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The Board Game Geek Website

Hello fellow board gamers. Is it just me, or does everybody else who loves board games constantly check the BGG top 100 to see what’s shifting in the gaming world? I’m obsessed with the BGG (Board Game Geek) top 100 because the top games are always highly contested, played, and flip flop frequently. As I write this article today the top slot belongs to Gloomhaven. I remember Twilight Struggle being at #1 for a very long time, after knocking Puerto Rico off the top spot. Now Puerto Rico only hold the #24 spot on the site. It’s true. If you want to have a relevant game in the “Board Game World” you must be on Board Game Geek and you must have a decent score on the site to hold any credibility. In a world where so many are turning to Board Game Geek to see if your game is any good or not, it’s rank or be outranked.

Why is board game geek so popular and so widely used? It’s simple, people want to know what other peoples’ opinions of a game are before they buy it. They want to make sure they’ll get their monies worth out of the game. Truth be told, when I was just starting out, I had never heard of board game geek. So I would frequently buy games without vetting them first. Sometimes I’d get lucky, other times, I would simply buy dumb games, play them once, and then forget they ever existed because they were so terrible. This happened to me with an exceptionally bad game called 8*28. See the picture of this awful game depicted below.

Amazon.com: 828 Card Game: Toys & Games

Not only is this a terrible game, but it is basically the game “21” or “Blackjack” but instead of getting to 21 you must get to 8 or 28. If I had known about board game geek at that time, I would have done a search on my phone in the store before buying said terrible game and would have saved myself the money and time.

My point is, you don’t have to waste money on bad games anymore. If somebody makes a bad game most people will rate it accordingly. They do all the vetting for you so you don’t have to waste your money. I personally don’t even look at a game if it gets less than a 6.5/10 star score on BGG. Beyond telling what the game has scored, this website also tells you other vital information like . . .

It can tell you about the game’s playtime, theme, elements within the game, ect . . .

It has forums to help you answer frequently asked questions about the game (this is extremely useful for games with convoluted or complex rule systems).

Board Game Geek tells you how many players are ideal for the best game experience

They have forums to discuss your favorite games

People frequently post lists of their favorite games

You can create an account and add to your personal collection so people know what you own and what you scored a particular game.

I’ve found Board Game Geek to be extremely useful for all these reason. When I do research for the podcast I always go into these forums to get people’s consensus of a game. I have used it to clear up rules in so many games. It has also been the biggest tool in helping me determine whether or not I want to buy that game.

Finally, I know it has been extremely helpful for games which are just starting out. You can list your board game for free and people who have played it can give you a score. It’s a great tool to get the word out on a game you designed.

I encourage everybody to sign up with an account on Board Game Geek. If you are becoming a serious gamer, it really is the biggest, and most helpful tool you can use in the board game community today.

So before you put your index finger on your mouse and click the “Buy Now” button on Amazon, take a few seconds to check it’s Board Game Geek score. You’ll be happy you did! If you vet your games beforehand you’ll be much more likely to play them down the line rather than just having them sit on your shelf as wall decor.

So play safe everybody and we’ll see you next week for another article. Please comment below on the article. Maybe talk about a game you regret buying. Visit Board Game Geek here.

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Istanbul: by Rudiger Dorn

Hello, it’s your playDNA host, Sarah. I’ll be upfront and honest, I’ve never actually been to Istanbul. I’ve always wanted to go, truly, but the real fact of the matter is that you don’t actually have to travel to Istanbul to love the game, Istanbul. I’m not the only one who loves this worker placement game for 2-5 players. Until recently, it had been in Board Game Geek’s (BGG) top 100 since it was published back in 2014.

You guessed it, today’s blog post will center around one of my all-time favorite games, Istanbul. It’s one of only four games I’ve rated on Board Game Geek a 10/10 stars. You can check out my BGG profile with my handle scordo13. I’ll explain why I think it deserves this rating later, but for now let’s get into a little bit of the history behind Istanbul.

A Little History

In 2014 when this game was first published through Pegasus Spiele games, it won the Kennerspiel des Jahres or “Expert Game of the Year.” This award is one of the most prestigious in the board game community and implies that the game is for an “experienced” audience. I’ll be honest, there is not a bundle of information on Rudiger Dorn, the game designer. Although people love his designs, and he’s been nominated for Spiel des Jahres several times, there is not a ton of information on how he designed Istanbul. One thing’s for sure, though, I’m glad he did, as it has become one the most played games in my collection.

