2011.12.10
What Boardgaming is Really All About
Last night, Thebes hit the table for the first time in about a year. It’s a very unique game, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should.
What was interesting about last night was watching Rafael, who had never played before, play the game. He got into it in a way that made me think, “yes, this is IT!”
He took crazy risks (let’s dig for 4 weeks, drawing 3 discs) and they paid off. He drew the discs out of the bag and slapped them down on the table, counting them as he went. He watched with interest as Jason draw from the bag and found nothing but rubble. He managed to get second place in his very first game.
For me, it was a lesson in why we play board games in the first place. Everyone had a good time, and I got to witness a first-time player totally get into the game and play it the way it’s meant to be played – on the edge of a razor, tensely drawing discs from a dig site in hopes of striking it rich. Although I wouldn’t classify Thebes as a push your luck game in terms of the core mechanic, when you go on a dig and you have to decide how long to spend a the site, there is a definite push your luck element to it, and it never fails to draw people into the game completely.
Although I eventually won the game, watching Rafael play was my reward. This is what board games are all about.
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