Bored? Games! Intro to the world of board gaming post-1924.

[Transience8985]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I know the title's awful.  Deal with it.  Believe it or not, there are new board games being produced today, many of which introduce new concepts and mechanics beyond rolling dice and moving.  So why do people insist on just breaking out the "classics" (Monopoly, Risk, Clue...) when friends are over?  I'd attribute it to both a lack of exposure to newer games, and the misconception that games where you do something beyond rolling and moving are hard to learn and take forever to play.  In this blog post, I hope to give some tips for those getting into the hobby, and give some ideas as to what modern board gaming encompasses, and hopefully helping to find a board game type that fits your play style and attention span (although there are games that take HOURS to play, there are some that can be done within 30 mins that are just as rewarding).  After that, I hope to launch a series of board game reviews, and to spotlight some games I think are especially good.

 

Where Should I Buy Board Games?

 

Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with hobby board gaming is the availability of the games.  That's not to say they're hard to find, they're just not as visible as the "mass market" games.  If you venture into Walmart looking for a board game, you generally have to go into the "toys" section to find them, and you'll really only find the games most people are used to, as well as a million and a half iterations on them.  Toy stores like Toys 'r' Us generally have a wider selection of games, but still not the depth you may want.  I have three recommendations as to where to find the good stuff:

 

Online Retailers generally stock anything you could ever need, including board games that are hard to find.  Amazon.com is probably the most recognizable one, but plenty of others exist.  Although availability and sometimes price can be a plus, waiting for shipping can be a drag.

 

Hobby Shops generally stock board games and gaming accessories.  However, since board games are generally just one shelf or section of the store, their selection is sometimes limited, and they almost always sell the games at MSRP.  They sometimes have sales, though.  An example near me would be the store Hobbytown USA (it's a chain,but I don't know how far throughout the US it goes).

 

Game/Comic Shops generally stock supplies for gaming.  The focus of these stores can differ, though.  Some sell mostly supplies for tabletop RPGs and TCGs, but others are focused almost exclusively on board games.  These are usually family owned, which is a plus if you like to support small business.  Also they're probably the most likely to cut you a deal, especially if you're a returning customer.  The only downside here is you may not want to frequent them if you think you're too cool to be seen with fat stinky nerds, though the nerdiness likely differs from store to store.  Also, some of them provide space to play games, or even try before you buy.

 

Who to Play With

 

A few avenues exist if you're looking for people to play with.  Most board games obviously require multiple players.  Depending on the weight of the game (covered next), you might be able to get friends and family to play.  This might be a good opportunity to break out the party games (types of games covered below), and maybe step up to a "bridge" game that'll give them a little more to chew on.  You may get them into the hobby too and be able to play with some frequency.  The other option is to find a game group.  These spring up around large cities like crazy, but you may be able to find one in your hometown easily.  It's a good way to meet new people and get introduced to new games.  It may seem strange to walk into a room full of people playing games, but it's worth going to once to at least scope it out and see if you're interested in what's going on there.  Finally, there are conventions, but those generally charge admission and are likely for the most hardcore of the hardcore of gaming nuts.  I've never been to one myself, but I hear they're also a good place to buy games, as you can buy games directly from the publisher at cons, likely for a discounted price.

 

Game Weight

 

When players talk about the "weight" of a game, they're generally referring to the complexity of the game.  Games range from light to heavy, with light games being simple kids games or party games that generally involve a very simple mechanic.  Candyland is a light game, because all you do is roll and move.  Also, a party game like Apples to Apples is fairly light too, as you're just playing a card each turn, and judging who had the best answer to the question.  Heavy games are big ridiculous games, generally involving war (but not always), that have enough rules to make your head spin.  You may want to shoot a guy in a heavy game, but you can't do it until you look up the modifiers for elevation, weather, wind, cover, seismic activity, fog, alignment of the planets, and chance that you'll be randomly hit by a falling asteroid.

 

Types of Games

 

Games come in many flavors, ranging from light to heavy.  Here are some examples of common categories games get placed in.  Games may fit into one or more of these categories:

 

Kids Games: These games are literally for kids.  Simple mechanics, and perhaps targeted to teach kids something or develop a skill like basic math, pattern recognition, etc.  Not likely to appeal to adults.  Weight: Light to moderately light.  Examples: Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Perfection.

 

Classic Games: These are the public domain games that may have been invented centuries ago that you can likely find cheap today.  They generally fall into the "abstract strategy" subcategory (require strategy to play, but are not applied to any kind of theme), and are generally easily learned, and perhaps assumed you know them just from experience.  Weight: Light to Moderate.  Examples: Checkers, Chess, Poker and most games involving a standard deck of cards, Backgammon, Go, Mancala.

 

Mass Market Games: The kind of games that perhaps get played the most often by non-gamers.  These are easily found at retail stores like Walmart, and while usually decent enough games, they don't usually represent the newer and more interesting mechanics found in modern games.  Weight: Light to Moderate.  Examples: Monopoly, Clue, Risk, The Game of Life.

 

Party Games: These games can sometimes be found in retail stores, too.  These games are very light, and generally support a whole room full of players.  Something to break out during a social gathering.  Alcohol is not required, but recommended.  Weight: Light to Moderately Light.  Examples: Apples to Apples, Word on the Street, Cranium, Wits and Wagers.

