The winter snow storms and frigid cold temperatures are making way across Mentor. So don’t waste these cold days being stuck inside doing nothing, instead try a new board game this weekend. It is near impossible that you’ve never played Monopoly or Uno! but there are thousands of companies that make really interesting games from a wide range of skill levels. Most games you’ll be able to find online but if you can’t try looking around at some of the game stores here in Mentor. However here are a few games you’ve probably not tried that you can find very easily online or at Walmart .

The Game of UR

UR is a competitive two player game. Originated from ancient Mesopotamia this game is perfect for history fans. In Ur the first player rolls the four triangle dice and counts the number of black points that face upwards. The player then moves along the board accordingly.

The game becomes challenging on the part of the board known as the “bridge.” In this section of the board the opposing player is passing through the same area as you and therefore can land on the other person’s piece, sending it back to the beginning. Additionally there are spots on the board that allow a player to roll again, these spaces can vary in looks from board to board so be sure to check your rule book. To win the game one player must get all of their pieces to the other side, passing the space highlighted purple in the image above. This game is really fun and only takes about 15-20 minutes.

Llamas Unleashed 

Llamas Unleashed is another competitive game but can have 2-8 players. This game is most known for its cute and humorous art style. In the game each player takes a reference card, to refer back to the rules and steps of the game, as well as a baby animal card (the white cards). Remaining baby animal cards are shuffled and set aside to form the “nursery”. The players are then dealt five of the standard cards (the black cards). Players then take turns playing various card types with the objective of being the first player with seven animal cards in their field (the field is where cards are played). In general this game is very easy to understand and for the most part the descriptions at the bottom of the card will help when playing.

This game rarely takes over 30 minutes except for the first time you play, as well as being a very good option for big groups and people who aren’t super into board games.

 Catan Starfarers 

This game is a competitive and collaborative 2-4 player game. The rules of this are pretty complicated but the basic idea is that you and the other players are colonizing space.

In the game you are competing for the most planets so you can be the first to 10 victory points. However, there are also components of the game where players need to work together for resources. This game is much like the original Catan while also having some elements of Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering.

It’s also recommended that you at least try the original Catan first but honestly the rule book for this game reads very easily and is thorough so you could start with this version.

Happy Little Dinosaurs

This game is another 2-4 player game, note there are extensions to expand the game to more players.

In this game each player has their own small board numbered 1-50. Once a player reaches their 50th point marked on the board they win the game. To get these points players can use their point cards on their turn.

However, there is another component – players must also survive disasters that are drawn from the disaster card pile. Though a player can survive the disasters unless they have one of each type or  three of a kind. This game is fairly easy and also doesn’t take much more than five minutes to learn.

Again all of the games listed above are available on Amazon. Additionally all but Catan cost around $20-35. They’re great games to play with your friends but they also make really good gifts for birthdays.