Board, card, and miniatures games for video gamers

There’s a new generation of innovative board, card, and miniatures games that take full advantage of the developments in game design over the past 20 years that have made video games so popular. These games have moved beyond Monopoly and Clue that most of us played as children to incorporate the strategy, role-play, conflict, and competition that make console games so enticing.

In “Teaching Through Play: Cooperative Games in the Classroom” (School Library Journal, Dec. 2007), Jami Schwarzwalder provided reviews of cooperative games for middle and high school students that encourage participation and teamwork and often sharpen skills in math, problem solving, and more. While many of these games have been successfully incorporated into library programming for young people, they might not offer the excitement that video gamers demand. Competition is the crux of most console games, and tabletop games can provide that same excitement to attract youngsters.

Tabletop games that incorporate competition, overt conflict, player elimination, short playing times, and a minimum of down time between turns will capture the interest of youngsters who are accustomed to playing video games. Try introducing some of the games reviewed here into your library programming. Youngsters may be surprised to discover that these fighting, sports, role-playing, and strategy games are very similar to their electronic counterparts—and playing them with other young people offers a great social experience.

If you are unfamiliar with these games, help is available from local gaming groups. Check boardgamegeek.com’s listing of game groups and clubs (boardgamegeek.com/guild/category/group) to find one in your area. Most of these groups will help you learn how to play the games, clarify rules, and run game sessions. Local game stores specializing in hobby games may also be interested in putting on game demos. If these options don’t work out, set up the game and play it by yourself first, trying a different strategy for each of the “players” so that you iron out any problems and learn all the rules before having an actual gaming event. Make sure to pay attention to the information on the game boxes that indicates the number of players, recommended age, and the time required to play, which should be doubled if it is everyone’s first time playing.

Below are some of the most popular video games and their tabletop equivalents, arranged by genre. These games can be purchased online at stores such as Funagain Games (funagain.com) or Thoughthammer (thoughthammer.com) for a steep discount but, for convenience, the full retail price is listed.

Fighting Games

Characterized by such console game franchises as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Soul Calibur, these games focus on one-on-one combat or tag team battles.

Kung Fu Fighting. Slugfest Games. $19.95. 2-6 players. Ages 8+.

En Garde! Slugfest Games. $19.95. 2-6 players. Ages 10+.

These are games of martial arts combat and swashbuckling fencing duels respectively. En Garde! is set in 17th–century Paris and features gentlemen duelists. Kung Fu Fighting can be expanded by More Kung Fu Fighting ($10) which provides additional cards that offer more moves, stances, and weapons if the original game starts to get a bit stale. Players use math to calculate combination and weapon modifiers as well as strategic thinking to best their opponents. The game can be played in a half-hour or less.

Colossal Arena. Fantasy Flight Games. $19.95. 2-5 players. Ages 8+.

This fantasy card game puts players in the role of gladiatorial managers out to make their fortunes. Players bet on various monsters and fantasy characters from a field of eight and sometimes get to use its special powers—but also open themselves to being targeted by the others for elimination. This quick, fun game teaches odds calculation and situational planning. The betting element might make it unacceptable at some libraries.

Sports Games

This genre of video gaming is largely dominated by the various Electronic Arts franchises with such games as Madden, NBA Live, and NASCAR. The problem with most sports board games is that, like their real-life and video counterparts, they are largely geared for one side playing against another. This can be alleviated a bit by having two people take control of a team (offense and defense) to expand these games to four players.

Pizza Box Football. On Line Game Co. $30. 1-2 players. Ages 12+.

Pizza Box Baseball. On Line Game Co. $30. 1-2 players. Ages 10+.

These clever games very closely resemble their real-life counterparts since there are rarely any blowout wins like you see in video games. Football is a dice-driven game where one player picks an offensive play and the other selects a defensive play. The dice are rolled, the results are checked against a chart, and pegs are adjusted on the field as necessary. There are yearly expansion packs for the various National Football League teams to simulate current rosters ($20 ea.). Baseball is similar to Football but is card-driven—the defensive player picks a pitch card and the hitter selects a hitting strategy. The game can be played simply or expanded to incorporate some of the more advanced rules. Strategic thinking and risk management skills are key. Each game can be completed in 30 to 90 minutes.

