Age of EX ILLIS map

Recently, a game was released to little fanfare and relative obscurity called EX ILLIS . It’s a miniatures game, but almost all of the back-end rules and mechanics are handled through PC or Mac software. There’s even an app for that, and you can run the whole game from an iPod. Stats, calculations, and the more complex bits are automated. This is a brilliant idea. I haven’t played EX ILLIS so I can’t attest to how well it works, but this is an avenue that could lead to two key things: more complex tabletop games that are actually playable in reasonable amounts of time and without tons and tons of inaccessible rules, and a greater accessibility to simpler games.

Granted, part of the fun of board games to most hobbyists is learning and executing rules and I do think that it’s important to retain that to some degree, but when I think of the possibility of playing an extremely complex board game like ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER without endless consultation of the rules and tables or streamlining a miniatures game such that my concentration is on tactics and battle plans and not on incidental exceptions or statistics, I get kind of excited. I love complex games but I’m well aware of the barriers that rules burden represent, and I can see where something like what EX ILLIS is doing could make the really rich, difficult games more playable- and playable more often, by a more diverse player base.

What’s more, with devices like Microsoft’s experimental gaming table (which was demoed running a DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS game) and Apple’s impending iSlate touchscreen tablet, the possibilities expand even further. The idea of a board game with no physical pieces might repel some, but I can see a future where digital pieces are fully animated and are not bound by the limitations of production costs or availability. The tactility would be missing, although with multitouch screens I think some of that could be retained. More significantly, these devices could have software that would automatically enforce the rules, bring up rulebooks, examples, or other game information at a touch, and enable users to save the state of games to continue at a future time without having to write down positions and worry about screwing up the set up when it’s time to reconvene. The possibilities these devices represent for hobby gaming are endless.

But more down to earth, there’s no reason why great tabletop games like TWILIGHT IMPERIUM or DESCENT shouldn’t have officially sanctioned and supported electronic editions. Considering the amount of time and effort that fans have put into unofficial versions like the TI3 Wiki and any number of Vassal modules for online play, there’s no reason why publishers such as Fantasy Flight, GMT, and others shouldn’t be looking at ways to bring their games to web-based applications, online gaming services like Xbox Live, iPhone applications, and other outlets. Games like SETTLERS OF CATAN, LOST CITIES, TICKET TO RIDE, and CARCASSONNE have met with some success, so there’s no reason why other games shouldn’t be available in digital mediums. What’s more, a game like TI3 could gain potentially thousands of new players and more people might wind up interested in playing the face to face game after a couple of electronic rounds.

A game of Catan on Xbox Live

Online gaming is a big deal these days, and hobby gaming is really missing the curve by not getting on board with it. It used to be that video gaming was a solitary thing and hobby gaming had human contact and socialization as its prime differentiator- my, how times have changed. Anybody who’s played LEFT 4 DEAD or BORDERLANDS with friends can tell you how much human interaction is a part of the games, regardless of the fact that it’s over a billion miles of cable or not.

It’s important for board games and other hobby games to get over this luddism. Board games simply are not relevant to the larger culture outside of the hobby at this point, but more significantly they’re simply not keeping pace with the times. And this explains to some degree why kids growing up in the digital age aren’t as likely to pick up hobby gaming as they are video gaming. Who cares if you can play DESCENT face to face when you can play WORLD OF WARCRAFT with people from all over the world without having to organize a get-together, set aside six or seven hours, and get everybody committed enough to learn the rules and stick with the game- if you can find anyone to play?