I did spend a bit of time last night surfing Fortress: Ameritrash. What an incredibly interesting site. Those guys are passionate about the hobby, huh. While I think that they go a little overboard on some of their Euro bashing (after all, they are just games....), it is very refreshing to see some well-formed opinions on some popular games (boy, do they hate Caylus or what?).
I have heard about this hobbywide (in)famous blog, and I was drawn to it's somewhat coarse sense of intelligence. I really enjoyed reading most of the stuff that was there--only reservation was, like I said, they tend to sway a bit to the overboard side sometimes in their attacks on various games. That said, I think that they are simply trying to counteract the masses that fall in line with their adulation of popular Euros. One thing that I realized the other night, while playing Goa (an extremely dry and themeless game that is incredible in its interaction, mechanics, and thought-provocation)--Euros are quite often brain-excercises, while so-called AT games are meant to be immersive entertainment, dropping you in the middle of this alternate reality, making you feel like you are part of that alternate reality, and forcing you to roll with whatever punches are tossed your way.
What do you think of this assessment: Euros are for those who want to feel like they control:
1. The outcome (their "destiny" so to speak)
2. The circumstances (strategy trumps luck/chance)
3. The flow of life (you go where you plan to go, and do what you scheme to do--the biggest variable being other players)
While AT games are for those who:
1. Don't mind fielding bad-hops (an overcoming of awful dice rolls)
2. Want to feel like they are experiencing whatever it is they are attempting (much like many RPGs)--want to hunt Dracula? Good luck finding him first!
3. Feel that games ought to represent the way things are in life--you cannot control everything.
Hmm. The blog just got me thinking, and assessing what attracts me to games so much. I was playing Age of Empires III the other night, a game which is roundly smashed on F:AT, and thinking about how much I love that game in spite of its unabashed Euro-infatuatedness. It is a blast for me to clash my wits against others--regardless of how much far removed that actual clashing may be from what I am actually doing. On the other hand, it is hard (for me at least) to beat a loud game of Arkham Horror, where, heck I may get devoured because things aren't rolling my way, but, by gee, I am going to roll with the punches.
To wit: In a strategy-laden Euro-fest, I will likely flounder. But most of the time, that is because I am distracted by how much fun I am having playing the game, how much fun I am having matching wits (however lacking I may be) with the other players. So I love it. Goa is so dry, it is a visual disaster (what an amazingly awful game to behold...), and its mechanics are so far divorced from its theme. But I think it is one heck of an excercise. Perhaps more of an exercise than a game.
Also, planning, strategy, and player control of outcomes hardly exist in Arkham Horror, and, possibly to a greater degree, Last Night on Earth. Try as you might, in the end, it all comes down to one simple thing: how the dice shake out. That is an incredible amount of outcome to place on a handful of little numbered cubes. But these very facts are so entertaining: that every single game will play out at least a bit differently every single time, that you are always teetering on the brink of destruction, failure, victory and conquest--always, always, based on time, chance, and space.
So please, just give me a good game. But at the end of the day, it does not matter how the game "works", so long as the leaden shroud of the mundane is torn asunder, and, for 15 minutes or 4 hours, I am thrust headlong into the throes of that which is removed from what will ever happen to me, be it knighthood, vampire hunting, locomotives, goods trading, electioneering, global politicking, or any other sort of conquest.
So long as it is a conquest, and I am some part of it.
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8 comments:
Ego. Ego is what drives me to play. The ability to exercise my intellect while showing that my abilities are far superior to yours... or something. Of course, if that was entirely true, then I'd be happy just sitting in front of my computer playing games online. There is always a social aspect to the games. The general chatter and banter back and forth - that combined with a good mental exercise is what attracts me to games. Its one reason I never took to chess - BORING. I don't want to sit and study the board while my opponent does the same, never looking up. I want to lay down a route in AoS that makes someone start cursing me out. I want to bid an amount that makes everyone else pissed that they are about to overbid and then glare at me as they realize that I was just running them up and that they missed their chance to hose me by dropping it on me.
BUT,
it has to be both. Just like I don't want to play a brain exercise with no social interaction, I don't want to play a themed "activity" where there is no strategic or tactical play (at least I don't want to play something like that for long). Luck is ok - I'm not playing for my life nor did I bet my house - its just a game. Let me stimulate my whole brain. That's why games are interesting.
i love this post.
Have you played many games with RPG players, Charles? Man, I tell you, some of my favorite gaming experiences are playing alongside weirdo RPG players. Most of the time, they get into the game, regardless of its composition, and they take on the personality of whatever character they may be. Now you talk about banter and chatter--people who are not afraid to get into the game make things much more enjoyable.
Another thing that I have found is that if you make a big deal of getting the shaft, missing out on that big deal, or really putting the screws to someone, it usually makes the game more entertaining. Every once in a while I guess you have to deal with that crabby knucklehead who "just wants to play the game--quit being so noisy, I can't think!" Boo hoo. Like you said--if you want pure strategy, then get the heck out of Arkham and get back to your chessmatch.
I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again: it's all about narrative. I want a good story and I want my decisions to effect the outcome of that story. Although I play to win, I much prefer to lose a close, interesting game than win a blow-out (though, some blow-outs can be great stories themselves: monumentally bad luck is quite entertaining.)
Highly themed games or "activity" games (Shadows Over Camelot or Arkham Horror) have an advantage here, but I've seen some good narrative in even dry Euros. The multiple paths to victory in Taj Mahal can make for a great narrative: "Oh, blast! You were angling for connections, not commodites -- I totally misread that!"
Wargames, of course, are generally rich in narrative, though I find that many older titles can be over analyzed to find "optimal" moves, which sucks the narrative out of them. Some newer titles have focused on "chaos managment" more (eg A Victory Lost or the upcoming Warriors of God) which means that there are always surprising turns of events which must be dealt with -- great narrative.
An example from a recent game night. We were playing Last Night on Earth and Rob had gotten his unarmed hero (Sally *snicker*) cornered in the plane hanger with a veritable hoard of zombies lurking outside. With only one entrance, it looked like Sally tartar on the menu. But, it turns out Sally wasn't totally helpless -- she found a LIGHTER in the hanger. Not much help, eh? Well, Todd (aka The Priest) stumbled on a can of gas the next turn -- and, hiding behind a old Cessna, Sally found her loyal dog, Rex. Rex immediately leaped to Sally's rescue, pinning all three of the zombies at the door way! Then, Father Joseph ran up and tossed the gasoline on the trapped zombie mob. With nowhere else to turn, Sally threw the lighter at the flammable pool, igniting a massive fireball that consumed the three zombies, two more standing nearby and the hapless, but loyal Rex. I could barely sit I was laughing so hard -- and I was playing the Zombies!
Moments like this are why I game.
"playing alongside weirdo RPG players. Most of the time, they get into the game, regardless of its composition, and they take on the personality of whatever character they may be."
Hey! I resemble that comment!
Larry! Of course RPG players are weirdos--compared to stale, mundane Euro players they are. I love to read your posts buddy. Your sense of humor is 100% Larry, and always welcome. Plus, you certainly know what you are talking about. See you soon!
At last night's SAGE meeting we were talking about the different "genres" of gamers. Adam made the comment:
"I really didn't know what to expect the first time a came. I got home and a friend asked me how it was and I said, 'Board gamers aren't like other gamers...they're normal!'"
;-)
hey ja. we're coming to see you this weekend. andrew wants to play "puerto rico." i asked him what it was about and he said, "slaves."
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