If you are reading this, I assume that you must be a person who rather enjoys a video game. If you could not tell, I too, am one such person. For nearly two full decades, I have indulged in my favorite hobby. Sometimes, I play video games to relieve stress or escape reality for a while. But one of the best aspects of video games, especially with the current generation of consoles, is the social aspect of the medium. This is one of the major reasons I love games such as Borderlands and World of Warcraft.
However, the gaming industry extends well beyond the TV or phone/tablet/computer screen. As featured in issue 234 of GameInformer, hobby gaming is on the rise. What is "hobby gaming," you may ask. Great question!
Hobby Gaming is a term rising in popularity that is used to define a subset of table top gaming dominated by what can be called "indie" games. Such games usually take the form of a board, card, dice, miniatures form or some hybrid of any of these. Usually optimized for 3-8 players, these games focus on experimental mechanics and unique settings. Above all, though, these games are meant to be enjoyed with other real people.
Perhaps one of the most notable hobby games, and certainly one of the most popular, is Settlers ofCatan. This game places players on the shores on the newly discovered island of Catan and tasks each of them with making a stake in this frontier while competing with their frenemies for precious resources. Trading of resources and forging of alliances is not only allowed, but encouraged. Catan has gained such a loyal following that it has even been the subject of further analysis. Filmmakers, such as Jay Cheel have gone far enough as to look at how Catan can affect interpersonal relationships. Catan can be found in electronic form on iOS and XBLA, in addition to its physical board version.
Catan is only a single example of the larger hobby games trend. A simple visit to your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store/Shop) will reveal a bevy of unique and interesting games. Here are some of my other favorites:
Fluxx is a stand-alone card game, opposed to CCGs, or "collectible card games" such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh or Magic: The Gathering. Instead of buying various packs and making the best deck you can, games like Fluxx are standalone games, with optional expansions or companion sets. At its base Fluxx only has one rule: on your turn you must draw one card and play one card. As the game progresses, players will change the very rules of the game by laying down new Rule and Objective cards. As these cards are played, removed, and replaced the fabric of the game itself changes constantly to keep everyone on their toes. It is entirely possible to win simply because another player has no choice but to play a card that will make you win. Fluxx has several varieties, or "flavors" as they tend to be referenced, including but not limited to EcoFluxx, SpaceFluxx, HippieFluxx, and Monty Python Fluxx. And yes, they can be mixed and played together.
Ticket To Ride is a bit of a hard sell based on its premise: You connect cities by completing railroads, thereby earning points. The trick here, much like Catan, is in the interpersonal relationship aspect. My wife and I are nice people and tend to play "coopetitively." We will still strive for the most points, but will not go out of our way to purposefully block another player's intended route. However, in a more hardcore game, this strategy is paramount. A single move can completely ruin another player's intended path toward completion of a destination. Ticket To Ride, like Fluxx, comes is various flavors and mediums. There are Europe, Scandanavia, and Germany boards apart from the typical US board, and the game is also available in dice, iOS, and XBLA versions, if not more.
Guillotine is one of the more humorous LCGs I have played (and own). You are an executioner during the French Revolution, and take turns with other executioners over the course of three rounds called days to collect the heads of nobles and officials marked for beheading. The goofy aesthetic and bloody art style is good for a macabre chuckle, and the strategy is deceptively deep.
As macabre as Guillotine may seem, Gloom takes it to another level and turns for the downright sadistic. With art inspired by Edward Gorey, you are put in charge of the fate of a doomed family of five. Your goal is to make their lives as miserable as possible before ultimately putting them out of their misery. At the same time, opponents can block your progress by having good things happen to them and lessen your score. Largely notable for the art style and translucent cards, Gloom is definitely one of the more unique hobby games I've come across.
