Fun is healing to the bones;
Friends are a balm to the heart –
Games are fun with friends.
– Inspired by classical Hebrew proverbs
- Please note that references in parentheses (-) refer to books of the Bible unless otherwise specified.
- A Note to Readers: this post is somewhat longer than usual, on a topic that I believe is well worth it…
Something a Bit Unexpected: FUN!
This blog is dedicated to seeking love, healing, and meaning, in life and culture in this world. At first glance it may seem a bit different to find such a deep purpose expressing itself here in a celebration of games. Put another way, some might think playing games is just something frivolous, just for spare time when we have nothing better to do (and is there ever such a time?), or to be met with some other such dismissive attitude. Should we not all of us always be out there using our time well to change the world, instead of playing games (for real or figuratively perhaps)? In a broken world such as this, is not life just always unavoidably serious? I beg to differ!
Yes, I seek to continue activities in writing on Jesus and the biblical vision, to encourage and equip any of us interested in seeking truth and serving Jesus. Some of you may know that I am also an avid hobby gamer – board games, card games, even muddling along in trying to design some myself. The simple fact is, I love playing games – always have, beginning when I did not have enough friends as a kid and had to play the pitcher, the batter, and the fielder in the same baseball game (talk about making up your own games, that’s a challenge there). My first principle here perhaps is something to the effect that if playing games is this much fun, and this creative process is this fascinating and rewarding, there must be something good in this.
In reflecting further, if I ever feel a tinge bit guilty for taking time to play games (what, imagine that, guilt? – me?, raised in a Calvinist culture, never…), or wonder if I “should” be doing something more “significant” in the world (again, say what?, me, “shoulding” on myself over pretty much anything, we Christians never do that), I do my best to remind myself of the vast legacy and promise of joy, celebration, and hope all throughout the God-Jesus-kingdom-biblical vision for life in his world.
Much “Christian” tradition, especially due to dark medieval church culture and legalistic condemnations from puritanical religiosity, has often lost its heritage for celebrating life and joy. But the Hebraic-biblical worldview that forms the foundation of Jesus life-vision is full of joyful celebration, affirming all things good in this life in this creation. On this basis, I believe, for example, that the good wonders, creative joys, and wise and insights of art are some of God’s greatest gifts in this creation. I have discovered that games are in that sphere, too: an art, full of imagination, meaningful stories, and really good fun. The Jesus-biblical vision is also about redeeming and enjoying the goodness of God’s creation, and living forward into God’s perfectly good new creation beginning here and now. Art and joy, creativity and fun, are all really good. So let the games begin!
Joyful Touchstones in the God-Jesus-Kingdom-Biblical Life-Vision (Worldview)…
God gave the Hebrew people a plethora of feast days – not just holy days for pious purposes, but days to celebrate God’s love, the goodness of life, the gifts that are family and friends, and the hope that endures.
Jesus revealed his essential purposes in several ways and teachings – one such priority, he promises, is that he came to give us the fullness of life and joy.
Joy is affirmed by Apostle Paul as second on his list of most common fruits of God’s Holy Spirit – a fruit immediately following upon love (Gal 5). This is all the more significant in that in his other most famous list of basic essentials (1 Cor 13), it is faith and hope that are most closely related to love. So, in reading Paul’s whole vision together, joy appears in poetic parallel with and so as good as faith and hope!
In the concluding surpassing visions of the biblical story, in parallel with other prophetic visions of the world and life to come (Isaiah, Jesus’ promises, Revelation), the new creation is promised to be many glorious things, all of them fully good and wonderful – and celebrating life joyfully is clearly among them.
The Quest for the Game
Now, some of you may not need that kind of introduction – you already know the goodness of games in your bones, a healing joy of fun and friendship. But I include the above thoughts because I also find it fascinating to reflect on the nature and purpose and motivation of games and sharing gaming experiences together with others. I do not think the goodness of games needs any defense – that can speak for itself. But I also find exploring such philosophical matters to be a rewarding adventure. That said, gaming is also just about diving in, choosing and learning a game, usually best so with a couple friends, and so just getting into playing the game.
