The Platys

These games, represent a new awards category highlighting the best of gaming in library spaces. Platy recipients should be considered standouts for Library collections or programming ideas across a wide swath of library types. Games are nominated by librarians and chosen by a select team on the Games and Gaming Round Table, with a cohort of new titles added annually.

  • Azul
  • 2 – 4 players
  • 30 – 45 minutes
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “Simple rules but complex enough for re-playability. It has some player interaction and some wonderful pattern making. It circs well and plays well within 45 minutes. easy rules that teens can get.”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “I’ve played it with kids from 1st grade on through high-school and they all love it. The iconography helps for folks that may not be as literate in English. It’s very simple to start a game, but the kids inevitably want to play another round and another. As an icebreaker in a drop-in teen zone setting or a starter for a family game day. Our D&D DM uses it as a warm-up before delving in to their main game.”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “Exploding Kittens is a quick, easy-to-learn, sometimes silly game that is fun for all ages. It requires a bit of strategy and luck, so this helps keep play from being too uneven among different skilled players. Watching the game as players are eliminated is also fun which helps keep the eliminated players from feeling bored or left out. Game decks can also be mixed together to allow more players. This is a good introductory game for people who don’t play a lot of games or who don’t enjoy or have the attention span for 2+ hour games. Game play usually takes about 15 minutes and the rules and cards are easy to explain in a short amount of time. It takes most new players less than one game to understand it. This makes is suitable for game nights, particularly ones that attract all ages.”

  • Just One
  • 3 – 7 players
  • 20 – 60 minutes
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “A very simple game to teach. Provides a lot of fun for a larger group. Inter-generational programming, introducing games to new gamers”

  • The Mind
  • 2 – 4 players
  • 20 minutes
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “A game that is mostly quiet, but sparks so much conversation after each round! Good at all player counts. A quick, easy to teach game to get people going or to fill time before a larger program as people arrive.”

One Night Ultimate Werewolf

  • 3 – 10 players
  • 10 minutes
  • Ages 10+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a very fast game of deception, trickery, and laughs. Because of the free app that goes with the game, all players can play with no need for a game master or rule enforcer. The app guides players through the night, “waking” each player to make use of their special abilities. In the morning, players then vote on who’s the werewolf in the party. Each game is different and the roles and app can be altered each time. This is another good all-ages game that we have used in Game Night. Because the game moves so quickly (10 minutes or less), players don’t have time to get bored or feel too upset if they are voted the werewolf. The speed of the game also allows people to quickly move in and out of it, good for players that can’t stay long or who want to try other games.”

  • Splendor
  • 2 – 4 players
  • 30 minutes
  • Ages 10+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “Splendor is a fairly easy-to-learn game while also being a thinking and strategy game. It’s good for people who like the strategy of chess without having to know so many rules. It can be taught in one session and it’s suitable for different ages and skill levels to play together. Finally, the quality of materials is impressive, particularly the gem tokens. Splendor is part of our circulating board game collection. We also regularly use it for board game nights open to the community. It’s a great game to have faculty, students, community members, parents, and middle schoolers all playing together.”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “It’s a RPG that teaches sign language as you play. Both BSL and ASL learning provided. Sessions are run by an organizer with 4 or more players. Sign language material can be printed off and complementary video tutorials are found on their website.”

Kids on Bikes

  • 2 or more players
  • Varies
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “Kids on Bikes is a “rules light” RPG game that provides collaborative storytelling without the need to multiple rulebooks or frequent pauses to refer to rules. The game provides a great deal of flexibility to adjust to gaming styles, rule preferences, and vibe. Each player has an active role in determining character relationships, the environment, as well as the story itself. Games can be short pre-generated one-shot sessions or multi-game campaigns, silly or serious. Finally, the rule book has specific guidelines on how to make Kids on Bikes accessible and welcoming to all. I have not used this in a library setting yet, but I am currently working on a campaign that hopefully could be used to teach information literacy or library skills (think of an RPG version of a library escape room).”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that encourages players to get up, walk around, and explore. It is family-friendly and suitable for all ages (but children may need supervision in public to ensure safety). It’s good for individuals, but also families or groups. Libraries can set themselves up as a Pokestop and can do promotions tied to being a Pokestop to bring players inside (i.e. social media promotions or library card signups). There are also monthly community days events that libraries can participant in and lots of ideas for library programming tied to Pokemon Go can be found online.”

  • 2 or more players
  • Varies
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “This game is very popular amongst teens. It is easy to learn how to play and many people can play it at the same time. The competition brackets are also really helpful if wanting to use it for a tournament style program. It is only available on the Nintendo Switch however. I used this game for a teen gaming competition program where teens competed in a smash bros tournament. They had a lot of fun playing against each other and it was really easy setting up the brackets. It’s also a well known game, so many of the teens already knew how to set up the tournament and how to play.”

  • Cascadia
  • 1 – 4 players
  • 30 – 45 minutes
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “A great game for introducing spatial reasoning and logic, fantastic for folks who are newer to board games that are looking for more gateway games with a theme anyone can love and learn from (I taught my dad a lot about Salmon with it!)”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “This is a great game for learning about the history of the suffrage movement. It also comes with reproductions of primary source documents from the Library of Congress, so could be used to teach on research and primary vs. secondary sources. A good mid-weight strategy game that can be played in about a hour makes it good for programming and the high quality components makes it suitable for circulation.”

How do you use this game in a library setting? “This game is great for introductory short adventures to get younger players accustomed to role playing, cooperating, and working as a team. It is also easier for less experienced adults to run kids through their sessions.”

  • Sodalitas
  • 3 or more players
  • Time: Varies
  • Ages 8+

How do you use this game in a library setting? “One page of rules with several one page adventures. Works great for one-shot library programs for a variety of ages. The art is fun. The game is easy to learn and play. Works great for multi-generational groups.”