A Progressive Top 10 to Introduce Player Interaction

Competition is at the heart of any game.  Indeed, it’s a characteristic that often defines the very word “game,” and separates the board gaming hobby from other leisurely forms of entertainment.  In some games, this is manifested in a cooperative element where players work together to beat the system.  Others instill a style of competition in which you solitarily strive to better your opponents at the same task, independent of any influence from each other.

But the great games include some form of direct interaction.  I’m going to attack you, steal from you, lie to you, block you, gang up on you, or generally wreak havoc on your pretty, well-laid plans of building a quiet cottage in the mountain meadows where the larks sing you to sleep in a gently swaying hammock on a warm spring day after sipping your sweet tea with mint.

Some people really like their sweet tea.

But, if you’re a gamer who appreciates direct interaction – even some old-fashioned, sucker-punching spite – just how do you entice wary casual gamers, younger children, or maybe even that hard-nosed Euro player in your group?  Well, you’ll have to ease them into it, of course.  So before you hit them with Bang!, Cosmic Encounter, or Diplomacy, here’s a list of ten progressively recommended titles to turn your peace-loving friend or relative into the Gordon Ramsay of gaming!

The Name on the Box Top: Bruno Faidutti

The board game hobby is indeed a fascinating one.  For those just introduced to it, and looking to delve further into its vast world, one of the more interesting facets is the “name on the box top.”  Just as individual authors, artists, and singers have their own recognizable style stamped upon their books, paintings, and songs, the same is true in the case of designers with their board games.  Our own @FarmerLenny has already looked at two designers in this series – Reiner Knizia and Carl Chudyk.  Today, I take a look at Bruno Faidutti.

Penchant for Plunder (a review of Libertalia)

When I was in college, each year there was one movie that got watched over and over again in the dorms, to the point that I never wanted to see it again. My freshman year, that movie was Shrek. My sophomore year, that movie was Pirates of the Caribbean.

Now, some ten years later, I can look back fondly on those times in the dorm together with friends (even if I'm not keen to watch those movies again). And despite not wanting to watch Pirates again, piratey games are definitely not off limits. Does Libertalia deliver the goods (and then plunder them)? Find out below!

Who Am I This Time? (a guide on role selection)

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

Shakespeare wasn't talking about "players" in the gaming sense (at least, I don't think he was--who knows the mind of the Bard?), but today's Guide to Gaming topic--role-selection--serves as a bridge between Shakespeare's players (actors) and the typical players we talk about on this site (gamers), though not in the full-on RPG sense.

Role-selection, especially in Euro games, is a little more abstract than that, but it does allow players within the game to identify as, influence, or otherwise gain the support of powerful personages (roles) to accomplish game tasks. Role-selection isn't the most popular gaming mechanism out there, but as you will see, for the games that use it well, it offers quite a lot of tense decisions and replay value.

Diamonds in the Dumpster (a review of Unexpected Treasures)

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," you've heard it said, and you take this saying to heart each night under cover of darkness at the junkyard.You never know when you'll find that piece that will complete someone's collection, and you never know when you'll have to leave empty-handed. If you know how your fellow Dumpster divers operate, you just might be able to score big in the junkyard. So grab your burglaring gloves, backpack, bike, motorcycle, car, or truck and see if you can discover some unexpected treasures.

Let's Build A Tableau Together (A Guide to Tableau Building)

Categorizing mechanics can be a tricky thing as we recently saw in a series of articles about whether or not Settlers of Catan is a worker placement game (Here's the Point and Counterpoint to get you caught up).  Rigid definitions aside, it’s helpful to know what type of games are out there and once you’ve identified what you like there’s a multitude of other games that share similar mechanics. We’ll be picking out some of the most popular mechanics (or at least our favorites) and exploring how they work, what games use them successfully, and why we love them. This week let’s take a look at Tableau Building.

FDQ: What Was Your Best Trade?

Board games are expensive, and many gamers don't get a chance to play every game they have anyway, yet there is still the desire for the new, the untested experience. This, of course, makes trading an attractive option. Which brings us to today's question: what was your best board gaming trade? Answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
It's no secret that I am a board game trading maniac. Because my wife and I use an allowance system and I don't have a lot to invest in the hobby, I try to make my dollar stretch as far as possible. The way I do this is if there is a game that either I don't love or my friends aren't excited to play, after a short grieving period in the latter case, I trade it away.

