Valerie Putman:  Old favorites with a new twist

Sorry it’s been a few weeks.  After the World Boardgaming Championships I turned right around and went to Gen Con and then followed that up with a trip to Dragon*Con.  Throw in some family trips and a kitchen renovation and, well...I’ve been busy!  I’ve already mentioned that one of the new games I played during these conventions was Reiner Knizia’s new take on an old game, Ra the Dice Game.  At Dragon*Con I also got to pick up Samurai the Card Game.  For some players, the reaction to these games has been “why bother, I love the original.” Others found something to love in the new game that was different from their long time favorite.  But what surprised me the most was that about 50% of the people (n = 100+) that I taught these new games to had never played the original games that they were based on.  For these players, new twists on old games like Small World, Steam, Ra: tdg, and Samurai: tcg introduce them to interesting and well polished game mechanics that they wouldn’t have encountered otherwise.

Another way that gamers see old games with new twists is the publication of expansions and sequels.  I am particularly fond of games like Age of Steam and Ticket to Ride (whether published as a stand alone or as an expansion) that offer new maps and rule tweaks--allowing you to continue to enjoy a game system that you like but with new scenarios.  Of course, some games offer expansions that don’t seem to offer much new and appeal primarily to collector’s who feel the need to have everything in a set.  Many lump Dominion, a game I have been quite involved with, into one of these categories.  I actually think Dominion is quite different from other expansions and sequels because the additional Kingdom cards were designed before the game ever sold a single copy.  If Donald or Rio Grande Games thought that they could produce and sell a game with thousands of cards all in one box (for considerably more money than gamers are used to paying for a game), then they just might have offered everything at once.  Instead, it was far more realistic to offer the game in chunks--allowing players to decide just how much of the variety that was always intended in the game they were willing to buy.

So, whether it is a card game version of a dice game or a new map for the tile laying version of a board game, if it’s a good game, I’m happy to play it.

I’d rather be gaming,
Valerie Putman

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