We think these intro-level options are some of the best to show new gamers the joys of board games: They require lighter strategy and are quick to learn, but they also involve enough exciting decision-making to engage adults. Many of these games are kid-friendly, and several have expansion packs to accommodate additional players or to add complexity.

Fast-paced gem collecting: Splendor

How it’s played: Splendor is a Renaissance-themed resource-collecting game. Players act as gem merchants, using tokens to purchase gem-mine cards and to attract the attention of nobles later in the game to gain even more points. For each turn, each player chooses between drawing gem tokens, buying a card, or reserving a card for later purchase and taking a gold joker token. As players stockpile gem-mine cards, they can use those cards as discounts on other card purchases. The first player with 15 prestige points (earned by purchasing higher-level gem cards and winning over nobles) wins the game.

Why it’s great: It takes only about 15 minutes to learn Splendor’s rules, which means there’s more time to play several rounds—and you’ll probably want to. After we played Splendor with three new gamers, everyone requested it again. This game was first recommended by Wirecutter staffers, but our experts also told us they liked its balance of luck and intro-level strategy. Splendor isn’t as interactive as some of the other games we played, because with this one players don’t share a board or have to barter with one another. But it was simple enough that we could chat with friends while playing and still pay attention to other people’s actions. We enjoyed playing with the eye-catching gem coins and cards, and we appreciated that this game was easily portable for game nights or trips. “You can take Splendor out of the box and put it in a gallon Ziploc,” said Wirecutter writer Alex Arpaia.

Splendor was a 2014 Spiel des Jahres nominee, and it currently has a 4.7-star rating (out of five) across 1,839 reviews on Amazon and a 7.5 rating (out of 10) across more than 48,000 votes on Board Game Geek. It’s included in Ars Technica’s board game guide.

Players: two to four

Duration: 30 minutes

Rules: Website (PDF)

Apps: Android (mobile game), iOS (mobile game)

An intro-level strategy game: Carcassonne

How it’s played: Carcassonne is a city-building Eurogame that involves strategically placing tiles and workers. It’s a little easier to learn than Catan, with light strategy and a shorter play time. For each turn, players draw and place a random tile to build medieval fortifications including roads, cities, cloisters, and farms, and they place their followers on those locations to gain points. Scoring depends on the size of completed developments with followers placed on them. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Why it’s great: Since all players build the map together, Carcassonne is very interactive. The rulebook is easy to navigate for players of all skill levels—Wirecutter writer Doug Mahoney recently played a game with his 9-year-old, who had no problem catching on. Turns go quickly, and we enjoyed playing the game with three and five players. (We didn’t play it with two, the minimum it requires.) Although developing a peaceful French countryside is a less-striking theme compared with those of some other games we tested, the included optional River and Abbot modes add complexity once you’ve mastered the basic game.

Carcassonne also has an expansion pack to add a sixth player and some extra mechanics to earn points (without overly complicating the game). Carcassonne was a 2001 Spiel des Jahres winner, and it currently has a 7.4 rating (out of 10) across 89,000 votes on the Board Game Geek forum, the most votes of our picks besides Catan. It also has a 4.8-star rating (out of five) across 836 Amazon reviews.

Players: two to five

Duration: 30 to 45 minutes

Rules: Website (PDF)

Apps: Android (mobile game), iOS (mobile game)

A standout train-themed game: Ticket to Ride

How it’s played: Ticket to Ride is a train-themed, cross-country adventure game. Players use cards to claim railroad routes and travel to cities across North America, and they gain points by connecting destinations and creating longer routes. Players can cut each other off, forcing competitors to take longer routes. Once a player is down to two (or fewer) trains after using the other 43 to claim routes, the other players get one more turn and then the game ends. Players tally their points and subtract the value of any uncompleted routes from the total; the person with the most points wins the game. (Ticket to Ride comes in several variations if you want more-advanced options; Wirecutter writer Alex Arpaia recommends Ticket to Ride Europe.)

Why it’s great: Both Wirecutter staffers and our experts recommended Ticket to Ride as an accessible game that’s fun to play again and again—like Catan, Ticket to Ride has become a game-night staple. The concept is easy to grasp, but we felt challenged to keep track of our routes and complete all of our destinations before running out of trains. This game doesn’t have as much interaction as games that involve trading, but everyone builds on the same board, and we were delightfully frustrated when other players thwarted our plans. We like the compelling train-traveling adventure narrative, and the brightly colored pieces and board are fun to look at (although the board is quite large on a table). With two players, the game took 45 minutes, though Wirecutter staffers reported that rounds could drag on with more players.

Ticket to Ride was a 2004 Spiel des Jahres winner. At this writing, it has a 4.8-star rating (out of five) across 4,542 Amazon reviews—the highest number among our finalists—and a Board Game Geek rating of 7.4 (out of 10) across 63,000 votes.

Players: two to five

Duration: 30 to 60 minutes

Rules: Website (PDF)

Apps: Android (mobile game), iOS (mobile game)