The Best Reiner Knizia Game for Every Table (Chosen by Knizia)

What if you could choose the perfect board game for any table, every time? We sit down with Dr. Reiner Knizia and put his legendary catalog to the test—throwing real game-night scenarios at him and asking for exact recommendations.

From quick pre-dinner games like Money, to onboarding video-game players with My City, to big holiday tables where LAMA shines, Knizia explains why simple rules create the best decisions. He shares go-to picks for teens (The Quest for El Dorado), competitive families (Schotten Totten / Battle Line and Ra), and date nights (Lost Cities), all while unpacking his design philosophy: minimal rules, maximum interaction, and games that keep the table talking.

If you want better game nights—games that respect your time, fit your group, and actually get played—this episode is a masterclass. Hit play, steal the recommendations, and tell us what you’d put on the table next.

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:14

Welcome to the Operation Game Night Podcast. We're gonna do things a little bit differently today. Instead of ranking mechanics or, you know, debriefing games, we're gonna put a designer in the hot seat. He is one of the most prolific designers out there, a monolithic pi pillar in the board gaming community. We're joined by none other than Reiner Kenizia. Thank you for joining us, Dr. Kenizia.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Well, thank you very much for inviting me. You already already caught me out because when the intro stopped, I think I was still on the water bottle, and you just caught me taking a final, final. I'm so nervous I had to drink something, you know. Because I know you you threatened me to be grilled, and I have an inquisition of three people here in front of me, so I will try to do my best. We're really not all that scary, but uh thank you so much. Oh, skull crossbones. Nice defense, just defense.

SPEAKER_05 1:16

That's right. Okay, uh, so how this is gonna work is we have scenarios designed uh for a specific type of game night. And what we want to do is we're gonna pitch you this game night, and you're going to tell us which of your games you think fits that category or would be best suited to play at this game night. What do you think?

SPEAKER_03 1:37

Perfect.

SPEAKER_05 1:38

Okay. Uh Clay, I'm gonna give you the honor of the first shot at Dr. Kenizia.

The 30‑Minute Dinner Gap

SPEAKER_06 1:44

You go ahead. All right, uh, Dr. Kenizia, it's an honor, sir. Um, the first scenario we have here is a common one at my household. So my wife and I, we have another couple over for dinner. The Uber Eats delivery driver is taking a little long. We got about 30 minutes till they're gonna get here. And the couple we had over, they don't play a lot of games, but they see I have a lot of games. So, what would be a good game to fill that space between the Uber driver coming and us eating?

SPEAKER_00 2:16

Okay, so you need something relatively short, maybe a short card game, and you'll have to pay the Uber drivers. So, what about a game of money? Oh, money is a very interactive game because uh you essentially have different banknotes, and we have different editions nicely illustrated, and you have these banknotes and you trade them. So essentially there are some on the table, you want to catch them, and from your hand, you everybody secretly chooses if you reveal it. Whoever has revealed the most money has the first pick. So they can either pick one which is on the table, and there is good value on the table, so that invites you to put some money against it, but then you can also pick one of the other players. So if they bit uh if if you like something there, you take it because you try to get certain combinations of monies together to monopolize certain currencies. And uh sometimes you put in a lot of money to try to be first fixed. Sometimes you say, Oh, just put very little in, because if the others put a lot in, even they have their first go, there will still be lots of money on the table to be picked. So, and then once you have played for 30 minutes, I think the one who has the most money in their hand can then pick the pick uh fix the door and get the food and pay for it.

Designing Short Games That Sing

SPEAKER_06 3:33

That's awesome, sir. Hey, so quick follow-up here. You obviously design a ton of these lighter filler games. I have quite a few of them myself. What do you try to do to make those games really bring out a fun experience in such a short amount of time? How do you think about that?

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Okay, so that means we will not cover any other questions because now my answer will be very long. You see, my design philosophy is that I want to invite the players to engage with each other. So the games are really just a platform for enabling that. Uh so I don't like games which have a lot of administration, lots of handling, and you get lost in all this uh doing, but you're not really playing. So this is my handwriting. This is not a value statement. There are different people like different types of games. Uh, but uh it is really give people the opportunity to get very easy access, and like in money, that's an example. So you have a hand of cards, you see what's on the table, take some money, put it down, first highest bidder gets something, but not like in the usual bidding games where only the winner gets something. And so you sit there with three, you said four people, and only the winner gets one, and there is one person who always overbids, they will not win, but they take the fun of the game away. So here everybody gets something. And if you sneak in with something little, and people will learn that in the first round. And the nice thing is after the first game, they say, Oh, now I know how to do it better. So, can we just skip dinner and play another game? Send the driver away and uh let him come in an hour and we'll now try this one.

