Role Playing Games on Game Night

Let’s talk briefly about role playing games (or rpgs for short). Most parents have heard of the most famous of these, Dungeons and Dragons. Is there a reason to consider role playing games for your family?

My wife recently attended a lecture at a local school concerning children and stories. The lecturer felt that it was good for children to be exposed to stories, especially those having to do with nature and the natural world. The feeling was that stories about animals, trees and outdoor adventures may lead a child away from the television and out of the house. I find that to be an attractive argument. In addition I think stories can teach useful lessons, they’re fun, and they bring people together.

At it’s simplest an rpg is a way for a group of people to team up and tell a story. Instead of listening to one person tell the entire tale you have each player contributing something. How many times do we read a book or see a movie and say “oh, I’d love to be that character but I’d have done it differently?” An rpg gives you the chance to do just that.

This is of course in now way intended to criticize classic storytelling. In my opinion if we doubled the amount of reading aloud and storytelling in the world then we’d be a better place for it. But if you as the adult can say “I like to make up stories,” and your children can say “we like to play pretend,” then an rpg may be a good addition to your game night.

Role playing games have other uses as well. In one sense they can be viewed as escapist. Your child can play one to act out an adventure of grand and crazy proportions. In another sense they can act as a way to model and test ways of dealing with the world. If your child is playing a wizard with a sword then how many ways are there to rescue the kidnapped prince? Should you wade in swinging the sword? Can you negotiate with the pirates? If the entire episode was a big misunderstanding does that mean it’s better to ask questions first? I don’t think every moment of play must teach a lesson but we do know that stories can teach morals and you can use rpgs to demonstrate different moral values. Just off the cuff I can imagine a game demonstrating the value of planning ahead, working with a team, respecting your comrades, the list goes on.

I’ll be discussing some rpg options in future notes. I’ll try to list games that are accessible to complete beginners. Parents should be able to pick up these titles and understand the rules with no previous experience in role playing. The games should also have rules that even younger children can understand. Finally they should be playable with the option for little or no violence. Rpgs can involve violent themes such as fighting dragons but I’ll try and focus on games that give parents the opportunity to limit or remove entirely any swordplay.

The New Boardgame Basics

What is it that defines the new boardgames? Most of us are familiar with Clue, Monopoly, and the various other classic games. Let's talk about some of the qualities that the newer games bring to the picture.

I think the simplest thing that may strike a parent is that the games give you new things to do. Most of the classic games involve moving a playing piece around a rectangular board. Examples that come to mind include Payday, Life, even the Barbie Prom Queen game. The new games are different- you may lay down tiles to build a map. You may trade cards or build a city out of blocks. Players may be given a job or task. In Settlers of Catan you build a colony. When you play Pillars of the Earth you create a cathedral. And in Bang you play the role of a western sheriff. I think this variety can be pretty exciting and can allow you to find games that suit your family well.

Another element of the new games is that they're designed for an international market. For that reason there may be very little reading required to play. Games like Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit require the players to read cards and that may limit their appeal for younger family members. Parents may also find that the rules for the games may be shorter and that the playing pieces may have symbols on them to help players along.

Finally, the new games may have surprising strategic depth. These are games that you can get better at. Games that teens and adults may play seriously and try to win. This doesn't mean that the casual gamer won't enjoy Formula D for example. But repeated play will reveal all sorts of tricks and strategies that will keep the game fresh.

There are two potential drawbacks to the new games. The first is that they may be tricky to find. Hit and Run Games in Lexington has a good selection. Pandemonium Books in Central Square, Danger Planet in Waltham, and Hobby Bunker in Malden also carry a good supply. The other potential drawback is the expense. The components of these games are fabulous but that does come at a price. Many will cost between forty and sixty dollars. That is less than Gears of War 2 for the Xbox but nevertheless is not cheap. Ask for help at the store if you aren't sure what will suit your family best. Or look for tips on this blog!