There are a few things that are always considered „typically German“. Barbecuing is one of them, as is the „Wegbier“ (a beer you drink in public anytime you’re “on the go”) or, for many, meeting up with friends to play board games. Monopoly, The Settlers of Catan, Werewolves, Uno, Activity, Game of Life, Carcassonne, Cards against Humanity…. There is hardly anyone in this country who has not played at least one of these games for hours with friends. In a cosy group, with beer and crisps.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this is no longer really feasible. Online board games, which are now available in countless versions, can help a little. At least you can arrange to meet online for a virtual games evening – wine, beer and pizza included, that goes without saying. And since we have probably all watched even the most absurd series and films on Netflix, Prime Video, etc., a game night with friends would be a welcome change. For a cosy game night with several people, it is best to use a video call tool and play the games either in your browser or the apps (if there are apps). And of yourse, feel free to share pictures and/or short clips of your game night with us – we’d love to share them on our social media channels (links below the article)!
Snatch
Snatch is a fast-paced word game in which players make english words from tiles and steal words from other players by rearranging them to form larger words.
playsnatch.io – players: 2+ / agains random opponents // against an AI
Skribbl
Skribbl is a free multiplayer drawing and guessing game. One game consists of a few rounds in which every round someone has to draw their chosen word and others have to guess it to gain points.
Codenames
Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.
How to play? Click on the „create room“ button, select the preferred game settings and start the game. Connect with your friends using your favorite audio or video chat. Share the room URL with your friends.
Among us
An online and local party game of teamwork and betrayal for 4-10 players…in space.
To start a game that is only accessible to friends, select „Online Game“ in the main menu and then „Host“. After you have set the options as you wish, start the game and your character will land in an anteroom. There you can set the game to public, if desired. Otherwise, share the displayed code with your friends. Those who have received a code enter it in the main menu under „online games“ and „private“. As soon as all the players are there, you can start. The best thing to do is to use a video call tool – then the whole thing is even more fun.
Among Us is available for Windows PCs via Steam (costs only €3.99), and the game is also available for Android and iOS (free of charge).
https://store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us/
Advanced Civilization
Advanced Civilization is a game of skill for two to eight players which covers the development of ancient civilizations from the invention of agriculture to the emergence of Rome as the dominant Mediterranean power – a span of almost 8,000 years. Each player leads a nation of peoples over a mapboard of the Mediterranean and Near East as they attempt to carve a niche for themselves and their culture.
Mafia
Mafia.gg is an online, text-based version of the classic party game Mafia. Each player is secretly assigned a role aligned with either the town or the mafia.
The mafia eliminates one town member per night, and act like innocent town members during the day. The town must combine their wits and eliminate the true mafia before they’re outnumbered.
Sign up, join a game room. Accounts are free.
Werewolf
The online version of Werewolf has two basic game modes: 24 hour games and speed rounds. The 24 hour games have 12-hour day and night cycles. In speed rounds a day and night only take a few minutes. The 24 hour games are played continuously – there is usually one ongoing, and one where you can sign up, at any moment.
The speed games are occasionally hosted in the weekend. Whichever mode is used, victory conditions and basic play remains the same: The village is trying to work out who are killing them during the night, and the evil factions are trying to stay hidden until they have whittled down the numbers of the village. The evil factions are: the Werewolves, the Coven, the Vampire, and the Undead – each game includes at least one, and possibly multiple, of these factions, and may also include factions that assist these evils, or independent neutral or evil players outside of any faction.
(text:werewolv.es)
Werewords
In Werewords™ , players guess a secret word by asking “yes” or “no” questions. Figure out the magic word before time is up, and you win! However, one of the players is secretly a werewolf who is not only working against you, but also knows the word. If you don’t guess the word in time, you can still win by identifying the werewolf! To help you out, one player is the Seer, who knows the word, but has to be careful not be too obvious when helping you figure it out; if the word is guessed, the Werewolf can pull out a win by identifying the Seer! A free iOS/Android app provides thousands of words in hundreds of categories at various difficulty levels, so everyone can play.
You can find the rules & more here: https://werewords.com/
To download the apps for Android or iOS, follow the links below:
https://tinyurl.com/werewordsandroid
https://tinyurl.com/werewordsios
If you rather play it in your browser, set up a video call or text chat with your friends and follow this link: https://anywherewords.com/
You simply enter a game ID and submit, then submit your name and follow the instructions on the next page. Only the major will need the app then since the website doesn’t have the Werewords word list.
Share your game night pictures & clips with us and tag us in social media (@cologneceltics):
Cologne Celtics 