This Ain’t Your Daddy’s Monopoly

While South London Warlords is, and always will remain, a predominantly wargaming club, there’s been a board-gaming presence from very early on. However, over the last half a dozen years boardgames have becoming increasingly common within the hallowed halls of St. Barnabas’s. As a fan of such ‘games in a box’ I thought I’d give my reasons that maybe we’re entering into golden age of boardgames and somewhere out there exists the perfect boardgame for each and every one of us. Even if you’re a wargamer.

Gaming Agnostic

You only play orks with their cobbledtogether vehicles and green hordes rampaging across a grimdark universe, but your best mate has a deep and unshakeable love for Napoleonics, ever since he saw Waterloo in the big screen when he was but a nipper. What to do? There are cliques within the wargaming world but it rarely extends to boardgames. Hard-core historical wargamers are still happy to take a trip in the TRADIS for an adventure across time and space.

The perfect drop-in. Just gather a random bunch of people at the club and get playing. Looking at some of the to fill games night when our opponent’s cancelled at the last moment? As long as you can explain the rules in about ten minutes, or just happy to muddle along, then you’re on.

Evolution

The modern games designer is first and foremost a fan. They play, they design, they live and breathe games. They adapt from games they’ve played, they’ve loved, and all their friends are doing the same. And it’s global. This network means systems are developing in directions that we could never have imagined ten years ago. It’s a Eurogame, it’s a Resource Management game, Solo, Co-op, etc. Often a combination of several systems.

Something for fans of every genre. Every genre, franchise, period in history, past, present or far future. This, perhaps, is one of the biggest factors in the boom in the popularity of board-gaming. Horror has been particularly well-catered for. Cthulhu is no doubt pleased at the vastness of his gaming cult.

No longer specialist entertainment

Was it the rise of Trivial Pursuit in the 1990s that has brought us here? It was the ultimate party game, whipped out after dinner along with the Hagen Dazs. Before that you might have got out a pack of cards, but certainly not anything more elaborate, unless the evening was a dedicated games night. Now bringing out a boardgame is just part of what you do after the table’s been cleared. This goes alongside the ascendency of boardgames cafes and how many games’ shops are branching out by appealing to casual gamers to spend a Sunday afternoon with their mates. A great way to try before you buy!

Zero Commitment, Minimal Prep

It’s all in a box. Board folds out and you grab your gaming piece. No gaming matt, no scenery. Also, and I know this is a problem for some of us, no struggling around the loft or shed to find out where on earth you left your Celts.

No Space Required

You need a table. Doesn’t need to be 4x4 and certainly not 6x4. While we all dream of our dedicated gaming shed alas, most of us have to make do with commandeering the kitchen table which, in this day and age, might have to be sized to fit into a studio

apartment. Nothing dictates the gaming experience more than the lack of space.

Crossover Appeal

For many of us it’s the minis. We’ll spend so much more time painting than playing. We will never conquer our pile of shame. It doesn’t matter how many you have, there’s always that next boxed set of Romans, Vikings, Stormtroopers, etc that you absolutely have to have. Once boardgames couldn’t scratch that itch. While standees and Meeples still have their appeal, with companies like CMON and Monolith entering the board-gaming market the minis for games like Zombicide and Conan are just as detailed, exciting and lovingly sculpted as any from a mainstream wargaming manufacturer.

Boardgames are Wargames

I’m not just talking about Risk, but the designers behind Command and Colours (for example) have brought a gaming experience as rich as any wargame. At our club one of the members has even adapted that system to Lord of the Rings, making use of the vast horde of minis he bought up during that lull between the movies!

Quality

Boardgames are so beautiful. The designers are true fans of the hobby and each game comes across as a passion project. Sure, it might mean waiting an extra year (or five) for the Kickstarter to get delivered but the rise of the cottage industry of gaming has led to the most wonderfully diverse library of gaming.

No doubt there are hundreds of reasons to love boardgames, but these are mine. They’ve filled the lulls between campaigns, or those long periods where my painting schedule’s got too far ahead of me. The world of board-gaming is going from strength to strength and there’s so much more still to come! ■