Jerk Moves For Winning Board Games

I love playing board games with my nerdy friends by I can't stand it when they become overly competitive because that takes all the fun out of it for me- plus those bastards always cheat.

These Type A gamers need to be put in their place, which is where these Dick Moves For Winning Board Games by Nick Douglas of Lifehacker come in handy.

Want to crush your buddies while playing Settlers Of Catan?

Block a road in the middle

You can chop up another player’s road with a settlement, breaking it into two smaller roads and potentially making it ineligible for the “longest road” bonus. Even though this is covered in the rules, players regularly ask about it on the /r/catan subreddit.

Make the robber count

If you can, use the robber against the player to your right. If you hit a hex that only they benefit from, the robber will sit there all round. When their turn finally comes, if they get revenge, you’ll be able to respond immediately.

If Risk is more your speed then here are a few tips to help you conquer the world:

Feint toward an ally

Don’t immediately build up forces on the border that faces your next target. First build up near someone you could intimidate, but don’t actually want to invade. Then cut a deal with them, and move your armies over to ambush your actual enemy. If you play this right, you’ll be two steps ahead: Your enemy won’t be ready for you, and your new ally will owe you something just for doing what you secretly planned to do already.

Hand over Australia

Australia is the easiest continent to take over in the early game, but it’s very hard to expand from, and its bonus is pitiful. If you can grab a bit of Australia early on, and pretend you care about it, you can “give it away” in exchange for something more valuable. Be careful: This takes some careful negotiation, and other experienced players won’t fall for it.

Read Dick Moves For Winning Board Games here