Ten Reasons Your Game Console Has 4 Legs

In honor of today's release of the new Xbox One and last week's debut of the PS4, I thought it'd be fun to remind us all why we're not standing in line at night to get our hands on one of these beauties.  Okay, chances are a lot of us split our time between the tabletop and the living room with the TV,  but we're board gamers, and we love celebrating our hobby when everyone else is going crazy about the latest, greatest, tech gadget.

Read on for ten reasons why tabletop gaming is better than videogaming.

Example: gaming tables are WAY cheaper than consoles

News Bits: 10/14/2013

This week's NEWS:

Terra Mystica, Le Havre: Inland Port win International Gamers Awards [Link] The International Gamers Awards focus on gamer games rather than the Spiel des Jahres' (and to some extent the Kennerspiel des Jahres') more family-oriented games. And the results look like two big wins for Z-Man Games in the US. I know supply problems have hampered the first, and I've not played either. Anyone have any thoughts on these winners?

To Get This Train Rolling We'll Have To Build Some Tracks (A Guide To Network Building)

Now a days whenever you hear the word network you may think more about social networks than railroads and power lines.  But board games tend to be a little bit more old fashion so you're likely to be a rail baron than a blogger when you sit down to the latest hot game (at least I don't think there are any games about social networking yet).  So get your conductor's hat on, or whatever rail barons wear, and get ready to build a network to span the globe.  Oh, we can't build railroads under water yet?  Never mind, let's leave the globe spanning to the social networkers after all.

News Bits: 7/29/2013

The big news this week was a failed Kickstarter campaign and the discussion surrounding it. But there's more than that. Here is the NEWS:

Fred Hicks discusses the Doom That Came to Atlantic City Kickstarter campaign [Link] Kickstarter for board games is coming out of its infancy into the shaky years of adolescence. This kind of scenario (along with many, many, many others) has with good reason made many people wary of using the platform. I know there's a lot of idealism surrounding Kickstarter, about it being used to fund people's dreams, but really, I think Hicks's advice is on the money. And because there is no great way to test first-time campaigners (to see if they're overreaching), and since I've had several less than stellar experiences myself, I'm much more likely to use my money to fund Kickstarter veterans. Against the spirit of the service? Perhaps, but less risk. (Also, the game's designer responded here. Designer/publisher relationships are complicated, to say the least.)

Counterpoint: Is Catan REALLY a Worker Placement Game: The 4th Rule

Work work work

Let me put something out there right away so that you'll read the rest of my article.

No, Catan is not really a worker placement game. Yes, I just countered the original point of my first article.

So why make the claim at all?

The very interesting outcome of my outlandish claim has been the discussion around Worker Placement. What is it? How do you define it clearly? And what makes Catan NOT a WP game? We all know in our guts that Catan is not WP. And yet we have a lot of trouble specifically defining why that is so.

Since my original tweet on Twitter, a lot of people have sent me extra "rules" that they claim are the reason why Catan isn't WP, and I'm sorry to say but most of them are wrong.

Point: Is Settlers of Catan a Worker Placement Game?

As I was thinking my thoughts the other day, something occurred to me regarding the game Settlers of Catan: that some of its mechanisms are remarkably similar to "worker placement," a common genre of board game mechanisms, even though it isn't technically considered a "worker placement game."
I posited this thought on Twitter the other day with this tweet: "The thought occurred to me the other day. Settlers of Catan is a worker placement game." This garnered a series of responses from multiple people, resulting in an engaging discussion that got me thinking. How do you define "worker placement" accurately, is Catan really a worker placement game or is it not, and why does it matter? Well, let's tackle this subject.

In an interesting twist, my good man GeekInsight over at Giant Fire Breathing Robot is taking on this topic as well. Read my thoughts, and hit the link at the end of the article to see what he has to say about it.

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: What Comes after 7 Wonders?

