Do Good Design

Luminaries board game

I need more board games. Less TV, more good old-fashioned family fun.

So today’s internet research mission has been five hours (and counting) of searching for a game which includes:

The best board game features

• beautiful, elegant design
• quality pieces — none of that plasticky crap stuff
• stimulating but not too hard (skip Risk/Chess/hugely strategic stuff)
• no lying, killing, or amassing great fortunes

What’s left? It’s all slaughter and political intrigue. Empire building and buying stuff. No thanks.

Board Game Geek

I came across Boardgamegeek.com early in my search, which must be the mecca of game enthusiasts everywhere. But like so many sites with vast amounts of information, it’s difficult to find what you’re looking for.

I tried the “advanced game search” option, dutifully entering criteria like NO war games, age 12+, 2 people games — and got over 1000 results. Too many to go through.

Then I found a forum on the site just for graphic designers featuring a thread called “Some of the Best Artwork I’ve Seen“, which gave me some ideas but is mostly either fantasy or war games.

I found one of the list which I plan to buy called Once Upon a Time.

The Once Upon a Time game

Once Upon a Time is a storytelling game.

From what I can tell, you have cards that you put together to tell a fairy tale. There are extra cards you can buy for darker endings.

Here’s the description from Board Game Geek:

“Once Upon A Time is a game in which the players create a story together, using cards that show typical elements from fairy tales. One player is the Storyteller, and creates a story using the ingredients on her cards. She tries to guide the plot towards her own ending. The other players try to use cards to interrupt her and become the new Storyteller. The winner is the first player to play out all her cards and end with her Happy Ever After card.”

It’s about £8 to buy from Board Game Club UK.

Salem Witch Trials: the card game

Anathema is another game with fantastic artwork.

It’s based on the card game Casino, which I vaguely remember, but I’m intrigued by the touches of verisimilitude from the quotes of actual witch trials.

According to the APE Games page on Anathema:

“In addition to great gameplay and stunning art, players will also get a glimpse into the true history of the Salem Witch Trials. Flavor text on cards is taken from the trial transcripts and other documents about the events surrounding one of the most bizarre events in our history.”

More sample illustrations from the cards:

Ooo, pretty. Anathema is only £4.90 at Boardgame Club UK.

Luminaries, a game in development

Sadly, my favourite choice for a board game hasn’t been created yet. At least, it’s not being produced for sale. Designer Gary Simpson is still working out the details, and presumably looking for a distributor.

“With your handbook in tow, you begin your career as a Luminary - a mapper of stars.”

As well as the design, what sold it for me was the offbeat humour and Age of Enlightenment feel.

As the designer explains on the Boardgamegeek Luminaries prototype thread:

To the common layman, Luminaries fly around in a multitude of zeppelins at night pointing at stars trying wholeheartedly to convince each other of their own brilliance whilst their Jr. Assistants scribble in their journals trying to make sense of it all. Not true, as Luminaries also occupy Observatories, Astrolaboratories, and the occasional holiday to the moon* to prevent space madness**.

* Factual Sidenote: There is air on the surface of the Moon which Luminaries enjoy as they oft picnic*** on the surface in order to get away from the hustle-bustle of their nightly encounters and courageous ventures. Moon-men attacks are thankfully few.

**Space madness is the leading cause of death among Luminaries, as well as the leading cause in the increase of new Jr. Assistants. Space madness is also referred to as “Lord Windsor of New Nottinghappenshire Disease”. However, due to its rather specifically-orginated nature, the non-general ficticious ailment is still suffers from the non-descript nomenclature.

***Sidenote to the Factual Sidenote: Jr. Assistants with culinary skills, specifically those of the finger sandwich & biscuit varieties, are highly prized as well any general knowledge of tea-making to be sure. We are civilised here after all.

I hope this one makes it. Also check out Walsingham, another Gary Simpson game in development which should be launching in a few months.

So I’ll be buying Anathema and Once Upon a Time, and waiting for Luminaries to launch.

I’ll also keep searching for that perfect board game.