Why This Worker Placement Game Is Different

For those of you saying in your head, “Another worker placement game . . . ” I totally get it. I’m not the biggest fan of worker placement games myself, but the mechanic for worker placement in Istanbul is quite a bit different, here’s how . . . Instead of placing one worker, assistants are placed under your player piece in a stack of discs. After each action you take you leave an assistant behind. This makes for relatively fast and fun gameplay. Most people can play this game in an hour or less which is quite a bit different than other worker placement games (which is a huge reason I like the game). With only being able to play one action per turn, which also means that you can plan ahead easily and not slow down the game.

Why I Like Istanbul So Much

Istanbul meets all my requirements for a superb board game. Let me just say that it was hard for me to pick the specifics of why I like this game. I like different games for different reasons, but these are the reasons I love Istanbul so much:

It takes less than an hour to play (really only 90 minutes if somebody is learning it for the first time). So, it gives you all the fun in half the time of other Eurogames.

There’s lots of player interaction in Istanbul. Based on what other people do, they can drastically affect your next move.

It has high replay-ability because you can mix up the board each time you play.

It’s got hints of chance throughout the game with the Black Market and Tea House.

The worker placement is unique in that when you drop off workers, you can pick them up again later.

There are gems in the game, more specifically, rubies. You have to get rubies to win the game. As a girl, even fake gems are appealing to me.

The game’s unique design and the way you get the Rubies is well-balanced with multiple strategies to win the game (this makes for unique gameplay each time).

The artwork in the game is colorful and beautiful. It creates a pleasant mood.

The icons in Istanbul are clear and logical.

It brings me back to those feelings of being a kid again.

Each time I play Istanbul I have fun and want to play it again. This means I got my money’s worth out of the game. It’s for all of these reasons that I gave it a 10/10 on BGG.

Final Thoughts

Have you played Istanbul? If not, I would highly recommend this versatile worker placement game. Check out this game because it’s different than any other worker placement game on the market. Please comment below if you’ve played the game and what you liked or disliked about Istanbul. As always, I thank you for reading today’s article and hope to have you as a reader next time. Please email us with any suggestions you’d like to see discussed in this blog or on the podcast.

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A Couple Who Plays Together Stays Together

I often say that before a couple gets married, or heck, before a couple even starts living together they should extensively play board games to ensure that their relationship is solid enough to “progress” to that next level. That’s because playing an in-depth board game with your person is kind of like couples’ boot camp. I mentioned it in the last blog post, but board games really bring out the worst in people.

We all have our little habits drive our partner insane. It could be the way they sound when they chew their food, or it could be them leaving their dish in the sink when the dishwasher is clearly empty, or it could be the way they rub their victory in your face when they win Qwirkle (I’m not speaking of personal experience here at all . . .) But through all that board games show you the sides of your partner that you wouldn’t normally get to see until later. Yes, as I mentioned in the last blog post, with board games you really get to know your partner intimately and quickly.

Competitiveness in Games

Are you and your partner competitive? If so, you’ll get to know each other fairly quickly while playing a board game. Why is this? Because as much as we hate to admit it humans love getting instant gratification, and I believe that instant gratification becomes intensified when we win against somebody who we are familiar with. Regardless how high any of us think our ideals are, we live in a society where getting ahead monetarily is rewarded. We do this with our partner regardless if the only award is “bragging rights.’ This doesn’t always mean that success has to come in a 100 percent clean and honest fashion. I’ve seen dozens of people cheat at board games. We don’t do it as a couple, but it still happens that we accuse each other of it regardless. What this boils down too, is that human nature is hard to avoid.

Games Let You Work on Your Emotional Problems

Before I got married to my now husband, Beau, we played board games all the time. What I realized through this process is that he was more focused on his friends and family than my questions during group gameplay. He would often interrupt me, and in turn, this would trigger me. I often felt as a child that nobody would pay attention to me, and when my boyfriend was doing the exact same thing it really would bring out the, “I’m leaving the table and not playing anymore” attitude. This is a very childish attitude I know, but when I get triggered sometimes I can’t help it.

