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!

Holiday Gift Guide 2013

Christmas comes but once a year, as does our holiday gift guide.  This year it is bigger and better because this year, there are four of us with unique tastes and experiences, and we've all got different recommendations for you all. We can't ever guarantee that you'll love our choices, but these games are our top picks. Quality is assured, so if the games line up with your tastes (or, I suppose, the tastes of the person you're buying gifts for), chances are these will be a hit.

You can also check out our previous years gift guides--2012 and then 2011, as well as a guide to stocking stuffers.

This year you'll note that we've provided direct links to Funagain.com when such links are available. You can buy from wherever you like, but purchasing from Funagain.com through our links will support our site with a portion of the proceeds from the sale.

Thanks, and happy holiday 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.

Top Ten Lunch Games

I've written on the subject of lunch games many, many times, but probably most completely here. The category of lunch games--games that can be played and in most cases taught in an hour--is near to my heart for several reasons, not least of which is lunch when I am most likely to have time free to play a game. The pressures and responsibilities of home prevent me from attending more than one game night a month. But over lunch? Then I am free.

In my earlier post, I listed several criteria for ideal lunch games. They are:

• Goldilocks playtime (neither too short nor too long)
• Simple rules
• Simultaneous (or near simultaneous) play (in other words, there's always something to do)
• Chaos factor (players have an opportunity to break gameplay conventions)

So which games am I most excited to play over lunch? Here's my list.

Boldly Going... (A Guide to the 4X Genre)

I see many bright stars in your future...

When we dig into the details of board games beneath ground level, we often talk about mechanisms and theme.  Mechanisms to a board game are kind of like the rules of grammar to a book; they are tools to help a designer (or author) connect with the end user to create an experience.  Authors attempt to create emotional connections or communicate ideas, game designers try to create enjoyable game play, but the tools do not inherently create great end products.

Theme in a board game equivocates to the setting of a book; time, place, context for the activity that is going on.  In a book, setting is usually pretty important to the story, although we've all seen remakes, fan-fictions, and retellings that change the setting of a story.  Theme in a game gives context to a players actions; in some cases, theme is central to a game experience.  In others, it simply facilitates the connection between the mechanisms that make up the game.

But there certainly more levels that we can dig into.  Something we haven't really talked about before is genre.  In books, genres are very closely related with settings; science fiction, drama, romance, historical - these all imply a sense of location, at least on the surface.  However, the genre simply defines certain characteristics of a book and sets up expectations for the reader.  What kind of book is this going to be? In the same way, board game genres define certain characteristics of the game, characteristics that are not necessarily tied to the theme directly, nor are they tied directly to mechanisms.  Yet the three can be somewhat intertwined.

So the genre I"m going to talk about today is the "4X" genre, one of my favorites.  This genre is not a set of mechanisms, and it is not directly related to a specific theme (although many 4X games are set in space).  It is simple a set of expectations and characteristics of a certain type of game.  What type of game is that? Well, read on to find out.

Round and Round (A Guide to the Rondel Mechanic)

Every once in a while, even still in the 21^st century, a game designer creates and introduces a true innovation.  When this happens, it creates all kinds of buzz and stirs up not a little industry talk as gamers clamor to read about, see, and get their hands on the latest “hotness.”  Then again, of course, another segment of the hobby contradictorily lashes out, arguing that there is really nothing new in gaming – and that actually what everyone thinks is a novel mechanic is just a variation of what “so-and-so” has already done in “such-and-such.”  Today’s mechanic often finds itself in this scenario and has met with mixed reactions throughout the hobby.  But at least it gives us something to talk about, right?

Thank You Very Much, Mr. Roboto (a guide to math trades)

...for doing the jobs nobody wants to--like putting together a long chain of trades to make everybody happy.

Seriously, have you tried doing that by yourself? It's a pain. You have to send a string of e-mails to people you may not know, get individual confirmations, and organize all of the information  for the other traders. And if one trader backs out? The whole trade dies then and there.

Thank goodness there's an easier way--the math trade.

A Guide to Pressing Your Luck

King of Tokyo: a very popular dice game with elements of Press Your Luck

How far can you go? How long can you last? How much can you take?

