Board Games: The Awesome Resurgence of Being in the Same Room

It's no exaggeration to say that our technology has separated us nearly as much as it has brought us together. We meet up with our friends and loved ones only to sit in silence, glancing at screens of various sizes and laughing at jokes that no one can see but ourselves. The almost paradox of being connected to more and more people and yet being totally alone is one that many people will be familiar with.

It might come as no surprise that things that put our friends and loved ones in the same room and force them to interact and be connected are making a resurgence. Of these things, none is more effective or has more versatility than the board game.

I know what you're thinking. Board game? You mean those dreadful, desiccated, hunks of cardboard, pounded flat and painted like a sad clown? Those things that we'd spend hours playing, usually only becoming irate with one another as our mutual boredom assured us we would not think to try it again until that time next year? Those things are the cure to creating face-to-face positive interactions in this age of endless tech? You must be joking.

Nope. I'm serious.

But let me clarify. When I say board games I am not talking about the games that most people think of. Not Clue (or Cluedo as it's known outside the U.S.), or Boggle, or that bore juggernaut of bore juggernauts: Monopoly. I'm not even talking about the various attempts to redress, add flavor to, or reinvent these games. No, I am talking about a whole new world of board games that has been brewing underneath the surface for the last decade or so and is about to burst.

This is the world of Star Realms and Pandemic (Legacy) and Cosmic Encounter. This is a smorgasbord of interesting board games, as complex or as simple as you like and in different in every form imaginable. The one thing they have in common, is that they are all more engaging than those board games you are used to playing as a kid. Star Realms is what's called a deck-building game. The defining feature of this sub-genre of new board games (note that these, generally don't have a board) is that you start with a small hand of resource cards which you then use to buy better cards to add to your deck. You draw from a main deck and, after using cards for yourself or against your opponent, discard them to your discard pile (drawing a new hand from your deck). When you've drawn all the cards from your deck, you shuffle your discard pile back into a new deck. This is a simplification, but hopefully you have an idea.

Don't worry, these games are made for a new breed of board gamer. You don't have to spend a ton of time or money learning tedious rules like you might for, say, Magic the Gathering. Nor will you have to break the bank as the game is fully self-contained (buy the main deck and you're pretty much good to go. Star Realms goes for about 12 dollars in the U.S.). One of the best parts about is the absolutely gorgeous artwork. Google Star Realms and take a look at the cards. It's so incredibly fun to play with these, and it helps your group really get into the game. Not a fan of card games or space? That's alright. Try Pandemic Legacy.

Pandemic is a really amazing game about saving the world from, you guessed it, globally spreading disease. I'm not going to go into the mechanism of it, but suffice to say that it is a very fun cooperative game. That's right, you will be working with those around you, not against them. If you're looking at Pandemic, you should go ahead and just get Pandemic Legacy, the new version. Trust me on that one.

I'm not going to try to run the gambit on all of the new types of board games out there. That's not really the point that's being made, here. What I'm saying is that these games really get people to sit down and interact, even across generations. My father, who is in his mid-fifties, my brother, who recently turned sixteen, and me (31), all sat down and were genuinely with each other for what might be just about the first time ever. Those returns began to spill into other parts of our relationship. Now I talk with them regularly. It's no exaggeration to say that lines of communication were opened up because of the experiences we've had playing these games. My girlfriend and I used to play them all the time - it was one of our favorite things to do.

Don't assume people aren't interested. If you buy it, they will come - over to play. I've not met any person yet who didn't enjoy themselves once they actually sat down and gave it a shot. That reluctant person might soon find themselves saying: one more round? So go to Amazon, look at the reviews, check out Shut Up and Sit Down (a great board game enthusiast site) and start planning for get-togethers with your family and with your friends. You might be surprised with how much more connected and popular you become.

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