Board Game Fever

A couple of times a year I get this itch, I've never openly discussed it for obvious embarrassing reasons but suffice to say I've tried every cream and ointment and it never dissipates. One day a few years ago I was randomly scouring the internet for a cure when I came across a fervent community around board games. Alas the itch subsided as I explored this fascinating new rabbit hole I would soon find myself lost within, This was new to me, the only board games I had played were popular mainstream games like Monopoly, Trouble, Clue, etc. I was not aware that in the mid 90's European style board games, mostly from Germany, began making their way over to the U.S. and taking the table top community by storm. Settlers of Catan was probably the earliest one of these games to really take off and since then these 'Designer Board Games' have ushered in a more heavily thematic, mindbogglingly creative and intensely strategic era of board games that have reinvigorated enthusiasts and captured the attention of non-gamers alike.

It's been about two years since I've gotten into tabletop games, a more apt descriptor as many games don't even bother with a board, but I still consider myself new to the hobby. The very first set of games I bought I introduced to friends and they seemed to enjoy them quite a bit, since then I've expanded my collection while introducing different genres and slowly increasing the complexity of the games we play. We started off with incredibly simple games that I could explain in 5 minutes and included some strategy but light on complex mechanics, games like: Ticket to Ride, Munchkin, Tsuro and Zombie Dice. Ticket to Ride is a real highlight, correctly considered a modern day classic to rival the all time greats, in fact the game is better than any family game in existence and every home should have a copy, it's simple but doesn't lack complexity and can be easily explained to anyone, even the family dog. From there things escalated quickly.

The games I mentioned above are described as 'light' or 'family' games, they are incredibly simple and typically only have one mechanic, lying train carts along a track for instance. But tabletop games can get significantly more complex from there. Small World was the first game me and my friends tried that took awhile to explain and even while playing the rulebook wasn't far from reach. Categorized as an area control game, players choose unique races alongside randomly assigned unique abilities and vie for control of the map on the board game. A simple game in retrospect but a game with enough rules and nuances that beginners shouldn't hop right in without some prior experience with similar games.

Over the next few posts, as movies and video games are few and far between these days, I'll be diving deep into table top gaming; describing, explaining, reviewing, and reliving moments from my time at the table.