Never Too Tired To Game

It may surprise you but having a one year old can sometimes mean not having as much game time as I might like.

Now, I am not saying that my daughter gets in the way of more important things in my life, that would be foolish and untrue. Less game time is a happy and more than reasonable compromise for a wonderful, beautiful, healthy daughter. It just means one has to be more proactive with the little time and energy one has for personal hobbies.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my wife, Megan, and I enjoy our board games. It's hard however to commit to a lengthy, rules-heavy game when work and parenthood leave you with little excess energy to spend on things like thinking. Or moving your hands.

8pm will come around, the little one is safely tucked up in bed after a long, busy day, and the thought in my mind is - Right! what game can we set up, play and pack away before exhaustion wins and I want nothing more than to collapse into bed? This struggle between my need for gaming and my need for sleep lasts from about 8pm until 9.30pm.

So permit me to share with you five games that I feel fill that small window we as new parents and gamers have to enjoy our hobby of a week night (and also weekends if, like me, you have a less than conventional work schedule).

Splendor (Space Cowboys)
As is the case with all these games I am listing, Splendor is a quick game. There is also the added bonus that it is one of Megan's favourites, so it takes less to convince her to play than most of my games. It's a simple game with just enough strategy, and a game lasts about 15-20 minutes. There is only ever five actions to choose from on a turn, you choose one and your turn is over, so turns tend to be quick and painless when we play. It's a game where we find we can get two or three games in while watching the T.V. Set-up and pack-down takes minutes, so getting it on the table, playing two games, and putting it back on the shelf can all take place within 40 minutes.

Star Realms (White Wizard Games)
Cheap, portable and fun; Star Realms is a must have for anyone who wants to fit a game into a short time period. It follows a familiar deck building mechanic similar to games like Ascension and Dominion, so if you already know those games Star Realms takes minutes to get your head around. Megan and I love to play Dominion as well, but the set-up/pack-down time means we are more likely to get out Star Realms if we are tired and time is limited. Also, if we are feeling super lazy there's always pass and play on the mobile app!

We recently discovered Star Realms can be played in bed, which is another reason to choose it over Dominion. Gaming until one of us just falls asleep.

Hive (Gen42 Games)
An abstract strategy game for two players. It doesn't feature a game board, just 22 hexagonal tiles that you place down adjacent to one another. Each tile has a picture of an insect on it, and each different insect moves in a unique way. The object is to surround your opponent's Queen Bee.

There is a surprising amount of strategy in Hive; it's a satisfying game to play. A game lasts about 10 minutes and there is zero set-up, aside from separating the tiles into the two colours. It does require all our concentration to play well, but it is a calming game for the end of an evening. There is also a pocket version available for even more portability.

Dungeon Roll (Tasty Minstrel Games)
This is a nice casual game for 1-4 players, I find it works best with two people, however. Dungeon Roll is a push-your-luck dice game, but not as luck-pushy as some other games in that category. Its dungeon crawl theme is great, and I love the chest-shaped box it comes in. The active player takes the Hero dice and rolls them to form their party. The player to their left (or just the other player if you're playing 2p) gets to roll the Dungeon dice, which represent the monsters and loot found within the dungeon that your band of heroes are exploring. As you delve deeper you collect loot and earn experience points. It's a simple game with constant interaction if you're playing two player.

Forbidden Island (Gamewright)
The longest and heaviest game on the list, Forbidden Island is probably also our least played with just the two of us. It's a game we can enjoy together or with one or two friends, although I have generally found the more people the better. Forbidden Island is a cooperative game, and the good thing about co-op games is combining brain power. Especially when you're tired. If too tired, one person can take a back seat during the crucial decision making, but still take the credit if the players beat the game. Although the longest on the list it is still a short game, and if we want it shorter we can just set the starting difficulty higher.

So, how about you? Do you have any games that should be added to this list? Message or tweet me with your suggestions.

Elder Sign and Dungeon Roll: The thrill of the dice

I find it really satisfying playing a game in which I'm required to roll, and keep rolling a handful of dice. That can be in the form of a game like Elder Sign, with layers of strategy and player interaction and choice. Or a game like Dungeon Roll: simple, compact, quick.

Elder Sign (Fantasy Flight Games) is a cooperative game set in H.P. Lovecraft's literary universe. You each play an investigator exploring a museum, on the hunt for Elder Signs to seal off an Ancient One (massive monster) before it awakens and destroys the world.

It sounds very dramatic, but the real drama lies in the dice rolling. You move your character token to a card, representing a room in the building, then roll 6-8 dice to try and match the combination of symbols on the card. If you fail to match a row of symbols with some of your dice you must discard one and roll again. Continue to fail and you will run out of dice - and incur a penalty. Succeed however and you will be one step closer to sealing off that ancient, unspeakable evil.

There is more going on in Elder Sign other than dice play - items to collect, cards with (mostly) adverse effects, smaller monsters that can make their way into the rooms, etc. - but the dice are the important part. The strategy and fun come from figuring out the room best suited for the dice you can roll. How can you and your fellow players most effectively pool their resources and character's special abilities to make this turn a success? Because the penalties are harsh and the bad guys are ready to pounce, so you better do all you can to make the odds swing more in your favour.

Dungeon Roll (Tasty Minstrel Games) is a push-your-luck dice game themed around a dungeon crawl. Each player takes it in turns to roll the party dice consisting of six different companions (and a scroll!) and use these companions to explore the dungeon's levels, fighting monsters and collecting treasure. The player to the left of the current hero gets to roll the dungeon dice; these consist of monsters, potions, dragons and chests.

When party dice are used to fight monsters or quaff potions they are sent to the graveyard out of play. Each time the hero ventures further into the dungeon with his/her companions more dungeon dice are rolled, so choosing to push on in the hopes to get more loot and experience points becomes a tough decision with each roll.

There's not a lot more to Dungeon Roll other than a few hero cards with abilities and some treasure tokens (it has a satisfyingly chunky d10 that's used to mark the current dungeon level), there's certainly not as much depth as there is in Elder Sign. However both games share the same thrill in the luck of the dice.

At the centre of both games is that moment of clutching a bunch of dice in both hands, hoping as you shake them to throw some symbols that will really pay off; willing them to land in the perfect combination and turn the tide. Then there's the release as you let them fly, and the tiny pause as you skim the dice faces, hoping you've got the right combination of Fear, Terror and Lore symbols to defeat that last remaining cultist. Or a healthy mix of Goblins, Skeletons and Oozes to make your opposing hero quake in her boots. And finally, the feeling of elation - or disappointment - as you see your fate staring up at you from the table top in those dice faces... and then the next player picks up the dice and it all happens again.

It's an important gaming experience that these two very different games have at their core. One is a casual competitive game, the other is an intense cooperative game. Both succeed in using the roll of the dice to generate excitement and suspense. And when you're deep in the game - and those dice fly - it's hard to beat that thrill.