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It can be somewhat difficult to discern which games play best at 3 players, given that there aren’t many titles out there that are distinctly marketed for that number of participants. This list will shine some light on which games can turn an odd number into a full-fledged board game party.
8 Tales Of The Arabian Nights
Starting off this list is Tales Of The Arabian Nights, a choose-your-own-adventure style board game where 1-6 players travel throughout a world inspired by tales and legends from the book, One Thousand And One Nights. Players can become iconic heroes such as Aladdin, Scheherazade, and Sinbad, traveling the world in search of adventure and glory.
Though up to 6 players can play simultaneously, the game is meant for 3. During 1 player’s turn, 2 additional players will be involved, either reading from the book of tales or observing the reaction matrice. In other words, someone is always involved in the game at the 3-player count. Perfect for gamers who enjoy reading and having random, hilarious encounters.
7 Santorini
An abstract strategy game that supports 2-4 players, Santorini is a gorgeous and simple game involving constructing buildings and using the powers of Greek Gods. To win, players must use their worker/s and get them to the top of a 3rd story building. Sounds easy but players can easily block and prevent one another from winning.
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At the 3-player mark, the game becomes a sort of 3-way chess as players keep one another in check whilst attempting to maneuver themselves towards victory. Players will also use their special god abilities to traverse the board faster, build more frequently, and sabotage their rivals. Quick, easy to learn, yet deeply strategic, Santorini is a must-play for any gang of 3.
6 Clank! In! Space!: A Deck-Building Adventure
Clank! In! Space! Is a game where players become thieves and must loot the spoils from the evil tyrant, Lord Eradikus. Slipping aboard his flagship, players must sneak their way through, hack modules, and get that sweet loot.
However, if players are too noisy, they will draw the ire and rage of Lord Eradikus (resulting in a very painful death). A game that involves pushing your luck to get just a bit more, the game is great fun and incredibly intense. A perfect game for 3, this game beats out its cousin, Clank!, as it fixes several issues with its predecessor.
5 Pax Renaissance
As bankers during the Renaissance, players will get to carry out various actions that will determine the future of Europe. These actions will either bring the continent into enlightenment or allow it to rot in the dark ages.
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In Pax Renaissance, players will acquire cards to create their tableau, allowing them to select from a pool of actions. These actions can vary from discovering new trade routes to financing different sides in warfare and will determine how Europe moves forward and is influenced. Ideal for 3 players, this game is perfect for those who enjoy historical themes and living out their inner Rothschild. This game is also quite complex and may require several plays (or a good teacher) to master.
4 Food Chain Magnate
On the surface, Food Chain Magnate is about building the greatest fast-food chain ever. Players will experience a card-driven (human) resource management system whereby they will hire individuals and carry out actions to make their fast-food chain run smoothly like a kitten purring.
Players will compete against each other in a variable city via marketing, purchasing, sales, and acquiring the right people for the job. It’s a serious game for serious gamers as Food Chain Magnate itself is quite complex and will take 2-4 hours to complete. However, once players get it, the game can be a deeply satisfying experience.
3 Fury Of Dracula 3rd/4th Edition
A game in which up to 4 players team up to defeat 1 of their own, Fury Of Dracula is an epic hidden movement game in which vampire hunters arm themselves to the teeth and journey across Europe to take down Dracula himself before he sires more pale brethren.
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Acting as a sort of sequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1 player (Dracula) must secretly move throughout Europe, setting traps or misdirections whilst simultaneously creating more vampires to win (using Dracula’s little minimap that other players can’t see). To oppose this, the other players must travel from city to city, acquiring weapons and using their special abilities to search and eventually fight Dracula. As the game will always play with 4 hunters tracking down Dracula, Fury of Dracula works extremely well at 3 players: 1 as the lord of darkness himself against 2 players (each taking 2 vampire hunters).
2 Terraforming Mars
One of the most popular games ever made and ranking 4th overall on Board Game Geek, Terraforming Mars has players become rival CEOs seeking to make Mars habitable whilst building their corporate empires in the process. Players will finance various projects, drop oceans, and lightly sabotage one another to get the upper hand.
The game supports up to 5 players but works better at 3 as the gaming experience is more streamlined and there is less waiting around. Fans of engine building and sci-fi will find this game right for their palette.
1 Anachrony
Anachrony is a worker placement game involving time travel to prevent an incoming apocalypse. Involving strategy and foresight, players must gather vital resources, acquire various specialists, and procure exo-suits to protect said specialists (which are in very short supply).
Fans of sci-fi may find this game appealing, as Anachrony also provides a sort of asymmetrical experience with the player ‘paths’. The game asks players to curate how they want to best leverage their unique asymmetries to achieve victory. It’s a heavy sci-fi experience that is perfect for a group of 3.
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