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!

FDQ: When a Group Regular Says, "Good-bye."

My wife and I are foster parents.  And my gaming group consists of my kids.  Now as with all foster homes, we have had children in and out of our house over the years – all of various ages and for different periods of time.  This is, as you might expect, a bitter-sweet lifestyle.  But those general musings are better suited to other venues.  To the point of this post, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the rewarding experience of gaming with two, young girls who were placed in our home for about 18 months.  They returned to their parents last month (ages 11 and 10).  Not only do I miss their humor, imaginations, and unique perspectives on gaming, but their absence has also changed the current gaming sessions for me and my two sons.

The first, immediate difference is that now we’re down to 3 players.  Really, this change cannot be understated.  One, we have a few games that are simply, out-right merrier with more.  Bang! The Bullet is a favorite of ours, and you can play with three, but it’s just not the same.  More generally, the dynamics of a 3-player game versus 5-player are noticeably different – though not always easily quantifiable.  Without a doubt, we still have fun playing games, but we enjoyed it even more with the extra interaction.  Of course, the trade-off is that our games are relatively quicker.

The change in game choice is also evident.  The boys tend to prefer war games, and we’ve already hit up two of our longer slug-fests in the past month.  Certainly we will play a variety of styles and genres, but I’ve no doubt that the scale will tip toward the conquest end of titles for the near future.

Perhaps more interestingly, the “replacements” to our gaming group have changed the situation considerably.  We had three siblings placed in our home about two weeks ago.  However, these kids are younger – ages 6, 5, and 3.  I suspect that all newcomers tend to change the dynamics of a regular gaming group to one extent or another.  In my case, it’ll mean simpler games with the new kids and the deeper, hobby titles with my two boys.  Both experiences are a blast and I can roll either way.

So what about you?  While the particulars may vary, I’m sure my situation is little different than others who attend regular gaming groups.  Has the departure of a long-time member, or more, impacted the nature of your group?  Perhaps that person was a close friend or family member?  Maybe it even altered your group’s gaming choices or habits?  If so, in what way, either positive or negative?  And how were you able to adjust to the change in dynamics?

Flying Solo

Not this kind of Solo

Do you ever play board games "solo"?

For a very long time, the thought never occurred to me that you even could play a board game by yourself.  I mean, what would the point be? Board games are designed to play with other people. Where is the challenge, the tension, the excitement, in knowing exactly what every other "player" is going to do?