The Tao of Gaming

I've entered my games played into the geek (and initial ratings). But here's the list:

Unpublished Prototype	23
Roma	                12
Maus nach Haus	        5
Um Krone und Kragen	5
Caylus	                4
Times Square	        4
Twilight Struggle	3
Ca$h'n Gun$	        2
California	        2
Geschenkt	        2
Thurn und Taxis	        2
TTR - Märklin Edition	2
7 Ages	                1
Ark	                1
Ausburg 1502            1
Blue Moon City	        1
Bolide	                1
Crokinole	        1
Diamant	                1
Hacienda	        1
Here I Stand	        1
Indonesia	        1
Masons (Mauer Bauer)    1
Nexus Ops	        1
Poker	                1
Target	                1
Time's Up	        1
Up Front	        1
War of the Ring	        1

Overall I thought many of the new games were fine, but felt no strong urge to play them again, although I'd play them if others wanted to. I'd try Hacienda again. I'll probably get Roma and Um Krone und Kragen (by sometimes co-blogger Tom Lehmann) good fillers. I'm tempted to spring for Indonesia, since it's a long, relatively luckless business game (like 18xx).

The funny game above is Target. Jeff suggested it as a nice filler and I looked at the box and thought "I own this." Sure enough, I do. Had never played, though.

Overall, most of the new games were inoffensive. Play and forget. Only a few were not to my tastes. Lots of 5s and 6s according to the BGG scale.

The games that I thought stood out were: Roma, Times Square, TTR: Marklin, Cash 'n Guns (if you like the blustering theme), Krone und Kragen. There could be more to Hacienda or California or especially Indonesia, but they need more plays. Marklin is Ticket to Ride with more meat. So many of the games depend on your tastes, I suppose. Ausburg I only played once, with a rule wrong. I wasn't taken by the theme, but it may be good.

So there you have it.

Over on spielfrieks, the yearly discussion appears. "Am I Jaded?"

People play games for a variety of reasons:

• Hanging out & socializing — In this case, the game doesn't matter, although good beats bad. Lighter works better. Nobody considers Die Macher a party game.
• System Analysis — "What if I go here?" "What if I do that?" Lots of Euros have an interesting system; but often it's a small variant. Tbe Puerto Ricos and Caylii of the world get praised to high heaven for having an interesting system that feels fresh. Or at least fresher.
• Telling a story

Over the last week, I've realized that story matters much more to me than I'd credited. I've always known that my tastes don't run to pure abstracts, but my internal monologue matters more than I thought.

And the new batch of Euros? There are some interesting systems. And the themes aren't just tacked on. I think Thurm und Taxis feels like setting up routes in Europe, etc etc. But when I'm playing a game, I don't say "Ooh, I just set up Bavaria!" Mechanics? Fine (if a bit shopworn). Theme? Yes. Story? No. There's no growth, no arc. I'm just winning or losing.

A few examples from last week.

I played War of the Ring (with the Will of the West Variant). The fellowship tap-danced to Mordor. The game neded up closer than I imagined (since I slowed down to play it safe), but in looking back at the game, I can say "Frodo and the fellowship went through Moria while Isengard went after the Grey Havens (!!!). Bypassing Lorien, Gandalf sacrificed himself to keep the fellowship safe and then the Witch King showed up to finish of the Havens and then Rivendell...." I can discuss the game without reference to the mechanics, although people who have played can fill in the blanks.

I also played 7 Ages. A long, chaotic game (with lots of take that) is a recipe for disaster, and I forgive all. One player founded the Romans and I promptly started the Saxons and the Goths, only to have the Goths switch from barbarians to housekeepers. Then my Persians got evicted by the Babylonians. The right play would be to end their empire and start another. The fun play? Vow vengence and destroy Babylon. After a few turns of buildup, I caught the Babylonians napping (I switched them from a production to another turn, perhaps destiny). I got to proclaim "You forgot you are scheduled to be conqured." and then took their homeland, when a volcano wiped them out of Persia. Thus vindicated by the gods themselves, I returned home.

This, by the way, took five hours. I enjoyed it. And I enjoy retelling the story.

I enjoy Twilight Struggle even though it has flaws (and boy did they show up in spades last week). Here I Stand gave me 3 decisions per hour and I still want to try it again because of theme. [I think 3-player would work nicely for face-to-face].

My two "I really want this from the prize table" picks were a very mechanic heavy game (Indonesia), and a good story/party game (Cash 'N Guns). [I got the latter].

I'm not going to play a greatly themed game with a system I actively dislike. But a good story with mediocre gameplay trumps a good game with no story. Mechanics certainly matter, but I've played hundreds of games with reasonably good mechanics.

Does this make me an "American" style gamer? I don't know. Right now I've been more fond of games that avoid the 60-90 range. The shorter games have more bang for the buck, and the longer games have better stories. Mechanics are also easier to get right. Story is a taste.

I'll try to do a final summary later tonight or tomorrow, and then I'll review some games.

Update: Welcome people sent by Alfred. When groveling under his gentle dictatorship, consider how best to correct his minor mistake. I did not get a copy of Indonesia. I wish.