Confessions of a Board Game Geek

In addition to reading and writing, one of my geekier interests is board games. I’m particularly fond of games of strategy, particularly those which are referred to as “German-style” games.

I’ve enjoyed board games since I was a child. My mother was not as keen on them as I was, and I often spent many a happy hour playing against myself! The great advantage to this was that I always won. However, it’s much more fun to play against a real person rather than my alter ego.

Here a few of my favourites. Most of those listed can be played as of two players, which is an important consideration for me when purchasing as I usually play against my husband. The few games we own which require a minimum of three players tend to gather dust unless we can persuade a hapless guest to play with us.

DOMINION (2-4 players)

This is my latest obsession. It’s not actually a board game, but a card game. The basic premise is that each player is a poor landowner during the Middle Ages. Everyone starts the game with a little money and a bit of land. The aim of the game is to build up your territory by virtue of acquiring land and enriching it with various institutions.

Dominion has three sorts of cards. There are money cards, action cards, and land cards. The money and the land cards are always the same. Each Dominion set comes equipped with 24 types of action cards, and each game requires the use of 10. By using different combinations of of action cards, it’s possible to vary the game each time it’s played.

The cards are beautifully illustrated and the instructions on the various action cards make for an enjoyable and varied game. For more possible action card combinations, the two add-on Dominion games can be used. They are Dominion: Intrigue and Dominion: Seaside. Here’s a picture of some of the cards. I couldn’t find a photo of the English version, so these are in German. From left to right: Village (Action); Moneylender (Action); Province (Land); Thief (Action); Gold (Money – yeah, real surprise!).

Here’s a photo of the card layout for a game. The 10 action cards are of varying value and they are grouped accordingly. This particular set of 10 action cards also calls for the use of curse cards which are worth minus 1 point at the end of the game, plus a trash can.

CARCASSONNE (2-5 players)

Carcassonne is another game set in the Middle Ages. The game consists of a score board, wooden playing figures and a selection of cardboard tiles. Each player in turn takes a tile from the pile and connects it to the existing collection of tiles on the table. The tiles build cities, roads, monasteries and farmland. Players who claim and complete cities, roads and monasteries are awarded points. Players also claim sections of farmland which are worth points at the end of the game. The winner is the person who amasses the most points.

To be successful at the original version of the game relies on a mixture of luck and strategy. There are several interesting expansions available for Carcassonne. These make the game more complex and more reliant on strategic planning than on luck.

THURN UND TAXIS (2-4 players)

This is yet another historical game. Anyone noticing a theme here? It’s set either in the mid-18^th Century or the beginning of the 19^th Century. (The box mentions the mid-18^th Century but the clothes worn by the people on the playing cards remind me more of early 19^th Century fashion).

At any rate, the game is based on the evolution of the postal network in Europe. The original postal service was pioneered by the wealthy German family of Thurn und Taxis. The game’s board shows a network of postal routes combining various cities in the countries we now refer to as Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Poland. The aim of the game is for each player to establish a maximum of five postal routes of varying length. Upon completing the individual routes, the players can claim points by placing their figures in cities and receiving point tokens for having, say, a presence in every city in Bavaria, or a piece in every country represented on the map.

Thurn und Taxis relies more on strategy than on luck, but it is not a terribly complex game. It is, however, a lot of fun to play, particularly when you’re not in the mood for a complicated game which requires a lot of concentration.

TICKET TO RIDE (2-5 players)

This game has a similar concept to Thurn und Taxis but it is set in the USA and Canada around 1900. There are various editions of the game in which the action takes place in other locations such as Europe, Scandanavia and Germany. There’s apparently also an edition which takes place in Switzerland, but our version is the original North American one, albeit in German.

The aim of the game is to visit as many cities as possible by train. Each player receives 45 train carriages and 2-3 route cards. A player may choose to complete all 3 routes, or return 1 and complete 2. This decision is based on the length of the respective routes and whether or not a player can realistically hope to complete them using their allotted 45 carriages.

The cities on the map are linked by coloured stretches of railroad. Some stretches allow up to two players to occupy them in a game with more than three players. Otherwise, each stretch of railroad can only be claimed by a single player. This makes it difficult for their opponents as they are frequently obliged to travel a circuitous route in order to reach their destination.

Here’s a photo of the board at the start of a game:

And at the end:

Ticket to Ride is extremely easy to learn and a lot of fun to play. While it is a mix of luck and strategy, it doesn’t require a lot of concentration and is ideal for an evening when you’re tired.

THE SETTLERS OF CATAN (3-5 players)

This is one of my favourite games, particularly when played with the Cities and Knights expansion. Unfortunately, it requires a minimum of three players, so I rarely get a chance to play it.

It is another historical game based on settlers in a new land. They fight for survival and enrich their land with a variety of raw materials such as iron, corn, and wood.

PUERTO RICO (3-5 players)

Like The Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico requires a minimum of three players. It is has similar premise to Settlers but it is more complex and requires more strategic planning.

SCRABBLE (2+ players)

I don’t think this game requires any introduction! I like crosswords and I’m a fan of Scrabble.

Do you like board games/card games? Which ones are your favourites?

Tagged as: Board Games, Card Games