That’s my problem with Cthulhu themes. The setting seems way more suited to an RPG style game, but then you move into not being able to avoid the racism part of Lovecraft’s idealology. But then that’s going off course from this discussion.
Don’t I had it and played it. The winner of each game played the same way, regardless of player
(re Downforce)
The reason I’ve been havering is that when I’ve played it face to face with friends I’ve had a great time, but when I’ve played it on BGA it’s felt very dull, as though the pre-race betting is the real game and the card play almost incidental.
Clearly I need to find friends who are more enthusiastic about the Rallyman games. 
That is also a whole separate topic, though I think it comes down to “everyone has to make their own decision about what they;'re comfortable with, and respect everyone else’s”.
Totally. And I also fully understand the people who have that reaction to games like eg: John Company 2nd, which I think I could play with no problems because the costumes and art etc remind me “I am roleplaying as a baddie in a game”. (For some reason that doesn’t work for my brain in wargames).
Farming, Ancient Rome, exploration in some form (especially if there are islands), and ‘nature’ generally - I’m probably interested.
If there’s any mention of Cthulhu, Lovecraft, Horror, Arkham or dungeons, I’m most definitely not interested at all.
Over-represented: fantasy. I think most of the games I have that qualify as fantasy games have done something to make their version of fantasy a bit more engaging than the standard boilerplate stuff, but not necessarily that much. It’s an unfortunate fact of the genres I most enjoy.
Compelled to buy: eh. Not that much, really. I have a lot of Lovecraft games and Warhammer/40K get my attention, but there’s plenty of games with both themes I find distinctly unexciting (I’m probably never going to buy a Games Workshop developed game, for example). In theory “weird west” would be a huge draw but the only game with that theme I’ve found that I actually like is Doomtown.
I usually avoid real-life war themed games but that’s more about not being a fan of traditional wargames. I do have V-Sabotage, Black Orchestra, and will be receiving Purple Haze. I really resent bog-standard generic fantasy theming and while I can’t say I completely avoid it, it’s enough of a drag on a game that I won’t buy it if it’s not offering something else really compelling - like Battle for Greyport’s unique approach to deckbuilding, or the cool riffs on dungeon crawling design I see in Sword & Sorcery or Chronicles of Drunagor. It’s not really a common issue but I find explicitly religious theming a pretty big turnoff - I couldn’t get past it for Deliverance, for example. I am really freaking bored of zombies and so, so many zombie games are terrible that I automatically regard zombie games with about 6 gallons of skepticism. (I have Dawn of the Zeds and Carnival Zombie though, and I might consider Dying Light the Boardgame).
Themes I want to see more of: weird west, as mentioned above. Horror/surreal tinged dreamscapes (Etherfields is terrific on that front and DreamEscape looks promising but I’d do more.) Unusual genre mashups taken seriously - like the ancient Greek sci-fi-mythology of Aeon Trespass. Fallout/Waste Knights style mutants-and-lasers post-apocalypses. Indiana Jones/Uncharted style adventurous archaeology if you could somehow defuse the colonialist undertones of the genre (I know there’s a couple games that just don’t really try that last bit, but 7th Continent is as close as I’ve actually enjoyed).
Designers I can’t really speak to, although I think Vital Lacerda does great for the euro space he works in and R. Eric Reuss has done great things with Spirit Island. But Awaken Realms is my absolute tip-top go-to company for thematic games, followed by Level 99 and Chip Theory. Honorable mentions to Glass Cannon Unplugged (heavy cross-pollination with AR but only a couple games released so far), Mindclash (euro as hell but the themes are cool and connect with the gameplay more than most euros), Petersen Games (not my sweet spot but Gods’ War and Planet Apocalypse are real neat) and Into the Unknown (strong contenders but one game so far). And that’s my favorite space sooo, I love all of the above. (Petersen less so since, y’know, the difficulties and Sandy deciding to opine on political matters).
Well, having a look at my bgg list I have…
Epic Fantasy: 8 games
Fantasy (other): 11 games (a la Flamecraft or Iwari, or even Cryptid)
Sci-Fi - Space: 8
Sci-Fi (other): 2 (namely Android and Tiny Epic Dinousaurs)
Nature: 6 games
History: Stone Age: 1
History: Middle Age: 4
History: Rennaissance-1700s: 3 (I have included Love Letter and Splendor here, not that the theme matters much, mind you)
History: Industrial era-early XX century: 7 games (I included Sleeping Gods here, but it could have been Fantasy/Other): of which train games are two: TtR: Europe and Brass Lancashire
Pirate games: 2
Contemporary times: 6 (games like Fort, Welcome To or Pandemic ended here)
Party Games with no theme: 6
Lovecraft: 1 (refused to let it get lost in Fantasy Other or Early XX century) Cthulhu: Death May Die
Spirit Island: Coop with Fantasy and Colonialism theme. I didn’t include it in any of those two areas.
Looking at these, I think I have a decent spread.
If anything, I need more classical era games, specially considering how much I love the Greek/Roman/Egyptian theme. So there is that theme I have underrepresented: (Hello, Concordia/Cyclades…). I also think I could do with some farming/trading games (Fleet the Dice Game could scratch that itch??).
As a theme that I want to see published more, I think there is room for more Suffragettes board games, there could be a good game that covered that part of history with a theme that anybody can get behind of; and more games about children’s play would be fun.
I think trading/farming games have been very well designed around a theme for a long time, same as train games/industrialisation era games. To the point that I don’t know if we need any more of that?
