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Abstract strategy board games are board games that do not rely on chance, but instead are purely based on a players skill and strategic thinking.They do not have random elements such as dice rolling and as such there is no such thing as a ‘lucky win’.
Generally they are very simple games that are easy to learn but under the surface they have very deep and thought provoking strategic game play mechanics.
Abstract strategy board games can be described perfectly with the quote “Easy to Learn, but hard to master”.
As someone who likes the competitive side of board games, abstract strategy games are some of my favorite board games to play. There is no better feeling engaging in an intense battle of wits with your opponent, being able to think one step ahead of them the entire game and in the end emerge victoriously.
In this article I will share my opinion of what I believe are best Abstract Strategy Board games.
These games all meet the following criteria:
- Easy to learn – but incredibly high skill ceiling;
- Lack a theme – or if there is one it is minimal;
- Rely purely on skill and strategy – not luck; and
- Are fun to play!
The 10 Best Abstract Strategy Board Games
1. Onitama
Onitama is my favorite modern day abstract board game.
The game has a very light theme that is purely window dressing – but it is cool none the less.
The backstory is that two martial artist masters have traveled to the shrine of Onitama, taking with them, four of their best students for the ultimate show down of to prove who is the ultimate master.
The game reminds me of a miniature portable chess. Mainly because it has a checked board and pawn pieces and can be played almost anywhere (I recently wrote about it in my recommendations for the best date night board games). However, as you will see below the game really isn’t anything like chess at all!
Onitama is a perfect information game where both players have access to all current and future available moves that either one can make. The objective is to take your opponent’s king or move your king to the opponents starting tile (all while stopping the same thing happening to you).
Gameplay
Onitama is played on a 5X5 gridded board. Both players begin the game with 5 pawns and a king piece – arranged on opposite sides of the board from each other.
The game is played in turns and each turn a player gets to move one of their pieces.
Player pieces are not limited to one set of actions. Movement of pieces in the game is dynamic and is determined by the movement cards held by the players.
At the start of the game, each player is dealt two movement cards, with a fifth card played to the side – which neither player can use.
During a player turn, they are able to move one of their pieces in a way that is dictated by one of the movement cards they hold.
That card is then exchanged with the fifth card that was placed to the side at the beginning of the game.
The next player then has their turn and moves one of their pieces – replacing their movement card with the fifth card (which is the card the first player used).
Like chess – moving onto an opponent piece removes that piece from the game.
A player wins the game by taking the opponents king or moving their king to their opponents’ kings starting position.
This is a classic abstract game – Simple enough to learn. But deceptively deep when you think about the fact that you know the movement cards your opponent will have, and how your strategy will affect which cards they get.
The great thing about Onitama is that if you would like to try the game for free – there is a mobile app version that can be downloaded for android or iOS where you can play against other people from around the world.
2. TAK
TAK began its life in a fictional fantasy book titles The Wise Man’s Fear. The author of the book decided to team up with a game designer and make the game real. And so TAK was born.
I have never read the above novel. But I have played the game, and it is a brilliant abstract board game (lucky for me Abstract game themes are not necessary!).
The game involves playing with wooden block pieces on a grid board and is a modern style 3D abstract game.
Gameplay
The game begins by choosing the playing field – in other words the size of the board that the players will be playing on.
TAK is able to be played on a 3X3, 5X5 or any larger gridded board. Larger boards mean a lot longer play time and add more complexity to the game.
There are two types of pieces that can be played in the game:
- Stones – flat pieces which can be played vertically (like a wall) or horizontally (like a floor); and
- Capstones – Which look like chess pawns.
A game starts with each player placing a piece from their opponent on the board.
The game is then played on a turn by turn basis. Each player has the choice to either play a stone to an empty space or move a stack of stones (even if only one) to another space on the board.
When a player plays a stone vertically – no other stones may be placed on top of it.
Flat stones can be moved onto other flat stones (even if it’s a stack). The number of stones allowed in a stack is equal to the size of the board (3 in a 3×3 board).
The special capstone piece can move on top of a stack are also able to flatten vertical stones. In addition, stones cannot move on top of the capstone. This makes it a powerful commanding piece on the board.
A player wins the game if they are able to create a connection of their own pieces from one side of the board to the other (creating a row).
When playing it is best to play the game with a smaller sized board until you get the hang of it. By increasing the size of the board, there are exponentially more pieces to pay attention too and the game can quickly become overwhelming!
I love the 3D style of this board game and the unique mechanics of being able to stack pieces. It does take a bit to get used to, but once you do it becomes endlessly fun!
3. Quoridor
I love this game. It is so simple yet so fun – and it can be played with up to 4 players which is rare for an abstract strategy game!
The game is purely based on skill and being able to use your opponents moves against them.
Gameplay
The objective of Quoridor is simple. Get your pawn from your side of the board to your opponents side that is sitting directly opposite from you.
The game takes place on a 9X9 grid with squares and grooves on each side of each tile that allow you to place ‘wall’ pieces.
Turns alternate between each player and a player has two choices of action each turn:
- Move your pawn 1 square in any direction; OR
- Place a wall on the side of any square.
But you cannot do both.
There are a few special rules such as:
- Walls have to be placed so they line up with two intersections on the board (i.e. not half one square and half another); and
- You may not completely block off your side of the board – there must always be one route for opponents to get to your side of the board.