Here at iSlaytheDragon, we sometimes receive correspondence from our readers (which we love!). Usually we handle these letters on our own and no one's the wiser, but we thought this question would be a good one to bring to our readers. Gawie from South Africa writes:

I'm the only one in my circle of friends and family who REALLY REALLY enjoys board games. I'm always trying to twist their arm to join me for a game. 7 Wonders has really solved a lot of my problems because people actually don't mind playing with me, since it's fun and short. However, I agree with you that some variety is needed - not game after game of 7 wonders all the time. Is there another board game that's as family friendly as 7 wonders that you would recommend?

Help Gawie in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:

I'm surprised you say your family and friends don't enjoy games that much, yet you call 7 Wonders "family friendly." Your friends and family must be nearly there!

I don't know how many players you hope to get involved, but the games I've seen have the best success are Settlers of Catan (which I'm bored of, but it's popular for a reason) and Ticket to Ride. Settlers of Catan can play three or four (there's an expansion to accommodate up to six players, but really, I'd start with the three- or four-player game), and Ticket to Ride can play up to five. Personally, Ticket to Ride is my go-to game for nongamers because each turn players only have one choice to make, so the game moves along quickly. Every person can make progress on a turn (unlike Settlers, where bad dice rolls can work against you and bad initial placement can hamper you), and as people get more into the game, they can play more aggressively. These are both for smaller crowds, but they're great.

If you're looking for a game that can accommodate the same crowd as 7 Wonders, some great family games  are For Sale (up to six), Pit (up to eight), Incan Gold (up to eight), and Bohnanza (my family's favorite, and it can fit seven). For Sale, Pit, and Incan Gold are super quick, but everyone I've taught them to loves them. These games are not as deep as 7 Wonders, though, and people will probably tire of them quicker. Bohnanza is a bit longer, but it really is a great game with lots of interaction. And if my family is any indication, they can play this one over and over and not get tired of it.

@Futurewolfie answers:

I've had the most success with Ticket to Ride.  While my family is willing to try games that I bring, TtR is one of the few they've actually ASKED for.  Kill Dr. Lucky was also a success, and that game holds up to 7 players - but it can last 1-1.5 hours.


The Resistance is another game popular with my family.  It takes up to 10 players, plays very short (about 30mins), doesn't have a lot of rules to remember, and is one of the few games that can be played leisurely around a living room instead of at a table.  (Leisurely in the sense that people can sit back in a comfortable chair).  It takes a bit for people to get used to the concept, but once they do it's easy for everyone to stay involved.


Other than that, it's almost more of an art than a science getting your family to play games. Just remember that not everyone has to be a gamer to enjoy games, and not everyone will enjoy your favorite games.  Getting your family to play requires patience.  You've got to regularly bring up the idea of trying new games but not be overly pushy - people are a lot less likely to enjoy a game if they're forced into it.  When introducing a new game, focus more on helping them enjoy the game than trying to win - crushing defeats discourage repeat plays.  Even if you have to sacrifice some of your fun the first few times, in the long run it will work out better for you when your family can enjoy a wider variety of games.

Shut Up and Play!

Have you ever been to a concert where the band onstage, instead of doing what they've been paid to do, practices for their future career as the voiceover guy for America's Home Videos? The cry of "Shut up and play!" rises from the audience (or if you, like me, attended mostly Christian rock concerts as a youth, in Christian charity you silently bore ill will toward those onstage, especially if they were the opening act).

Well, a similar problem can plague you when you try to teach the rules to someone. You want to get every rule in, but there are some around the table who either have played before, who understand more quickly than someone else at the table, or who have a low attention span. They cry, "Let's learn as we go!" the board gaming equivalent of "Shut up and play!"

Joining In...?

Saturday night should have been an ideal time to game. My wife was having several women from church over for a craft night, and I was (thankfully) banished from my home. I found a new store in the area that was offering open gaming on Saturday nights, so this seemed like a promising way to pass the evening away from my own hearth.

Unfortunately, I chickened out.

