Gateway Games
“Gateway game” is a term of endearment among gamers. Much like its original inspiration, this term describes any game that is used as an entry-level game to new gamers in the hopes that they will fall in love with the hobby and wish to play more and more games. A gateway game, therefore, is a game used to hook another person into becoming a more hard-core gamer. We will also provide other games that you may enjoy if you enjoy the gateways listed. These will hopefully help you turn your family, friends, and neighbors into gamers who will fight over their spot at your table. -T
Abstract Strategy
– Grid movement
– Piece-by-piece elimination
– Special abilities/powers associated with certain pieces
Action Point Allowance
– Points given each turn to use on different actions
– More freedom to choose actions to perform
– Usually more actions allowed to take than points to spend on completing
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| Survive: Escape from Atlantis! (review) | Evolution (review) | Dinosaur Island (solo review) |
Action / Dexterity
– Uses physical actions to play
– Skills in hand/eye coordination usually result in success
– Flicking games are majority of this category
Action / Movement Programming
– Actions are selected and locked in, unable to be changed
– Strategies planned many steps ahead
– Actions typically executed in sequence or all together
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| Oh My Goods! (review coming) | Colt Express (review) | Space Alert |
Area Control / Influence
– Majority presence in areas score points
– Flexibility to concentrate efforts or diversify
– Usually separate areas score differently
Auction / Bidding
– Usually will bid on items using money or VPs
– Some games increase attractiveness of unbid items for future auctions
– Active and competitive
Betting / Wagering
– Placing bets with real or game money
– Usually higher winning bets cash out larger rewards
– Highly competitive
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| The Hare & The Tortoise (review) | Camel Up | Spartacus |
Bluffing
– Hidden information
– Usually an amount of player deception
– Reveals can be alarming
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| Coup | Deception: Murder in Hong Kong (review) | Dead of Winter |
Comic Book / Strip
– Themes based on comic books or comic strips
– Not always superhero
Cooperative Play
– Work together as a team to accomplish game’s goal
– Little to no player competition within themselves
– Win or lose together as a team
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| Escape Room Games (review coming) | T.I.M.E Stories | Gloomhaven |
Deck Building
– Players use their own decks to play
– Possibly add/remove cards from decks each round
– Decks become more specialized
Dice Rolling
– Push your luck
– Chance-based
– You roll dice, duh
Drafting
– Select resources from a supply
– Assemble resource to complete game objectives
– Highly competitive
Dungeon Crawl
– Usually a linear adventure
– Variable character choices
– Not always set in a dungeon
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| D&D: Wrath of Ashardalon | Mansions of Madness 2e | Vast: The Crystal Caverns |
Fighting
– Players battle each other to determine victory
– Games can become very intense
– Highly competitive
– Some more sensitive players can become upset
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| Tiny Ninjas (review) (solo review) | Flick ’em Up! | Dice Throne: Season 1 |
Modular Board
– The board or play surface is usually built as the game is played
– Usually the layout is randomized, but not always
– Emphasizes exploration or building outward
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| Steam Park | Takenoko | The 7th Continent |
Murder / Mystery
– Usually involves crime and investigation
– Uses deduction to solve game objectives
– Can be cooperative or competitive
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| Mr. Jack | Elder Sign (solo review) | Tragedy Looper |
Negotiation
– Players make/break deals and alliances
– Possible back-stabbing or reneging
– Sensitive players can feel betrayed
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| Bohnanza (review) | Sheriff of Nottingham | Ca$h ‘n Guns (2nd edition) (review coming) |
Party Games
– High amounts of social interaction
– Usually accommodate larger player counts
– Generally have simpler rules and easier setup
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| One Night Ultimate Werewolf | Hues and Cues (review) | Dixit |
Pattern Building
– Organize components/resources in set patterns
– Different patterns can lead to variable results
– Turns are more strategic and involve planning ahead
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| Kingdomino (review) | FUSE (solo review) | Reef (review) |
Pick-Up and Deliver
– Pick up item/resource from one board location and move it to another location
– Delivery usually grants players the ability to perform more/specific actions
– Delivery can score points or unlock additional objectives
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| Deep Sea Adventure (review coming) | My Little Scythe (review) | Broom Service |
Player Elimination
– Players can be beaten out of the game, and the game continues without them
– Usually the last player remaining wins
– More sensitive players may become upset from being eliminated
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| Love Letter (review coming) | BANG! The Dice Game (review) | King of Tokyo / New York |
Press Your Luck
– Repeat an action until you decide to stop – or bust
– Usually games of high risk/high reward
– Playing it safe isn’t always the best way to victory
Racing
– Players race to complete the objective or reach checkpoints
– Players maneuver around the board or obstacles
– Other players may affect the course of the race with abilities/obstacles
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| Cartagena (review) | Jamaica (review coming) | Automobiles |
Route / Network Building
– Connect several points on the board
– Build chains with owned, partially owned, or neutral spaces
– Usually routes vary through differing game objectives
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| Tsuro | Trains | Near and Far |
Secret Unit Deployment
– Hidden piece/location information from other players
– Only the player has perfect information regarding their components
– Games focus on deduction and subterfuge
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| Captain Sonar | LotR: The Confrontation | Escape from the Aliens in Outer Space |
Set Collection
– Collect items from a specific suit or commonality
– Different sets usually provide exclusive results/actions/outcomes
– Sets can be of identical items or family of items
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| Jaipur (review) | Elysium | Champions of Midgard |
Simultaneous Action Selection
– All player actions are decided simultaneously
– Actions selected can be shown to others or kept secret
– Actions revealed simultaneously and resolved according to game rules
Take That
– Highly competitive games
– Players usually directly attack each other to impede progress
– Lots of player interaction – sometimes very confrontational
– More sensitive players can become hurt or upset
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| Star / Hero Realms (review coming) | Keyforge | Baseball Highlights: 2045 (review) |
Trick Taking
– Cards or components played one at a time with the winner taking all cards/components into their collection
– Usually the goal is collect the most cards/components or highest values
– Some games can be played singularly or in teams
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| 12 Days | David & Goliath | The Fox in the Forest |
Variable Phase Order
– Turn order is not concretely set and followed throughout the game
– Players usually will follow different players in each round
– Games will sometimes suffer from one player monopolizing lead player role
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| San Juan | Queendomino | Eminent Domain |
Variable Player Powers
– Players have unique powers or abilities to use throughout the game
– Could result in many different paths to victory
– Usually powers are unique to each player
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| Burgle Bros. | Tiny Epic Galaxies (review) | Chronicles of Crime |
Worker Placement
– Select actions from a set of individual actions
– Usually offers a limit on number of times each individual action can be performed – or how many players can occupy a space on the board
– Not all actions can be taken by all players each round, so players can block each other from certain actions (ie Laura with the pebbles in Everdell)
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| Targi | Lords of Waterdeep | Everdell (review) |