Slackful Thoughts

5 December, 2002:
I've never attempted to write without an assignment. Everything I've written has had a very specific purpose, be it an essay or paper for school, documentation for software, game rules or some other very prosaic function. Even my attempts at creative writing over the years have been a result of a specific instruction. However, I've decided to try and express my thoughts on gaming in a regular column for this web site. I don't have a real reason for it other than the simple pleasure of writing about games.

Most adults have a certain activities or hobbies that dominate their free time. "I'm a golfer," someone might say, or maybe "I'm a mountain biker." No American will look down on you if you tell them that you hike, garden, bowl, golf or perform most other activities with your free time. The image of a gamer, however, has traditionally been a negative one. Gaming was seen as an activity for the young or the social outcast, but not something in which well-adjusted adults indulge.

Is that true any longer? Not in my experience. The image of gaming has been improving, and while my gaming habits might have been viewed with suspicion in high school, the adults I have exposed to sophisticated games have been very receptive. It's easy to argue that my acquaintances are self-selected, and that's likely true to a certain extent. However, I've been able to get people who would never consider playing a game as a leisure activity to sit down and have a great time paying a great variety of games. I suspect that the wide acceptance of video games has helped greatly and caused many to reconsider games as leisure activities. When open-minded people see today's board and card games, with their inviting themes and lush productions, they are able to move past any prejudices they may have and simply participate. Try throwing a Games Day at your house, and invite co-workers and friends with whom you don't normally game. If you select your games well, and are patient with them until they get in the swing on things, you'll find that you have more willing gamers around you than ever before.

What games have I had success with in introducing folks to gaming? First, that depends somewhat on your audience. Card games played with a traditional deck of cards and Chess are the notable exceptions to the American idea of games being for kids. Find out if someone has played a lot of Hearts, Spades or Pinochle, and use that to guide your choice. If they've played a lot of Spades, for example, try playing Schnäppchen-Jagd or Was Sticht? with them. If they've played a lot of Chess, Checkers, Backgammon or Go, try out an abstract game, such as Zertz or Torres. If they confess to having played games in their youth, you can be more adventurous. If they claim that they never play games, try something that can be explained very quickly and is forgiving of mistakes. Card games are often easier to teach than board games, since they often feature fewer components, and more rules can be placed directly on the cards.

Here are some of my favorite games to introduce new players, and why they've been successful:

Frank's Zoo (Rio Grande Games) — Frank's Zoo is based on a game many are familiar with, going by the name President as well as a more common and much ruder name. When you start explaining it, many people will start to recognize its mechanics. It takes a wide number of players (3 to 7), doesn't feature any exotic mechanics, can be taught quickly thanks to it's clean design and familiarity, and even can be taught gradually. The more complex scoring and rotating partnerships don't happen until the second hand, so you can put off explaining those until people have played a hand. Finally, the game doesn't take very long to play. It's always been well received, is inexpensive, and even features great art by Doris Matthäus.

Knights (Rio Grande Games) — Knights hasn't gotten much attention from the gaming community, but I think it's an overlooked game that provides a good introduction for players. The game's mechanics will be familiar to anyone who has played Yahtzee, and there is plenty of opportunity for players to recover from slow starts. Among a group featuring only experienced gamers, I don't play it much, but I have had good success with it with new players.

Lost Cities (Rio Grande Games) — Lost Cities is a two player only game, making it a poor choice for a party situation, but a great choice to introduce a single non-gamer to the hobby. Following a theme among my suggestions, Lost Cities will have familiar mechanics to anyone who has played rummy. I've given this game many times as a gift, and it has always been appreciated. Rio Grande Games has imported and translated a whole series of games from Kosmos for 2 players, and most of them are excellent. My personal favorites in addition to Lost Cities are Caesar & Cleopatra and Hera & Zeus. A similar game in many ways is Battleline (GMT Games), also designed by Reiner Knizia. Battleline is like playing 9 3-card hands of poker at the same time, with special action cards to make things more exciting.

Ivanhoe (GMT Games) — Ivanhoe is unlike the other games on this list in that it isn't really very similar to any traditional card games. However, the game is very simple to explain, with no difficult exceptions or problems in the rules. The game is essentially a series of auctions, with players playing cards trying to win a tournament. The key to the game is getting out of tournaments you cannot win as quickly as possible. What makes it a winner for new players are the straightforward mechanics, inviting theme, and ease of getting started, since it's a perfectly valid strategy to sit out a few tournaments to see how things go.

Lord of the Rings (Fantasy Flight Games) — This Lord of the Rings is the one in the large box designed by Reiner Knizia. This is a very different game from the others on this list, and indeed, it's very different from most games. It's a cooperative game, which removes a lot of pressure from players. Instead, you're fighting the game itself. As long as there is at least one experienced gamer playing, they can guide the rest of the group. If you have friends who enjoy the books or the movies, give this game a try with them. The ability of the game to recreate the atmosphere and theme of Tolkien's stories is amazing.

Schnäppchen-Jagd (Queen Games), Was Sticht? (Moskito Spiele), Mü & Mehr (Doris & Frank) — These three games are grouped here because they are three of my favorite trick taking games, and because they're all somewhat hard to find. There are many stores on the Web that specialize in imported games, and it's possible to find these games through them. They're worth the hunt. Schnäppchen-Jagd is the best three player trick taking game I know of, and it's a lot of fun with four players as well. Was Sticht? features a goal system and an innovative method of dealing to give players considerable control over how they play the game. Mü & Mehr might be the best bargain of any of the games on this list, as it contains rules to seven games in the box, including the main game of Mü, which plays like a cross between bridge and Rook.

Bohnanza (Rio Grande Games) — Bohnanza is the second game by Uwe Rosenberg on this list, and with good reason. His games take familiar ideas on concepts and turn them on their head. Bohnanza is a trading game with straightforward rules except for one: you cannot sort your hand. That simple idea has a host of consequences, and gives you a game that everyone I've played with enjoys. The game is helped by the fanciful art, and the way it keeps everyone involved in the game on every turn. The Rio Grande edition comes with the first expansion for the game, meaning it's suitable for any number of players from 3 to 7.

Villa Paletti, Bausack & Bamboleo (Zoch) — All three of these games are dexterity games which will be familiar ground to anyone who has played Jenga. With rules that can be explained in minutes and the appeal of getting to play with big chunks of wood, these games never fail to draw in a crowd. What will amaze players is what feats can happen in these games. A tipping plate in Bamboleo or gigantic tower in Bausack is its own reward. One suggestion: make sure you have a scale handy for Bamboleo, you'll be more satisfied.

That's enough suggestions for now. Most of these games are readily available and inexpensive, and it's well worth exposing new people to the hobby. There are so many great games available today that are so far beyond Chutes & Ladders that people should know about that I feel it's every gamer's responsibility to get the word out. And if you do, you'll find you'll have more people to play games with than you thought possible.

~ Joshua Buergel