SPEAKER_06 5:19

If people forget food over the game, heck yeah, that's a dream come true.

SPEAKER_04 5:26

That's not happening in our house, I will tell you that. We're very food driven.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

You have not played the right games yet.

SPEAKER_05 5:36

Uh Jared, I think you're up with the next question.

SPEAKER_04 5:40

My question for my game night is uh slightly different. Um, Clay over here, he recently moved back to his hometown after uh being in the military for over a decade. And he he goes and uh he bumps into all of his high school buddies, I think secondary school, is that what they call it in Germany? Um, you know, his teenage friends. Um but these guys, he's been playing video games with them. So is there any good board game game nights that can transition his old buddies from video games to board games? Um any any good suggestions from your library, sir?

Bridging Video To Board With My City

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yes, I have a um spontaneous suggestion which will make the transition for them easier. I'm talking about my city. My city um a lot I I always give you long answers, forgive me. But then you get a bit of more substance to the games rather than just an answer and say, My city, next question. No, no. Um MyCity was my attempt to take the legacy games, so those games which actually change from game to game and make them available for a wider audience. So take out, as we just said, take out uh tons of different rules, the complexities, bring the price down and make it a family game where people can enjoy one episode of the game uh within 20-30 minutes. Everybody plays at the same time, no downtime, and uh you really build a city, but wherever you cut down a tree, the tree will not be there the next game. Wherever you build something, you may have something in the next game. And so you play through several games in each chapter, and each chapter takes you through a development of the city and the region, and so um you you build houses in this area, and it really invites you to build your own city, my city. But the transition is we also have a, and I believe in this case, a very wonderful implementation uh as an app of MyCity, which you can play. So those people who have to be uh kicked a little bit away from the from the digital world, they can try out uh My City on the digital apps, and then they will be so enthusiastic about it, and then say, okay, and then you have it much easier to get them around the table, nail them down on the table and play with them. And then, of course, once you've got them, they have to play all eight levels, all eight chapters with each with several games through in one night. This will be a real game night, never ending.

SPEAKER_04 8:27

So, uh, what kind of games on BGA do you play? Do you play on uh board game arena at all, Dr. Kinesia?

SPEAKER_00 8:35

Uh I don't. There are some of my games, there are some of my games there. You see, um game design is initially having good ideas. And the people always ask me why are you not running out of ideas? No, I'm cursed by ideas, and I'm very happy about the curse. Uh so I have too many ideas which I want to develop, but the development of the games takes a lot of effort, takes a lot of time, and also a lot of playtesting. So that means I will use all the time I have to develop the games, uh, my children, and then we play almost every day. And therefore, there's a lot of playing in my life, but it's playing the new prototypes, and when I play with other people, we'll sit around the table. I enjoy that most. Nothing against board game arena because there are different, again, different needs, different scenarios, and there are quite a number of our games on the board game arena. If I want to really play something different, get distracted a little bit, then I would take out my tablet and uh just take a game which can be played in solitaire mode. Easy, it's always my turn. But that happens relatively rarely. Um but you you see, I don't even have enough time to play all the important games which are outside by other designers and by other people. It's it's something I sometimes trust in my or always trust my playtesters who play behind my back. And um the publishers, so that we're not getting accidentally too close to something which is already there in the butt. So with this respect, um I I I get a little bit of an insight what is there so that I understand what's going on in the world, but uh not enough time to play, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

Yeah, well, anytime you want to play with us, we're gonna fly across the the ocean and we'll be playing with uh Dr. Kenitzia. So it'll be a business expense for Operation Game Night. That's right. I'll pass it over to Travis for the next question. Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_05 10:41

