I like a lot of games.
No, I love a lot of games.
Okay, I just LOVE GAMES!
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, confession time—my deep passion for boards, bits, plastic, dice, cards, and vp chits doesn’t mean I want to play every game I come across or even every game on my husband’s and my shelves. The games I want to hit the table usually share the Three F’s. (I’ll get there.)
My husband (Jay) is far more flexible about what we play, so he usually asks me what I am in the mood for. My eyes scan the menagerie of tetrised boxes, and I toss out a handful of names. The ones I suggest are usually based on 1. How much time we have, 2. How much mental energy I have, 3. How much space I am willing to clear off the dining room table for gameplay. (Don’t judge. I work from home.)
Those three factors are merely logistical considerations though. Why is it I have my favorites that Jay can predict that I will suggest again and again? It’s the Three F’s!
Festive. Fantasy. Fluffy.
(And so what if I spent time and a substantial bit of cerebral toil to think of three words that describe my criteria all starting with the same letter?)
Let’s talk about my F words. Stop it. They all are rated F for “Family.”
Festive! I love games that pop on the table. I delight in beautiful or well-executed designs and illustrations. The game art that immediately comes to mind as Festive is the lush, art nouveau style illustrations of Animal Kingdoms. I think will just direct your attention to the photo rather than wax poetic here. To be clear, the art doesn’t have to be super-detailed or fancy to be Festive; for example, The Captain is Dead, with its vivid, sharply angular art is deceptively simple and one of most graphically pleasing games we play. I don’t need games to jump up off the table and strangle me in color to be Festive, either. Cottage Garden’s plant life blooms on the table, and that parasol and wheelbarrow…Festive!
Fantasy! If it has a castle somewhere in the art or is based in an epic fantastical realm, I’m most likely in. But, really, Fantasy, in this case, just means the game has an interesting story—usually involving magic or mystical forces. My favorite game is actually Arkham Horror LCG. It might not have elves, but it’s got elder gods, stars aligning (usually against us), and a richly immersive mythos. But I draw the line for horror there. Pure horror or grim dark are not my jam. This is much to Jay’s chagrin; he has been trying to lure me into playing a variety of Warhammer 40K games for several years.
Not pictured: Festive, Fluffy.
Fluffy! This is the easiest one to describe; I love whimsical themes and cute animals. (I hope no one starts down the “girly-gamer” stereotype rabbit hole. I don’t like cute because I am a woman. I am a woman. I like cute. Deal with it.) My prime example of a Fluffy game is Bunny Kingdom, which actually scratches the itch for all three of the F’s. It is also one of my favorite games. Let’s face it, does a game much more Festive, Fantasy, and Fluffy than a bunch of colorful bunnies sitting in plastic castles? I’ll just go ahead answer that right here with a resounding NO. And, since it’s multiplying bunnies, maybe it gets a bonus F. F for Family. Families of bunnies. What were you thinking? (No, Jay, Warhammer 40K Space Wolves don’t count as Fluffy.)
(NOTE: I will write more about my love of Bunny Kingdom and why I think it is best played as a two-player sometime in the future.)
So there you have it: Em’s Three F’s for Fun!