After all this time there are a few things one would reasonably be expected to know. Chief among these is a basic knowledge of likes and dislikes. Now, I know I like shooters, strategy games, rpgs and puzzle games. That covers most of my pc and console experience, which when taken as a whole is not insignificant.
That list does not, however, cover most board and tabletop games. I've realized that this world is largely alien to me. I've played my fair share of board games, don't get me wrong, I've just never branched out from the standard trivia and Clue that much. With the console in the "shop" my eyes have been opened to a whole world of possibilities.
my most recent discovery was Arkham Horror, an HP Lovecraft themed board game. The player's goal is the stop the ancient one from unleashing its evil on the world. Sounds like it plays like most board games, until you find out it's cooperative. Each player selects an investigator to play as, each with their own abilites and stats.
Suddenly Arkham horror sounds less like a board game and more like a tabletop Rpg ala d&d. There are expansions as well that include new monsters, ancient ones, scenarios and investigators.
The website for the game says that the average game can last up to five hours, take that monopoly. A quick search on youtube turns up a wealth of videos of people playing together and having a blast.
I never knew games like this existed. Sure, I play d&d every other week but nevr have I seen those values and core functions put into a board game format. There are many many others out there and I plan on branching out to those soon. And to think. If the console hadn't broken down, I might never have found this game. Funny how things work out that way.
