Document text
Tabletop adventures: There’s a game for everyone Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune Richard Scovill gives instructions for a board game at FunAgain games in Ashland. Tuesday Apr 24, 2018 at 2:00 AM Apr 24, 2018 at 12:06 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil The contrast between two scenes at Funagain Games on a Tuesday night in late March is elemental. Light and dark. Warmth and cold. The light and warmth belong to the Ashland board game store itself, the space’s shelves stacked with neat rows of colorful game boxes, titles such as “Terraforming Mars” and “Scythe” competing for customer attention. The dingier locale is a table in the back, with a board, cards, pieces and tokens from a zombie-themed game called “Dead of Winter.” Most of the half-dozen people crowded around the table are learning how to navigate the chilly, undead world for the first time. “In addition to the killer cold, you’re at risk of being attacked by zombies,” Funagain manager Rick Scovill tells the gamers as he explains the rules. There’s plenty to learn. The game is meatier than your typical roll-move-repeat games. There are narrative elements, multiple problems players must juggle together, and tough choices. And everyone at the table endures this nightmare together. “I think it engages a lot more of the brain. It kind of trains you to think in different ways,” says player Dillon Shaw. “It gets you into more of a tactical, how-can-I-accomplish-my-goal mind-set, which I think is a good thing to practice.” Funagain is one of several spots in the Rogue Valley that hosts these open-play sessions for players, with games provided from the store’s collection. Astral Games in Medford, and the Ashland and Medford branches of Jackson County Library Services hold regular cardboard-and-tabletop get-togethers that are free to attend. “The family that games together stays together,” Scovill says. “It’s an experience. You are experiencing something with those people. It’s laughter. It’s victory. It’s defeat. It’s brain-burning puzzle solving.” Play places Funagain’s Tuesday night sessions, which kick off at about 5 p.m., are a newer addition to its open play offering, intended primarily for beginners and more casual players. Thursday night sessions, which start at 6 p.m., are a mix of player levels, from newbies up to seasoned veterans. Astral Games in Medford has weekly gaming nights, too, also starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, along with a separate monthly night devoted to a particular board game theme. The Medford library hosts regular sessions from 1 to 3 p.m. the third Saturday of each month. The Ashland branch has similar sessions the third Saturday of the month, from noon to 3:30 p.m. “They’re so creative,” Ashland teen librarian Esther Mortensen says of the variety of games available. “There are all kinds of fun party games, strategy games, all different kinds. The graphics are fabulous. I think that they’ve gotten really sophisticated.” A surge in popularity These “sophisticated” games — strategy-heavy analog experiences meant to stretch a player’s gray matter — have seen a surge in popularity in recent years. Scovill says it started when American board games began to merge with German-style games, or “Eurogames.” According to the website Board Game Geek, Eurogames are typically based less on conflict, with more attention given to competition over resources and points. They are strategy-heavy, with little randomness or luck, and all players typically play the game for the duration, with no elimination. The game “Carcassone,” for example, focuses on laying tiles to construct towns, roads and farmland in a fictional medieval countryside, with points gleaned from completed construction and strategic placement of figures called “Meeples.” Combine some of those elements with the more “American” components — highly developed theme, player-to-player conflict and a bit of luck — and the popularity of these games skyrocketed. “I think innovations played a big part in that,” Scovill says. “It only really started to flourish when the combos started happening.” Cooperative games such as “Dead of Winter” have all players working toward a common goal of defeating, well, the game itself. Titles like “Pandemic,” where players take on the roles of doctors and scientists trying to contain and cure disease outbreaks, and “Eldritch Horror,” where players act as globetrotting adventurers bent on defeating a host of otherworldly monsters, are among the more popular cooperative titles. “We all win together, or we all lose together,” Scovill says. “That’s a European thing.” Other popular game mechanics include “deck building” — where players work to customize a deck of cards they control and use over the course of a game — and “worker placement” — where players place pieces to gain resources or take actions. One mechanic that is climbing the ranks right now is the “Legacy” game, where the decisions players make throughout the game permanently alter how it is played in subsequent rounds. “That’s a major innovation right now,” Scovill says. Tabletop experiences No matter what game type suits you, longtime enthusiasts say there is plenty to get excited about when it comes to these denser board game experiences. “Just the excitement, being able to sit down with a group of family or friends and trying to compete on a level that’s not so physically strenuous,” Astral Games owner Aaron Hassel says. “Games that made me think and also had the social interaction were the ones that I enjoyed.” Gamer and live action role player Ford North says the human connection and educational components are key benefits when it comes to these types of games, something that makes them stand out in a virtual world. “It’s connection, engaging and education,” North says. “Games are, in my opinion, one of the best ways to learn. It keeps your brain fresh.” For anyone interested in trying the hobby, start simple, enthusiasts say. Some of the heavier games come with sizable rules manuals and a steep learning curve. “Typically, it follows a bit of a progression, and I’m pretty mindful of that,” Scovill says. “My first question is: ‘What do you play now?’ ” Seeking educational resources is also recommended, with board-game review podcasts such as “The Dice Tower” and rules-teaching YouTube channel “Watch It Played” available as teaching tools. “There are so many channels out there nowadays that you could check out,” Hassel says. There are also the open play sessions that let you take one of hundreds of games for a test drive. So whether you’re in the mood to terraform a planet, work your way through a puzzle-filled dungeon, or lay out a charming French countryside, pull up a chair. There’s a theme for just about everyone. Reach web editor Ryan Pfeil at [email protected] or at 541-776-4468.