I’ve played lots of games — some good, some terrible and some stellar.
From time-to-time, I’ll use this blog to focus on some older games I love in my Retro Gaming the 70s & 80s posts or new games I’m just learning through my New Game Weekend reviews.
If you’re looking for a good place to start with a new game or wanting to revisit a classic, try out one of these below.
1775 Rebellion
1776
A Bridge Too Far: Operation Market Garden
A Few Acres of Snow
Acquire
The American Revolution 1775-1783
Africana
Arkham Horror
Axis & Allies: Guadalcanal
Bioshock Infinite: The Siege of Columbia
Brass
Canterbury
Carcassonne
Chinatown
Civilization & Advanced Civilization
Clash of Cultures
Crossbows and Catapults
Cuba Libre
Dark Tower
DC Heroes Role Playing Game
Dixit Journey
Dreadfleet
Dungeon!
Dungeon Dwellers
Dust Tactics
Eight-Minute Empire: Legends
Escape…From The Temple Curse
Evolution
Fire In The Lake
Fire & Axe
Fortune and Glory
Gamma World
The Grizzled
Guillotine
Innovation
Joan of Arc
King of Chicago
King of New York
King of Tokyo
Legendary
Lego Heroica
Letters From Whitechapel
Leviathans
Liberty: The American Revolution 1775-83
Liberty Or Death: The American Revolution
Lords of Waterdeep
Love Letter
Marvel Super Heroes Super Hero Role-Playing Game
Memoir ’44
Mysterium
New York 1901
New York 1776
One Night: Ultimate Werewolf
Pacific Typhoon
Power Grid
The Resistance: Avalon
Revolution!
RoboRally
Shoot N’ Skedaddle
Sid Meier’s Civilization: The Board Game
Small World
Spartacus
Star Wars X-Wing
Survive!
Talking Football
The DragonLords
Trenton 1776
TSR Minigames
Tsuro
Tzolk’in
Village
Wilderness War
Zombicide
Zombicide: Black Plague
Zombicide: Prison Outbreak
Zombicide: Wulfsburg
Brooklyn Wargaming 
What’s a good beginner “strategy” game for kids ages 8-11? Would “Risk” be appropriate or is there a better recommendation? Thanks for any suggestions!
Risk definitely falls in that age range, as does Battleship, but both are by their nature based on combat.
We play Settlers of Catan as family but need to help Jules (at age eight) with some card reading. Ticket to Ride falls at about the age 10 mark too, and we all play it together. These are both great, smart, good looking games without a combat element.
There are also a couple shape-fitting games like Blokus and Cathedral where you take turns placing shapes on a board, blocking out your opponent. These are great for planning, spatial understanding and strategy, again without the warfare element.