Do you play for the players, or for the game?

Boardgaming is a great hobby.  There is a huge variety of games to choose from.  More and more great games come out each day, and unlike some mediums of entertainment, almost all great games from the past continue to be great games now.  You don't need to buy expensive new computers to play the latest games, and you have no problem pulling out a game from 15 years ago.  Games promote social interaction, strategic and creative thinking, and just having something to do when you're bored, even when the power goes out.

But more importantly, board gaming is truly a social experience.  Unlike online multiplayer video games - of which the social interaction often boils down to pre-adolescent boys screaming profanities and slurs at everyone else - board games get groups of people interacting in person around an actual table, with no digital screens or wires in the way.

Strategery of the winning variety

I play a lot of games.  I know, big surprise, right?

As I play games repeatedly, I often start to develop new strategies for those games.  Sometimes strategies develop over time.  Sometimes I think of a crazy idea and try it out.  Sometimes I read up on strategies online.

The point is, I'm always trying to further my game, to get better, to refine my skills.

Look at me, I'm a winner!

I couldn't find an image for winning so have a bunny instead

Board games are great exercisers for the mind.  You have to learn rules and apply them directly to formulate strategies, leveraged against other intelligent people forming their own strategies.  The result is a dynamic, but challenging, experience.  Some people have a natural affinity for the way games work.  Others don't have it so easy.

If you're one of those who struggles with adapting to new board game strategies, or if you just want to learn to do better, this post is for you.

FTW

There's a funny thing about my personality.  If you know me, you know that I'm pretty quiet most of the time, and very laid back, and generally not that competitive.  In fact, though my dad had some dreams for my high school career as a star kicker in football, I never really got into organized sports.  This is not because of an outright rejection of sports - I could hold my own in a pickup game of basketball or touch football - I just didn't appreciate how much time and effort and lack of actual fun were involved, because organized sports are not about playing, they're about winning.

However, despite my lack of enthusiasm towards sports, I do have a competitive gene inside me, and when I played games, I played to win.  Winning was the most important thing when I played any game, even RPGs.