I’m far from the most extroverted person in the world. I know that it’s kind of a weird thing for someone who loves board games as much as I do, but out of all the complaints I have about 2020, the isolation is the one that’s affected me the least. That isn’t to say that I don’t miss my friends, but I’m not a naturally social person. In fact, pre-pandemic, one of the good things about board games is that they forced me to come out of my shell and talk to people.
While Em and I play games almost every day, and I would hardly say that the pandemic has hindered my board gaming this year, there are certain games that either can’t be played as 2-player games or that create great social moments. These are the top 5 games that I can’t wait to play once we can climb from our pandemic bunkers and stand within six feet of each other again.
5) Blood Bowl
As you know from my review, I play the digital version of Blood Bowl, called Blood Bowl II. It is, to my knowledge, a fairly accurate port of the tabletop game. I can play it anytime I want, and I can even play it against an AI if I can’t find anyone to play against.
That said, one of my friends wants to start a tabletop Blood Bowl league when this pandemic is over, and I am HERE FOR IT. It’s funny because pre-pandemic, I didn’t even realize he played thegame…it wasn’t until we played a Zoom-driven D&D game that I discovered this about him, so I have COVID to thank for this opportunity. So…praise Nurgle?
I love Egyptian mythology. When I saw that Eric Lang was designing Ankh, the third game in his “dudes on a map” trilogy, I jumped on that Kickstarter. Apparently, my friends did to, so we all bought the metaphorical boat. However, that means that I know lots of people who are enthusiastic about this game, which means that, for once, I might be playing one of these big games when it’s actually popular, rather than two years later!
3) Rising Sun
Another Eric Lang game! I got a copy of Rising Sun near the beginning of the Pandemic, and I haven’t had a chance to play it because it’s a 3-5 player. I know that Ankh will be the big game post-pandemic, but I’m hoping I can convince someone to revisit this new classic with Em and me. As I haven’t actually played it, I don’t have much more to say except that it looks gorgeous, and if it even resembles the fun of Blood Rage, It’ll be worth the wait.
I’ve played a few RPGs over Zoom, and it’s fiiiiine, but…my bi-weekly D&D group was a much different beast. Post-Pandemic, we continued to play for a good while, socially distancing on our DM’s porch, but the cold weather and the heightened COVID warnings put our game on hold.
I’ve been friends with the members of that group for years, and I’ve made a new friend through this game, so I can’t wait to get back to solving every problem with an Eldritch Blast.
I know…Battlestar Galactica is an old game that most people have replaced with The Resistance or whatever they have replaced The Resistance with. But BSG was one of the games that I played when I got back into the hobby after a 10-year hiatus. Even as more streamlined, more modern games try to do what this game does, I’ll always go back to Galactica.
That is, if I can get people to play it. That’s another reason I’m itching to play it: pre-pandemic, it was nearly impossible to get enough people together for a game. When my D&D group gets back together, I might try to seduce them with board games like Catan or Lords of Waterdeep with the goal of leading them to BSG. It’s a long shot, but sometimes you have to roll the hard six, you know?
And that’s what I’m looking forward to when this is all over. What are you eager to play in meatspace with flesh-and-blood humans? Let us know in the comments (seriously, we want to know!) or find us all over the Internet!