Category: year26 (Page 71 of 92)

At Hunter’s birthday two days ago, I played a partial game of Agricola, which is a rousing game of agriculture. You’re a farmer who expands your hut, has kids, grows plants, and stables animals. Fictionally.

We didn’t finish the game because we went and watched Wolverine instead and then it got late and I was tired. Besides, Ira was quite clearly ahead. But I enjoyed it, perhaps most because of the very complexity that overwhelmed me at first.

Each turn has a wide array of choices and the additional improvement/occupation cards only serve to add a nice luck factor at the start of the game that forces an actual strategic plan being formed at the start of every game.

The best board games are like that. Or, I should say, my favorite kinds of board games, as I’m not sure that everyone considers those games I like best as their favorites. I like games that are hugely strategic (a lot of open knowledge, the ability to affect other player’s decisions indirectly, and late-game play that is affected strongly by early-game play), but I also enjoy having a luck factor that makes each game different.

Most games tend to fall slightly on one side or the other; it’s hard to find that perfect balance, but a lot of my favorite games tend to find enough of a balance. Puerto Rico is a bit too deterministic, Catan a bit too luck based. Still, both are fun games.

That’s not something you find with most video games. It’s hard to find a game where you’ll match minds with other humans in such a strategic way, because most popular multiplayer video games are based on reaction time and fast fingers. Even some of the better puzzle games are still fast-moving games that aren’t turn-based. Video game developers are scared of making turn-based games that aren’t single player because, well, they’re kind of boring.

Having to wait an entire turn for someone else to think and move and do all the complex things a normal strategy game requires. But where are the turn-based games where turns are quick little affairs? Why are the only turn-based multiplayer video games those that require moving armies and troops and setting up resource and research points?

There is the small collection of video games based on board games, like Catan on XBLA and some card game variations, but there are very few video games built on taking turns from the ground up.

Perhaps it’s too hard a sell for a game like that. Or maybe it just hasn’t been done well yet.