After experiencing these interactions time and time again I have been forced to accept the fact that in big group settings nobody seems to get heard as everyone is shouting over each other. I had to do some internal reflecting to learn to move past my anger when these types of situations arose (to this day I’m still working on changing my mentality, it doesn’t happen overnight). There are still times when I want to leave the table because I feel nobody is listening to me. I’m sure there are experiences at the gaming table that trigger certain emotions in you too. I implore everyone to look back at their past games and think of what that one interaction was and how you’ve grown from it. If you haven’t grown from it, look back and learn from it now. What can it hurt, right?

Communication

Games help you work on communication skills. If you teach a game to your partner you know how best they learn and vice versa. If you have questions about a game you learn how to ask in a more informed way. That generates better communication across all boards not just the boards in our games. I know board games have taught our little family how to communicate better.

Lightheartedness

Finally, there is a lightheartedness to games too. They bring out the silliness and laughter in a family. I am a firm believer that a couples who laugh together have healther relationships than those who take it too seriously (again, this is just an opinion).

I can’t think back on a time playing board games with my husband–whether it being me walking away from the table enraged or not–that I didn’t enjoy the board game itself. Because for us gamers, it truly is all about the game and the feelings that come with it. Remember that games bring people together and can teach you about the person you’re dating. So stay competitive, keep the lines of communication open, and learn to work on your past emotional history with Board Games. Your relationships will thank you.

Please comment below with your own stories of how board games brought you and your partner together. I appreciate you all reading today’s post.

Board Games

The Nostalgic Feeling Of Board Games

My wonderful co-hosts Cassandra and Damon agreed to let me take over the blog post for a while. In this first inaugural post I wanted to keep it personal and reflect on my history with board games. It wasn’t until recently when I profoundly looked back on my life, that I understood the magnitude with which games had shaped me as an individual. Not only this, but how much I have loved board games my entire life, as a child and as an adult. Board games have been my true life-long love affair.

As I look back to college I would play Fluxx during long breaks between classes with my bestie, Emil. I realized while looking back playing wasn’t just something to “pass the time” but rather to fill up my metaphorical “empty cup.” It was a way to rejuvenate and refresh my soul to be able to focus during classes. It brought me back to my childhood when I would just have fun without thinking about it. This is a true gift that board games have given me that never ceases to amaze me. I think we’re all looking for this sort of thing in our lives–fleeting moments of happiness among a world of dreary, and this is the first reason I love them. 

A Chess Set Very Similar To The One I Had In Childhood

Earlier, in high school, I remember my friend Nicole and I would sit for hours and play Risk, Othello, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and a card game called B.S. I enjoyed every second of these games. Even earlier still, in elementary school, I remember my most prized possession being the Backgammon/Chess/Checkers set my parents got me for Christmas one year. It’s amazing how a smell can drag you back to an old wood chess board and the face of your father positioned across from you while you plan your next move. These memories attract me to board games to this day because they bring back that nostalgic feeling of the past.

I often talk about a concept with my family and friends in which you are only given a set amount of people in your life with you whom can truly be yourself. What i’m referring to, is the people who see every side of you, the good, the bad, and the ugly and they still accept you for who you are. Only once somebody has seen all this (and you’ve seen all of them) can you truly accept each other and act the most “naturally” while interacting.  When I play games I get to know people on the inside much faster than in normal interactions.

This is probably because games stir up strong emotions and bring out the best and worst in people–but especially the bad traits. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve “flown off the handle” at thinking I didn’t get the right amount of change given to me. There have been several times I thought I was “cheated” because I didn’t understand the rules in full. The great thing about board games is, they bring out the forgiving and compassionate side of people too. They have to forgive you for your crappy behavior and vice versa. Anyone reading this who says they haven’t been a “poor sport,” about a game before is just lying to themselves — everyone has been a poor sport at least once in their life. In a way, you can say board games make us more tolerant people. In truth, I think they provide children with excellent coping skills for this reason (okay, everybody).

I think it’s true after so much social distancing due to the Coronavirus, it’s clear that board games (even online board games) are a creative way for people to interact and maintain a strong connection with friends. Board Games bring people together, give them a sense of community, open the lines of communication, give people a nostalgic feeling from childhood, and diminish stress. Games give us an escape from the problems we are having in the moment, and help us to focus on something that makes us truly happy. So I will keep playing games for the rest of my life. I suggest you join me. Take up some games and create community in your own home today.