designed - shorter, no player elimination, less downtime. But the classics are already in the house and everyone knows the rules, which counts for a lot on Christmas Day.
What should I buy if my family only plays Monopoly?
Catan. It scratches the same trading and property itch, takes about ninety minutes rather than four hours, and nobody gets knocked out.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, so these picks are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. The cards on this page are ours.