So what game? You might think there is an easy answer to that. Checkers? Chess? Rook? Those were some of my first games, Rook especially posing a simple but fascinating challenge – all worthwhile starting points. But in other ways, the question of what game is much more profound, exciting, and far-reaching than that as well. The rest of this blog post aims to help us sort through the vast horizon and potentials of what I call the quest for the game.
What does that mean? Well, shortly, I’m just going to leap forward to recommend several particular games you might wish to try out, to see what you and your friends enjoy the most. But one more thought may be important first. I do believe games are all about the fun, and often the drama – the thrill of your team hitting a walk-off home-run, or the first time you get to say, “check-mate!” At the same time, fun is relative, personal, subjective – which is as it should be: it’s about what you, and hopefully your friends, find to be fun, enjoyable, an experience of something exciting worth sharing together. So, I will share several game recommendations, based on my journey of playing and studying games (yes, studying, too, especially to learn more of the art of game designing). I will also offer something of my reasons for highlighting these options. But then these also simply provide potential starting points. It is entirely up to you to decide where to start, what game to try next, and what experiences you enjoy the most.
“Top 10’s” and Beyond
The idea for this blog post started with a neighbor asking me for some new game recommendations. He and a couple friends are just getting into more hobby gaming, mostly with shorter and more streamlined games. He’s wondering where to find more of that kind of goodness, and where to go next into the vast farther horizons of hobby gaming. I got to thinking that others might be asking the same question (or “should” be?), and discovering their way into this wonderful adventure of hobby gaming and its potentials for fun with friends. So – drum roll, please – my top games are revealed below.
As we go, I offer my best suggestions in various types of games, one group at a time. I hope this also helps you explore these various genres of games, and which such experiences you might enjoy most. Also, in each such category, I offer suggestions at least for 3 different levels of games: entry-level or light games (usually an hour long or less), moderate games (somewhat deeper, 90 min. to a couple hours), and epic games (deep strategy, three-six hours long). I also add again that I emphasize table games – board games and card games – in the hope of spending less time on a computer screen and more with friends.
In the process, I am in one sense following one of the best traditions in this hobby community: top-ten lists. Game reviewers, especially in various videos available online, constantly issue their “top ten” lists of various types of games – best strategy games, best family games, best story games, etc. Most of my personal top ten games of all time appear somewhere in the lists below. Every grouping of recommendations includes my top picks in that category or genre of games. And let me begin here with some specific recommended sources that I have drawn upon profusely through the years in my quest for the game. If you’d like to learn more about the games I highlight below, or you’re interested in a different specific game you’ve heard speak of, or would just like to browse more potential discoveries, I recommend brief video reviews and game descriptions featured in online sources such as these.
* The Dice Tower – lighter-to-moderate games: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YJ7WD9Rfxo
* Drivethru Review – moderate-to-deeper games: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsOPZfhOHa8
* The ever-popular BGG website – board game geek: boardgamegeek.com
Endless Paths Into Funland
* Family Games
– Light: Shadows Over Camelot (Arthurian legends)
– Moderate: Stuffed fables; Princes of Florence (Renaissance cities); Detectives, City of Angels (mystery)
– Epic: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, the Baker Street Irregulars (mystery); Robinson Crusoe (survival)
– Unique: Sentinels of the Multiverse (super-heroes, light/+)
“Most of the above games are largely cooperative, where the group of players generally work
together to surmount a shared challenge or vanquish a big bad villain. I think they all express
charming themes. Stuffed Fables especially might be the most unique, in which each player takes
on the role of a make-believe character that children can well identify with, and work together
through a vivid story to overcome a related suitable challenge. I recommend you also consider
the next group below, “First Hobby Games,” as somewhat overlapping with family games.
Regardless, once you dive into any of these games, family gaming will never be the same again.
In taking this to the next level, learning is the greatest challenge – but for the bowled and the
brave, it’s worth it!”
