Catan Studio / KosmosCatan

Klaus Teuber's Catan (originally The Settlers of Catan) arguably created the whole family-strategy category, and it still earns its place - though it asks more of players than the others here. Resources are produced by dice rolls on numbered hex tiles, and the heart of the game is trading those resources with your rivals, which is where both the fun and the friendly arguing live. That negotiation is wonderful with pre-teens and up, but the dice-driven luck and 60-90 minute length make it a stretch for the youngest children. Note, too, that the base box needs at least three players, so it will not cover a parent-and-one-child evening. For families ready for genuine strategy and table talk, few games deliver a better night. First to ten victory points wins, and the modular hex board is different every time.