The finale to our 3-part blogathon- we finish on an upbeat note, encouraging capitalism and hobbies.
Now, I've only been in the board-gaming hobby for 6 years or so.
The first three years consisted of me wandering around like a chicken without its head, wondering what games were right for me in a sea of board and card games that all looked bizarre.
I, like many who begin the descent into this hobby, began when my brother introduced me to a little game called Settlers of Catan.
Having grown up on the likes of Risk, Monopoly, Stratego, Omega Virus, Uno, and a host of other Milton Bradley games, Settlers was an eye-opening experience.
Settlers, for those who are unfamiliar, belongs to a class of game commonly referred to as a Euro board game. They focus less on luck and more on strategy than most American board games. Notable exception in this case is Stratego, which has a surprisingly large amount of strategy behind it.
I don't want to go on another Euro game rant (been there), so I'll keep this bit brief- if you think you might be interested in board games that have more depth, strategy, and re-playability, then you might be interested in Euro games. Settlers is a great gateway game, combining many elements of both American and Euro games. A good alternative is Ticket to Ride. Or maybe Carcassonne.
Anyway, Settlers was a unique and thrilling plummet into a magnificent world that I've only just started to truly explore.
And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there are board games for everyone.
There are purely abstract games designed for people to be able to work at to master over time. Chess and Go (Go is like Chess on crack and meth at the same time) are examples of this. Unchanging setups that offer infinite variations for the game's progression simply based on what the player decides to do with their move. No luck is involved in these games.
There are games which are purely luck.
Games with high player interaction.
Games with excellent themes.
Games where you take on the role of your character.
Games that progress like an epic quest.
Games where you develop competitive setups against the other player(s).
Games with talking.
Games with bluffing.
Games with the risk of being eliminated.
Games where everyone always gets to play.
Games to push your brain.
Timed games.
Games with bidding and auctions.
Games where you build your own city.
Games where you get to micro-manage your resources or units.
Games where you have to cooperate with other players.
Games where you get to deceive other players.
Games centered on laughing.
Games centered on conquering and diplomacy
Games with strict mechanics.
Games with loose mechanics.
Games that last days or weeks at a time.
Games that last 10-30 minutes.
Games for 2 people.
Games for 28 people.
Games based on your worldly knowledge.
Games based on your vocabulary.
Games where no one wins.
Games where you want to lose.
Games with miniatures.
Games with nothing but your imagination.
There are games for everyone.
One of the best resources available to any would-be gamer is
http://boardgamegeek.com - A website with forum discussion, pictures, rules, descriptions, comments, ratings, reviews, and more on nearly any board/card game you could think about giving someone. If you have a specific game in mind and want to know more, head to this site.
[A side note about BGG's rating system- the world of boardgamers is cruel. The vast majority of games are rated below 8.0. Many of the top rated games in various fields are high 7s. Don't let the rating system get you down if a game looks interesting, but is "only" rated 6-7. Find a good review and let that tell you its pros and cons]
But maybe you have no idea what to get someone in the first place and you don't want to go cruising up and down BGG playing whack-a-mole with game ideas.
So, narrow your selection down. Who are you buying for? Are you planning on playing together? Or with more people? What kind of theme are you looking for? Or is theme even important? Are you looking for players to interact constantly or would you rather players compete without screwing with each other? Are you interested in a lighter game or a heavier game? Is price an issue?
These are just some of the many questions that you'll ask whenever picking a game. However, most of the questions start to slip away when you've figured out more or less what you (or your giftee) wants in a game.
Most games fall somewhere between 20-40 dollars, particularly if you buy them on Amazon or a website like coolstuffinc.com. Lighter games (games that are quick to play and easy to learn) are typically (but not always) in smaller boxes and will be cheaper to purchase, but that doesn't mean they'll be any less fun. Are you not sure at all what you might like? There are actually a number of groups that review board games and sometimes play them for you to see. http://tabletop.geekandsundry.com/ - This is the site for Tabletop, a video review blog on board games with Wil Wheaton that many people find useful in choosing what games to get.
Purchasing those first few games is often the most challenging part of the hobby because you don't really know exactly what you'd like until you start playing. It's easiest to break into gaming if you have friends who can introduce you to games that they own, so you can judge more or less what you're into. Otherwise, it's all about guessing and checking.
But again, if you're just starting out, there are some really simple games that are pretty fun and cover a decent array of mechanics, like Settlers, which has some luck, has some strategy, includes a basic economy mechanic, tile placement, card-drawing, light player interaction, it's pretty easy to teach, plays in under an hour, and has high replayability with a number of expansions if you're trying to spice it up.
Furthermore, it may not be a direct correlation, but try to think about the kinds of video games or TV shows or books that you like.
Are you really into mystery? Mystery Express
Do you like shows like The Mole? There are a number of hidden-role games where you get to deceive other players into thinking you're on their side while trying to sabotage them instead. The Resistance and Werewolves of Millers Hollow are two party games heavily dependent on hidden roles. Shadows Over Camelot is longer board game for fewer people of this genre.
Are you partial to war and history? There are a number of excellent war games that have been produced, including one of the all time top rated 2-player games ever, Twilight Struggle
Or maybe you're into sci-fi? Well, this ranges greatly- you can play games like Space Alert, which is a real-time cooperative game where you try to survive with your crew mates against the unknown perils of space- or you can play Race for the Galaxy, a game about building the most profitable galactic system through planetary structures that benefit each other. Or Eminent Domain, a deckbuilding game about galactic conquest.
Fantasy and sci-fi are two of the more prolific genres of board/card games available, and there will be no shortage of games to choose from for fans of them.
Horror is a tricky genre, where much of the popular games revolve around HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe, which spawned a number of board games that use miniatures under the series title Arkham Horror. However, horror also encompasses the zombie genre, which has spawned a number of popular board games like The Last Night on Earth. Horror sci fi even has a place here with Escape from Aliens in Outer Space, which is a hidden-role game in which you don't know who's an alien and who's a human, but you're all on a derelict spacecraft and you have to slowly make your way out of the ship, trying to bluff the aliens into not finding you in the darkness, while the aliens have to move like humans to avoid arousing suspicion.
Tensions run high in horror games, giving you that real adrenaline pumping feeling that you're a single mistake away from inviting disaster.
But maybe you're into games that are more about the strategy than they are about the theme?
Maybe you'd care to try Dominion.
But don't think that all your games need fancy pieces and parts for you to have fun.
Have you ever sat down to play a simple, but fun, game of Telephone Pictionary?
Need a little more whimsy and a lot more crazy? Try playing a round of Everyone is John.
But let's say you want to sit down with your family and play a nice game that trains your brain that doesn't have to be about the competition. Boggle lets you exercise your vocabulary, your spatial reasoning, and you never have anyone placing down "Xi" on a triple-word-score and laughing at you.
And if you're just interested in showing off your worldly knowledge, there's the ever popular Trivial Pursuit (seen here in many different formats).
Far be it from me to tell you how to have fun, but the next time you sit down to play Monopoly and you end the night wondering why the hell you still play Monopoly, try taking a look at what the wide world of gaming has to offer you. After all, there's more to good games than rolling dice and buying whatever property you landed on ad nauseum. At least in my book.
Board games can get pretty complicated though. So when you're looking through these, previewing, viewing, and reviewing, remember that it's okay to be confused, it's okay to get things wrong, and it's okay to play with house rules or to change the game to make it fun for you.
And PS, if you're looking for a party game like Apples to Apples except actually funny (provided no one is offended by extremely crude/vulgar words and ideas), then check out Cards Against Humanity.
Good luck, and Merry Christmas!
-
Waddles
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