By Jason Stock - Oct 15, 2024

We all know the classics — Monopoly, Scrabble, and Clue — but what about those board games that fly just under the radar? There’s a whole world of lesser-known gems out there, ready to bring a fresh spark to your game nights. If you’re into word games, detective mysteries, or mind-bending puzzles, these hidden treasures are guaranteed to surprise and entertain.

Bananagrams

Known as “the anagram game that drives you bananas”, Bananagrams is a quick, frantic word game. The object of the game is to use all your letters to build a connected word grid. This game is perfect for those fond of Scrabble and Boggle, with recognizable elements such as the interlocking word grid and simultaneous gameplay. 

Game Overview

• Players: 1-8
• Playtime: 15-25 minutes
• Age Range: 7+

How to Play

• Place all 144 tiles face down in the middle of the playing surface; this pile of tiles is called the Bunch. 

• Each player draws the same number of tiles.
  • 2-4 players: 21 tiles each
  • 5-6 players: 15 tiles each
  • 7-8 players: 11 tiles each
• To start the game, a player calls “Split!”. All players turn over their tiles and race to create an intersecting word grid.
  • Players can rearrange their word grid as often as they like.
• Once a player uses his last tile, he says “Peel!”. All players must then draw one more tile from the Bunch.

• At any time during the game, if a player gets stuck with a tricky letter, he can say “Dump!” and exchange any letter for three tiles in the Bunch.

• When there are fewer tiles in the Bunch than players, the first player to use up all his tiles must yell “Bananas!”
  • If all the player’s words are valid, he becomes “Top Banana”.  
  • If the player’s word grid contains a misspelled word, proper noun, abbreviation or other unacceptable word, he’s declared a “Rotten Banana” and out of the game. The Rotten Banana’s tiles are then returned to the Bunch and gameplay resumes for the other players.

Alternative Ways of Playing

Banana Solitaire

Play the game solo! Place all the tiles face down on the playing surface and select 21 tiles. Then, play as usual. Challenge yourself and try to beat your own best time. This is a great way to work on your Bananagrams skills.

Banana Cafe

Place the Bananagrams pouch in the middle of the playing surface. Have every player draw 21 tiles. Gameplay works as usual with one exception – there is no peeling. The first player to use all 21 tiles wins the game. This alternative gameplay option works well when you’re short on time or are waiting in a restaurant.

Banana Smoothie

Setup starts as usual, with all tiles placed facedown in the center of the playing surface. Here comes the difference – divide all the tiles equally among the players. Play the regular Bananagrams game but without peeling or dumping. The first player to use all of their tiles is crowned “Top Banana”. In case of a tie, the player with the longest word wins.

Game Variations

There are many different variations of Bananagrams available, such as Bananagrams Duel, Double Bananagrams, Bananagrams Wildtiles, Bananagrams Party Edition, and My First Bananagrams.

Themed versions of the game, like Winter Wonderland, Stars and Stripes, and Oceanic, are also quite popular.

Codenames

Codenames is the perfect party game for lovers of wordplay, teamwork, and strategic thinking. Two teams of spies compete to identify their secret agents based on clues given by their Spymasters. The twist? The agents are known only by their code names — single-word labels like “glove,” “France,” or “snow.” 

The Spymasters know the true identities behind these words, but their teammates are left guessing. The goal is simple: identify all your agents before the other team does, all while avoiding the dreaded assassin.

Game Overview

• Players: 4-8+
• Playtime: 15-30 minutes
• Age Range: 10+

How to Play

• Split players into two teams (red and blue), and select a Spymaster for each team. Spymasters draw a key card and use it as a guide to lay out 25 cards in a 5×5 grid.
  • Some of these cards represent red agents, others represent blue agents, one represents the assassin, and the rest are innocent bystanders. The Spymasters are the only ones who know what each card represents.
• The Spymasters take turns giving their teammates clues consisting of just one word and a number. The word suggests a connection between the codename cards on the board, and the number indicates how many cards are linked to that clue.
  • For example, if the Spymaster says “Winter, 2,” the teammates must find two words on the board related to winter, such as “cold” and “snow”. The catch? If they pick a word belonging to the opposing team or an innocent bystander, their turn ends. If they accidentally choose the assassin’s word, they lose the game on the spot.
• Players continue guessing until one team successfully identifies all of their agents or someone reveals the assassin.

Alternative Ways of Playing

Timed Game

Tired of teams taking way too long on each turn? Speed the game up by using a timer, such as the hourglass timer that’s included in the game’s packaging.

Game Variations

Codenames has spun off into several different versions. Codenames: Pictures replaces words with images, while Codenames: Duet is a cooperative two-player version. For a larger-than-life experience, there’s Codenames: XXL, which features double-sized cards.

For those who prefer playing games on a computer or phone, there is an official web version of the game as well as a mobile app on Android and iOS.

Detective Club

In Detective Club, “a game of hidden clues and subtle conspiracies”, players take on the roles of Detectives or Conspirators. This card driven game is perfect for players who love to bluff or come up with creative stories, but it’s also surprisingly enjoyable for those who struggle with deception.

Each round, one player secretly teams up with the Conspirator and tries to help him guess a secret word using only two illustrated cards. Meanwhile, the other players are Detectives, all aware of the word but unsure of each other’s identities. Their goal? To uncover the Conspirator without getting falsely accused themselves.

Game Overview

• Players: 4-8
• Playtime: 30-45 minutes
• Age Range: 8+

How to Play

• To start, each player draws six evidence cards. 

• The game begins with one player acting as the Active Player. This player chooses a secret word that two cards in her hand can represent and plays one of these cards face up in the center of the table. Then, she draws another card from the evidence card deck.

• Next, the Active Player writes the word down in all but one of the included notebooks, then shuffles and hands them out face down.
  • The player who receives the blank notebook is the Conspirator and must now figure out the word by analyzing the cards other players put down.
• In clockwise order, players take turns playing one card that matches the secret word and drawing a new card from the deck. This process repeats until each player has placed two cards.
  • The Conspirator, unaware of the word, must carefully observe the other cards played, trying to blend in without giving himself away.
• Once each player has placed two cards, the Active Player reveals the secret word and explains how her cards relate to it. All players follow suit, justifying their choices.
  • Here’s the twist: not all players will have cards that match the word, leading to creative, and sometimes dubious, explanations. The more abstract or far-fetched the reasoning, the guiltier players might seem — even if they’re innocent!
• Next, it’s time to vote. Players place tokens on whoever they suspect to be the Conspirator. Once everyone has voted, flip the notebooks over to reveal the Conspirator.
  • If 0-1 players correctly identify the Conspirator, the Conspirator and the Active Player earn 5 and 4 victory points respectively. 
  • If 2+ players catch on, the Detectives take the win and gain 3 victory points each.
• The game ends when everyone has had the chance to be the Active Player at least once, and the player with the most points wins.

Alternative Ways of Playing

Thematic Game

For an extra challenge, play with thematic topics like movies, literature, or countries. This limits word options for the Active Player and makes it more difficult to choose cards that fit the word.

No Discussion Game

Skip the discussion phase altogether, moving straight to voting after the cards are played.

Time to Discover a New Favorite Board Game

From word-building showdowns to clever deduction games, these board games are sure to bring fresh challenges and plenty of laughs to the table. So next time you gather your friends or family, skip the usual suspects and give one of these lesser-known treasures a try — you might just find a new favorite!