Unveiling the World of Complex Board Games: My Journey of Discovery
Why I ditched Monopoly and tried something new
Growing up, you probably played a lot of Monopoly with your family and Sorry with your friends.
Someone would whip out the UNO deck or piece together Connect Four.
These were fun, yet simple games that everyone knows how to play. They’re the go-to games stashed on shelves in millions of households.
Then there are the not so common board games. Complicated games that most people don’t want to take the time to learn.
They’re the games that have 10 to 20-page rulebooks, intricately detailed pieces, unique designs, and genuinely well-written stories.
Complex board games lead to high replayability, where each time you play can introduce new cards and scenarios you’ve never seen.
But Why?
I wanted to try complicated board games because I was tired of random chance.
There are too many games that rely on high luck and low skill such as Battleship, Monopoly, Sorry, Candy Land, UNO, and Yahtzee. Everyone I’ve ever met seemed to own one or all of these.
I was getting tired of winning or losing games based purely on a lucky roll or card draw.
Low Luck, High Skill
When I started college, my group was trying to figure out what to do during our free time. We tried old hobbies that we used to play when we were kids but wanted to try something that wouldn’t break the bank.
Yu-Gi-Oh! was starting to become a really expensive hobby we weren’t willing to keep up with.
We decided to try board games but wanted a game focused on strategy and high replayability. I don’t remember the first game we played, but it created a weird drive to gradually find the perfect game.
After years of playing, we discovered different styles of board games we liked more than others. One friend liked Eurogames, another liked deck-builders and I liked licensed board games. Here are some of the games we’ve played that I highly recommend:
- Robinson Crusoe, Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game, Clank!, Doom: The Board Game (2016), XCOM: The Board Game, Smash Up, Boss Monster, and Kemet.
Then we discovered the one board game we would always go back and play any chance we had.
The one board game to rule them all.
Gloomhaven
Gloomhaven plays like a video game RPG.
Each hero has a backstory that describes their history, race, culture, and goals. As you progress through a story that’s constructed based on your decisions, you’ll acquire gold and experience points at the end of a successful quest. When you level-up, your hero gets stronger with new abilities that can be combined to create devastating attacks.
Careful planning before jumping into combat is key to surviving a dungeon. Work together with your team to either desperately find the hidden objective, defeat all enemies in the area, or take down the final boss.
After the chaos is over, visit the shop in Gloomhaven to purchase new items, complete activities in the city, and hit the road to see what obstacles lay in your path to the next location.
Gloomhaven is currently the only board game our group plays when we meetup. It’s addicting to make progress with a character you will spend several weeks using.
Although the game seems complicated from the start, YouTube has dozens of ‘How To’ videos designed to show you how the game is played without reading the rulebook. However, you will need to consult it plenty of times during your playthrough.
Playing Gloomhaven is like riding a bike or driving a car. Although difficult at first, once you learn how to do it, you never forget.
Want to Try but Scared to Start?
That’s okay! Honestly, everyone is afraid of trying new things.
No one wants to put effort into a new activity because they’re very comfortable with their current hobbies. Trying something new means giving up what you usually do to explore something you might not like.
The effort to try new board games gives an immediate feeling of work rather than play but the long term benefits are rewarding.
Below are some of the more frequent questions I’ve been asked in the past and the answers I gave.
- I don’t want to read a 20-paged rulebook to learn how to play.
- Answer: Then don’t! YouTube has tons of videos explaining how to play a board game. You can use the rulebook as a reference.
2. There are way too many pieces.
- Answer: The pieces are there to add depth to the game. Once you understand what they do, it all becomes second nature.
3. I don’t want to spend hours teaching my friends how to play a board game.
- Answer: If they are willing to learn and want to try something new, then teach them. It won’t take hours and once you get a practice game going, it will start to come naturally.
- However, if they show no interest, don’t push them to play. I’ve made that mistake in the past. You’ll know if your friends are uninterested if they spend more time on their phones then on the game.
Find What You Like
There's a board game for everyone!
You might pick a game based on its artwork, gameplay, miniatures, or license like Lord of the Rings. No matter what you choose, always do your research so you don’t accidentally invest in a terrible board game.
Visit BoardGameGeek.com to read reviews, watch videos, and find the cheapest places to buy your games.
CoolStuffInc.com sells board games that are typically a few dollars cheaper than Amazon.
Overall, you need to give complex board games a chance. If you don’t try it, you’ll never know if you’ll like it.