These are not questions of endurance or strength, but of luck and risk.  These are the key questions of a game mechanism known as "press-your-luck" or "push-your-luck."

Let's talk about that.

Kicking Back (a guide to using Kickstarter)

No subject has caused me to start, stop, and delete more posts than Kickstarter. Perhaps because it's a hot-button topic in the gaming world at the moment, or maybe because of backer remorse or joy, I've not felt the distance necessary to adequately consider Kickstarter...until now.

So what is this guide?

This guide is advice on using Kickstarter from the perspective of 1) a game reviewer and news finder who sees a lot of Kickstarter games and campaigns; 2) a modest Kickstarter backer (17 projects backed/9 received/0 currently late), with all the joys and sorrows attendant to this role; 3) an employee of a traditional book publisher and a staunch supporter of editorial gatekeepers; and 4) a thrifty person with a limited gaming budget who works a regular job and feels the results of bad purchasing decisions keenly. In other words, I would describe myself as a cautious observer and occasional participant in Kickstarter.

This guide is divided in two and is one gamer's advice to two segments of Kickstarters: 1) gamers who are considering backing projects on Kickstarter, and 2) designers and publishers who use Kickstarter and would like the money in my pocket to be transferred to theirs. Again, this is one gamer's perspective and doesn't even reflect the views of all the writers on this site. Take it for what you will. (And if you want to read a fantastic series about Kickstarter that's aimed primarily at content producers, I can't recommend Stonemaier Games' Kickstarter Lessons enough.)

On to the guide!

The Name on the Box Top: Carl Chudyk

Over a year ago I began what I imagined would become a regular series of guides called "The Name on the Box Top." Here's how I introduced the series:

I am almost certain that those who participate in the board gaming hobby who have tried to tell others about it have been met, at one point or another, with a response of, "Oh, is that like Clue and Monopoly?" 

What separates hobby board games from the majority of mass-market titles, aside (arguably) from fun, is the name on the box top. Like the byline on books or the signature in the corner of a painting, hobby board games typically bear the name of their creator. But more than their name, hobby board games typically bear the style of their creator as well. Just as you might expect different things from a book by Kurt Vonnegut than you would from Graham Greene, you can expect different things of a game depending on whose name is on the box top.

Alas, I wrote but one entry, on Reiner Knizia. But now it's time to consider another name you might find on a box top, a name that belongs to one of my favorite designers: Carl Chudyk.

What is the Chudykian style? Find out below!

The Train Set Syndrome (Another Guide to Gaming with Kids)

You know what I mean, right? Dad buys son a train set for Christmas. Dad builds train set with son. Dad and son play with train set. Dad buys more track, cars, and scenery to expand train set. Dad spends small fortune to build replica of West Virginia that takes up most of the basement. Dad now has new hobby subscribing to train set magazines and going to train set conventions. Mom decides on future Christmas presents for son.

I'll be honest. Nostalgia was the catalyst in introducing my kids to hobby gaming. In junior high and high school I spent an inordinate number of late nights board gaming with friends. As this was before the influx of German hobby games to the United States, we played war games. Mostly it was Risk and the Milton Bradley GameMasters Series (Axis & Allies, Samurai Swords, Conquest of the Empire, and Fortress America). We also enjoyed some select titles of the old Avalon Hill and SPI hex and counter, strategy simulations. We even dabbled in painted miniatures. Oh, how the plastic and cardboard and tempers would fly!

Tricked-Out! (A Guide to Trick-Taking)

I have such found memories of sitting around the card table at big family gatherings that it’s almost unfathomable to consider that others from my generation (and earlier) never experienced the same joys.  But sure enough, every so often I encounter someone who has never played any classic, traditional card games.  They think “tricks” are pranks played in college.  And you might as well be speaking Greek when trying to explain them, because terms like trump, ruff, kitty, stock, marriage, bower, revoke, slough, and “shoot the moon” and “going alone” all mean something very different to them, if anything at all!  Today, it seems like those time-honored card games are getting rarer and rarer.

So, if you’re looking to re-kindle an old flame and introduce these oldies-but-goodies to your friends and family, here’s our guide to the mechanic that comprises the vast majority of traditional card games and how it has infiltrated the modern hobby.