I've landed some sweet trades. There was the time I traded BoomBlox: Bash Party (the Wii game) for Puerto Rico or Citadels for At the Gates of Loyang in a math trade. (Math trades, for those not in the know, are trades by computer algorithm; a more detailed explanation is here.) These were both trade ups in terms of value. But perhaps my greatest trade in terms of usability was the Settlers of Catan 5-6 player expansion (a game I still hadn't used after three years of ownership) for For Sale (a game I play all the time). I will also occasionally "trade" a game by selling it and using the proceeds to reinvest in the hobby. In that case, perhaps my greatest "trade" was Pirate's Cove for El Grande. In any case, my collection is often fluid because of the trades.

@Futurewolfie answers:
I'm definitely the kind of person that likes to collect and keep.  I have a few board games that haven't been touched in a while, but you never know when the right mood will strike.  At the very least, if the game is something different than anything else I own, it will probably stay for a while.

That being said, there does come a time when you realize a game just isn't going to hit the table, or it's too similiar to another game.  Dragon Parade was just never going to show up with my gaming group, and Android was too long to be worth it. At least we had our fun with Android, but I traded it away for the much shorter Shadows over Camelot, which was a win.  But really, that's all I've traded so far.

Still, I'm looking forward to this year's GenCon math trade (the same place I got rid of Android and Dragon Parade), which is a great way to pass on a game relatively risk-free and without having to pay shipping.  So if anyone's interested in Frag, Cave Troll, Tobago, or Wits and Wagers... those are all on my "to trade" list.

FDQ: Biggest disappointment?

Everyone's had that experience. They get excited about an upcoming game. They hear the hype. It sounds great, just what they're looking for, with interesting new mechanics and loads of fun to be had. Then... the product arrives in store. They pick up their copy, rip open the packaging, read through the rules, and get their friends together to play. Unfortunately, something doesn't pan out. Something in the rules is broken, or the game takes too long, or none of your friends like it and you never get a chance to play it again. I dunno.  Anything. Whatever happened... the point is, it was a big letdown. Not just a bad game you knew was going to be bad... something you had high hopes for that crashed and burned.


What was your biggest disappointment? Answer in the comments!

@Futurewolfie answers:
Oooh, this is a toughie. My answers are a little more abstract I guess. Munchkin ended up being pretty disappointing. I think the concept is hilarious and the game can be pretty fun—and it was one of the first games I got into in high school with my friends. We played it and had some good times there. But now, it seems like every time I play it, someone has a bad experience. Someone gets totally screwed with the cards they draw and can never seem to accomplish anything, through no fault of their own. Also, the game could stand to last between 45-60 minutes instead of 1.5-2 hours.

I was also a little disappointed after Star Trek: Expeditions came out.  I love Star Trek a lot. I own Star Trek Uno, Star Trek Scene It, and Star Trek: The Trivia Game, none of which are great games. But when I heard about Expeditions, I had hope. Star Trek?  Minis? Designed by a real designer? I haven't actually got my hands on Expeditions, but from the reviews and things I've heard from others, it didn't add up to a spectacular gaming experience. Not that it's a terrible game—some people like it, some don't—but it wasn't looking as good as I'd hoped, which was disappointing.

@FarmerLenny answers:
My disappointments are mostly games that I bought for one purpose that didn't fit that purpose. I got Citadels to be a group game with hidden identities but without player elimination (I don't care for Bang!, and I wanted an alternative to play with my friends). I really like Citadels, but I couldn't ever get anyone to play it. It looked too geeky for my non-gaming friends and too simple for my gaming friends. I eventually traded it away (for At the Gates of Loyang—I traded up) because I couldn't find anyone to play with.

Similarly, I love—l-o-v-e—Race for the Galaxy. I originally had San Juan, which I didn't care for, and I decided Race for the Galaxy would be my game to keep at work and play with my coworkers over lunch. But none of them liked it. Race is a game that improves over time, but they didn't care for it. So I ended up trading Race as well.

In both of these instances, I really liked the game in question, but finding others to play was hard. That's the disappointment.

A reminder: Each commenter's first comment on this post will count as entry in our Dominion: Hinterlands giveaway. What are you waiting for?