A Two Part Post, Part II: Expansive

Today I played a good game of Dominion Intrigue with my arch-nemesis.  Fortunately I ended the game at 2 points above my opponent for the win, but this was my first time playing with any Dominion expansion.  One thing I noticed, in general, about the expansion.  While the core game has actions that are, mostly, +1 Action or +2 cards, simple stuff like that with an occassional card that requires a full sentence to explain its purpose, Intrigue's cards are filled with "Choose between this" or "Do this.  If this happens, then do this, otherwise do this."  In short, the game builds on core concepts we already know, and twists them up, adding complication and variety.

I think that's awesome.  It's one of the coolest things about the world of Euro- or Hobby gaming.

Call it Lumber! *angryface*

While most American games have resources in the form of currency, many games on the euro scene go for something a little more creative - treasure, coins, minerals, etc.  This allows for a bit more creative art, as well as various implementations of strategy when a variety of resources are needed.  This you probably already know.

Me, I often come  up with short-form 'nicknames' so to speak for what to call things.  Android has "bus passes," Dominion has "money" and Catan has Logs, Rocks, Bricks, and Sheep, as well as Super Secret Cards.  Admittedly, I occassionally choose a confusing word (I sometimes catch myself calling any Treasure card in dominion "Gold" because of the card color, regardless of the card value... which is not very good) but for the most part, I keep my [own made-up] terminology straight.

I attended Gencon this past year for the first time, which was quite an exciting event for me, an event that inspired me further and deeper into gaming with some side-effects that include starting this blog.  However, there is one small, unimportant, yet still memorable moment from Gencon that was somewhat unpleasant.

I had finally managed to jump in a game of Catan on Microsoft's Surface - an expensive coffee-table-turned-computer, loaded with Mayfair's crown game.  The game itself wasn't the best experience I've had with Catan - personally, I prefer the actual, tactile pieces, but as a tech guy on top of a board game guy, it was a novel experience, and the technology was pretty cool  (Best part: rolling actual dice that the computer could interpret).

Anyways, as I jumped in to fill another player's spot (finding myself with only 3 points to most of the other players' 6's and 7's) I immediately launched my strategy of trading and building up.  "Anyone got Logs?" I asked when my turn came around and I had some cards to trade.

"Call it lumber!" another player demanded, and it was not quite friendly.  It was sort of a grumpy growl, actually, and quite off-putting.  See, I thought games were played for fun. I didn't realize the terminology of the game was so strict.  Lumber, Wood, Logs - to me, it wasn't like there was anything to confuse that word with.  Is it Sheep or Wool?  Well considering the other options are a far cry from anything fabric-like, it shouldn't be that confusing.

I guess my point is this: lighten up, people. It's a board game.  A game.   If the rules call it a "development card" and I toss my resources in for a "super-secret card," it's not a game-breaker.  There's only one kind of card in the game that might give a player abilities beyond the norm, which is kept hidden until played.  It's okay.  If you have nicknames for cards, words that you find easier or more fun to say, then do it - as long as it's not confusing.  If you catch me calling Treasure in Dominion "Gold" then call me on it (unless i'm actually playing or buying a Gold card) - but if I call it "the monies" or something silly like that, I think we'll all make it through the game just fine.  After all, it is a board game - it's about using your imagination. Oh, and having fun.

Do you  use your own "slang" when playing board games?  Do you hate it when other people do that?  Leave a comment!

Anybody got wheat? I got two logs!

Catan can be a very frustrating game sometimes.  Despite the statistics and probabilities, sometimes the dice keep popping up with numbers that aren't yours, even if your numbers are quite good.  When that happens, you can't collect resources, and that makes it very hard to build, expand, and sometimes play. 

Run for your Life, Candyman

As you may or may not have garnered from a recent post, I am working on designing my very own board game.  I started this project in high school, and even got it to a point where I submitted a proposal to Mayfair games.  Apparently the proposal was well-written, because I received a response requesting to see my rules.  Unfortunately (as is very clear to me now) those rules were sloppy, overcomplicated, and just not very fun.


I took a break from the project for several years, but I recently rediscovered the rules and have been thinking about them for a while in the back of my mind.  Then, just a few weeks ago, I had an epiphone and figured out a completely new mechanic for the game that was significantly simpler and more-fun-sounding.  So, my work on the project restarted, and i've made loads of progress since then.