More nostalgia...

I posted recently about my growing RPG collection, recapturing my sad youth.

After I posted it I realised that I've also been doing exactly the same thing with boardgames!

I was never a massive boardgame fan... back in the 80s [which was my RPG-ing heyday] a lot of 'serious' boardgames seemed huge... hundreds of counters, a map the size of a double duvet and a game designed to run for longer than whatever war it was recreating.  At the Uni club we'd occasionally play a boardgame instead but we tended to steer clear of the heavyweight games, opting for the light relief of games like Dune, Kings and Things, Cosmic Encounter and of Illuminati.

In the same way I've gradually acquired role-playing games that I played in the past, I've done the same with boardgames.  Here are the best additions....

Kingmaker

A classic game which absorbed many. many hours at uni [I really should have gone to some of the lectures!].  My son is a bit of a wiz at this and game easily wipe the floor with me.  My wife [who professes not to know how to play games] will also innocently shuffle some nobles around and then announce..." so, if I move this stack of nobles here and capture the king... is that a good thing??"  I think I'm being conned.

War of the Ring

Not a game I played in the past, but one I always wanted.  I always loved the idea of a grand tactical view of the Lord of the Rings with Orc armies sweeping over the West and crushing the Shire [Bwah, hah, hah!!!] .  I saw a copy a few years ago in a charity shop and had no cash on me... came back the next day and it had gone... gutted!  Luckily Ebay is now an easy source of games.

Gunslinger

This is a great Wild West game from Avalon Hill which would be easily adaptable to a tabletop game.  I had a copy which I got on a family holiday to the US which I've since lost so, again, Mr Ebay was my friend.

Firepower

Another Avalon Hill game which covers the cold war and most modern [up to the 80s is still modern
to me!] wars.

Star Fleet Battles

Another game that absorbed a lot of time at Uni... mainly Saturday afternoons and evenings at my friend Martins, aided by fish suppers and beer.  At the time the idea of juggling power allocation and complex ship diagrams was fascinating and absorbing.  I bought a copy a year or so ago and it was so complex and heavy going that I haven't been able to pick it up since!  Destined for Ebay I think!

I have heard [via Mike at Black Hat Miniatures] good things however about Federation Commander which is apparently a much more playable SFB style game.