The Ludarium Guild of Game Guides · Toolkit

The Game Ladder Worksheet

Plan four games for one person, each adding one new idea.

Who this ladder is for

What they already enjoy

  1. 4Rung 4

    Game

    The one new idea it adds

    When we will play it

  2. 3Rung 3

    Game

    The one new idea it adds

    When we will play it

  3. 2Rung 2

    Game

    The one new idea it adds

    When we will play it

  4. 1Rung 1 (start here: short and simple)

    Game

    The one new idea it adds

    When we will play it

Sample ladders

Start from what they already like. Each rung adds one idea; never skip two.

If they like card games

  1. Flip 7: Push your luck: one more card, or stop?
  2. Splendor: Build up: what you buy makes the next buy cheaper.
  3. 7 Wonders: Pick one card, pass the rest, and everyone plays at once.
  4. Dominion: Your deck is your engine: buy cards that improve every hand.

If they like puzzles

  1. Azul: Take tiles, fill rows, and keep the floor empty.
  2. Cascadia: Place a tile and an animal, and score patterns.
  3. Carcassonne: A shared map, and pieces you commit to it.
  4. Wingspan: An engine: cards that make your next turns stronger.

If they like talking and laughing together

  1. Codenames: Teams, and one-word clues.
  2. King of Tokyo: Dice you can reroll, and a hill to hold.
  3. Ticket to Ride: Collect matching cards to claim routes.
  4. Pandemic: Everyone wins or loses together.

If they like maps and building

  1. Ticket to Ride: Claim routes and finish secret tickets.
  2. Carcassonne: Build the map together, tile by tile.
  3. Catan: Trade with each other for what you need.
  4. Everdell: Workers, resources, and cards that combine.

theludarium.com/academy/guild · The game is the reason. The people are the point.