 

"Bridge" Games: No, not the card game Bridge.  These games are generally newer games, and generally appeal to longtime gamers, but also are simple and fun enough to introduce to gamers just getting into the hobby.  Thus being a "bridge" into more complex games.  A lot of these games are available on Xbox Live Arcade and PSN, so I suggest you download the demo versions to try them out and see if you like them.  Weight: Moderately Light to Moderate.  Examples: Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, The Settlers of Catan (XBLA version simply called "Catan").

 

Eurogames:  These games include some of the bridge games, but also go much heavier.  This is the first category getting into true "hobby" games.  Eurogames are so called because most of them were created in Europe, mostly Germany, but today a game doesn't have to be from Europe to fall into the "Euro" category.  A Eurogame is defined mostly by being a game that involves a lot of strategy and little to no luck.  You may not find many/any dice, cards, and other randomizing devices in the game, or if you do these random elements are heavily outweighed by player's strategy adapting to them.  If you don't like losing a game because of random circumstance, this may be the type of game for you.  Weight: Moderately Light to Heavy.  Examples: Settlers of Catan, Power Grid, Dominant Species, Wallenstein/Shogun.

 

"Thematic" Games or American-style Games or "Ameritrash": These games get their names because they are generally produced in the United States (but of course can come from elsewhere), and involve heavily themed material, sometimes involving a license from a TV show, movie, or video game.  These games involve some significant measure of luck, but oftentimes also strategy.  These games are characterized by big dice, plastic pieces, large boards, and sometimes lavish production value.  Because of the luck aspects, Eurogame fans have dubbed these games "Ameritrash," likely while sipping wine and talking about terrible bands you've never heard of.  Though the Ameritrash name has been somewhat recently adopted by fans of these games too, so you may oftentimes hear them referred to as Ameritrash in a non-derogatory way.  Weight: Moderately Light to Heavy.  Examples: Descent, Arkham Horror, Battlestar Galactica, Last Night on Earth.

 

Although that may cover the spectrum of what is traditionally considered a board game, there are some other categories that may or may not be placed in the board game category, or in a separate "hobby game" category, depending on personal preference.

 

Trading Card Games (TCGs): These are card games with a collectible aspect, meaning that players must buy packs of cards to expand their deck and make it more powerful.  Any collectible game generally requires every player to make a significant investment into the game to build their own deck, rather than one player buying the game and it supporting multiple players.  Weight: Moderately Light to Moderately Heavy.  Examples: Magic: The Gathering, WoW Trading Card Game, Pokemon.

 

Role-Playing Games: This is the game you think of when you imagine nerds sitting around rolling dice and eating Cheetos.  These games generally focus around some amount of combat and character building, as well as facilitating a story.  One player is generally required to be the "Game Master" and prepare the game for other players, and act as referee, though recently a couple "GM-less" RPGs have surfaced.  Weight: Moderate to Heavy.  Examples: Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowrun, Call of Cthulhu, Savage Worlds.

 

War Games: As the name suggests, these games simulate war.  They may or may not be collectible, and they may have a Sci-fi/ Fantasy theme, or recreate historical wars/battles.  These games generally have a ton of rules, and require sometimes a large investment of money, time, and/or learning, but players of these games would argue that that investment pays off, though I don't see the point of the super heavy/expensive ones.  Weight: Moderate to Extremely Heavy.  Examples: Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Advanced Squad Leader, For the People.

 

That about takes care of the main categories of games.  Hopefully this gives you an idea of the diversity of board games out there.  For my reviews, I'll likely focus on games I have played and liked, but feel free to try some that may appeal to you.  I've listed some resources below for you to peruse if you're interested in board games as a hobby.

 

Board Game Geek- The world's largest database of board games, and also a large community site.  Good place to find gaming groups near you too.

 

Game On! With Cody and John- My favorite board game podcast.  News and reviews, and lots of discussion of new games.

 

The Dice Tower- Video reviews of board games.  A good way to see what's in the box before you buy.  Also home of another great board game podcast.

 

More to come?

[RED RING]

I took umbrage with your failed attempt to keep this blog on task by pre-calling us out on any tomfoolery.

[Travers36]

No, it was about an hour ago

[RED RING]

Wow. Did you just now see that?

[Travers36]

I'm not a faggot and I HATE cock.

 

For the record

[Flibbity Floid]

@ RROD - LMFAO!!!

 

Did you catch Battlestar Gallactica the other night? I mean I like all the crazy monsters and stuff, you know like Klingons and Wookies and all that. The story's kind of bland. It's about this guy named Dumbledore Calrissian and he has to return the ring back to Mordor.

[BrandAid1138]

party games i use to play that haven't been mentioned: facts in 5, true colors, sequence, tripoly and balderdash.  All tremendous fun and the learning curve is minimal.

 

nice blog Trans.

[THE (jb) CAPE]

@floid. taboo is cool. i wonder if there are different cards you can buy though becaue we have played it so much that its like watching repeats. taboo always seems to start a gender war at my house. dumb bitches.

[Travers36]

Identity theft is no laughing matter

[RED RING]

Bears

Beets

Battlestar Galactica

[Tubbsred]

These take forever though, BSG takes 3 hours. Some 1830: <Something about railroads here> takes over 4!