Here Are Some of IGN Southeast Asia’s Favourite Tabletop Games

April has been an exciting month for IGN Southeast Asia, as we have been exploring new places that host tabletop game nights, and discovering new board games. We have documented most of our adventures and published them on our social media platforms. You can check them out here.

As part of our Tabletop Month, we are also sharing what our editorial team loves to play together with friends on a peaceful weekend.

Adrian Lai - Love Letter

If you're looking for a fun and engaging card game, look no further than Love Letter. This game is easy to learn and quick to play, making it the perfect choice for game night with friends or family. The premise is simple: you play as a suitor trying to win the heart of the princess by outwitting your opponents.

Each round is full of strategy and surprises, as players try to deduce which cards their opponents are holding and use their own cards to gain an advantage. With only 16 cards in the deck, every decision counts, and the game is always full of suspense. Give Love Letter a try and you'll be hooked in no time.

In addition to the base game, Love Letter also has several expansions available. These expansions introduce new characters and mechanics that add even more depth and strategy to the game. Whether you're a seasoned player or new to Love Letter, the expansions provide a fresh and exciting experience. So, if you're looking to take your Love Letter gameplay to the next level, be sure to check out the available expansions.

Besides the physical version of the game, Love Letter is also available on Steam. This means that you can play the game online with friends and family, even if you can't be together in person. The digital version includes all the same fun and strategic gameplay of the physical version, but with the added convenience of being able to play from anywhere.

Plus, the online version allows for easy matchmaking and playing with people from all over the world. So, whether you prefer playing the physical game or want to try out the digital version, Love Letter has got you covered.

Amanda Lee - Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens is basically a kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette. You play the game by putting the deck face down and taking turns drawing cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten. The person then explodes and is out of the game. The whole process then continues till one player is left.

It’s a pretty fun and easy card game with hilarious illustrations that takes about 15 minutes per round. The card game also comes with a tonne of expansion packs that allow you to potentially come back to life as a zombie after you explode, ridiculous-looking wearables such as a headcrown that shields you against card stealers or a cone of shame to just… shame you and more.

Exploding Kittens was recently made digitally too so you can actually play it on your Nintendo Switch or mobile phones now be it with friends, strangers online or even go solo against AI bots to kill time.

Dale Bashir - Root

When it comes to boardgames, my best friend Calan is an avid collector and will always host tabletop nights at his home. Oftentimes, we would try one of his new games and the none has impressed us more than Root.

A game where disparate groups of anthropomorphic animals aim to take over a forest, each player plays the role of these different factions. The twist is that each faction plays entirely differently from one another, and they even have different win conditions.

One player will effectively be playing Risk, while another player is playing Monopoly; that’s the best way to describe the way you play Root. And don’t get me started on the myriad of add-ons that can change the game even more.

It’s not the easiest game to play as it has a lot of rules. After all, each player is operating on a different set of rules. But with each new playthrough my friends and I go through, we find ourselves enjoying it even more.

Izzatul Razali - Cluedo

Cluedo is a murder mystery board game that inspired a lot of movies such as Knives Out and Clue. You can play with 5 of your friends and everyone takes turns to figure out who the murderer is in the group by process of elimination.

In one of the latest additions, the Cluedo set comes with Time Cards hidden in a deck of Intrigue cards, which is basically like the Chance deck in Monopoly. There are a total of 8 Time Cards and the rule states that the player who draws out the eighth card is automatically eliminated. In the brochure that comes with the kit, the story goes that players are taking too much time to figure out who the murderer is, so he strikes again! There are a lot of variations of expansion packs to Cluedo that make it fun but this is just one of my favourites.

There are also online alternatives to the game but nothing beats the classics.

Syazwan Bahri - 5 Alive

5 Alive is an intense card game played in a group of six. The objective of 5 Alive is to be the last player with at least one Alive card remaining face up on the table. Players will start with 10 cards in hand and 5 lives.

A player then plays a card with a number. The next player then does the same. Every number card that is played will add to the total. When playing, you don’t want the total to go past 21. If the only cards in your hand are number cards that will put the running total over 21, you will lose a life and the number resets to zero.

With the addition of Wild Cards, the game is guaranteed to take a wacky turn after a few rounds. During a recent play session, I was a victim of the writers above me; they bumped the number to 21 multiple times in a row as they knew I didn’t have a card to play below 21.

It’s a fun game, and you should check it out with a group of friends.