Okay. Uh so people are gonna be gathering here very shortly, or by the time this publishes, we'll have gathered with family for the holidays. And those family gatherings are a great opportunity to get games on the table and get to play some games with your family. So, what game would you recommend for six to eight people, ranging between six-year-olds and seventy-year-olds? Uh, and none of them are uh really experienced with playing board games. They've maybe played Uno or Scrabble or something in the past, but don't have a whole lot of background in board gaming.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Okay. Six to eight is a real tough um uh tough call. Um, I have a few games uh which play up to seven players. For example, you could play Picomino, which is a nice dice game, but you always have to look at the downtime. And I shouldn't talk down my own children, but I think uh if you play dice games and you take it in turns, seven people is not ideal. I mean, if you if you're familiar with it and you play fast, yes. But I think in this uh situation a card game would probably do a little bit better. So I could think of uh Lama, for example. Lama is a very simple, approachable game, and you could even stretch it. I mean, there is a certain number of players which is recommended, but nothing keeps you at la in Lama to sneak in one or two extra players. Uh nobody and you don't tell anybody you won't be in trouble. And so you can you can just enjoy a relatively simple but quite tricky game because um you you you just try to get rid of your cards, but then there's a llamas who give you very bad cards. And the main dilemma there is okay, I have a relative good situation, but I'm stuck a bit. Do I just draw new cards and try to unstuck myself? And it might get much worse, or do I just stop and take cut my damage so that I've cut my losses, um, and hope that the others will get even further losses, or do I take the risk? And this is the this is the ever lingering dilemma you have in this game, and then it's also the fun to watch other people. Okay, he takes a risk or she takes a risk, and ah, it didn't work out very good, so good, glad that I got out. Yes. So it's a very short card game, plays in a few few minutes, and uh everybody can get into it and enjoy it.

SPEAKER_05 13:15

Yeah, we we definitely love our llama games around here at Operation Game Night. And I I feel like you design games for a wide swath of people, you kind of cast a wide net for your designs, you have simple simplistic or simplized designs all the way up to complex, heavier designs that you know are for the more serious gamers, quote unquote. Do you find that there's an age range somewhere in there that is hard to capture for your designs? Like, are older people, younger people, like how do you design for such a wide range of audience?

SPEAKER_00 13:50

The age is actually not really the challenge. I mean, if you go very young, uh then yes, of course, you you have to have a very different game. Uh we do not, I do not, and in in in the group here, we do not design games for below three years old because then you get the problem with uh kids swallowing the start. So you have to have very different safety and any rule-driven play for under three-year-olds is not possible. Yes. So um usually we start at four, five, uh, six plus, and uh that is still a challenge. Once you get in the range of eight plus, you are in a family commerce adult environment, and you can't have really more challenging rule-based play. And from then onwards, it doesn't really matter if you are 15, if you are 55, if you are 150. Uh, it's uh and the stupid thing on the games uh always says from 9 to 99, this is so so thoughtless, excluding older people. Yes, we all want to get 100, and then we are not allowed to play anymore. So uh side attack. But essentially the challenge is a bit more in looking at different cultures. So, apart from making children's games, which have different efforts, um different cultures have sometimes a very different approach to games, and that's the more challenging part because when when we design a game, when I design a game, of course, I want to spread it around the world because it's a lot of effort gone in, so why only use it in some markets? And that sometimes needs adaptations, uh, steam-wise, uh mechanics-wise, um, or also price and and size-wise. So that's the the bigger challenge. Otherwise, I just enjoy not being put into one box, but trying to do lots of different types of games that keeps me fresh and relevant, you know. Yeah, well said.

SPEAKER_05 15:49

Uh Clayton, back to you.

Hooking Teens With El Dorado

SPEAKER_06 15:50

Yeah, all right. So, my next scenario, I spend some time working with wrestling teams, high school wrestling teams, helping out. Got a lot of teenagers, you know, they think I'm pretty nerdy for playing a ton of board games. What board game do you think I could bring to your average teenager that might think they're a little too cool for board games and to get them hooked? How many people are these? Um, let's say it's just a group of four.

