Greetings everyone!GSR's next gaming session will take place on Friday, April 10th, at the usual meeting time. This is
the day right before Will Wheaton's declared holiday - Tabletop Day (which is 4/11)! A day devoted all around the world to playing tabletop games and since while we're playing games on Friday night it'll be Saturday morning somewhere, we're totally going to say that we're participating!
On this session we will be starting a trend that is likely to continue - featuring a certain theme. These themes will be in no way mandatory - if you don't like the theme, bring whatever you want and play whatever you want! They are simply a fun way to get certain games to the table and give people a chance to invite certain friends or look forward to playing a game they've been meaning to learn.
Our first week is a very intentional theme: Gateway Games! Not only have I been trying to advertise online as much as possible, but GSR will appear in the bulletin and via flyers to well over a thousand people at the Church at Severn Run's Easter services and so I'm hoping that we'll have many new people showing up, some of which will likely be unfamiliar with modern board games.
"Gateway Game" is a term used to describe games that are great for people new people to modern gaming. For example, if your cousin has only ever played games like Monopoly and Clue then teaching him Ticket to Ride, a terrific gateway game, will likely be a much more successful affair than teaching him Terra Mystica (which is a superb game, but is far too complicated for a newbie). It's very easy to turn people off to gaming if we start them on something that is out of their league and that is the last thing we want to do at GSR!
Below are my personal ten favorite gateway games that I own (or somebody in the group owns). This is by no means an exhaustive list and I highly encourage you to bring your own and share what you like best in the comment section of this post. As I said, this not mandatory - if you really don't want to play gateway games, you absolutely don't have to - feel free to bring and play Terra Mystica! That being said, you can count on us having these easily available and you'll likely be able to find a game of at least a few of them.
#10 - Hanabi
The catch here is that you cannot look at your own cards, only everyone else's - you play with the cards facing away from you. On your turn you have a choice - tell somebody something about their cards or play one of your cards. You only have so many clues your team is allowed to give, though, so if you aren't efficient with them you won't do well and there'll come a point where somebody will have to play a card blind, possibly resulting in the game ending.
Who's it good for?
This game is great for people who are used to playing card games. I love teaching co-ops because as the teacher I'm not teaching the game then immediately competing to beat the people I just taught - I get to help them as a team-member. This one is a bit different in that regard because you can only give clues on your turn, but you still get to help them through the mechanics. This one is also very small and light. Sometimes new players are overwhelmed and intimidated by a big board and lots of pieces - this is just a hand of cards that have colors and numbers. This is a game that I think genuinely anyone can play.
#9 - Dominion
There was a time when Dominion would have been significantly higher, however I, like a lot of gamers, have 'gotten over' Dominion. I remember a day about three months into owning it where a buddy and I played five games in a row. I haven't played five games of Dominion over the course of the past two years. That being said, it is still very popular, has about six hundred expansions, and is a great gateway game.This game is a deck-builder. Everyone starts with the same hand of money cards and victory point cards and is able to buy additional action cards from the same pool of cards. Over the course of the game, though, people will be buy different cards and their entire deck will become very unique. You are trying to get the most victory point cards, the best of which cost significantly more than you can afford at first, so you need to build up a good engine in your deck in order to eventually be able to purchase them.
The symbols on the cards are very readable and generally speaking it's a pretty simple game to teach. New gamers like this a lot and about half the time I've taught it the folks who've learned have immediately gone out and bought the game.
Who's it good for?
I would bring this out for people who may have played a few new games but not any deck-builders or even people who used to play games like Magic: The Gathering or the like when they were younger. Most of the people I've taught it to have already played a game or two of Settlers of Catan or something similar but that doesn't mean a total newbie couldn't also learn it.
#8 - Small WorldSmall World is a game that I've never been a huge fan of personally but I recognize as a game that is great for introducing people to the hobby. In this game you take control of a fantasy race that has a randomly generated special power. For example, some games you'll have "Stout Hobbits" or "Dragon-Riding Dwarves," but in the next game it will be "Undead Hobbits" and "Seafaring Dwarves." Most of the combos are amusing and also provide for interesting uses.
