People have asked, “Why do you play that game?” or, “Is that game fun?” These are such broad questions when they are asked to a person that has been playing board games, or any other type of game for and extended time. These veteran gamers may respond with a simple, “Because I like it,” or “Of course it’s fun or else I wouldn’t be playing it!” Looking at what players look for in a game will let one know what is fun for them but what about the person next to them? The types of board games that will be discussed and what may make them fun will be strategy, role-playing, and action/adventure.
When thinking about strategy board games what comes to mind to a player. Paul (last name), owner of Phoenix Games in Logan, Utah said, "Chess comes to mind when I think of strategy, but only because it's been around forever!" Other games brought up were "Risk" and "Axis & Allies." For a strategy game to be successful it needs to have a learning curve and be challenging. Patrick Carroll, from the google group, "Think about Games," (TaG) said, "Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) is a fantastic game and probably one of the best when it comes to strategy war games." In ASL the player has many small squads at his control and each member of a squad may have different equipment or abilities. Carroll personal opinions on games and some of his favorites are here.
Next stop is role-playing games. This may be the widest and most diversed genre of board games. There are games like Rune Bound where a player will game levels for her character and hopes to defeat the evil boss of the game. Other styles of role-playing board games are, "Arkham Horror," which is a survival horror variant and, "Descent,"another fantasy game but set underground. Jacquelyn Smith,21, has played various board games for more than 10 years and said, "Role-playing board games are by far my favorite, especially Rune Bound! I love how the game tells a story and that I get to kick the Evil Dragon Lord's butt!" To see Carroll's opinion on why role-playing games may still be so popular check here.
Action/adventure games are much like the role-playing games except that they focus on immediate action instead of a developing story. Travis Emery,24, said, "For an action/adventure style board game I personally enjoy Zombies!!!. It's a nice, fast game with cool pictures and great jokes." The game Zombies!!! puts you in the situation of being one of the few survivors in a zombie outbreak. Other games like, "Ninja vs Ninja" and "Killer Bunnies" fit into this category. Fast games are the norm when it comes to an action board game. These will fit the niche for those who may not like to put a few hours into a game.
David Kidd has written an article on a rating system that matches players to games they may like. The rating system is called S.T.A.V.N. This system is more intended towards video games but it can be used on board games if you break down the game using the system. For an example Chess would have a high strategy and tactic rating while Rune Bound will have a high Artisan, Visceral, and Narrative. Just by looking at these three different genres one can tell that it really is up to the individual when it comes to what style of game they may like. (Paul) said, "There are so many different styles of each genre of board game that it makes it hard to say that everyone will like one game over the other. Each player needs to play around to find out which one is there to their liking."
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