Board Games I like!
Ticket to Ride
I looove trains. Ticket to Ride is one of my comfort games and plays incredibly nicely and tidily. I have admittedly been playing it since I was a child. It is really easy to learn and to play and it's one of my favourite games to start new players on. At low player counts it's relaxed and friendly while with higher numbers it can get beautifully cutthroat (which larger groups have tended to enjoy more often). Obviously here I've recommended the Europe version (I am from there) but this applies to basically all the iterations, though give particular interest to Scandinavia for two or three players and admittedly, I've been loving the smaller maps like San Francisco since they are so easy to set up and play anywhere.
Overall, a lovely light game with a nice amount of depth and a cute feel, although for the more intense among you it may be a little light on rules.
Everdell
This one goes on my list 90% for cuteness. It is an absolutely beautiful game with some of the nicest components I've had the pleasure of interacting with. I always love a good worker placement game or tableau builder and Everdell does both with style. Just a beautiful little thing and the rules are written with such love that it's just a joy. However, it doesn't seem to gel with everyone as I've struggled to get it on the table.
7 Wonders
Another game I've played nonstop since it's release, 7 Wonders feels like one of the basic pillars of board games. While I always think I've surely enjoyed all there is to enjoy with her, but every time she hits the table I still have a blast. I've actually introduced the game to a lot of new players quite easily. It's a simple base for drafting and I always find it's a game that can ease people into scarier looking games because of her relative simplicity. On the other hand, I need to be dragged back from trying the green strategy every single time even though it never wins me the game. When you start to throw in the frankly ridiculous number of extra wonders and leaders it's easy to stay interested. If anyone knows how to custom-make boards and cards though, do give me a shout. It would be cute to have custom stuff!
Twilight Struggle
Oh my beloved... Twilight Struggle is an incredibly well put together cold war game that lets you run through the period with retrospective knowledge that somehow lets you fall for all the same blunders. There is a beautiful level of strategy to be had, and even though the game is incredibly unbalanced (though I can't complain since it biases towards the soviets) it still feels tight at every moment. Unfortunately, it only takes a couple of wins against your closest friends before it gets banned from the table so if you manage to really understand it, enjoy all the games you can get.