The Unofficial Guide to Explaining Modern Board Games to Outsiders

Explaining board games to non-gamers often feels like trying to explain text messaging to my mother. Or explaining what's funny about South Park to a puritanical mom. Lots of blank stares. And in the case of board games, references to "Oh, I like Monopoly, too!" Ugh.

First, a bit of history to understand why we're in this position. In the past 50 to 60 years, children have corrupted many parts of our society that used to belong exclusively to adults--the Halloween holiday is one famous example, and board games are certainly another. They used to be part of the adult sphere primarily with such challenging games as chess and backgammon. Then somewhere along the line, board games took an ugly, dumb turn. A hobby that was once reserved for the meatiest minds and cleverest of brains in the world was now marketed for mass audiences and children. Monopoly, Sorry, Guess Who?, and Candyland--all games (and I use that word loosely) that are meant as time fillers that can be played quickly and by the simplest of folks. Why teach our children deep strategy and planning, when we can teach them how to pop a pop-o-matic bubble? Suffered a massive head injury lately? No worries! Anyone can play Chutes and Ladders or Sorry!

What we have today though is a revolution in the board game hobby. The adults--nay, the nerds--are reclaiming the hobby and art form of board gaming and the industry is exploding. The problem is, how do you explain it to laypeople?

The key, I think, is making the distinction between mainstream games and regular games. To simplify, I generally refer to the new-wave adult-targeted games as either "Euro games" or "thinking games". The latter can sometimes garner comments about Trivial Pursuit...but it's a crucial step away from Scene It. I think the next most important step is to describe what a difference there really is between games. These social strategy games chuck the spinner right out of the game and rarely make heavy use of dice. These are largely self-propelled games that are driven by movements, actions, and board construction--not chance.

Quality and availability are other issues. These aren't games you'll find at Target. (Although this distinction is dissolving more and more as I'm finding Settlers of Catan at Barnes & Noble and Bananagrams at Target. Wow.) These are game sets that are often crafted, that include wooden pieces, and that players take such pride in that they improve them.

I'll also make generalizations about game themes, describing them as largely sci-fi or historical fiction. And this, my gamer friends, is where I found the key is in reaching the unwashed drooling masses: Describe board games in terms of books, and even Cletus can understand. If Monopoly is pop fiction from the Oprah Book Club, then Carcassonne is a historical novel. Galaxy Trucker is an Asimov tale. Mainstream folks may never understand the virtue of either Agricola or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but at least they can respect the two and recognize that they are legitimate outlets for deep thinking and enjoyment.

Or if you're really tired and just don't have the energy to tell Granpaw or Hillbilly Jarvis that Parker Brothers just ain't your thang, then just say what I say: "Yes, you're right, that Monopoly is one great game. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bottle of wine to open."

Dominion Never Looked So Good and Sexy

Anyone who's played the Rio Grande game Dominion, no doubt understands that this card-intensive game is tricky to organize and store. Tons of stacks of cards, all of which need to be easily accessible, sorted, and secure in the box. To give credit to Rio Grande, they did a tolerably fair job of packing the original box, using a slatted cardboard insert and label sheet to help players find cards in a pinch (get it? 'cause you'd pinch the cards out of the box? Oh, never mind...). But not only is it far from ideal, the original packaging doesn't account for the oodles and oodles of expansions. That's where the Hope Diamond of all Dominion boxes comes into the story.

Now, I think most hardcore gamers who bum around Boardgamegeek.com (BGG) have seen many, many attempts to "pimp out" their Dominion decks. But the other day I stumbled across the prettiest, shiniest, smiliest game box I have ever seen. I want to pet it. I want to name it and take it home and put it in a little dress and serve it cookies. (And I'm only half in love with Dominion to begin with, owning just the original set.)

Furniture craftsman, and BGG member Wade Ashton, recently debuted his treasure chest-inspired wooden Dominion case as a prototype. The case features wooden row dividers, tabbed divider cards, metal hinges, a metal handle, and original Dominion artwork. And the whole thing is customizable since the row dividers can be removed and rearranged. Drooooool.  

The finished chest, which will accommodate even the cards in protector sleeves (Dominion nerd alert!), is being sold for between $160-170 (plus shipping). An unfinished version of the box is available for $90. And damn, is it worth the price. I'm very pleased to see that a number of pre-order requests are being placed (some for multiple boxes). You can find out more about ordering the box here. And if you'd like to gift one to me for the big 30th birthday in a couple weeks, leave a comment below and I'll promptly provide my shipping address. Anyone? Anyone?

