Last Updated on December 10, 2018
I have always had a fascination with board games, in part because they are a device of social interaction, they challenge the mind and, most importantly, they are great fun to play. In my misspent youth, myself and a group of friends gathered together to escape the horrors of the classroom, and indulge in a little escapism. The time provided an outlet for tension and rivalry. Board games help teach diplomacy, how to make and break alliances, bring families and friends together, and learn valuable lessons.
I had a panache for abstract strategy games such as chess and draughts, as well as word games. I can still never resist a game of Escape from Colditz, a strategy card and dice-based board game, or Risk; two timeless multi-player strategy board games. But Catan remains my favourite board game.
Board games have seen a resurgence in recent years, and Linux has a good range of board games to choose from. There is a credible implementation of Catan called Pioneers. But for my favourite implementations of classic board games to play online, check out the recommendations below.
| Board Games | |
|---|---|
| TripleA | Online turn based strategy game |
| Domination | Shares common themes with the hugely popular Risk board game |
| PyChess | Gnome inspired chess client written in Python |
| Scrabble3D | Highly customizable Scrabble game |
| Backgammon | Strong backgammon program (world-class with a bearoff database installed) |
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