Having chosen your race, you send their armies out into a world that is far too small, trying to conquer as much land as possible. At the end of your turn you get points based on how many territories you control plus any bonuses your race may provide. As the game progresses you'll likely get to a point where you have over-extended yourself, at which time you can send your race into 'decline.' Essentially you abandon them (but still get points for areas they control, however you can no longer move them) and choose an all new race, getting to start afresh with a new army and new special abilities.
Who's it good for?
#7 - Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a simple game that is most similar to dominoes. All of the players are putting together tiles to form a drawn middle-age era map containing cities, roads, monasteries, and farms. On your turn you draw a tile and place it, making sure that the edges line up with whatever is on the board. After placing it, you have the option of placing one of your meeples (little wooden people) onto one of the tile's terrain features - whether it's a field or a city or a road or a monastery. As soon as that feature has been completed - meaning it is totally closed off on all sides - you score points for that as long as your meeple is on it and nobody has more meeples there than you.
It is a very straightforward game of tile laying and I like it a lot as a gateway game because there is nothing hidden. When you draw a tile on your turn everyone can see it which makes it easy to explain the tile to a new player. It also is relatively short as long as the players don't take too long on their turn - you can easily get a game knocked out in 45 minutes. We also own both the very pretty Winter Edition as well as the Big Box containing five or six expansions.
Who's it good for?This is a pretty general game - there's not really a certain camp I'd assign this one to. I'd probably teach it to somebody with no strong inclinations one way or the other to gaming - perhaps after somebody's played a game of Hanabi or something on par with that I'd pull out Carcassonne. It generally goes over well, though sometimes new players get confused with how scoring works. This game is also one where it takes a couple of plays to really recognize good strategy, which is great.
#6 - The Resistance: Avalon
One of my personal favorite mechanics in games is when you get to lie to your friends - I love games that involve bluffing, particular in the context of everyone working on a team except for one or more 'traitors.'The Resistance (or the version we own, The Resistance: Avalon) is a game in which most of the group is working together to complete quests on behalf of King Arthur. Some of the players, however, are secretly working for Mordred and are actively working against Arthur. They know who each other are but the good guys do not.
Each round one player is the 'leader' and gets to choose a number of people (as indicated by the board) to go on a quest. If the group agrees on the selection, all of the chosen party members secretly play a card - the card either says "Success" or "Failure." Those cards are shuffled together and revealed - if all of them say "Success" then the quest succeeds! If any of them say "Failure" then the quest fails. There are five total quests in the game - if the bad guys cause three of them to fail, they immediately win. If the good guys succeed at three of them, they are near to victory.The biggest catch is that one of the good guys is a special role - Merlin. Merlin knows who everybody is, including the bad guys, however they do not know who Merlin is. If, upon completing three successful quests, the bad guys can figure out who was Merlin, they ultimately win.
Who's it good for?I'd play this with almost anyone - really it's a party game more than anything else. There are few components and most of the game is simply weeding out who is being dishonest. Generally it is easier to play these kinds of games with people who all know each other as then its easier to tell when people are lying, plus you feel less guilty about pulling the rug over a complete strangers eyes. Games of The Resistance generally last around 15-20 minutes and the games supports anywhere from 5-10 players. This is a good one for just about everybody.
#5 - Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep is probably the most complicated game on this list. It's still on the relatively simpler side of things, but it is somewhat meatier than Carcassonne or Hanabi. In Lords of Waterdeep you all take power of various factions of power in the Dungeons and Dragons based city of Waterdeep. You spend your turns placing 'workers' on various spaces in order to recruit different types of fantasy figures -
mages, priests, warriors, rogues. You then spend these people to complete various quests cards, which show you which combinations you need.
There are other things to do - building structures that open up more and better actions, playing 'Intrigue' cards which give various bonuses, and more. The game uses a mechanic called 'worker placement' where each turn you get to place one of your workers on a space, do the action, and then nobody else can go there. This means you're always trying to go first and figure out what everyone else going to do because chances are at least one spot you want will be blocked.
This is a very popular mechanic which is why I like this game so much - it is a very simple way of teaching worker placement while still being a superb game. It's worth noting the game Stone Age is probably just as good at teaching this and could easily fill this role.
I'd probably reserve this for somebody whose played at least one other game on this list or for somebody who really is into fantasy themes. Even though it's D&D, the theme is pretty pasted-on. It really could be any fantasy kingdom - Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Pathfinder, etc. If you have a buddy that's into those types of things, then this is a good starter game for him.
