On The Table

Tabletop games are experiencing a real resurgence of late. I have no doubt that a significant portion of this comes through the Geek & Sundry network, with the incomparably awesome Wil Wheaton's show, Tabletop, currently into its second season. The premise of the show is that Wil gets three or four internet personalities, actors, or the occasional titan such as the legendary game designer, Steve Jackson, into the studio to play a featured tabletop game - usually a board, card, or dice game, and film it. 

I'll admit that, to many people, I think the idea of watching people play through a board game would be the epitome of tedium, but really, the result is surprising. The guests are almost invariably hilarious, or at the very least, plain entertaining, and the show is edited to be sub-30 minutes, skipping through any dull sections. 

The show has been a fantastic means for people to discover new, awesome games to play, but for many, it's been an excellent introduction to the entire format of tabletop games and the fun that can be had playing them. Much like video games, there is a huge amount of variety in style, theme and complexity available in an industry that's been going for a long time (as I noted last time, ancient board games still exist, but the industry has been commercial in the modern world for a while...). I guess I'd classify as a 'tabletop game' anything that requires some number of specific physical components to play. From very straightforward, casual games which can be played in 10 minutes, like Zombie Dice, to well-loved family games like Monopoly, to all-time gaming classics like Settlers of Catan - easy to learn but full of rich possibility, and to epic 'big box' games like Arkham Horror, Game of Thrones, or even the infamous Risk, which can take upwards of five hours to complete. These can be passing diversions with a minimum of effort as part of a relaxed social activity or epic afternoons of machination and scheming against (and with) your friends.

I consider tabletop games to be one of the most readily accessible forms of gaming, and the one that people are most likely to take part in - though much of this comes down to the aforementioned variety in what's available - there are plenty of games that can be learnt in five minutes and played in 10, in contrast to the more complex games which can take that long just to unbox and set up. 

I personally have a huge weakness for these epic 'big box' games, and these have led to some of my most memorable and enjoyable gaming experiences. The flipside to this is that, logistically, it is much, much harder to get to actually play them - they require a much bigger time investment, and sometimes a sizeable amount of space to play.

And this is before fitting any people/glasses round the table...

Actually, I'm not even sure that the top one is showing all of the components...

I also know that they aren't for everyone. I think just about everyone I've played these big-box games with has enjoyed playing them, but I also know that they can drag on beyond what most people enjoy for a game, and therefore can quickly outstay their welcome, which can sour things. 

That said, I'm going to briefly introduce two of my favourite 'big box' games, before suggesting some games that people might enjoy more casually. First up, as mentioned above, is Arkham Horror. You each play an investigator in the HP Lovecraft universe, attempting to prevent the end of the world as a great old one prepares to awake and devour. You must explore the Lovecraftian city of Arkham, closing portals, fighting monsters, and dealing with whatever else happens to come your way. 

I usually describe Arkham Horror to people as 'the game that hates you'. As much as you try to keep enough plates spinning to progressively improve the bleak situation and thwart the old one, the game is the one standing in the corner constantly pulling faces and throwing things at you. The good news here is that all the players are working together - this is a major selling point for me, as lots of people enjoy these longer games more if you're not constantly trying to crush each other! It's nice, too, that the game can accommodate up to eight people, though this slow the pace significantly, and can make it too easy. Luckily, though, there are a bajillion expansions to the game which can ramp up the difficulty even further. To paraphrase Wil Wheaton, I've had more fun losing at Arkham Horror (the game hates you…) than at winning most other games. 

Second is the Battlestar Galactica board game (rounding out a general 'Fantasy Flight games' theme). You definitely get more mileage out of the setting if you're familiar with the (reimagined) TV series, but there's absolutely no barrier to actually playing the game and thoroughly enjoying it if you're not. For those who haven't seen the show, the basic premise is that the remainder of humanity is on the run from the Cylons, a largely mechanical, antagonistic race who have recently demonstrated that certain of their members can take fully realistic human guise. It's replicants in space. 

In the game, you each take the role of one of the characters from the show, with their own special talents and abilities, working together with the goal of reaching safety. Sounds simple, right? Of course it isn't, because this is another game that hates you! Firstly, the Cylons are constantly hot on your tail, and random events will frequently occur where you have to use your fighters and ship weapons to fight them off until you can escape (because you're hella unlikely to win outright). But that's actually the least of your problems, because you're also battling against declining population, depleted fuel reserves and a food shortage. If you run out of any of these, you lose! If Galactica is destroyed, you lose! 

Oh, and did I mention that one or more of your friends are also secretly Cylons? Oh right, I should have said that before! Depending on the number of players, one or two of your group will actually be covert Cylon agents, working to undermine your ongoing battle to safety from within, and you have NO IDEA who they are. It's a wonderful, if horrifying, sensation of paranoia, and leads to some pretty wild accusations and arguments (all in good spirits, for the most part). To add to the drama, halfway through the game, there's a chance that an additional player also finds out that they are a Cylon, even if they weren't one previously. 

Both games have their flaws. Too many players, particularly if a large part of the group is new to the game, can slow an already long game down even further. Secondly, the cooperative elements in both of these games means that experienced players can end up taking over and trying to micro-manage other, newer players. This is bad all round, since it removes agency from some players (undermining the point of their playing in the first place!) which can, fairly, put them off the game altogether. It can also make it just too easy. I'm sure I've been guilty of this at some point, but I desperately try to avoid it!

If you're looking for shorter, more 'quick fun' games, I'd check out Zombie Dice, Tsuro (a beautifully artful and simple game with a great core mechanic) - you can see both in this video. Also Munchkin.

Munchkin is a...relatively...simple card game structured around a given theme (Fantasy setting, Lovecraft, Superspies, Pirates, Superheroes…) which offers a ridiculous, irreverent, and silly slant on more serious games. One of the best parts is stacking different sets together for obscene genre mashups (flying half-dwarf cop with laser vision and a sneaky bastard sword, anyone?).

If you're looking for something with a bit more depth, but without going all-out, I'd check out Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne. Both are total classics and pillars in the modern history of tabletop gaming.

This is another long post, but I can never really do true justice to how fun some of these games can be to play. If you're interested in hearing more on any of them or looking for recommendations to suit your tastes, post in the comments below! Likewise, it would be great to hear about some of your favourite tabletop games, or some of the best experiences you've had while playing.

Look back next Monday for more of my thoughts on all that gaming has to offer us.