by Ron Olivier, Sr.
Welcome to my first blog, which is about (wait for it)…board games. This month’s topic…planning my next board game purchase. (How exciting….what’s next month’s topic…Watching grass grow?) Please, read on.
I’m not one of those people who fill out game orders that are eligible for free shipping (with your purchase of $125). Amazon is the exception, where it only takes $35. I usually buy one game at a time, and that's usually after having a chance to play it or at least do some research. I don’t begrudge those people who buy 4 games a month and maybe play 2 of them. That’s just not my modus operandi (or my budget). I usually will do about 3-5 new games a year. One thing that this practice has taught me is to enjoy doing the research.
With my two latest game acquisitions – “Castles of Burgundy” and “1775: The Rebellion” – it’s becoming apparent that I’m looking for something meatier than “7 Wonders” and “Dominion” in my games lately. The truth is, when I look over my collection, I see a LOT of lighter games, and very few that lean more to the heavy side. Not that 1775 can be truly classified as heavy, but it will never be confused with Bohnanza or Ticket to Ride.
Apparently, I’ve become quite comfortable in my little niche. When I host game nights, most of the crowd really enjoys the light-to-medium games that are usually offered. And I do, too. They’re great games! Who can argue with choices like Power Grid, Dominion, Bootleggers, and I’m the Boss? The problem is not playing those games. The problem is when those games are the ONLY ones being played. I want to go deeper!
Castles has some pretty heady strategy, but it’s balanced out by dice rolls and having only one out of four possible actions for each die. 1775 is sort of a thinking-man’s version of Risk…light enough to have wide appeal, but with more emphasis on planning and decision making (though still factoring in some luck-of-the-dice rolls to resolve battles. These two games are good segues to get from where I've been to where I'm going.
The real question is “Where AM I going with this?” I doubt you’ll see me begin stocking up on hex-and-counter wargames, as those were a passing phase while in my teens. And while my son Ron Jr. has seemed to settle in nicely to his own niche – Star Wars: X-Wing miniatures – that path (or collecting any miniatures) is not for me. What I think I need is another heavier game. So, no matter how tempting it’d be to obtain “Quarriors” (along with its’ many Quexpansions), I think it’s time to put away the kids’ stuff for awhile.
Complicating the matter, I have to work within certain boundaries. First of all, the game should be able to be played with 2P, as my wife Diane and I try to squeeze in a game here or there. But it also should be able to handle up to 4 or 5 players for the occasional game night. And nothing from the horror category (even if we do watch 'Bates Motel'). Also, nothing too far out into the fantasy or space realm…Diane will see to it that dust settles on those between game nights. Playing time should be no more than 2 hours for a 2P game, and definitely south of 3 hours with more players.
I decided to start by going for what I know! There were three fairly heavy games that I’d played in years past that I never considered adding to my collection. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember a lot of my reasons for rejecting each one, so my first step was to simply revisit those three games and identify those things that I didn’t like. Perhaps looking at them anew might give me a different perspective on the game.
First up was Martin Wallace’s “Automobile”. I really had forgotten a lot about this game except my distaste for it. Seeking out a video review of the game really reminded me why I felt that way. The game really lacked the thematic pop that I thought a game about the auto industry should have. The game had decent mechanics and flow, but it just seemed very dry. But before I subjected myself to too much rehashing, I noticed that this game was for 3-5 players. This would not be in the running for my next game.
Next was “Le Havre” by Uwe Rosenberg. The images that came back to me about this game were centered around a whole bunch of buildings and ships, and slaughtering cattle to get beef to feed your people. Then I remembered I had posted a ‘first impressions’ review of the game on the geek, so I looked that up. Seems like I had some pretty good things to say about it, and a bit of bad, too. But one thing has certainly changed: I think the current group of gamers that I play with could handle the game.
Watching a video review of Le Havre by Tom Vasal was also very enlightening. It filled in a lot of the things that had slipped from my memory about the game. It also showed how the gameplay really makes a lot of sense…which is something I sort of missed when playing it years ago. It’s not always easy to spot the obvious when you’re playing a game for the first time against others who are more familiar with the game than you are. I think I’ll put this one on my list of possibilities.
I’ve also played a little Agricola in the past (less than a full game, so I can’t really judge it). I’ll probably do some homework on that and Caverna: The Cave Farmers to weigh them against Le Havre and choose one of the three to go onto my want list...most likely Le Havre.
The second entry on my list is out-of-print, and has been for some time. El Grande is just about right when it comes to the level of strategy I’m looking for, but more importantly, I’ve played the game twice and absolutely love it. I’m doubtful that they will be reprinting the game anytime soon, but I’m reserving a spot on my list in case they do.
The third game that I’m leaning towards is one that I haven’t played, but looks unique enough and strategic enough to push all the right buttons. A few years ago I got interested in “Imperial”, a game that I thought looked phenomenal, but I knew that it wouldn’t find favor in my gaming group at the time. Now, “Imperial 2030” is a slightly modified version of that game. It combines economic, political, and even some military elements into a highly strategic game of investments based on an economic cycle. The mere thought of being an investor trying to influence six powerful nations is enough to pique my interest.
So it is here that l begin my noble (or no bull?) quest. I’ll probably add a few more titles before I actually get around to actually buying one of them. With three new games in the past 3 months (Mice and Mystics, Castles of Burgundy, 1775: The Rebellion), and dwindling opportunities to play them, It’s a good time to really explore the market and find the right game. I’ll share the progress as I go along.
