Why I Love Boardgaming: My Experience At BGG.con 2009

Playing Arkham Horror for the first time. Photo by Quinn Munnerlyn (Lothartvni). In photo: Eddie (bendy52) and Dave (daw65). Far left, partly obscured: Brian (bcooperok).

Contrary to what some people might think, boardgaming goes far beyond Monopoly and Risk. I admit -I- used to think boardgames were just games like Monopoly and Risk.

When Jeff started playing boardgames with friends on Friday nights, however, I discovered that the boardgames they played tended to be much more complicated. The idea of learning complex rules late at night didn't appeal to me; my brain starts melting around 10 pm. I am so not a night person!

This past weekend, I went to BoardGameGeek.con. I attended my first BGG.con last year and loved it, and this second convention has gotten me thoroughly hooked.



James Napoli (darlok) at BGG.con 2009 playing Dungeon Lords

One thing I've discovered: I actually enjoy learning complex games, as long as I'm fully awake. And at BGG.con, no matter how early I wandered down to the gaming rooms, there was ALWAYS people there playing games. Some may have been up all through the night, of course, but there were also morning types like me.


Playing Ghost Stories (White Moon expansion) with Savanni, Bay Chang (baychang), and Joe (quartersmostly). Lawson (corross) started the game but had to leave early for her shift in the Games Library.

It generally takes me more time to learn rules than hardcore boardgamers. Again, I'm not talking Monopoly-type of games. Explanations for some of the games I played at BGG.con sometimes took up to 20 minutes or more. I tried to absorb as much as I could, but I usually didn't reach the "AHA" moment until at least halfway through.


Scotty (otscotty) and Nancy Lynn

Sometimes, like in Race For The Galaxy, I never did reach the AHA stage. The RFTG pros I was playing with, however, reassured me that it generally takes several play-throughs to fully grasp the game.


Rich (cuzzle), Z (zontziry), and Tim (shippert) help Craig (interchange42) playtest Castelmar Courier.

By now, some of you may be thinking, "Well, if a game is that complex, then why bother?" My answer: because of the "AHA" moment. I like the mental challenge. It's sort of like those wire puzzles where you have to figure out how to take something apart of put it back together. It could take ages but there's a real satisfaction when you finally get it.


Playing Werewolf late one night.

In contrast to those kind of puzzles, whose novelty evaporates once you've found the solution, many types of boardgames then give you extra opportunity for more AHA moments as you learn more about strategy, plus there's the fun of the social interaction.


Zontziry ("Z") during a Zendo game.

I realize that I used to avoid playing certain types of boardgames because I was afraid I'd look stupid. Now, however, it's a fun challenge...as long as the other players are willing to play with a newbie AND you have someone who is good at explaining the game. And at BGG.con, I was almost always able to find both.


BGG founders: Derk & Aldie

Don't get the wrong idea -- at BGG.con, you could find a wide range of games. From party games to Rock Band to miniatures and poker tournaments to midnight Werewolf sessions...BGG.con had it all. Well, except for Monopoly.

I get the feeling that Monopoly is sort of the cliché of boardgaming. In one of my recent Cartoon Caption Contests on BGG, I was amused by someone replacing the idea of a "KICK ME" sign on someone's back with "PLAY MONOPOLY WITH ME" instead.

But hey, I'll play pretty much any type of game! The only games I tend to avoid are wargames and purely social party games (e.g. Scruples).


Mischa (rossum)

I went to my first BGG.con last year because Jeff had raved about the convention so much, and to see what all the fuss was about. I admit I was nervous; I wouldn't know anyone, after all, and was determined to be independent at the event -- getting together with Jeff on occasion to play a game or for a meal, but mostly meeting people on my own.

To my relief, it wasn't at all hard to find games. Gamers are a friendly bunch. :-)


Aldie (co-founder of BoardGameGeek) and Jeff.

This year, I had even more fun. Didn't think that was possible, really! Not only did I meet lots of new people but also had a chance to schedule games with friends I made at last year's convention.


My character in Arkham Horror.

Here's a list of some of the games I played:

Tobago - with Lisa (nightmare), Brian (stormnight) & Jeff. Rick Thornquist taught us the game.

At The Gates Of Loyang - same crowd as above

Race For The Galaxy - with Brian (fenners), Sean (sevenspirits), and Isaac (verkisto)

Zendo - with Richard (cuzzle), "Z" (zontziry), Tim (shippert) & Jeff

Castelmar Courier - same crowd as above, minus Jeff. This is Craig White's (interchange42) new game, which he was playtesting at the convention.

Ghost Stories (White Moon expansion) - with Lawson (corrida), Joe (quartersmostlt) and Bay Change (BayChang). Lawson had to leave near the end to do her shift at the Games Library, so Savanni (who had been watching the game) took over her place.

Arkham Horror - with Dave (daw65), Eddie (bendy52), Brian (bcooperok), and Quinn (lothartvni)

Bohnanza - with Ezra (ezradenny), Dave (daw65) and Cindy (scoutmom)

Werewolf - with a LOT of people :-)

Prolix - with Elizabeth (e), Scott (maccabbee), and Craig (interchange42). We were playtesting one of Gil Hova's (ingredientx) games. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity hang out more with Gil during the convention, by the way!

Manhattan - with Russ (russ?), Anna (a2na) and Nadine (ripresa)

Last Night On Earth: The Zombie Game - with Darryl (hostile17), Scotty (otscotty) & Nancy-Lynn, Kevin, Dean (cprkinx) and Dwayne (thevoid).

I'll be posting a more detailed review of the games themselves on BoardGameGeek when I have a chance (AFTER NaNoWriMo!).

Already counting down the days to the NEXT BGG convention:
November 17-21st, 2010

You can find a TON of great gaming info as well as a wonderful boardgaming community at BoardGameGeek. Feel free to add me as a GeekBuddy -- here's my Profile and here's Jeff's.

Photo by PurplePawn.