Games for people who don't like games
Photo: whatculture.com
As much as I love games, I recognize that not everyone does. My fiancé is one of those people. She will play games with me on occasion, but they're just not her favorite. Lately, I've been trying to find some options that are more friendly to people who aren't as into games as I am. There are some good options for people, like my fiancé, who don't find the experience as appealing.
So far, I've found some pretty good options that provide a balance between simplicity and depth. For people who aren't huge into gaming, you don't really want a game with a rulebook 40 pages long and a million pieces on the board. However, I still like to have some depth to my games, so that I can spend time thinking about strategies and combos. Of course, for our purposes, that kind of contemplation isn't necessary to actually play the game.
Now for the candidates, our first is "Heroscape." I absolutely love this game. I first discovered it all the way back in the dark reaches of middle school. Sadly, it's out of print now, but you can still find it for pretty ludicrous prices on e-bay. That said, the game is perfect in its balance of depth and simplicity. The game is made to be playable by kids as young as 6-years-old, and it is. That said, even as a college student, I still manage to find challenge in the experience. The game has a simple basic system with complexity coming in the form of the special abilities that each unit in the game possesses. To play, you construct a battlefield out of hexagonal pieces of plastic representing different kinds of terrain. You then draft an army made up of heroes and squad units that all have unique powers. The game is a piece of cake to learn, but the interactions between the various units and their special abilities adds a wonderful layer of complexity.
Fiancé rating: 7/10
"Sentinels of the Multiverse" is another great choice. You play as a group of superheroes all working together to defeat a villain. The heroes and villains all have decks of cards, that allow them to use various powers, to attack enemies or help allies. Again, the actual rules to the game are pretty simple, but the abilities on the different cards add depth to the game. The theme of the game opens it up to a lot of people (who doesn't like superheroes?), and the game is easy to get into. As an added bonus, it's cooperative against the game itself, which also helps to open it up to people who don't love games.
Fiancé rating: 8/10
If you aren't into gaming, give "Heroscape" and "Sentinels of the Multiverse" a try. They're easy to learn, but still good for your friends who want some extra complexity. "Heroscape" is out of print, as I mentioned, but "Sentinels of the Multiverse" is freely available. If you're willing to look a bit, there are even more games out there that are easy for any non-gaming friend.
