These are Tabletop games, not board games. Board games are what you remember from your childhood, simple concepts that led to repetitive hours when you were too bored to do anything else. Tabletop games, a term that refers to anything played on a flat surface, are something more. They are innovative, fun and challenging.

Check out this list if you are looking for a great way to spend your next evening with friends.

Carcassonne (2-5 players):

Welcome to medieval France. Carcassonne is a game where players take turns building the countryside, one tile at a time. Watch as the world is built before you, resulting in endless replay-ability as no two games ever look the same. Construct sprawling cities, solitary monasteries, expansive farmland or winding roads. Then try to outscore your opponents by placing down your meeple — small figures shaped like people — in key locations. The game is half luck, half strategy as you hope for the tiles you need while praying your friends don’t mess up your big plans.

Zombie Dice (any number of players):

This is a game of risk management that is easy to pick up and a great way to start any Tabletop night. You play as one of the undead horde during a zombie apocalypse and the goal is to hunt down human survivors and feast on their brains. Each turn you roll three dice, hoping to land brains that score you points while avoiding blasts from shotguns. Three shotguns and you lose all the points you scored that round, so don’t get too greedy. Winner is the first to lucky number 13.

Gloom (2-4 players):

Life sucks and we are all going to die unhappy, at least if we lived in the world of Gloom. Take control of a family of strange characters, with the goal to make them as miserable as possible before killing them off one-by-one. The person with the lowest total self-worth after one family has been completely offed wins. The key idea is that rather than just playing your cards, Gloom encourages players to weave a story. So tell us how Balthazar, the talking dog, went from being happily married to getting beaten by hobos. Dark sense of humor and vivid imagination recommended.

Tsuro (2-8 players):

This is maybe the most beautiful game on the list, with a simple design and concept. Steer a flying dragon through the skies by placing tiles onto the board. The goal is to keep away from your fellow beasts while also avoiding careening off the edge of the world. Last dragon standing wins. The fun comes in as you decide whether to form temporary alliances, to perhaps prolong your own game or run your annoying friend out early. Like Zombie Dice, this puzzle game is very easy to learn and quick to play.

Forbidden Desert (2-5 players):

Unlike the other games on this list, Forbidden Desert is a cooperative game. Rather than competing with one another, the goal is to work together to defeat the game. Take on the role of a survivor of a helicopter crash that has stranded you and your team in the middle of a desolate desert. Explore the board and uncover clues to rebuild an ancient airship to escape. Beware, though, as time is of the essence, and the longer you take the harder escape becomes. Shifting sands, a relentless storm and the blaring sun all threaten your ab ility to survive. Forbidden Desert is a fun deviation from the rest of this list as communication and teamwork is crucial if you want to win.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur