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!

If a gamer rolls a "1" in the Forest...

Last week I was away on vacation. My ego hopes that you noticed, but regardless, I get to talk about it.  Why? I'm a gamer and a blogger and that's just what I do.

My vacation was not just any vacation, after all.  It was my yearly trek to the western side of Michigan, camping with family for a week right by the lake.  It's a time of relaxation, of getting away from electronics and obligations, and doing whatever one feels like doing at the moment.  Which, for me (and fortunately, for several of my cousins) this meant a lot of playing games.

All Under Control (A Guide to Area Control/Majority)

Who doesn't like to carve out their own little fiefdom, now and then?  Whether it's a man cave at home, a special project at the office, or a particular job in some organization, there's a satisfaction to be had in owning your own personal space or role. A sense of freedom knowing you're in control. Putting your own personal touch on something is rewarding, and it's nice to see the results of accomplishing that goal for which you've exerted so much effort and planning. Of course, this overarching element has always been endemic to hobby gaming, and there's one specific mechanic that has proven to be a natural fit in capturing that feeling.

News Bits: 3/18/2013

Ladies and gentlemen, the NEWS:

The National Post talks Diplomacy [Link] This is an interesting article on the man who made Diplomacy and the legacy of this game. I've avoided this one myself because of the hard feelings I've heard it engenders, but this was an interesting read nonetheless.

Guide to Gaming: Gaming with Kids

One of the simpler and under-rated joys in life is playing with kids. As it pertains to our hobby, of course, that means enjoying time spent on board games with our children, grandkids, nieces and nephews, as well as in other, family-oriented, social circles. Not only are these occasions just flat out fun, but it is important in teaching kids critical thinking skills, family bonding, and developing strong and healthy child-adult relationships.

News Bits: 8/13/2012

This week is GenCon, so that's the biggest news. If you're not going (like me), you can live vicariously through those who are. And you can be sure that, come next Monday, I'll have the juiciest tidbits ready for your perusal, with my usual comments, of course.

Oh, and if you will be at GenCon, be sure to track down chief dragon slayer @Futurewolfie...if he isn't too busy doing all the tasks I've assigned to him.

Now: the news.

Dominion, More Dominion, and Even More Dominion
Again, I make no pretense of impartiality here: I love Donald X's design. I think it's fantastic. So I was especially excited when he released these five previews of Dark Ages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)--with another 26 cards awaiting discovery at GenCon! But that's only one Dominion announcement. The other centers on third-party Dominion apps and websites. As of August 22, all these will close down. (You can see one such announcement on Board Game Arena and another on Isotropic.) On the positive side, the official Dominion app (and online implementation) will be released August 16 for iOS and Android. Details are a bit scant now, but it seems that users will be able to play the base game for free, with additional expansions available as in-app purchases. And according to DXV on BGG, playing with expansions will require only one player to have purchased it. All of this, depending on in-app prices, seems like a pretty good deal to me, and I am super stoked about this.

FDQ: What Game Is Beautiful?

Board game design, at least within the hobby, is considered an art form. Mechanics in harmony create a well-oiled machine that is wonderful to take part in. But there are some games that go the extra mile, and beyond being beautiful mechanically are beautiful to behold. What game best falls into this category for you? Answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
It's hard to choose just one...so I'll choose two. The first is Fresco, which is a fairly obvious choice. The components in this game are astounding, and even the insert is beautiful. The artwork throughout captures the feel of master painters fulfilling their commission. A game about master painters that wasn't beautiful would lose all street cred, so Fresco seems like an obvious choice.

Next to Fresco, the next most beautiful game I can think of is Troyes. I love the artwork style in this game. While the theme is bland, the artwork more than makes up for it, drawing the player back in time to the Middle Ages. The subdued art and color coding make it a game that's easy to stare at.

