In my last column, I introduced myself and made a case for the modern board game in light of the overwhelming popularity and dominance of electronic gaming and hopefully I’ve at least piqued some interest in the hearts and minds of those of you looking for ways to expand your hobby horizons. So in this column I’d like to present you with a veritable shopping list of “gateway” games that, if you’re a video gamer looking to investigate this line of reasoning further, will give you plenty to sink your teeth into and won’t scare you away with cornball, “family friendly” art and themes involving penguins or produce. I think these games will give you quite a kick, not to mention immersive and engaging experiences, which you might be surprised to find in something as apparently mundane as board games.

Every one of these games is currently available through any number of online retail outlets specializing in hobby games but I strongly suggest seeking out and visiting your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) - the hobby retail industry has taken a beating over the years as young people are drawn more to video games than pen-and-paper RPGs, collectible card games, or miniatures gaming. Fortunately, board games are a bright spot in terms of sales and market share growth so any respectable FLGS should carry or at least be able to order any of these titles. Enough with the gab, on with the games.

SETTLERS OF CATAN (Mayfair Games/Kosmos Spielverlag, 1995)

I mentioned this in the last column, and it bears repeating particularly since this is a game anyone with an Xbox 360 and an Xbox Live account can try from the relative safety of their living room.

SETTLERS OF CATAN was a revelation in 1995, when the game was released in Germany as DIE SIEDLER VON CATAN and its popularity grows with each passing year. The key to its success is a simple yet very engaging system that incorporates long-term planning, strategic flexibility, player interaction, and an absolutely brilliant resource production system with more than a passing resemblance to Craps. The theme, vague Colonial-era people settling an island, is fairly negligible yet it does impart a sense of narrative and accomplishment. I actually balked at buying the game because I thought it looked boring—take a look at the cover and what you won’t see is thrilling artwork. However, the excitement is in the game itself which is rich with wheeling and dealing, big resource payoffs, civic progress, and the ultimate downer of having the Robber steal your goods when someone rolls a seven. The game imparts a real sense of development and progress not unlike any given Civ-style PC game, but in a very compact and manageable package that only takes about an hour to an hour and a half to play.

Wiki Image copyright Andreas Steinhoff

Expansions such as SEAFARERS OF CATAN, which adds an obvious seafaring element, and CITIES AND KNIGHTS increase complexity and conflict but provide a more detailed and thorough experience. This game is truly a classic in every sense of the word and is probably responsible for more cases of boardgaming addiction than any other.

NEXUS OPS (Avalon Hill, 2005)

Avalon Hill was one of the great boardgaming companies of the 1970s and 1980s and their assimilation by Hasbro produced a couple of worthwhile games, not the least of which is this amazing piece of design by Duelmasters developer (!?) Charlie Catino. NEXUS OPS plays almost exactly how a STARCRAFT board game would in your mind: players gather resources from mines, send troops out with varying abilities and limitations, and converge in a central area that is sure to be drowned in the remains of Fungoids, Crystallines, and Rock Spiders alike.

On a mechanical level, NEXUS OPS will remind seasoned gamers of AXIS AND ALLIES (from which it borrows its combat system) and there is definitely a lot of appeal for people who loved RISK but can’t bear the extended playtime or inevitable bulldozer effect of that army that attacks out of Australia.