LordToSergeantLARPer

I love board games, always have and I shall continue to do so! There’s something about having the pieces in your hand and it basically forcing you to meet face to face with actual human beings who want to spend time with you? Insane right? Unless your one of those scoundrels who uses Board Game Simulator, I tried it during Covid and it was fine for then because you know, no human contact, but I just am one of those guys who believes board games should be played in person.

Today I’d like to discuss board games I simply love and would highly recommend you try!

So let’s kick things off with one of my favourite board games, Junta! Junta is a political/economic power game set in the wonderfully named and wonderfully unstable “Republica de los Bananas”. The players take on the roles of corrupt generals in the republic all vying to claim as much power, but more importantly “pocket money” from the foreign aid coming in and then to swindle it away to your Swiss Bank Account in readiness for the day the economy finally collapses. Junta has a bit of a weird reputation, I see allot of people criticise it for a few reasons, for example that the coup mechanic is the only time you actually use the board and it is more of a sideshow, and well yes that is correct. But timing your coups correctly is so important, as are all the actions in the game. There can be 5 turns where almost nothing happens (at least on the surface), and then BAM the country explodes because one player has been secretly building a power base to try and seize power, coincidentally when the President takes a big cut of the foreign aid money. A big reason I love this game is the vibes, get some people together (preferably 5-7 for the best experience), play the Tropico soundtrack, get some cocktails and lean into the idea you are all going to betray each other. Also you have permission to steal my house rule, everyone must wear a hat while playing. Do these things, you will have a smashing time. Commit to the bit!

Next up! We move to a simpler game, Gloom. Gloom is set in an Addams Family style setting in which everyone has a family who are a bit different to your average Joes family, the aim of the game is to make your family as miserable as possible before killing them. Similar to Junta I see allot of people complain about this game, but I expect they are not following one very important rule. The game highly encourages you to make a real story out of the cards, so if it says “Falls down a well and breaks their leg”, don’t just put the card down and say that. How did they get to the well, what did they want in the well? Usually my stories end up in really mundane settings, and a Dominoes Pizza always appears… I really don’t know why. When you start making these little stories and connections between the families, it can become a bit like Cards Against Humanity with how vile the stories grow to be, and honestly thats the best sphere for this game to exist. Also the card designs are stunning.

Speaking of great card design, Villainous! Allot of you have probably heard of this one, the game in which you take on the role of a Disney Villain and must achieve what their heart wants most whether that be child murder or dog murder… This game is functionally very well thought out, there’s a great mix of luck and strategy with most of the villains. The game changes quite a bit depending on how many players are actually playing, and that can be an interesting mix, as you really do need to keep track of the other villains progress. I do think it works better with a maximum of 4 players, simply as the turns can become very long if you have more. I do also think the recent trend of less villains per expansion pack for basically the same price has soured my taste for it a little, but when I do play the game I always enjoy the challenge each new game presents.

Next on the chopping block is Secret Hitler, many people at this point look at me like “… ok who do you vote for?” or general laughter. The game is a bit like Werewolf, but is streamlined with less functional rules. There are 3 types of player, Liberals who need to find out who is a Fascist, and the Fascists want to protect the final type of player, Hitler. There are multiple ways the Fascists and Liberals can win, but this is a fantastic social deduction game and unless the Fascists are really dumb it almost always comes down to the wire. Also I believe this game had to be banned in several board game cafes and pubs, as each game inevitably results in someone pointing and shouting “Paul is obviously a Fascist!!!”. Great fun.

The next two board games are very much tickling my historical niche side, and are very “me” board games. First off, Watergate. This is the best 2 player only game I have ever played. In it one player takes on the role of the Nixon Administration, the other Journalists trying to uncover what’s really going on after the “Watergate Scandal”. In terms of balance, I can think of fewer games with a better balance between roles. Both players have very different objectives and play quite differently, but the game is so well designed neither side feels overpowered. I have almost never had a game where it didn’t come down to the final round or two. And the game rulebook is full of history on the Watergate Scandal, so it’s a great history lesson too.

Lastly, the insanely complex board game that even the most knowledgeable player will have to check over the rules mid game… John Company. John Company is a game set in the 18th Century in which you the players take on the roles of managing directors of the “East India Company”, playing a duel game of trying to expand the company and it’s profits, while at the same time having your family retire to wealthy estates back in Britain. John Company is insanely complex, but when you get going oh my is it fantastic. It’s mechanics are very unique, and the duality of having to work together with everyone while balancing being selfish is really fun. You are the bad guys in this game, and the more you commit actions and actually think about what that means for people on the ground… yeah you start to feel like the bad guy. But that’s kind of the point.

There are so many other board games I love, if people want a part 2 I will happily make that, but this is where I shall leave it for today.

Bye bye now.