Soccer Tactics WORLD. Stein-Thompson Games. $29.95. 2 players. Ages 10+.

In this dice-based game, two teams use dice to handle ball control and moving down or up the field. It also incorporates bits of area control where the careful movement of pawns can swing the balance if the player with the ball is outnumbered by defensive players on the field. The game also incorporates penalties as well as a neat digital timer. Scoring is handled through dice as well (for a more realistic game) or a spinner (for a more free-wheeling game). Risk management skills and strategic thinking are important. Games typically run about 90 minutes.

Role-playing Games

In this type of game, a character or groups of characters perform tasks to make them stronger to face the final obstacle or menace in a story. The Final Fantasy and World of WarCraft series of video games are the most popular in this genre.

Shadow Hunters. Z-Man Games. $30. 4-8 players. Ages 10+.

This is a new board game implementation of a popular card game called Werewolf. Players assume the roles of shadow creatures, hunters, or normal civilians, each with their own goals (killing the hunters, killing the shadow creatures, or surviving). The game has gorgeous animé-style artwork. In addition to the popularity of anything animé, this survival game teaches negotiation, deductive thinking, pattern recognition, and strategic planning. Game play takes between 45 and 60 minutes.

Talisman 4th Edition. Black Industries. $50. 4-6 players. Ages 10+.

This is an updated version of a popular fantasy board game. Players have 14 characters to control, from Warrior to Sorcerer. Players take various character types and move about a board collecting treasure, killing monsters, and gaining power so that they can eventually confront the major monster and seize the Crown of Command to rule the kingdom. This game can take anywhere from one to three hours to complete. Fantasy Flight Games has acquired the rights to make a version of this game with better components and to produce expansions.

Real-Time Strategy Games

Two or more opposing forces fight each other for supremacy while fighting over resources that allow them to construct better and more powerful units. The venerable Command & Conquer series and StarCraft are the flagship console games in this genre.

HeroScape: Rise of the Valkyrie. Milton Bradley. $59.95. 2-4 players. Ages 8+.

This miniatures game and its many figure expansions are readily available in most big box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. Players assume command of fantastical creatures and historical figures brought to another world to fight for good or evil. The rules are extremely simple and a lot of fun. There is also a Marvel Comics version of HeroScape, but the Marvel characters are far more powerful than anything in the regular HeroScape sets, so just select one or the other based on your audience. These, like most miniatures games, stress strategic planning, logical thinking, odds calculation, and risk management.

Memoir ’44. Days of Wonder. $50. 2 players. Ages 8+.

BattleLore. Days of Wonder. $80. 2 players. Ages 10+.

These two miniatures games use variants of the same game rules, but Memoir ’44 simulates World War II battles and BattleLore simulates fantasy/medieval warfare. BattleLore is the more complex game, but both have several figure and scenario expansions available that range from fighter planes to Scottish Dwarven highlander clans. Both games also feature the ability to combine two copies of the game to make the game expand into a six to eight player epic game.

The days of “roll a die and move” games are now regulated to the game aisle of chain department stores. The new tabletop games are on the real and virtual shelves of hobby game retailers. Once young people are introduced to these games during library programs or gaming nights, you can expect many requests for them beyond your normal game times. Students will especially appreciate the opportunities they will have to get together with old friends and make new acquaintances.

Board Game Geek (boardgamegeek.com) is the premier Internet site for more information on tabletop games. Additional advice is available via audio download at The Dice Tower (thedicetower.com) and The Spiel (thespiel.net). Video podcasts include Board Games with Scott (boardgameswithscott.com), Bookshelf Games (bookshelfgames.com), and Obsessed with Gaming (obsessedwithgaming.com).