The fun of the game is planning ahead and coming up with a strategy. Many times, I have found that I have unintentionally built a prison for myself… or had a trap for my opponent backfire.
4. Chess
I don’t think chess needs too much of an introduction. It is undisputedly one of the best known and popular abstract strategy board games of all time.
The game has been played for centuries and is one of the first abstract games I learned to play with my father.
Gameplay
Chess game play is played on a gridded 8X8 board called a chessboard.
Each player takes control of a set of 16 pieces. There is a black side and a white side.
The players start at opposite ends of the board to each other.
The pieces of each player at the start of a game of chess consist of:
- one king
- one queen
- two rooks
- two knights
- two bishops
- eight pawns
Each of these six pieces move differently.
The object of the game is to take the opponents king piece which is called “checkmate”. If you would like to learn more about how to play chess then click here.
5. GO
GO is considered by many people to be one of the most challenging and deep classic abstract games. It is also one of the oldest board games and the second most played board game in the world (source).
The game feels like a full-on war in which there are different battles fought all over the board.
Each ‘battle’ feels dynamic, as pieces tend to gravitate towards the action and they shift and merge every turn. There is a lot for players to pay attention to.
GO is a game for players who are familiar with abstract games and the complexities and strategic thinking that comes with them. A new player to abstract strategic board games will likely feel overwhelmed and disorientated playing GO! But if you love a challenge then get stuck in!
Gameplay
GO can be played on a large variety of boards, but traditionally is played on a 19X19 grid.
Smaller boards can be used for beginner players or to shorten game length.
Each player gets a set of stones in the game (generally black for one player and white for the other).
Stones are placed on the intersections of lines on the grid. Players alternate placing stones down on the grid – trying to control as much of a board area as they can.
Stones – once placed aren’t able to be moved.
A stone or group of stones is considered ‘captured’ when an opponent completely surrounds them. These stones are removed from the board and kept until the end of the game and scored against you.
At the end of the game the player with the highest score wins. Score is determined by the total territory a player has surrounded less the stones captured by the opponent.
6. Hive
Another game I included in my best date night board game article. Hive is a hugely popular board game in my household due to its portability and the fact that it doesn’t need a board or a huge surface to play (I have even played it on a plane)!
The game can be very deep and require a lot of strategy, but is also easy to pick up for beginner gamers.
Gameplay
Players take all the tile pieces of the color they are going to play (black or white).
The aim of the game is to surround your opponents queen tile piece without them doing the same to you. Tiles that surround the queen can be made up of a mix of your tiles and your opponents.
Select a player to start – that player places one of their tiles on the table. The next player then places on of their tiles on one of the adjoining edges of the first players tile.
During a player turn there are two actions they can take:
- Place a tile; or
- Move a tile.
Each tile has a picture of a bug on it. These bugs determine how the tile can move on the board.
Movements:
- Beetles can crawl in any direction (even on top of other bugs);
- Grasshoppers can leap over tiles;
- Spiders Scuttle one space around the hive; and
- Ants shuffle to any position around the hive.
Tiles can not be eliminated or removed from the board and not all tiles need to be played.
Players are able to play their ‘queen’ whenever they wish before their fourth turn, but it MUST be played by their fourth turn.
Games of hive are always fun and the board is always different! The movement of the different bugs (tiles) makes strategy in the game hugely important. Blocking key insects or pulling off a blind side move is always a great feeling.
7. Blockus Duo
The final game of my 7 Best Abstract Strategy Board Games is Blockus Duo.
This is an incredibly simple but strangely addictive abstract board game. The game sits on my coffee table at home and my wife and I will sporadically play it between tv shows or after dinner.
Gameplay
Each player starts the game with a collection of 21 tetris shaped tiles. On your turn you place one of your tiles on the 14X14 grid board (the first tile cannot be placed in a corner).
The object of the game: Simply place more tiles on the board than your opponent.
That’s it! Classic abstract game simplicity, but it is a hard game – you need to be able to out wit your opponent and place tiles that block their shapes – yet allow yours.
They will be doing the exact same thing! It’s a game that is over quick but has a lot of replay value. It can be played super fast and is a great time filler at game nights or when you have a few minutes spare!
Final Thoughts
Abstract games are an incredibly popular board game genre and they are one of the oldest forms of board games.
The reason why is pretty obvious – the games are easy to learn and rely on skill and strategy alone. They are games that you can master with practice and best your opponent.
The games I have listed, are in my opinion, the 7 Best Abstract Board Games. Each game has a unique mechanic and has its own appeal to different gamers – from the classic games to the modern hits.
3 Responses
Play WizMiz. An Abstract Board Game
In a world of smartphones and tik-tok, it’s really great to get your child to interact with real humans their age. It’s important for your child to socialize and chess is a great way to do that. When your child learns how to play and gets interested they can participate in the local chess club, go to tournaments and even travel to chess conventions. A great way to get started is by checking out chess courses online. For example, Chessable has great beginners, intermediate and advanced courses that teach strategy and tactics. Also if you want to teach chess from the very young age, you can use this book – net-bossorg/chess-puzzles-for-kids-by-maksim-aksanov – The pace of working on the diagrams should be individually adjusted to suit the child’s predisposition. The longer time it takes to focus, the more difficult it is for the child and the results are worse.
Have you tried Rock Paper Switch from Mindware yet?
It’s Rock Paper Scissors turned into a chess-like board game.