Check out “Machi Koro!” If you like Monopoly, then you and your 10 year old will really enjoy Machi Koro.
If you like Clue, then check out “Deception: Murder in Hong Kong” and “Code Names.”
If you like Yahtzee, check out “Cartographers” or “Silver & Gold” (which has similar mechanics). These are both flip & writes, whereas Yahtzee is a roll & write. There are some new roll & writes out there, but I can’t think of any that I’ve played.
If you like Chess, check out “Stratego,” “Wandering Towers,” and “Table Gype” (based on a joke that G.K. Chesterton had with another author).
I have gotten to know the creator of Table Gype (which is currently out of print) on Board Game Geek. He actually let my daughter and I stay with him and his family when we went to an unpublished board game convention near where he lives. We attended Mass with them as well.
If you like Sorry, I’m sorry (roll & moves are not really my thing ; )
My favorite mechanics are area control (think RISK and “Mission Red Planet”), bidding games (like actioning in Monopoly and the Game “Biblios”), and worker-placement (like “Architects of the West Kingdom” and “Everdell”).
Worker-Placement would be a great genre to replace your love of roll & move. It takes the chance out of it. And there are usually many options. Basically, you place your token or meeple on a place of your choice and take the action that comes with that location. This adds so much more depth to these types of games.
What I love about Architects is that there is a virtue scale. You can either play the game entirely good, entirely evil, or somewhere in between. But, if you become too evil, there are certain actions that you can no longer take and if you become too good, then there are certain places that you would never enter (like the black market). Also, in this game, we are working together to build a Cathedral. When the Cathedral is built, the end-game is triggered and everyone gets one last action. I can’t tell you how much I love this board game! You are placing workers, building Churches, hiring skilled workers, performing citizen’s arrests (optional), and bailing people out of jail (who were either legitimately sent there or just at the wrong place / wrong time). I like to play as someone who is bad in the beginning of the game and then has a conversion and tries to do good. This strategy usually does not win me the game, but I enjoy a good story. If you have ever played “Pillars of the Earth,” this is similar, but better!
If the theme of building Churches does not appeal to you, and cute animals is more your thing, then check out Everdell. You are animals harvesting and building for the Winter. There are four seasons. Like Architects, you are plaining workers and taking actions, whether that is gathering resources, building, or visiting another player’s village.
Both of these games appear to be overwhelming at first, but hang in there. It is so worth it. Everyone I have taught these games to can’t help, but think about them days after we’ve played. Most have gone out and purchased one or the other. They are a bit pricey, but there is a lot of game that it pretty much is cheaper than going out to eat and to the movies these days.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions about any of these titles I’ve mentioned : )