I like board games. They are an excellent way to procrastinate when you should really be finishing a script, or proof-reading a manuscript. What’s more, they put you in a room with other people in an adversarial capacity, which any good writer should love to witness and absorb for their next project.
But we’re not talking about the board games you remember, not the Monopolies or the Games of Lifes. These are the new wave of games. Games like [amazon asin=B00005UNAX&text=Carcassone]. It’s a good game, so play it. All you have to do is take it in turns to lay a tile and build cities and roads and field and rivers.
Then there’s the [amazon asin=B000809OAO&text=Ticket To Ride] series, which is an awesomely addictive game engine, in which you collect cards and build rail routes across beautifully rendered maps. I like the little plastic trains. I also like [amazon asin=B004Z3HV3W&text=Airlines: Europe], devised by the same man, mostly because it has lovely little plastic airplanes.
[amazon asin=0786950072&text=Acquire] is the most uninteresting looking game you’ll ever lay eyes on, but man alive is it fun. I won’t explain what it’s about, because you’ll think me strange for liking it.
[amazon asin=B0000E2W1J&text=Alhambra] is another good one, as is the co-operative game [amazon asin=B0013OBXG2&text=Pandemic].
But yes, it’s always interesting to sit back and watch how different people react to the twists and turns of a well-structured game, to witness them in the throes of victory or the woes of defeat. Trouble is, the games are so absorbing, you get lost in your own emotions. Maybe I should video the gaming sessions and watch them back later to make character notes.
(Also worth playing: [amazon asin=B00005NZVL&text=Scotland Yard], [amazon asin=B005COGMVU&text=Kingdom Builder], [amazon asin=B0007YDBLE&text=Power Grid], [amazon asin=B0024H7OF6&text=Small World], and [amazon asin=B001CC1BFS&text=Bezzerwizzer]. I might buy Metro soon and try that, and I’d love to hear your recommendations too, so leave a comment.)