#4 - Sushi GoSushi Go is probably the dark-horse on here. Most people would probably agree with the rest of the list but I suspect a lot of people wouldn't but Sushi Go on here, especially so far up. However, I think this is a great little introductory card game.
In this game people are assembling a meal of sushi... Or something. It really doesn't matter - you're playing cards with sushi on them to try and get the most points. The game is played over the course of three rounds. Each round everyone gets a hand of cards and simultaneously chooses one, adding it to their display area in front of them. They then pass that hand of cards clockwise and from their newly acquired hand of cards everyone simultaneously chooses a card, adding it to their display. This continues until all of the cards are gone, thus completing one round. Cards are then scored depending on what they do.
This mechanic is called 'drafting' - where you have a bunch of things to choose from but only get one and are hoping that you get cards that compliment it. It is a mechanic found in a lot of more complicated games and is one of my favorites. This game presents it very simply and with a very cute, appealing theme.
Who's it good for?Anybody. I can't think of a person I wouldn't teach this to. It's easy, it's fun, and it's fast. We always play multiple games in a row. We bought this for my wife's sister and her husband and taught it to them (they're not gamers) and they have since taught it to multiple people who have all loved it. The caveat here? I don't own this game! Let me know if you do because I'd love to be able to teach this at the next GSR!
#3 - Pandemic (or Forbidden Island)Pandemic is currently one of the most popular games on the market. A few years ago it was republished by Z-Man games in a fancy new edition and has subsequently seen now four expansions come out. It is one of the highest rated cooperative games on boardgamegeek.com and is very beloved in the gaming community. It also makes a great gateway game.
In Pandemic everyone is on a team trying to save the world from four diseases which have broken out all over. Each player has a different role and is working together to cure all of the disease before a variety of conditions occur which cause the players to lose. Again, it is cooperative which means teaching it is great because everyone is on the same side. Also, it is a theme that almost anyone can get on board with - saving the world!Matt Leacock, the designer, also designed a smaller game that is extremely similar called Forbidden Island. Forbidden Island is also a great gateway game, particular for younger players, and is more or less the same game but instead of fighting diseases the players are trying to escape a quickly sinking island. I do not own this one but if anyone has it this would be a great one to teach people as well.
Who's it good for?Pretty much anybody. I have taught this to a lot of people and it's always gone over well. The game fosters teamwork from everybody and is easy to get into. It's a great, all-around game for new gamers as well as veterans.
#2 - King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo has every player take control of a giant monster (think cheap knock-offs of Godzilla, King Kong, and others) and is fighting for control of Tokyo. Each turn a player rolls giant, fun dice in the style of Yahtzee - roll once, reroll twice, then resolve what is showing. You get to punch each other, heal yourself, earn points, and buy power-ups. It is very simple and it does not take long.
Who's it good for?
Everybody, but especially younger gamers. If a bunch of kids stream down from youth-group, this is the first game I would teach them.
#1 - Ticket to Ride The final game we'll be featuring is the game
I feel is by far the best gateway game - Ticket to Ride. This game came out in 2004 and has sold over 1,000,000 copies, which is an absurd number for a board game. It is a very simple game where players draw colorful train tickets and play them in sets to put their trains on a board which is a map of the United States (though there are various versions with different countries/continents).
At the end of the game players get points for 'tickets' they've completed (cards encouraging them to connect two cities) and whoever has the most points is the winner. It's very easy to learn and is incredibly fun. It only takes 60 minutes and plays just as well with two players as five players.
Even better, Beth and I own bo
th the original and the 10th Anniversary Edition which is the same game but with beautiful components - a giant board and unique, painted trains for each color.
Who is it good for?
Anyone who can breathe. Seriously - this game is great and I've never known somebody not to enjoy it.
Conclusion
If you actually read all of that, kudos! I am excited for our games group to progress and if you can't tell I'm very excited about gaming!! Again, this list is not exhaustive and it was hard to narrow it down to ten games. There are plenty of games that could easily have been on this list that I will also be bringing and happy to teach! Let me know what you think of the list in the comments and let me know what your favorite gateway games are.
Invite your friends and families as this will be one of the best Friday's to bring new people - though we try to be accommodating to newbies any time.
Many blessings and hopefully we'll see you on 4/10!