7 Reasons Carcassonne is a Truly Great Game

Ah, Carcassonne, the beautiful tile-laying game of strategy and meeples. It is hands-down my absolute favorite board game of all-time for a number of reasons, which I will naturally detail below (otherwise the title of this post would be a big fat lie, wouldn't it?). I feel I have to jump to the defense of this board game, because it takes a lot of punishment on forums and in gaming communities. But I contend a lot of the negative press is backlash, similar to what people spout about Settlers of Catan, both being ubiquitous entries in the Beginner's Guide to Starting a Board Game Hobby. I will fight the wave of criticism with an airtight argument for why Carcassonne truly is one of the greats of the board game world.

First, for those not in the know, let me describe the beautiful simplicity of the game: It is perhaps the quintessential tile laying game in which 2-5 players take turns laying down the square tiles that form the game board, which takes on the shape of the town of Carcassonne. The tiles, of course, have to be placed so that sides match up with already placed tiles, and as the cities and roads are formed, players use meeples to claim territories on the board. Since claiming territories successfully scores points and is what decides the game, tile placement must be extremely strategic and thoughtful.

And if that isn't enough to convince you to run straight to the nearest gaming store and buy a brand-spankin'-new copy, here's my list of 10 reasons it is a simply marvelous game:

1. Works Best With 2 Players
I've played this game with 3 and 4 players before and was surprised to find myself yawning. Well no wonder!, I thought, This is why so many people pass the game by. The game truly shines when it's being played by just 2 players. There's a certain tete-a-tete that occurs when two players duke it out to carve out their territories and fight each other for points. Farmers are easier to keep track of, and the limited competition makes the tile placement more cutthroat. Hmm, I know, if I place this little city nub right next to his metropolis, I bet my jumbo farmer can run him out of town and totally pirate his beautiful city! Stealing your opponent's city is a beautiful thing. Plus--and this is a biggie--two-player games move FAST. Most turns the husband and I are slapping tiles down in a flash and smacking each others' hands to get to the draw pile first. Games (which in our household includes the basic set and two expansions) will typically take us 30-45 minutes, tops. And they are b-r-u-t-a-l.

2. Meeples
In case you don't already know, meeples are those little wooden guys that come with a handful of Euro games. In Carcassonne, meeples are the markers used to claim territories on the board (and to look cute and spell out your name while the game is still beginning). There's something entirely lovable about meeples, and they only add to the game's aesthetic and kitsch value. Plus, some of the expansions (like Princess & Dragon) have wicked awesome unique meeples. My dragon meeple is maybe one of my favorites in all of my games (even if it's a weak expansion).

3. The Ever-Changing Board
Some of the best board games I've ever played change up the board with every game, and Carcassonne is the epitome of this concept. No two games ever look the same, and it is virtually impossible to ever repeat the same game twice (cough, I'm looking at you, Monopoly, and even you, Agricola!).

4. Expansion Variety
There are loads, mountains, and dump trucks of expansions available for Carcassonne--some more playable than others. The down side to a lot of these expansions is that many of them completely change up the game. The up side, is that if you need to mix things up, adding an expansion or two can turn the Carcassonne game already in your closet into a brand-new game. My favorites? "Inns and Cathedrals" and "Traders and Builders". "The Tower" is also worth it just for the giant cardboard tower which acts as a darling draw pile and tile caddy.

5. "Farmer Lying Down on the Job" Jokes

Forget "Why did the chicken cross the road?", that's old hat compared to the quintessential Carcassonne joke, "Why is the farmer lying down on the job?". And let me tell you, it NEVER gets old. No matter how many times you tell the joke in a single evening to the husband. And it NEVER throws his game off.

6. Simplicity of the Rules
I don't know about you, but lately I've been bombarded with games, some of which are brilliant and excellent, but all of which have narcolepsy-inducing rules. Forget Agricola, Carson City, or Puerto Rico. This game keeps it straight-forward and is very teachable to "outsiders". <shifty eyes, shifty eyes>

7. No Dice
While there are certainly elements of chance in the game of Carcassonne (com'on three-sided city tile with a road trailing out the butt!), none of it hinges on a dice roll. And no chance draw of a tile results in the dreaded "Well now I'm screwed" moments that come with many dice games.

Now this is by no means a complete list of the virtues of Carcassonne, and I certainly welcome additional feedback in the comments section below. But the bottom line is that hopefully this list will convince you that if you haven't enjoyed Carcassonne in the past, maybe you haven't given it a fair shake. Sit down with your best (competent) gaming partner and enjoy a good two-player back-and-forth match. Preach!

