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Short Games (< 30 min)2 Players Games Light Playstyle Games

Race

Understanding the "Race" Mechanism in Board Games

The "race" mechanic in board games refers to a competitive dynamic wherein players strive to be the first to achieve a certain goal or reach a particular end state.

Characteristics:

Goal-Oriented: Players must reach a specific target, such as a physical location or a points threshold.
Simultaneity: Often all players are competing at the same time, rather than taking turns to advance.
Speed: Quick decision-making is generally rewarded.
Direct Competition: Players might be able to directly or indirectly affect each other's progress.

Examples:

Ticket to Ride: Players race to complete train routes.
Carcassonne: Players hurry to complete cities, roads, and monasteries.
The Quest for El Dorado: Players push to be the first to reach the legendary city.

Benefits:

Adds tension and excitement through direct competition.
Encourages strategic planning to outpace opponents.

In summary, the "race" mechanic in board games is central to gameplay that revolves around being the first to reach an objective, fostering a tense and engaging experience for players.

Race and Network and Route Building games

"1941: Race to Moscow" immerses players in the strategic depth of World War II logistics, placing them at the helm of the German Army's endeavor to reach Moscow. Each player commands an Army Group, wrestling with the challenges of supply lines, resource...

The race is on! Can you beat the Ogre to the treasure? It's your job to make a path from Start to the treasure and collect the three keys which will open the treasure's locks before the Ogre gets there. Strategize, cooperate, and build the path together...

Who will have the best Metro line? Organize your passengers' trips across the most romantic cities in the world! Feel free to double up with other players and create connections that will earn you even more points.Over multiple rounds in Get on Board...

Dominaria Awaits a Hero!Greetings, Planeswalker. You have ended up on Dominaria, a world on the mend. Mana has begun to flood back into the plane, but the sinister Cabal seeks to control everything. Travel the ancient lands of Dominaria, collecting mana...

Miniatures themed games with Race

Wacky Races - The Board Game

Robo Rally (3rd Printing)

Silver Line: Drakon (4th Edition)

Dead Man's Doubloons

Dodos Riding Dinos: Dodo Dash

Racing themed games with Race

Lying Pirates: Race for the Pirate Throne (Deluxe Edition)

Steampunk Rally/Steampunk Rally - Fusion (Atomic Edition)

Expeditions: Around the World

Race and Point to Point Movement games

Welcome to the Belgian Beers Race! Take part in a three-day crazy race through Belgium and its breweries. Visit as many of them as you can, buy their beers and taste them (in moderation!) throughout the competition. Optimize your journeys across the ...

A crime has been committed. The police investigation is going nowhere. Your detective agency was tasked by a client to investigate... but another agency is on the case as well!In Shadows: Amsterdam, compete against a rival team in a real-time competition...

A Scrawling Adventure for the Whole Family!The dungeons of Undermountain have drawn you and other heroes from all over the world to challenge their contorted mazes of doom.Ten different dungeons await your marker. Race against your fellow heroes to fight...

Race and Push Your Luck games

First in Flight

Rallyman GT Core Game

Joyride - Survival of the Fastest

Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Baron von Zom's Dice of the Undead

Key to the Kingdom

Michael Strogoff

Breaking Bad - The Board Game

Economic themed games with Race

Splendor Duel is a two-player-only standalone game based on Splendor that retains some of the main gameplay mechanisms of that design, while being a bit more complex, dynamic, interactive, rich, tense, and mean.The game features a main board shared by...

Bring together a team of super heroes and prevent Thanos from ending the world! The Infinity Stones are scattered throughout the Multiverse. Use their essence to recruit heroes and villains and gain Infinity Points.Assemble the Avengers, acquire locations...

As players in Mercado, you assume the roles of wealthy members of upper-class society. To raise your social status, you must buy luxury goods. So you shop around the market for expensive baubles, finery, shoes, jewelry, and perfume — anything that will...

In 1835, the British East India Company leased the region around the location of the modern-day city of Darjeeling. The British had more than a strategically placed trading post in mind because of the favorable climate, they wanted to build a sanitarium...