[*Note: For gamers who are familiar with the hobby, I will not be discussing climbing games, which are close cousins to trick-taking games and are often categorized as such for convenience, yet play very differently. This is why you will not see titles like Tichu, Haggis, or Frank’s Zoo, etc.]

It Comes But Once a Year (A Guide to Gencon)

When you get deeper into the tabletop gaming hobby, turns out its more than just fun and games.  It's conventions too!

One of the biggest boardgame-centric conventions in the world - and the biggest in the US - happens every year at the beginning of August in the city of Indianapolis: GenCon.

If you've never attended a convention before, Gencon can be quite overwhelming.  There is a whole lot to do and see, and it's hard to figure out even where to start.  But, if you're interested in exploring games further, Gencon is a great opportunity to try out new games, get your hands on the latest releases, get some classics for free, interact and meet other fans of the hobby, and much much more.

This guide should help you get started.

Once Upon a Time (A Guide to Storytelling Games)

Most games are a series of rules that interlock in a self-contained system, designed to provide precise ways to advance your goals, score points, and win the game. There are clear activities you can and cannot do, and you must work within that system.

There is a type of game, however, in which the rules are much less clear about what you can and cannot do; the restrictions are much more lax; and the experience is much more about creating a narrative than achieving a mechanical goal in order to win.  These games are generally referred to as "Storytelling" games, and they come in a wide variety of forms and in many fashions.

Special Delivery (A Guide to Pick-Up and Deliver)

There's a little inside joke within our hobby that complains about the over-abundance of "trading in the Mediterranean" games.  To be fair to old Mare Nostrum, it also applies to Medieval Europe, trains, planes, and boats, etc.  Of course, it's a stereotype exaggerated for humor.  Nevertheless, shipping and trading have been and continue to be very popular and common themes.  Did this mechanic start it all? Well, that's probably hard to confirm one way or the other.  But I'm certain it has fanned the flames!

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.

What's It Worth to Ya? (a Guide to Auction Mechanics)

It's no secret around these parts that I love auctions. Love them. Love, love, love them. In games, in real life. If I can find a way to maximize the value of a deal, I'm in. So I jumped at the chance to write about auction mechanics.

Are you curious about auctions? You should be, because auctions are awesome. And you've come to the right place to find out more.

So Happy Together (A Guide on Cooperative Games)

Only you and your teammates can stem the tide of disease in Pandemic

When non-gamers first hear that I like to play board games, I think one of the first scenes they imagine in their minds is the one with a group of young siblings playing a competitive game of monopoly or sorry until they get in a fight and quit angrily.  And while some relish the conflict and competition inherent in most board games, there is a genre of game which pits players not against each other, but against the game itself.

Even though cooperative games aren't a new phenomenon, many outside of the hobby gaming scene haven't heard of them, and aren't sure what that means.  Usually one of the first questions I get when I introduce a cooperative game is, "So you're on, like, teams?"

Fortunately, if you've run into trouble explaining the concept, or are unsure what it means yourself, this guide is here to help you out.  

So, what is a Cooperative game?

Guide to Gaming: Two's Company, Three's a Crowd--Good Games for Two (and More)

This is a gaming blog. I don't think I need to sell you on the pleasures of gaming. We all know this simple truth: life is hard sometimes, and a good game with good friends is good medicine.

Of course, finding friends to play games isn't always the easiest. There are the occasional (or even weekly) game nights, but the friends most readily at hand are likely found in the home. The friend I play games with the most (and also my favorite gaming partner) is my wife, but finding a good two-player game can be difficult, especially if you want to maximize your gaming dollar. I don't often buy games that don't have a two-player mode (unless they are obvious group games, like The Resistance), and a good two-player mode is often what keeps games hitting the table and off my BGG trade list. Since I've had some false starts and some successes, I thought I'd put together a brief guide for others who might be in the same boat.

What follows is a list (with some commentary) of good multiplayer games that are fun with two to help you get the most out of your gaming dollar. (I've also added a brief list without commentary of some two-player-only games that are worth your time.)

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.