My journey so far into the wonders of Board Games

[Mal]

Remember those moment when something just clicks and you know, damn well, that this thing is here to stay?

Well thats me with board games and honestly what has surprised me most is the amount of depth and considerention one can develop when getting into it.

Like just imagine the simple question "hey, any good board game to recommend for me?" that initially felt so simple of a question and now im having a nuclear meltdown at all the questions i would like to ask xD

"How many people are we talking you wanna play with?"
"Do you want something short or that last hours?"
"how is the general dynamic with the people you enjoy hanging around with? what knowledge do they have of games as a whole? are they very old? are they used to deal with certain levels of complexity? aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh"

suffice to say its been a really interesting process for me and all of it started cause i just wanted to share time with my family.

there is also the angle of how to introduce a game to people, initially i just thought "eh we just roll with it" which culminated in me and my family sitting down to play Slay the Spire and spend, i shit you not, around 15 hours for a full campain (Act 1 to 3)

obviously sprinckled between days, but believe me it was out of necessity cause oooh my poor head was a mush trying to understand all the mechanic, explain them, re-explain them and doing all the admin busy work of what normally the pc does for you.

From this you would think i hated the experience but the truths is simple that i freaking loved it, yeah i shouldnt have done 4 players as a first time since the more player the longer the sessions tends to be, yeah i should have played this beforehand to have an easier grasp of the game to explain it and other things like have a different prepared explanation for people you know wont get something that is only intuitive to someone into videogames.

none of this takes away how easy the time felt like it flew by and how excited i feel to play again this time a much more experience person.

After this ive bought and played many others kind of board games, god there are so many different styles of games and they are so fun, and im still getting surprised by things i never considered before.

tbh ive been struggleing in how to close this thing but i think this is really the best way to go about it,
im really glad boardgames like the ones of today exist cause i would never be able to share my love for games with the people i care otherwise, (knowing they would never dare to touch a controller)
even if they are not as into it, to see and be able to tell that they at least enjoyed the moment, thats enough for me.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

I started board gaming because most new video games didn't evoke anything in me besides indifference.

Really got into it once I found out about solo games, since my taste goes towards either High Complexity or High Difficulty, everyone around me is always too intimidated by the board when they see me playing.

Since I am a misanthrope it works well, board gaming is always the best to be alone with my thoughts.

In the rare case I play with other people, what I do is this:
- Only explain gameplay rules to them, I handle bookkeeping and general table work.
- Explain things backwards, start with the goal and then explain how to get there.
- Explain general rules only, for specifics or edge cases, explain only when needed.
- House rule rule mistakes, make notes, and next session explain what we did wrong (or I check the manual while its someone else's turn).

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

I miss playing boardgames.

There was a time when my friend and I would play Monopoly every time we met up, but those days are long gone...

 

[HoyeBoye]

After this ive bought and played many others kind of board games, god there are so many different styles of games and they are so fun, and im still getting surprised by things i never considered before.

So happy to hear you’re enjoying board games. As you’ve noticed, it’s a deep hobby with options for everyone. I really miss having the time for board games, especially going to conventions.

One thing that I consider when selecting a game to play with others is the Gamer Archetypes.
https://www.cardboardrepublic.com/gamer-archetypes
I find it helpful, at least. May end up just creating more AP on game selection.

Have you been to any board game conventions? It’s a great way to play new and different games.

 

[Mal]

Really got into it once I found out about solo games, since my taste goes towards either High Complexity or High Difficulty, everyone around me is always too intimidated by the board when they see me playing.

Since I am a misanthrope it works well, board gaming is always the best to be alone with my thoughts.

as ive been going through this i enjoy hearing people's specifics of why they got into board games, there is just so much stuff available and so many different circumstances, its cool to see how they fit in, thanks for sharing them with me.

as for solo play, i havent yet played many, the most i got was trying the one in aeon's end, a boss killing deckbuilder game that is very puzzle like, if you dont mind which ones are up your fancy? would love to hear it.

and on the rules, oooh boy some of them like when you messed up the rules or handling edge cases, lets just say i had to learn the hard way haha.
i didnt thought about teaching things in reverse, that sounds interesting, im certainly giving it a try next time, thanks!

Post automatically merged: May 18, 2026

I miss playing boardgames.

There was a time when my friend and I would play Monopoly every time we met up, but those days are long gone...

for a while it was the same for me, or at least the way i saw board games was just this memory of what i used to play when i was a child.

its was nice to see how much, just like videogames, they have evolved and have enough variety to fit many types of lifes.
(to the point i got close to buying a bunch thinking "oh this one looks great for X kind of situation" and so on building a backlog, i was down baaadd)

Post automatically merged: May 18, 2026

Have you been to any board game conventions? It’s a great way to play new and different games.

no i havent, i live in latino america so i do wonder if there even are some where i live, that said i am thinking of going to some Bg shops where ive seen they do event gatherings to play games, see if i can meet up with other people as enthusiastic as i about it haha.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

if you dont mind which ones are up your fancy?

Red Dust Rebellion, a sci-fi wargame about insurgency in Mars.
Cuba Libre, wargame about the Cuban Rebellion.
Fire in the lake, wargame about the Vietnam war.
Inferno, a late-medieval era wargame, about a war between Southern Italy and Northern Italy.
Comancheria, solo wargame about the history of the Comanche people.
Nemesis, very brutal Alien inspired board game, it does have traitor mechanics if you play with other people.
Dawn of the Zeds, zombie themed tower defense, very unfair and difficult.
Robinson Crusoe Adventures in The Cursed Island, a very difficult survival game about completing objectives in an island.
Pavlov's House, difficult tactical game set in Stalingrad.
Eldritch Horror, difficult Lovecraft inspired adventure game.

All of these either have solo modes, or are very solo friendly.

I am big fan of GMT Games, a publisher specialized in historical wargames.

 

[Mal]

Red Dust Rebellion, a sci-fi wargame about insurgency in Mars.
Cuba Libre, wargame about the Cuban Rebellion.
Fire in the lake, wargame about the Vietnam war.
Inferno, a late-medieval era wargame, about a war between Southern Italy and Northern Italy.
Comancheria, solo wargame about the history of the Comanche people.
Nemesis, very brutal Alien inspired board game, it does have traitor mechanics if you play with other people.
Dawn of the Zeds, zombie themed tower defense, very unfair and difficult.
Robinson Crusoe Adventures in The Cursed Island, a very difficult survival game about completing objectives in an island.
Pavlov's House, difficult tactical game set in Stalingrad.
Eldritch Horror, difficult Lovecraft inspired adventure game.

oh wow, yeah ive yet to touch games of this level of complexity, bet they are lots of fun, robinson crusoe specifically looks so good! ive been trying to look for any resource gathering survival game.

I am big fan of GMT Games, a publisher specialized in historical wargames.

i was talking about this the other day that its really cools how thematic history can translate to a board game if done well, because it feels very personal by actively been present in that space moving things around, its so immersive.

 

[shaggi]

I have bunch of board games i can play by myself.. It's great, if i want to put aside my gamepad for a while.

 

[Mal]

I have bunch of board games i can play by myself.. It's great, if i want to put aside my gamepad for a while.

oooh yeah totally, my eyes, for example, are absolutely happier now that they dont have to be looking at a screen all day for work + entretainment

 

[Vardalis]

The last few times I played board games would've been on Tabletop Simulator. Even on there, it's quite a bit of fun compared to just playing a standard video game with people.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

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