@Futurewolfie answers:
The choice for me is obvious:  Twilight Imperium. Fantasy Flight Games, with their commonly hefty rulesets and lengthy playtimes may not appeal to everyone, but one thing is certain: they consistently go the distance with art, design, and the inclusion of fancy bits.  Twilight Imperium is no exception.  All the pieces and bits are excellent quality, with lots of color.  It all feels very space-y, with art for each race that fits well within the theme, and the ships! Oh, all the tiny little plastic mini ships.  Fleets of them! Fleets of these finely detailed constructions, all in one box.  This game is a delight to unpack, and it has one of the finest looking boards (once assembled) I've ever seen.

Takenoko is a fairly recent acquisition, but it too carries the banner of beauty.  With vibrant colors, solidly crafted stackable wooden bamboo pieces, and painted minis, Takenoko is definitely easy on the eyes.

Honorable mentions:  Battlestar Galactica, and Small World.  I seem to have a lot of beautiful games because I could go on.

I'll Tell You a Tale... (a mini-review of Small World: Tales & Legends)

 
Tales and Legends is yet another mini-expansion for Small World, but this time instead of new races and special powers, you get a deck of Event Cards.  Like the others, Tales is definitely mini - about the size of a deck of cards, so look carefully when you're at the gaming store - and it comes at a low price.  This time it's $15, a little bit more than Cursed! and Grand Dames.  Is it worth it?

Cursed! (a mini-review of Small World: Cursed!)

 

Small World: Cursed! is a mini-expansion to the game Small World that adds a few new races and a few new powers. Much like Grand Dames, "mini" is definitely an accurate description—this expansion is essentially the punchboards with the races, their tokens, and the special powers wrapped in a paper sleeve. (Also like Grand Dames, it's so small it was hard to find on the shelf of my FLGS. Be warned.) Fortunately, it also comes at a mini-price of only $10 (and if you look you can find it discounted even further).

Is Cursed! worth it? I think so.

Here Come the Ladies... (a mini-review of Grand Dames of Small World)

Grand Dames of Small World is a mini-expansion to Small World, adding three new races and two new special powers. "Mini" is an accurate term, as this expansion is essentially a few punchboards with the tokens wrapped in a sheet of paper, coming in at about 1/4 inch thick. It was hard to see on the shelf of the board game store, it's so tiny. Fortunately, it comes at a low price of $10, and if you look around, you can find it discounted even further. Is it worth the price?

It's a Small World After All (a review of Small World)

[Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house thematic-loving @futurewolfie and his ferocious opponent, the stodgy euro-loving @Farmerlenny.  Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

RISK is fairly popular among gamers who have not yet been introduced to the larger world of hobby gaming. And it makes sense: compared to the veritable montage of trivia games and Monopoly rethemes available at your local Target, RISK offers more strategic choices, more interest, and of course global domination.  However, when you look closer, it doesn't offer much depth; the winning "strategy" involves building up your armies more quickly than everyone else so as to overwhelm your opponents with an unending supply of dice to roll. Earlier versions of the game required complete global domination, thereby requiring the elimination of other players one at a time and resulting in an hours-long game. Newer versions mitigate this by offering mission cards (usually "eliminate red player" or "conquer North America"), but the basic dice-rolling and attrition mechanics are still in place.

I bring up RISK because for people unfamiliar with hobby games, this is the best comparison I can give to Small World. In RISK, you spread out your armies by conquering various regions on a board; the same is true of Small World.

However, I make these connections to decrease the intimidation factor when introducing or explaining a  game to new players. Small World offers significantly greater depth and a whole lot more fun, while cleverly eliminating player elimination. Read on to find out how we feel about this game.

FDQ: What Game Do You Wish You Played More Often?

We discussed it earlier—the near tragedy of the box that sits. Variety may be the spice of life, but too much variety leads to being spread too thin. And while "the cult of the new" has its draws, it sometimes pushes old favorites to the background. So today's FDQ: Which game do you wish you played more of? And the corollary question, why don't you?