SPEAKER_00 16:19

These are all smart people. The young people guys are all very smart. And so I would actually suggest to challenge them with um El Dorado. The quest for El Dorado. This is a bit more sophisticated, uh, so not really for somebody who has not played a game yet. Um, but it uh I think it catches enough of the uh challenge uh to say, okay, this is something I'm going to master. And so if you put that in front of younger people, uh they can see what needs to be done, but it's not they cannot discard it as trivial, but they can also, of course, not admit it's too complex for them, and it is not. Uh I'm well, it's difficult when you talk about your own children. Uh I'm I'm particularly proud of El Dorado because uh again, it's it's my take on deck building games. What is a deck building game? Uh each player has their own little deck of cards, and you play with this deck, but the deck changes throughout the game. And the the the big invention of that mechanism was um Dominion is a wonderful design, but it is relatively complex. Uh, I mean, I'm I'm a relatively experienced player. I had my difficulties getting in many into the game when it came on the table first. So I thought, how do I open it again for a wider public? I want to reach lots of people, bring enjoyment, that's my motto to many people. And when you have this deck of cards, then you have an abstract mechanism. Why should I change my deck? What's the tension? What am I aiming for? Now, here we have a very flexible board in El Dorado. That means when you start and you go through the jungle, very clear, I need a machete, I need this and this and this. But you already foresee that the river is coming. So, how do we get over the river? You need a boat. So, quite clearly, eventually, I need to see that I get a boat and that the other stone snatched the boat away from me, so I need to get that into my deck, otherwise, I'll be there because it's a race to add the rather I'd be the first there. Um, so I have the boat, very good. But so I understand why I want to take things into my deck. I need that. Now I've crossed the river successfully with the boat. I'm very proud of myself. Now comes the desert, and I'm really advancing fast through the desert, and eventually I ask myself, why am I carrying this boat through the desert? And so this motivates that there is also a good idea to get rid of some cards and to try to get something more useful in the desert than carrying a boat. And because every card which is useful gets you ahead, and any boat which you carry through the desert doesn't get you any further. And as it's a race, uh people will be laughing at you seeing you carrying the boat, yes? Uh, and you don't want to be laughed at, so better get rid of the boat. And it's not always the same because we have a very flexible uh modular board, and so the race is always on, but it's not always the river next, and it's not always the desert next. And so uh this is what makes the challenge of the deck building game. The situation is always different. There is no general uh way of how to build the deck, you have to accommodate the situation, and that's the challenge. And so give that to the youngsters and let them reach El Dorado and beat them desperately hard in the first time, so that they say they haven't even made it over the river, and then give them the challenge to do better.

SPEAKER_06 19:59

That's awesome. Awesome. That's a great recommendation. I'm waiting for those uh expansions here in the US.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Yes. Yes, I have actually not so sure if I'm allowed to say it.

SPEAKER_04 20:09

I have actually no we don't want no no lawsuits here, sir. I can't afford that.

Competitive Siblings: Battle Line And Ra

SPEAKER_00 20:15

If I say it, then there are things to come. We have a uh 10-year anniversary in 27 of uh El Dorado, and uh there are things to come. I haven't said anything, but uh maybe people have heard something into it which I shouldn't have said.

SPEAKER_05 20:36

Hey wow. Got us excited, that's for sure. Yeah. Uh Jared, over to you.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

Yeah, well, sir, I mean, Quest for El Dorado, I was introduced actually only a couple months ago by Clay. Uh, as you can tell, his collection is much more extensive than mine back behind me in Quest for El Dorado. I'm definitely using my birthday money. Another thing we talk about on the podcast all the time: birthday money, Christmas money, gonna be getting Quest for El Dorado here shortly. My question is slightly a little bit more different. We're we're also gathering for the holidays. I am from Utah, big families in Utah. I'm gonna bump into some hyper-competitive siblings, cousins. What are some good games that get that scratch those you know hyper-competitive people, but make sure that we don't uh you know burn any bridges after we walk away? Maybe that's maybe that's an interpersonal thing uh about burning bridges. But what are some good games for the uh for the hyper competitive gamers out there?

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Well, if you want to play a two-player game, take Shot in Tottenho or Battle Line. So if you just want to have a one-on-one competition, then do that. Uh these are just two different implementations of the same game where you are fighting over borderlines. Uh it's not a war game, but it's it's more it started out in Scotland, uh, where the clans uh did try to move the border stones a little bit towards or away from them. And so you build uh card combinations that try to claim things. So that's for uh for two players. If you want to have a bigger competition for highly competitive people, then I think you need kind of an auction where everybody can see how smart they are. And I suggest Ra. Yeah. Ra is again, I mean, it's it's the the description of these games, that's what I want, is relatively simple and straightforward. Uh, but the play is not. Uh so if you know Ra, we are building, each of us builds an Egyptian civilization. And this is made out of lots of tiles, which you collect, you have uh goat tiles, you have the pharaoh tiles, which you need, you have the Nile, which of course you need to flood. Uh, the pharaoh is responsible for this. You build culture of different uh uh people, different crafts of people, and you build these monuments. Yes, and every now and then there is a scoring, and you want to do best. So you try to get these tiles. And now comes the highly competitive part. Um, each player starts with a few sons because Ra is a sun god, and the sun allows you to bid. So it is an auction game. Um, in a way that we turn up one tile after another. I mean, it's your turn, you either turn up a tile, or you say, Okay, it's enough, I want to bid, so you can't shout Ra. And then you can either bid with one of your sons, uh, or son not to be seen as a person but as a token, um, and uh then somebody else can overbid you, or they can pass and the highest son uh wins the tiles. Now, the first thing that cannot happen is that one player takes all the auction uh winnings because you only have, let's say, three sons. Depends on the player, player's bit. So you have three sons. So within one epoch, one kingdom, there's an early kingdom, middle kingdom, late kingdom, in in we all know history in Egypt. So within each kingdom, you only can win the bit three times with your sons. Uh so with this respect, you need to think very carefully because at the end of each kingdom, you need to be able to show something. You have flooded the Nile, you need some, you might even get negative points if you don't build any culture, yes? But now comes the my my games are simple but never so linear that you can calculate them. The trick with Ra is that when you bid and win the bid with your son, the sun goes into the middle and stays with the next tiles you're turning up to auction. That means you're not only bidding for the value of the tiles which you want the, but you're also bidding for the sun you will have available for bidding in the next kingdom. So, with this respect, do you want to have lots of tiles, but I really forgive my uh my saying, but it's it's crappy sun tile, uh, or do you want to actually already shout ra when there is no tile in the middle? Because you just say this is the highest sun. So I'm not taking anything now. Marshmallow test, uh uh I'm not taking anything now, but next kingdom, I am the strongest guy, and I will, of course, then get the biggest bit. But then people are they're unfair, you know, when you play. And this is the competitive part. They shall draw all the time before lots of tiles build up. And I have my very strong son, and I can't use it because it's all these little bits and pieces that get auctioned away until they have auctioned away all their sons, and then I sit there with my strongest and get everything, but I could have done less with the weakest son as well because nobody else can bit.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Mmm.

