If you’re anything like me, you probably grew up finding board games dull, boring and nothing more than an obligation during the holidays.

But what if I told you that there’s so much more to them than just going around a board? Sit back, and let me give you a list of some of the best games to play with your quarantine pod this winter. If you like the sound of any of these, head over to Funagain Games in downtown Eugene, or Addictive Behaviors, where they’re sure to lead you down a very exciting path. 

Pandemic Legacy Season 0 

Don’t let the name put you off. You may have heard of Pandemic before, a game where you try to stop diseases from spreading across the world, but I bet you’ve never heard of a “legacy” game before. Pandemic Legacy Season 0 is set in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War. You try to stop the Soviet Union from releasing a disease that will spread throughout the world, similarly to the original game. What’s different about a legacy game is that throughout the course of the game’s 12 months you’ll find yourself ripping cards in half, throwing out pieces and leaving stickers on the board. There’s no turning back in a legacy game, and every group’s story is entirely their own. 

Go 

One of the oldest games in the world, Go was invented in China over 2,500 years ago, but don’t let its age fool you. With its very simple set of rules, the game has two players fight to control a board similar to that of chess. Unlike chess, though, this game grants a large amount of freedom when putting down your pieces. No round of this game is like another, and once you pass the initial difficulty curve you’ll find yourself becoming addicted to it. 

Azul 

Azul is a competitive game designed for two to four players. Each round players take turns choosing pieces to design their board, or what the game calls their palace. You can seek out every piece you need to get the highest score or sabotage the players ahead of you by picking pieces that they need. Whatever you do, you’ll end up with a board full of colorful, beautifully designed pieces to look at when you’re finished. 

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you’re sure to love this mystery game. Play cooperatively or against one another to try to solve mysteries laid out in actual game-provided newspapers, quest booklets and an address directory. What makes this an interesting twist on Sherlock Holmes is that you’re playing as neither him nor his trusty companion, John Watson. Instead, you’re a member of his famous Homeless Network, following a story that he himself asks you to look into. Be prepared to take lots of notes — this game is certainly trickier than you might expect.