@FarmerLenny answers:
I game most frequently over lunch hours at work, so the games that I wish I got to play more are mostly games that don't fit within that time frame. Most notably, I wish I got to play El Grande more. This game takes a double hit: it's too long to be played over lunch, and it takes at least four players to make gaming circumstances optimum. This is one of my favorite games, but the box sits there most of the time. Still, it's worth keeping around for those golden moments when I get to play it. Acquire is another game I don't get to play enough of because it's long. It also has the added strike against it that it's fairly mathy. I take advantage of playing this one whenever I can.

@Futurewolife answers:
Even though I've actually played it fairly often recently, I just can't get enough of Ascending Empires right now. Shadows over Camelot has been sitting on my shelf far too much since I obtained it in trade at Gencon.  And darn you, Smallworld, for being just too long to fit in a lunch hour comfortably. I will always keep you around, though, because you are so fun, even though I get to play you so very little.

***Next week is our special  "From Russia with Love  " week, when we will review at a gallop four new titles from Right Games out of Russia. You won't want to miss it!***

Friday Question: Are You a Sleever?

I've heard it defended as "protecting your investment." I've heard detractors say, "It's like your mom covering the couch in plastic: it's so uninviting and doesn't feel like home." So this Friday, we're here to settle the question once and for all: Are you a sleever? To what extent? Answer in the comments below!

@FarmerLenny answers:
It's probably leftover from my days of playing CCGs—when I spent lots of money on little pieces of cardboard whose only value was determined by the company publishing it—and from my days of being the hall's unofficial activity director in my freshman dorm (when I spent my days playing video games and my nights wiping others' grease off my controllers), but I am a sleever. Not for all games, mind you. But if a game is exclusively or even primarily cards, I will probably sleeve it. I should qualify that. If a game is cheap ( < $20), I probably won't sleeve it. Bohnanza is a good example. If the game is expensive and primarily if not exclusively cards (like Dominion or 7 Wonders), I think it's worth it to sleeve the game. And seeing the wear on my sleeves (and considering the play my games see over lunch periods), I'm glad I made that decision. I think it's especially important to sleeve cards if the game is likely to have expansions, since uneven wear can become an issue. Board games that have cards but that are not primarily cards (like Ticket to Ride or even El Grande) I don't sleeve since the other bits are the bulk of the cost. Usually in these situations the manufacturer offers some kind of replacement deck for just the card portion. By the way, I am a cheapskate, so I use the penny sleeves. These are a good way to protect your investment without breaking the bank. Honestly, I prefer the tactile feel of cards without their plastic coatings, but I'd much rather protect the game.

@Futurewolfie answers: 
I'm not really a sleever, though it's more out of laziness and/or cheapness than anything else.  Dominion (and its expansions) is the only game I have sleeved... namely because it gets a lot of play, it consists entirely of cards, and there's a lot of reshuffling - after only a year, the cards are noticably wearing down, so I finally had to give in.  I also go for the 'penny' sleeves - it just doesn't make any sense to me to pay $40 to sleeve a game that i paid $30 for.  Okay maybe not every game has QUITE as many cards as Dominion, but still...

I would probably sleeve more games but it's very frustrating and annoying trying to find sleeves that fit for each game you have.  There are so many variations, and the size you need is always more expensive than the size that's 4mm shorter.  It is unfortunate that the cheap sleeves are so flimsy and also have a lot of variance in how snugly they fit.  In the end i would almost rather buy new copies of a game if the cards got too worn out, although i suppose that sleeves would be proof against the game going out of print...  Either way, it makes me greatly appreciate games that don't have cards at all (I'm looking at you guys, Smallworld and Ascending Empires, two of my favorites).

Interpreting Icons and other nonsense

How many points are these worth? what do they do?

I played "Race for the Galaxy" for the first time today over lunch.  I haven't played enough for a fair analysis, so this is not a review - but I did encounter something during the game that got me a-thinkin' about board games, design, playability, etc. etc. so forth and so on.

I'm not even going to go into detail about how the game is played, except for this: in the game, there are cards that when played, provide some ability or bonus.

The thing that caught my attention, though, was not the function of the cards - but the design.  Not that it was bad design.  Just very icon-heavy.  Very icon heavy.  Look at the picture.  See all the icons?