SPEAKER_04 26:07

That I just could not wait for you to talk about Raw. And uh, I'm so glad that you explained that. So Clay's wife, Mary, is queen of Raw, and I I don't know. Every time we play Raw, it just feels so good to pull out the the uh I don't know what you call that, the the to declare raw, to slam that on the table. Something gets you something in the brain, the uh frontal lobe just explodes, and yes, the competitiveness, the excitement, it and truly simple actions, but the toughest decisions to make in your games. Your children are are beautiful. So, yes, thank you for going through that with me and pass it over to Travis for the next one.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Now, you just mentioned something which brought into my mind a game I should mention. So I already know the answer to your next question.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

Let's see if it fits. So that's not the answer.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Uh first aid, I would play Lost Cities. Uh Lost Cities is a nice card game, and what I get reflected or uh or fed back over and over again is that they say, This is my spouse game. So, you know, uh, particularly if you go back in history, lots of male gamers there and play, and the enthusiasts, and then how do I get my girlfriend, my spouse, uh to to play a game? And people tell me over and over again uh Lost Cities is the one that catches my girlfriend that catches my wife. So when you're taking a game on a date, you might make a good catch. In the end, we're all responsible people uh when we play games. I do not glorify uh uh violence and bloodshed, so that you will not, and I will read to that if a publisher wants to go there, so you will not see that in my games. If we we talked about Schotten Totten or Battle Line, this is, I mean, it's a historical battle. You build card combinations, uh, you don't get any any uh any injuries from that, and it's more of fun, or it started out with out with uh the Scottish clans uh fighting over the little stone, bringing it back and forth. Yes. So, but I mean there is the responsibility for us. I know there are some people who have difficulties losing. I mean in kids, that's that's what you would expect. Yes, taking therefore in a children's game, you want to build, you do not want to build things in which you take away things from the other. So the mother has to take something away. From which of her two children does you want to take something away? It's a death sentence, you know. So uh stay away from these things, uh, but otherwise, you know, I cannot put a safety net into my games to say the truth. If people are uh are out of character, uh then things can happen, but that can happen with many different things. So what I try to do is give people a platform to engage, but that also opens it up for different engagements people choose.

SPEAKER_03 30:04

Yes.

Cliffhanger: Camels And Few Turns

SPEAKER_00 30:10

But that's also the nice thing because you see uh it it you you get a very quick insight into people, uh, and I love it because when you sit around the table, everything else is forgotten. Your religion, your color, your background, education, age, uh male, female, something else, it doesn't matter. You sit there, you engage on this platform, and it opens the door to other people, and that's really wonderful. Yes. And some people love playing and some people don't love playing, nobody's forced to play. You know that I made my answers so long so that the grilling couldn't go on for too many questions in too many situations, but we ran out of time, and I was not able to tell you about the game, which I said I need to mention so much to do and so little, so few turns, and they are getting everywhere towards me. So that might also be something for the very competitive one. But unfortunately, we are out of time, so I have to leave you guessing.

SPEAKER_04 31:42

Oh man, wow, that's that's a cliffhanger.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

Um, so many camels and so few turns.