My internal film nerd/geed/dork is also in love with the B-Movie series of games from Z-MAN Games. Originally pioneered by Grave Robbers From Outer Space, each player tries to create a movie, buffing it up with strong characters and weapons, while fighting off monsters/enemies launched at them by other players. The player with the highest ranking movie by the time the Roll The Credits card is played wins. Grave Robbers plays on cliches of the horror/sci-fi genres, and other sets parody genres such as kung fu, martial arts, anime, adventure (like Indiana Jones), pirates, Westerns, fantasy, and Blacksploitation. Like Fluxx, each set can be combined and use a cumulative set of rules and special mechanics from each set.
Fluxx is a stand-alone card game, opposed to CCGs, or "collectible card games" such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh or Magic: The Gathering. Instead of buying various packs and making the best deck you can, games like Fluxx are standalone games, with optional expansions or companion sets. At its base Fluxx only has one rule: on your turn you must draw one card and play one card. As the game progresses, players will change the very rules of the game by laying down new Rule and Objective cards. As these cards are played, removed, and replaced the fabric of the game itself changes constantly to keep everyone on their toes. It is entirely possible to win simply because another player has no choice but to play a card that will make you win. Fluxx has several varieties, or "flavors" as they tend to be referenced, including but not limited to EcoFluxx, SpaceFluxx, HippieFluxx, and Monty Python Fluxx. And yes, they can be mixed and played together.
Ticket To Ride is a bit of a hard sell based on its premise: You connect cities by completing railroads, thereby earning points. The trick here, much like Catan, is in the interpersonal relationship aspect. My wife and I are nice people and tend to play "coopetitively." We will still strive for the most points, but will not go out of our way to purposefully block another player's intended route. However, in a more hardcore game, this strategy is paramount. A single move can completely ruin another player's intended path toward completion of a destination. Ticket To Ride, like Fluxx, comes is various flavors and mediums. There are Europe, Scandanavia, and Germany boards apart from the typical US board, and the game is also available in dice, iOS, and XBLA versions, if not more.
Guillotine is one of the more humorous LCGs I have played (and own). You are an executioner during the French Revolution, and take turns with other executioners over the course of three rounds called days to collect the heads of nobles and officials marked for beheading. The goofy aesthetic and bloody art style is good for a macabre chuckle, and the strategy is deceptively deep.
As macabre as Guillotine may seem, Gloom takes it to another level and turns for the downright sadistic. With art inspired by Edward Gorey, you are put in charge of the fate of a doomed family of five. Your goal is to make their lives as miserable as possible before ultimately putting them out of their misery. At the same time, opponents can block your progress by having good things happen to them and lessen your score. Largely notable for the art style and translucent cards, Gloom is definitely one of the more unique hobby games I've come across.
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| An example of Gloom's unique cards. |
My internal film nerd/geed/dork is also in love with the B-Movie series of games from Z-MAN Games. Originally pioneered by Grave Robbers From Outer Space, each player tries to create a movie, buffing it up with strong characters and weapons, while fighting off monsters/enemies launched at them by other players. The player with the highest ranking movie by the time the Roll The Credits card is played wins. Grave Robbers plays on cliches of the horror/sci-fi genres, and other sets parody genres such as kung fu, martial arts, anime, adventure (like Indiana Jones), pirates, Westerns, fantasy, and Blacksploitation. Like Fluxx, each set can be combined and use a cumulative set of rules and special mechanics from each set.
Hopefully I have piqued your interest in this unique subset of gaming. Here are some resources you may find interesting and/or helpful:
GenCon is one of the biggest gatherings of hobby gaming enthusiasts in the US. Their official site is here. As a native Hoosier, I am ashamed to admit that I emigrated from the state before I became a big fan of hobby games.
Star Trek: TNG alum Wil Wheaton produces and stars in a YouTube series based on hobby games called TableTop wherein he gathers friends to showcase a game or three. Check it out here. (ProTip: TableTop is featured as part of Felicia Day's Geek And Sundry channel. I highly recommend subscribing.)
