Dave Seiler, Author at Meeple Mountain

To Expand or Not to Expand?

Dave Seiler — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 17:55:13 +0000

When I was first bitten by the hobby gaming bug, I purchased new games at every opportunity. I avoided expansions altogether because I thought buying a new game would always get me more for my money than expanding one I already had. I was wrong.

Despite my incorrect assessment, I have repeatedly observed new gamers expressing similar sentiments. In what follows, we will lay out guidelines for answering a question as old as gaming: should I purchase a new game or buy an expansion?

Like board games themselves, we get the most out of expansions when we play them. Because of this, the first thing to take into account when making a purchasing decision regarding an expansion is how much table time you expect the expansion to receive. Of course, it is impossible to determine precisely, but we can make an educated guess based off of the following three indicators:

1. How you utilize the base game in your current gaming sessions
2. Your current opinions about the base game
3. The size of your collection.

The crowded shelf of a seasoned gamer. He only has room for so many games!

An Expansion Fit for the Game Group

By definition, expansions alter base gameplay. Some strictly introduce new components, while others modify the base mechanics as well.…

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Tips for Introducing New Players to Board Games

Dave Seiler — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 17:54:05 +0000

Games bring us the most joy when we play them. Unfortunately, some of us do not get to game as often as we would like because we cannot reliably find people to play with. Scheduling conflicts with our fellow local gaming enthusiasts may be difficult to overcome, but converting our reluctant friends and family into willing participants at our next game night is often more achievable than we realize.

[caption id="attachment_4346" align="alignnone" width="700"] Reluctant friend with a "timing conflict"[/caption]

Fundamentally, people like games, even people outside the hobby gaming community. Sporting events (games with heavy physical components) attract billions of viewers worldwide every year. In fact, 19 of the 20 most-watched events in US history are Super Bowls [1] [2] [3]. It doesn't end there, though. In the last 50 years, the video game industry has grown to over $100 billion in annual revenues and even modern political campaigns seem to play out like games in their own right.

[caption id="attachment_4344" align="alignnone" width="700"] I LOVE GAMES![/caption]

It is clear that games are deeply embedded in the culture of our world. With this in mind, let's explore techniques for converting our friends and family into gamers by…

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