>Anyone think recent board games are becoming unnecessarily complex and deeply strategy based?
Nah, both simple and complicated board games are more popular than ever. This particular list is focused on the complicated side. But off the top of my head some great and recent simpler ones:
Codenames, Bring Your Own Book (free if you print your own copy), Potion Explosion, A Fake Artist Goes to New York, Spaceteam, Colt Express, HABA Go Cuckoo! A Wobbly Nest-Building Game (Jenga-esque!), Wits and Wagers.
You can teach the rules of these amazing games in about a minute: Love Letter (best card game ever?), Hand of the King, Splendor, Carcassonne.
You can teach the rules of these equally great games in about 5 minutes: Forbidden Island, Inis (my favourite game of the year!), Not Alone (a brilliant cat-and-mouse game card game that scales from 2 to 7 players )
I haven't played the original Love Letter, but Batman Love Letter (from what I remember, the Robin card is the major variation, but I could be wrong) is a great game to break out for small gatherings. Anyone can play it, and there's enough luck involved that anyone can win a given game.
Star Realms is not as easy, but most people can pick up the basics pretty quickly, and it's one of our favorites. The app is also great!
It requires more setup, but King of Tokyo is easy and fun, too. The main problem with King of Tokyo is that it soon becomes obvious that rolling for points is the best approach most of the time. King of New York fixes this, but new people are more likely to struggle with the rules.
Zombie Dice is almost purely a game you play while doing something else, but it doesn't get much easier, and it's still pretty fun.
I can second the recommendation of Forbidden Island. Got it for a 9yr old and it has been a big hit with the kids. The cooperative goal was a huge draw for me -- "we" win the game together, no one person can win. The kids are competitive enough, so having something like this was a great way to bring them together.
Two player: Patchwork, quick setup, easy rules, fast to play. Even my wife got hooked on this one. Which means it is a keeper (both game and wife ;) ).
Nah, both simple and complicated board games are more popular than ever. This particular list is focused on the complicated side. But off the top of my head some great and recent simpler ones:
Codenames, Bring Your Own Book (free if you print your own copy), Potion Explosion, A Fake Artist Goes to New York, Spaceteam, Colt Express, HABA Go Cuckoo! A Wobbly Nest-Building Game (Jenga-esque!), Wits and Wagers.