LEGO board games definitely guarantee a unique experience, but most are only to those who are lucky enough to already have one (or more!) in their collection or who can find a used one that the current owner is willing to sell. Uniquely LEGO board games were introduced to the market in 2009 and were sold for only five years. The year 2013 is the last time these games were produced. You can, however, still purchase a new LEGO chess board game.
Where to Find Out-of-Production LEGO Board Games
If you're a board game enthusiast who is hoping to find one or more of these out-of-production games to add to your collection, ebay is probably your best option. There are usually several options available there, with most offered on an auction basis. Sellers sometimes offer a buy now option as well, which is ideal for collectors who are looking for just the right game to complete their collection.
8 Vintage Lego Board Games
LEGO games are fun for all ages, from young beginners through LEGO master builders. One thing that is especially fun about LEGO games is that they are not the same every time. This introduces an element of challenge to the game that excites those who enjoy both a good competition and being able to create interesting things using LEGO bricks. Examples of popular options from each year include:
- LEGO Minotaurus: In this 2009 game, a band of players is tasked with searching for a secret temple protected by a minotaur. In order to avoid the creature, players have to build walls with LEGO bricks. This simple-to-learn game came with over 200 Lego pieces. If you grew up with LEGO board games and want to introduce them to your kids, this is a great one to start with if you can find one for sale. A smaller mini-taurus version with 160 pieces was also released in 2009.
- LEGO Pirate Code: In this 2009 LEGO board game, each player is a pirate. Players build the board game itself, then try to discover each others' secret code. This version came with over 250 Lego pieces and buildable LEGO dice. Whoever guesses the codes of all the other players gets to become the pirate captain to win the game.
- LEGO Monster 4: This 2009 board game is set at night. Players start by using LEGOs to build a graveyard game board. Then, they play monster characters and skeletons with the goal of putting four in a row. The first person to do that wins the game. As an obstacle, you have to watch out for spiders. This version came with over 140 Legos.
- LEGO Lava Dragon: As a knight, you are charged with summoning an elusive dragon who lives at the top of the volcano when you play this 2010 game. One problem: other knights are doing the same, and there's lava that's coming down the volcano. You must avoid the lava and block the other knights. With the randomness that the game provides, you'll never play the exact same game twice. This version came with over 130 Lego pieces.
- LEGO Frog Rush: Young kids loved the 2011 Frog Rush board game. Players roll dice to move their frog players across the gameboard in a quest to cross the pond and get back home. It's not all smooth pond-hopping, though. The frogs have to dodge storks that might swoop them up and eat them for dinner. The player who gets the most frogs home wins.
- LEGO City Alarm: In 2012, LEGO released its City Alarm board game. This cops and robbers adventure requires players to be divided into two teams. There is a team of thieves and a team of police officers. The thieves win if they amass 10 stacks of money before they're all captured. The cops win if they corral all the criminals before they collect all the cash.
- LEGO Legends of Chima: In 2013, the last year that LEGO's board game division produced new unique board games, Legends of Chima was introduced. Each player takes on the persona of a warrior, striving to capture regions and collect tokens.
- LEGO character chess sets: Lego has published a few character versions of chess over the years. Most are highly sought-after collector's items, with some versions often selling for several hundred dollars. There is a Pirates set and a Lego Vikings chess set as well as two Knights Kingdom sets. One Kingdom set is a basic set with 32 pieces to build, but if you want the enhanced set, then you get to build a board, the characters, and also a special border that resembles how the medieval tournament games looked with spectators, judges, and fences.
New Lego Chess Board Game
While the game of chess is not unique to LEGO, this is an option for people looking for a board game that can be built and played with LEGOs. You can purchase a LEGO chess set directly from Lego.com. This set includes more than 1,400 LEGO pieces. Most pieces are used to build the actual board, which you can put together, take apart, and reassemble as often as you like. Some are actual chess pieces, used to play the game with conventional chess rules. The chess pieces can be stored inside the game board.
Enduring Appeal of LEGOs
LEGO board games are one of the many pieces of the enduring history of this long and successful toy company. Generations have played with various iterations of LEGOs, from big packages of plastic blocks intended to inspire creativity to LEGO kits intended to design certain characters or other creations. If you love LEGOSs and are lucky enough to come across no-longer-produced board games being offered for sale, snap them up. The future generations of kids in your family are sure to be eternally grateful to have an opportunity to play these once mass-marketed games.