* First Hobby Games
– Light: Dominion (Intrigue + Seaside game sets, medieval theme); Settlers of Catan (best with expansion sets, building settlements)
– Moderate: Thunderstone Quest (mythical adventure); Deus (civilization)
– Epic: Civilization, a New Dawn
– Unique: City of Iron (city / economics, moderate/+)
Dominion remains my #1 game of all time! It has been the most influential game in the world, bar none, through the past couple decades. It is easy to learn, playable in 45-60 minutes, and offers a notable but reasonable strategic challenge. That makes it a great bridge game into hobby gaming, and one that anyone can play. Plus, there are now upwards of 14 game sets to expand the fun in multiple directions.
* Card Games
– Light: Dominion (Intrigue + Seaside game sets, medieval theme); Sentinels of the Multiverse (super-heroes)
– Moderate: Thunderstone Quest (mythical adventure); Arkham Horror, the card game (mystery / horror / mythical)
– Epic: Pox Porfiriana (politics and revolution); Pox Renaissance (Renaissance history)
– Unique: The Lord of the Rings, the card game (mythical, moderate)
I love card games – especially since I discovered hobby card games that weave strategy into more theme and story. Thunderstone, in any editions (Thunderstone Quest is the newest-best) is just great fun – a wonderful story adventure game that is almost entirely just played out with cards. Then, for the bold of the bold, there are the Pax games – some of the deeper strategy games out there, and all about the cards. Pox Porfiriana is my top-rated game that is under-rated in the world at large, and the best game I know of anywhere for a theme of political intrigue.
* Strategy Games
– Light: Nations, the Dice Game (civilization); Race for the Galaxy (space)
– Moderate: Dominare (city politics); Quartermaster General (2nd edition, WW2 history)
– Epic: Lisboa (city building); Through the Ages, a New Story (civilization); 1862 (British railways)
– Unique: Struggle of Empires (colonial political history, moderate/+)
Strategy gaming is where it all began for me – with one of the most complex games ever, the classic Magic Realm, and a close complexity rival, Third Reich. I’ve since expanded into more of such cardboard goodness. The above are among the best offerings for a strategic gaming challenge.
* Mythic Adventure Games
– Light: Clank Legacy
– Moderate: Runebound (2nd edition); Prophecy; Lord of the Rings (the card game)
– Epic: Mage Knight (the board game)
– Unique: 7th Continent (moderate)
As we get into specific thematic genres, mythical adventure games are my favorite. If you’re looking for me someday in the new creation, for the first thousand years or more in my recreational time with friends, I’m likely to be playing soccer or playing a mythical board game. Here you, too, can play a character on a heroic quest, full of adventure, discovery, wonder, and more…
* Thematic / Story Games
– Light: Legends of Ander (mythical adventure)
– Moderate: Sleeping Gods (mythical adventure)
– Epic: The War of the Ring (2nd edition, mythical)
– Unique: 7th Continent (discovery, moderate); Western Legends (Hollywood westerns, moderate)
Story games are also among my favorites. These are some of the highest rated games of this ilk, and the ones whose story fascinates me the most. Legends of Andor can also serve as a great family game. Sleeping Gods features my favorite game artist. War of the Ring is one of the highest-rated games of all time, and really expresses Tolkien’s story well.
* Civilization Games
– Light: Nations the Dice Game; Deus
– Moderate: Civilization, a New Dawn; Cyclades (ancient Greece)
– Epic: Through the Ages, a New Story; Nations
– Unique: Civilization (the board game, Fantasy Flight Games; epic)
What?! – you can play out the whole “thing” that is human civilization in a table-top game, and finish it in a day or less?! Count me in – need I say more? NO – but I will, because this is one of the most impressive genres in all of tabletop gaming. Through the Ages is a challenge to master, but quite playable for such a rich and keep gaming experience. The Fantasy Flight Civilization game includes all that a civilization game should. Just plain awesome stuff.