Race games published by Winning Moves Germany

In the first Cartagena game, the players, as pirates, attempted to flee prison by making their way through a tunnel to a boat waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. But simply reaching the boat does not mean they have escaped as re-capture is always...

Now it is time to go railroading in Europa. Just like Transamerica, players work together building a railroad network, but this time it is across Europe instead of the United States. The first to have their five cities connected winds the round - the...

America in the 19th century: railroads are booming! Pioneer spirit and vision are everywhere. Everyone wants to be the first to build a railroad network across the country. Each player has five cities and tries to connect them with a shared network ...

Race and Open Drafting games

The Fog: Escape from Paradise

Race games developed by John Brieger

Win: Micro Card Game

Bet and perform actions at the track while the race unfolds in this exciting horse racing card game. Secret bets and clever horse moves are key to winning the most cash at the end of the race! Mechanisms:• Action/Event• Alliances• Betting and Bluffing...

Race games designed by Corné van Moorsel

In this game, 2 to 6 powership pilots’ race through our solar system, maneuvering their powership the best to finish first.The unique dice mechanism, with 3-sided dice, was first implemented in our game Powerboats in 2008. It simulates accelerating ...

Complete the challenge from the bottom to the top!In this game you try to be the fastest climber. Use the dice to fill in numbers in all your squares. In each next higher square the number must be higher or equal to the numbers underneath. Combine the...

Top A Top is a great and fun game for everyone, that will liven up every party and make everyone laugh hard. Simple rules that can be thought in a minute and very addictive game-play are it’s biggest advantages! The first print has become a Polish best...

Race games designed by Jochen Sherer

Race to the New Found Land

Early in the age of discovery, daring sailors risk life and limb to journey across the vast Atlantic ocean, and discover a giant island off the coast of North America: the New Found Land.Now, the mightiest nations of western Europe compete for the riches...

Area Majority / Influence

Worker Placement

Children's Game with Race

Race to eliminate series of cards before your opponents. Use strategy, quick thinking, and even sabotage to pull ahead in each round. Can you be the first to eliminate all of your cards and dominate the competition?

Rookie drivers: Choose the coolest car, tighten your helmets, prepare your thumbs, and rev up your voice!Either cooperatively or competitively, be the first to cross the finish line in a series of hilarious races. In Turbo Kidz, the Driver covers their...

Bring the adventure to life with Jumanji The Game, the latest edition of the legendary board game. You and your band of brave adventurers suddenly find yourselves deep in a mysterious jungle full of secrets and surprises. Danger lies along your path...

Space themed games with Race

Disney Space Mountain - All Systems Go

Cosmic Encounter (42nd Anniversary Edition)

Ultra Tiny Epic Galaxies

Cosmic Encounter Duel

Cosmic Encounter (2009 Edition)

Race and Tech Trees / Tech Tracks games

Anno 1800 is an epic city-building strategy board game based on Ubisoft's popular PC game of the same name. Players strive to build up their industrial might as they develop an island society at the dawn of the industrial age. Investing in their nautical...

Assert the Strength of Your City-State!In Ancient Greece, City-States (or Polis) competed for wealth and power, drawing strength and resources from their Khôra: the surrounding countryside.As the leader of your Polis, you must develop your Economy, your...

Khora: Rise of an Empire

Race and Action Drafting games

Build space empires in the Race for the Galaxy universe. In New Frontiers, each game is different, based on the developments selected during setup and the worlds drawn during play.On your turn, choose an action that everyone may do, but only you will...

Gateway Island and its inhabitants are waiting to introduce you to the wonderful world of modern-day board games! You'll have fun farming, fishing, racing, and doing all sorts of other things. Outsmart and outmaneuver your opponents and find out what...

Thunder Rolls is a fast paced dice placement action stock car racing game for 1-8 players. There are two phases to the game; the Rolling Phase and the Thunder Phase. In the Rolling phase the players roll their dice pool and place sets of dice on matching...

Shards of the Jaguar is a competitive “dungeon-deduction” game, which requires both strategic and tactical thinking. It is about an initiation trial where you and your fellow initiates have to prove that you are worthy of your tribe’s legendary animal...