Pimping Out Our Castle Panic Game - Part 1

Castle Panic was a game the husband and I first sat down with at Origins 2010, and even though it didn't entail us jumping up and running around the table, waving our arms and screaming every time someone said the word "castle", it still was a pretty fun game. Essentially you have a small castle keep surrounded by ominous monster-filled woods. You draw tiles to determine how fast these aggressive beasties advance on your keep, and play different cards, like archers, to fend them off. If the boogers reach your outer wall, then they knock it down and have the path cleared to start razing your towers. If they take down all six of your towers you--and all of the other players--lose. I won't launch into a full review here, but sufficed to say it's a pretty well-balanced and lively game in spite of the fact that I normally loathe cooperatives--I'd rather smash the husband to smithereens rather than celebrate a victory with him (it makes my pillow-spiking victory laps so much more delightful and meaningful).

The only flaw with the game? Somewhat low production value. The castle and tower pieces are cardboard cutouts that are placed in little plastic stands. And we can do better than that, CAN'T WE?

So here's what the husband and I came up with to "pimp out" our slightly used, recently acquired copy of Castle Panic. First, we decided that the walls and towers clearly needed to be 3D. A quick trip to Joann's proved fruitless in finding any little wooden or stone creations that fit the bill. And wouldn't it be too easy if I went to the local hobby store and bought pre-made little walls? I think so too. So instead, I picked up some Crayola Model Magic--this super soft, pliable modeling clay that feels like it's been whipped like Cool Whip. Crayola notes on the packaging that it's "7x easier to use than modeling clay!". I wonder how they quantify that....

Anyway, back at the game cave (read: our living room), construction began.

The walls were the easiest, since I was able to just use a little bit of brown Model Magic to make a few cubed rectangles and implemented a tooth pick as an advanced poking device to create the stone/brick facade. The towers on the other hand....were a bit harder. Six towers need to fit in a tiny space in the center of the board. So do I make a series of round towers? Nah, that looks goofy--who builds a keep like that? The husband suggested making one round castle and dividing it into 6 pie-wedge pieces as parts of the castle. But since that quickly proved to be a logistical nightmare and resulted in the husband being pelted by balls of Model Magic, we moved on to the next plan: semi-circular walls that all join together to roughly form a ring of walls. Here's an image of the battlements being created. They're made out of a thin layer of Model Magic which is tacked on to the top of the tower.

 Here's another image to see how it all started to come together once one of the pieces were molded. All that's left now is to add a top-notch paint job to both of these.The husband will break out his acrylic paint set and tiny brushes we use for D&D mini painting and give them a nice gray, weathered look. Maybe a little moss. Maybe a little blood.

Aside from painting, we still need to construct the two wall reinforcement pieces, for which we have purchased some dollhouse picket fence materials. More to come on this, and the finished paint job in Part 2. Overall, I'm very excited to see how these prototypes came together compared to the cardboard originals (shown below). I think it'll make the game a lot more exciting and even a bit more realistic.

The husband and I have even considered creating a few extra sets and putting them up for sale, but I think we'll have to see if there's any real interest in something like this. I know for us, this is just the perfect upgrade to any already awesome game. In fact, the only thing that might make in better is if we actually institute that rule about screaming and running around the table in a panic every time someone says "castle".

Welcome to Adventures in Board Gaming

My name is Katie and I am one-half of a hard-core board gaming duo, along with my husband Dave whom I'll refer to from here on out as "the husband". Had to start this blog to share some of my thoughts about and delicious finds from the world of gaming.

You'll find that I'm partial to Euro games, especially anything that involves tile laying or other forms of deep strategy and thinking. Some of my top grabs from our game closet (and yes, I said game closet--we converted our living room coat closet...photos to come) include Carcassonne, Agricola, and Pompeii. Husband prefers absurd grand play and loves Galaxy Trucker and Agricola. You won't find much interest in Puffing Billy games or anything in the strict war field coming from my side of the table--but that doesn't mean I won't chat about it here. So if you're a gamer and you're passionate about your hobby, hopefully you'll find a lot of interesting content, humorous photos, and neat ideas right here on this blog.

Plus, the husband and I are prototyping some great handmade accessories to help pimp out game sets, and I'll proudly spotlight them right here. Expect to see some great things here that'll catch your interest and maybe help further your hobby.

Happy gaming!