Playing Favorites

First off hello and welcome to “Board Yet?”. I hope you find helpful and entertaining information here.

When I tell people that I play board games as a hobby the first question I get is “What is your favorite game?”, Well actually the first question is typically “Like Monopoly?” but then the conversation turns toward questions about my favorite games.The question is actually trickier than you would expect.

Of course I have a favorite game. That is without a doubt Merchant of Venus. This is a game where players are interstellar merchants who trade goods and transport passengers through a vast and dangerous galaxy. The game is a classic and definitely worth checking out with the upcoming reprint.

This is simple enough, right? Just say Merchant of Venus, smile smugly that I have a copy of a rare grail game, and watch the person who asked lose interest and walk away. That is definitely one way to work it. I would like to propose a different way to handle the situation.

First off it’s important to realize you have been given a great opportunity to introduce a new player to the world of designer board games. Everyone seems to have a fond memory of playing games with their parents on Saturday night or playing checkers with their grandpa. You can take this little spark and run with it by letting them know of a different game you really like that they may also share an interest in.

I’m not proposing you lie. If there is literally only one game you like then talk about it. I am just suggesting you making a mental list of games that are generally approachable to keep as your “favorites” list. As mentioned above I adore Merchant of Venus but when I was recently asked about my “favorite” game by a coworker I talked about Ticket to Ride. I knew she had a child that is into trains and the geography would appeal to her desire for something educational. It’s also not a fib since I do like the series quite a lot. I took the opportunity to receive a polite nod and instead had a 30 minute conversation that lead to a sale at my friendly local game store (FLGS).

If I’m given a choice I would play Merchant of Venus every weekend. That said if I can bring someone new into the hobby and get them excited about playing a game then I’ve got a Ticket to Ride.