Hiking themed games with Race

Summer Camp

Find your cabin assignment, wring out your swimsuit, and relive the days of canoeing, friendship bracelets, and s'mores with Summer Camp, a game by Phil Walker-Harding. Summer Camp is a competitive deck-building game where players race to earn merit...

mostly positive, 72%

Deck, Bag, and Pool Building

Race and Hand Management games

Race and Tile Placement games

Jetpack Joyride

Exploration themed games with Race

You did it! You have reached El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. And as you will find out, this is only the beginning of a much grander adventure. Whose expedition will be the first to discover the three mythical gemstones that, according to legend...

Their ultimate goal is the tomb of the pharaoh, but many treasures can be collected as they search. As they explore, the challenge unfolds: The player who manages to quickly get their team of adventurers to the tomb, while salvaging as many treasures...

In 1911 - Amundsen Vs Scott, you recreate the legendary quest of the greatest Antarctic explorers. This fast-paced easy-to-learn Game captures all the excitement and adventure of the epic race to the south pole!

"Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too."- Marcus AureliusCivilization: A New Dawn recreates the best-selling computer game series as a strategy board game. In this fast-paced and approachable...

Race games designed by Travis Hancock

Bristol 1350

The dreaded Black Death has descended upon the town of Bristol. You are racing down the streets, desperate to escape into the safety of the countryside. If your cart is the first out of town you and your cart-mates win! Or do you? Some villagers on your...

20 to 40 minutes

Different Dice Movement

Race and Action Queue games

Race and Chaining games

Super Snipers is a one-to-two-player dueling sniper game that features easy to pick up rules, fast and intense gameplay, simultaneous turns, virtually no downtime, and a familiar polyomino puzzle mechanic used in a novel and exciting way!

Once again, we find our brave Lazer Ryderz, having encountered a grouping of Teleportation Prizms, left by Ancients of a by-gone era. Each Ryder knows what must be done — coordinates must be locked into three Prizms to allow transport to their next ...

Outrun the Bear is an award-winning family board game that’s easy to play, but with just the right amount of crunchy puzzle for strategy fans!Lace up your hiking boots and get ready to run… Outrun the bear, or outrun your friends!Pick your runner from...

Race games published by Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.

All good things come in threes...In Spinderella, players race to get their three ants across the forest floor as quickly as they can, but spiders await in the branches above and - with a little help from opponents - one might swoop down to scoop up ...

Spinderella (1st Edition)

Every year, the day before the festival made famous in the Quacks of Quedlinburg, all the town's kids compete in a dramatic race.This year, you'll be joining in, along with Quacks the Donkey and Co. Your job is to help your animal friends win the race...

Race games designed by Markus Brand

Rajas of the Ganges

In 16th century India, the powerful empire of the Great Moguls rises between the Indus and Ganges rivers. Taking on the role of rajas and ranis - the country's influential nobles - players race against each other in support of the empire by developing...

mostly positive, 77%

Race games published by GaGa Games

Race games published by Tranjis Games

In the Footsteps of Marie Curie

Embrace the world of Marie Curie's laboratory and assist the renowned scientist in her quest for a double Nobel Prize! Engage in experiments, enhance your workshop, and race against fellow players to fulfill Marie Curie's research objectives.In the Footsteps...

Race games published by MM-Spiele

Knarr

Form the Greatest Band of Vikings!In Knarr, you are the leader of a band of Vikings. Manage the recruitment of your crew and choose the best territories to explore. Depending on the destinations reached (for trading or influence), and the Vikings who...

mostly positive, 77%

Hand Management

Race games published by Reflexshop

Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix Expansion

Control the Spice. Control the UniverseThe struggle for control of the Imperium continues! Technological innovations from the planet Ix offer strategic advantages to those able to acquire them. The spreading reach of the CHOAM corporation provides trade...

overwhelmingly positive, 96%

Solo / Solitaire Game

Science Fiction

Movies / TV / Radio theme

Card Play Conflict Resolution

Deck, Bag, and Pool Building