Many of us love playing board games. It is easy and fun to play a board game in English, as the vocabulary of this activity is quite limited. Naturally, there are typical words and phrases that we use, and there are items that the chosen game itself requires. Now we’ll look at the typical ones.

NOUNS

Let’s start with the nouns:

VERBS

Now let’s look at the verbs that we use while playing:

ROLL, V, when you throw a dice, it will keep turning until it stops.

Roll the dice to decide who can start the game.

TOSS, V, when you throw a coin or any other object in the air.

They tossed a coin to see who could eat the last piece of cake.

MOVE CLOCKWISE or ANTICLOCKWISE, V, players come after each other following the direction in which the hands of a clock move or they follow each other in exactly the opposite direction.

Do we move clockwise or anticlockwise?

PASS sth TO, V, give something to the next player.

Pass the dice to Anna.

CHEAT, V, when you use something in a game or at an exam that is not allowed.

Cheating is allowed in this game.

TAKE sth AWAY, V, to subtract a number so the number becomes less in values than before.

You need to take away the income tax from your salary, this way you get your net salary.

ADD, V, when you add a number to another number, its value becomes more than before. Also when cooking, you add ingredients one after the other.

If you add the last number to the costs, we can finally see how expensive the renovation was.

ADD sth UP, V, when you want to find out your result at the end of a game, you calculate your points.

Can you add up your points in your head?

SHUFFLE/MIX UP, V, to mix a deck of cards before starting a game so that nobody knows their order.

Could you shuffle the cards, please?

DEAL OUT/DISTRIBUTE, V, give out cards or any other necessary item for a game.

I’ll deal out the counters and the little fruits you all need.

PULL, V, when you choose a card for example from a deck of cards usually not knowing what you are choosing.

Pull 4 cards and place them facing downwards.

STACK, V, to arrange cards, pieces of paper or other objects on top of each other in an orderly way.

Ellen stacked your reports in order. You can find them on your desk.

CLUE, N, a piece of information that helps you solve a problem or a mystery

Just pull a card with a clue on it.

PHRASES

Now let’s see how these words are used in context.

At the beginning of the game

The object of the game is to …

Throw/ roll the dice and move around the board

You need one counter, a dice and a board each

What colour counter do you want/ would you like?

The player with the highest number goes first

Play paper, scissors, stone to see who goes first

Who starts?

Can I be with you?

Whose turn is it? or Who’s next?

Is it my turn? or Am I next?

It’s your turn. Or  You’re next

Place your counter on start/ the first square/ Choose a different counter each and place it on start.

While playing

Place the cards facing downwards/upwards.

If you land on this square go back two squares/ pick a card/ do the thing that is written there.

You will miss a turn.

You can get extra points if you …..

Randomly distribute the cards/ the balls …

A player may use one action card during a turn

Take it in turns to throw the dice.

Move forward or backward four squares.

Pull one more card/two more cards.

If you throw a 6, have another go/ throw again.

You are allowed/you are not allowed to …

The player with the most … is the winner.

You can’t do that!

What do the rules say?

Types of board games

Finally, just to make this topic complete, let’s look at some typical board game variations based on the aim of the game.

ABSTRACT: there is usually no storyline, the players can’t rely on luck, but have to use strategies and tactics more. Their design is simple and so is the mechanics they work on. (eg.: Chess, Azul, Go)

BLUFFING: games where players are encouraged to deceive their opponents. There is usually some kind of hidden information that is revealed in the course of the game. (eg.: Star Wars X-Wing, Werewolf)

CITY-BUILDING: as the name suggests, these games are really about building the biggest, the most fantastic city. In most cases they are also economic games. (eg.: Underwater cities, Suburbia)

CIVILISATION BUILDING: once again as the name suggests, these games are about building different civilisations, some of them starting in ancient times and progressing into the future, some covering a shorter time frame. There is some kind of technological development, some negotiation skills and a system for warfare involved. (eg.: Through the Ages: A new Story of Civilisation)

COLLECTIBLES: once you have bought the original (the core) game, you can buy additional modules that somehow change the course of the game. (eg.: Magic: The Gathering)

COOPERATIVE GAMES: players form one sinlge group and they have to cooperate to beat the boradgame itself, e.g.: to complete a mission together.

DEDUCTION: players need to come up with an answer or answers or solutions to problems presented to them in the game. (eg.: Clue, Codenames)

DEXTERITY: players need to be skillful in something physically like building, stacking or placing some things in the game. (eg.: Pitchcar, Hamsterolle)

ECONOMIC: players are required to produce some kind of income, participate in the market of buying and selling products. (eg.: Monopoly, Terraforming Mars)

MAZE: players have to navigate mazes to get from one end to the other as fast as they can. Sometimes there are hidden paths that have to be found first. (eg.: The Magic Labyrinth)

ROLE-PLAYING: players take on a specific role and have to make decisions accordingly. (eg.: Gloomhaven)