John Pappas, an advocate for boardgaming in public libraries, has been publishing a six-part series of articles dedicated to board games. These articles provide a crash course for anyone interested in the very social hobby of face-to-face gaming. I have found this series enjoyable and educational, and would like to share it with the rest of you.
As Mr. Pappas puts it, the scope and quantity of board games available to play has exploded in the past ten years. Most of us grew up playing at least a few board and card games, even if only the ubiquitous Monopoly and UNO. There’s a much bigger world of social, real-time, table-top fun available to us now! So if you’re new to the hobby, or curious about gaming unplugged, then this series of articles will welcome you in while providing you with a wealth of knowledge. If you’re an experienced gamer, I think you will still find this series a fun read, and will probably learn something.
Four of the articles have been released so far. Here they are for your reading enjoyment:
Part One: An Introduction to Designer Board Games
Part Two: A Progressive List of Game Types
Part Three: Thematic vs Strategic Games
Part Four: Interactions, Lamentations, and Vanquished Foes
Be sure to share these articles and leave comments on their pages to let Mr. Pappas know what you think of them! Peace,
– David