* Space / Science-Fiction Games
– Light: Eminent Domain; Race for the Galaxy
– Moderate: Empires of the Void
– Epic: Twilight Imperium (I still play 3rd edition)
– Unique: Arcs (moderate/+)
Oh, no, ouch, I’ve already identified my favorite genres above, now what? – science fiction is there, too, a very close next. Wow, “so many games, so little time,” as some have said – good thing I can put all this on my eternity list (I don’t really keep a bucket list anymore, just too limiting). I rate Twilight Imperium as my second best game ever, for a variety of good and dramatic reasons. And after you’ve tried the above, there are several Star Trek games out there, too – an endless frontier…
* Economics Games
– Light: Hmm… no strong recommendations here (but others have found Modern Art and For Sale to be worthy candidates)
– Moderate: Brass (industrial England, the #1-rated strategy game in the world); City of Iron
– Epic: 1862 (British railways)
– Unique: Viticulture (run your own vineyard, moderate)
Economics is admittedly not my personal first ever favorite genre – but, well, economic themed games offer some of the best puzzle challenges: can you operate some sort of business enterprise in the most effective manner? Yes, you’re generally trying to become a cold-cut millionaire – but it’s ok here, this is just a game, and a fascinating challenge. City of Iron is a wonderful game, strategy and really fun artwork altogether. 1862, the circus of building early railways in England, admittedly requires wading through a rulebook that is difficult to decipher, but it’s worth it because the game presents a brilliant strategic story. And then, too, there’s the humble charming Viticulture, in which you’re just trying to make the best wine.
* History Games
– Light: 1775 Rebellion (American revolution)
– Moderate: Quartermaster General (2nd edition, WW2); Hands in the Sea (ancient Rome)
– Epic: Gandhi (India independence movement)
– Unique: Merchants and Marauders (Caribbean pirates, moderate/+); Pox Porfiriana (politics and revolution; moderate/+)
In real life, and as a social ethics teacher-writer, I am a 95%-convinced pacifist – after all, I’m trying my best to muddle along in following Jesus, the Prince of Peace, one of the most underestimated aspects of what Jesus is for our world today. So, what?, some battle games appear on my list? Well, I do acknowledge that in the historical example of WW2 at least, an evil monstrosity became so dark that at some tragic point military intervention seemed inevitably necessary to stop it before it killed more people by the millions. I also seek to honor those who give sacrificial service dedicated to protecting us all from violent militaristic evil. And I love reflecting on history, and the fascinating questions of “what if” things had gone differently, what might that mean or what might we learn from that? I think remembering history is one way to practice such honor, and historical games are an intriguing experiment in such “what if” musings. And sometimes here, too, hey, it’s just a game – and battle games present us with some of the most fascinating, deepest strategic challenges. Sort of like Chess, arguably still the greatest strategy game ever – demonstrating, I think beyond doubt, that human beings love a good strategic puzzle.
* City Games
– Light: Sprawlopolis (just 18 cards!)
– Moderate: La Cita (city building)
– Epic: Lisboa (city building)
– Unique: Dominare(city politics, moderate/+)
In real life, I’m also a big city person. The development, character, and cultural richness of cities fascinate me as much and more as any other phenomenon of human society. Yes, they can embody what Dickens called “the worst of times;” but often also express “the best of times” – the best fruits of culture and ingenuity that human history has to offer. Most to the point for gaming, building my own city all in one evening is one awesome thrill!
* Sports Games
– Light: Formula D (car-racing dice game)
– Moderate: Baseball Highlights
– Epic: Basketball Strategy (Avalon Hill game)
– Unique: Go for the Green (golf dice game)
The phrase “sports games” is a study in redundancy – and how you can never get enough gaming. The classic Avalon Hill Basketball Strategy game got me through many moments of boredom and burnout in my graduate studies days: a secret to survival I have never forgotten when needed.
* Other Noteworthy Creations
– Light: Rune Age (mythical)
– Moderate: Battlelore (2nd edition, mythical battle); Bloodstones (mythical battle)
– Epic: Liberty or Death (American revolution)
– Unique: Oath (mythical / politics, moderate/+)
To challenge or invite you into further explorations running to the horizon and beyond, these offer a few more ideas to kick-start your imagination…
Joyful gaming everyone!
Readers are also encouraged to explore more reflections in this series: Living Life
God so loved the world… God is love!
Then I saw a new heaven and new earth…
and the tree of life…
at the middle of the great street of the city…
and the leaves of the tree
are for the healing of the cultures.John 3; 1 John 4; Revelation 21, 22
If you resonate with the reflections and purpose of this blog, please consider becoming a supporting patron.
