Board Game Play-styles of The MBTI Types
Ni Dominant (INTJ/INFJ): The Manipulator
While playing board games, Ni dominant types will be thinking of the long term strategy from the get go. The word “manipulator” may have negative connotations, but in this instance I believe it to be a positive thing. INxJs will attempt to remove the luck aspects from the game as much as they can, making it as much about strategy as possible, and the way to do this is often to manipulate other factors in the game - so whichever way the dice goes they can still get benefit from it. INFJs may veer more towards emotional manipulation to help them (Fe) whereas INTJs may lean more in favour of making the other players make illogical decisions (Te), however with tertiary Ti and Fi respectively, this can go either way. Combine this with inferior Se which means they are likely to be more sneaky than aggressive in the playstyle - hence why characters of these types tend to be more “behind the scenes”.
Si Dominant (ISTJ/ISFJ): The Observer
I have given the Si dominant types the title of observer due to their attention to detail. As opposed to the Ni dominant future plans, the Si dominant will typically analyse the little details of the present state of the game and decide what the best decision for them is in that moment. In the case of particularly the ISTJ, there is often a knack for trivia games that require general knowledge recall to win. Also, due to their desire for comfort, Si doms may take a more relaxed approach to games which can work in their favour. Their inferior Ne means that sometimes rather than try to remove luck as an aspect they can be more the type to hope their opponent gets “unlucky”, in general though they prefer as much stability and predictability to their games as possible - another reason trivia games may appeal to them.
Se Dominant (ESTP/ESFP): The Aggressor
The Se Dominants are the aggressors, they may attempt to brute force their way to victory. The type to buy hotels on the dark blue properties in Monopoly, they are often risk takers in this sense. Se doms typically play quickly, they want to keep things moving. Because of this, rather than strategize, an Se dom will typically have a more adaptable playstyle, making bold in the moment decisions that are best for them at that time. This benefits them in that if things start to go wrong, they are easily able to adapt to turn things around. Their decisions often involve high-risk/high-reward “all-in” tactics. They can sometimes take this approach in manipulating the other players similarly to the Ni dominant types as they also have Fi/Te and Te/Fi as their middle functions - however with the Se being dominant instead their approach is much less subtle but can have similar results.
Ne Dominant (ENTP/ENFP): The Experimenter
Ne Dominant types will use their ability to see the game from multiple perspectives to their advantage. This can sometimes leave them indecisive as they can see multiple ways their opponents could outplay them, but it also means they can make plays to stop these possibilities. The Ne dom is also willing to take risks, and make mistakes - which is why I’ve named their game style “The Experimenter”. They can utilise their middle stack Fi/Ti and Fe/Te in similar ways to the other types that have this - however, it typically has a more scattered approach than the types listed above. Their inferior Si means they sometimes don’t pay too much attention to the smaller intricate details, which benefits them as they will be more willing to take risks that have a chance to play out well for them in the long game.
Fe Dominant (ESFJ/ENFJ): The Team Player
Fe dominant types will typically be the type to form alliances with other players, and the way they do this will be influenced by the Ni or Si depending on the type. For this reason, these types are most likely to enjoy co-operative games. The ENFJ typically takes a strategic view to a slightly smaller extent than the INxJ types when forming alliances, whereas the ESFJ is more in the moment - forming alliances that benefit them in the current state of the game. The tertiary Se in ENFJs makes the somewhat more aggressive in the way they play than their INFJ counterpart, and the Ne in the ESFJ means they don’t play things as safely as the ISFJ. These types have inferior Ti, meaning that they can become reliant on strategies that have worked for other people.
Te Dominant (ESTJ/ENTJ): The Organizer
The Te dominant types can often be confused for Se doms, and that is no different in terms of their playstyle here. Te doms can also be aggressive in the way they play their games, the difference being Te doms are more focused on managing their resources and playing as efficiently as possible - hence the title of Organizer. In the ESTJs, they can have a very “black-and-white” view of the game and see much more value in making decisions that benefit them in the short term, whereas the ENTJs are more future oriented and make decisions that are for the long term in a similar way to the INTJ but much more direct and honest. With inferior Fi, the Te dominant types typically prefer to play very honestly disliking sneaky tactics (this can separate them from their IxTJ counterparts). They typically honour deals they’ve made, however will find a way to make it more beneficial for them than their opponent.
Fi Dominant (ISFP/INFP): The Soloist
Fi dominant types typically play honestly as well, however they may show reluctance to make bold moves - especially in the case of the INFP. That being said, the tertiary Si in the INFP can give them quite the eye for detail and the auxiliary Ne can open them up to making risky decisions. In the case of the ISFP, the auxiliary Se can mean they make in the moment decisions that benefit them in the short term future (tertiary Ni). The inferior Te in both of these types means they sometimes may struggle in the department of resource management, so they will likely gravitate to games where that isn’t an important aspect. Fi doms can also be very self-reliant, relying on their own skills and abilities to pull them ahead which puts them in a good situation where they don’t have to rely on other players to put them ahead (hence the name Soloist). For this same reason, they can also get a lot of enjoyment in single player games.
Ti Dominant (ISTP/INTP): The Snipers
I have given the Ti Dominant the title of “Snipers” due to their precise, methodical style of play. These are the types that very much enjoy learning the inner workings of a game. With auxiliary Se, ISTPs will use this knowledge to benefit them in the moment and their tertiary Ni means they take a more “big picture” approach to learning how the game works. The tertiary Si of the INTPs on the other hand can give them knowledge of the intricate details of the game which paired with auxiliary Ne can allow them to see multiple methods to exploit those details. Inferior Fe may mean they struggle with striking up deals and alliances - which can result in them preferring games where their own knowledge of the game can be relied on.