I can see the issue, I remember discussing it here. On the other hand, even though Spain was not involved in WWII, I would love a good game about the Spanish Civil War. And I would hate playing with Franco side (all my family was on the losing Republican side). Or losing with the Republican side… But I would definitely like having a game like that available.
The wargame Chain of Command, mostly WWII, has a Spanish Civil War module available…
Under Profile, Stats, BGG shows a “games owned by designer” page - unfortunately for my purposes it includes expansions, and e.g. the multiple standalone boxes of Railroad Ink and Aeon’s End. But if I mentally allow for that kind of situation I don’t there’s any particular designer I especially favour. (“I curate my collection to include the best of each designer’s work”, clearly.)
I love Cthulhu theme. I understand that it’s “shoot Cthulhu in the face” but Im cool with that still
I also look for Philippine theme games that arent about WW2 and the American-Philippine War**
I have these:
Manila - gambling game on which boat will reach the port. The best part is that the meeples have accurate Filipino hats
Luzon Rails - Cube Rails set in the largest island of thr country
People Power - this one is different where it is about political conflict but so different to what you see around
Filipino Fruit Market / Tindahan - trick taking with area control
Would be keen to see more of these
**there’s a quote that Americans will only know that a country exist when they go to war on them
…
Yeah, that checks out.
A lot of Brits though the Falkland Isles were off the coast of Scotland. Hell of a way for the Argentinians to have a claim and invade
It’s grossly unfair.
We also know anywhere that James Bond is sent on assignment and countries with delicious food.
On reflection, I like the idea of games set on real world events far more than actually playing them.
I think it’s the idea of being able to play somehing that actually happened to learn more about it through the medium of games. However there needs to be liberties taken in order to affect the end, so you can end up with an alt-history in your game. The disonnect spoils it for me.
That was indeed unfair. The jab was done because most of the games are really set in either of those settings!
Truthfully, it probably only extends to Daniel Craig these days. Pierce Brosnan is already ancient memory, let alone Roger Moore.
Timothy Dalton gets a pass as he went to Afghanistan, and then WE went to Afghanistan.
I wonder if Carmen Sandiego is still playable on any platform?
In general I’m drawn to dark themes and sci fi, so if it can be dark sci fi then that’ll do me. Scary apocalypse stuff, horror, occult and the super natural I’m all on it for arts. That being said I’m particular on it. If it goes in to what goths like I’m probably not up for it. Never was a fan of Buffy for example. I also love political allegory. That too can mix with the others.
When it comes to games though, I’m a sucker for sci fi. That’ll get me clicking most often and doing an impulse buy. That’s the main crossover as all the games I’ve tried of my main themes are poop.
I don’t like the writing of Lovecraft, I find it boring, but I like the cosmic horror idea and a friend who’s mad in to it has bought so many games in that theme world that do my head in as boring. So Cthulhu Wars is an exception. I also think it side steps the issues with the ‘of it’s time’ problems with race in his writing as well as being sensible enough with how it fits the mythos. The apocalypse has happened and the old ones are fighting over the spoils. Less shoot at Cthulhu and more save yourself by worshipping Shub Niggorath in the hope of more favourable terms.
For me with board games I find even the most thematic games to be not so thematic. However I do like a theme to be applicable enough to help in learning the game. I also like it to be a vehicle for nice art/presentation. Helionox would be a prime example for me in this regard.
This brings me to the biggest theme set in my collection ‘trains’. I’m not fussed on them. I’m pro mass transit for ecological reasons but beyond that it’s not an interest. However as I said before in topic of the week trains I think trains, and the running of them work well in abstraction for games. Cars can go more places, tracks explain the restrictions necessary for a game well. Then you can layer on whatever you want from the business of trains. Moving passengers or freight. Businessing the running of a firm. Bidding for freight contracts. Developing routes. It’s good clean board game abstraction. I think something similar works for racing games as mentioned by @RogerBW. A track being fixed gives restrictions, choose what about racing you want to focus on after that. Even abstract the track but it works. Sadly so does colonising stuff but that seems to be getting less popular thankfully, even if it’s only slow.
I’m down with fantasy as a theme for board games, often it’s generic but I’m also down with that if it’s not too far in to the tropes are externalised racism. Generic barbarian, wizard, dwarf and elf go and generically clear out a dungeon of undead and giant spiders? Yeah, just don’t be sexist or racist with your art and story.
I suppose part of it all is l, for me, theme is often window dressing to a game rather than a core ingredient. I love Indonesia, the art is gorgeous the theme makes enough sense to hang the learning of the game on and drives the action but I still think of it as an auction game. Too Many Bones, great fun and the story is well driven. However I sold it when I got tired of the mechanisms and lost the joy and exploration there.
My mum went to school with Timothy Dalton. Apparently, he was a bit of a prick.
I didn’t cover Lord of the Rings. Here is my damage:
Anything Lord of the Rings I have to look into. Fortunately, they are often enough duplicative or bad that I can get by without more.
LCG has been researched many times, but just not right for current phase of life. Journeys in Middle Earth and it’s progenitor, Middle Earth Quest, always sounds enticing, and I’m sure Journeys will be picked up if I ever think it would actually get played.
This could take a while…
City building: 10
Maritime: 9
Supernatural: 8
Aliens/space: 17
Trains: 11
Animals/nature: 21
Japan: 15
History (ancient): 12
Fantasy: 12
History (early modern): 13
Architecture: 6
Food: 5
History (modern): 2
Games/sports: 1
Time travel: 2
History (British Empire): 3
Exploration: 2
Crime: 6
Gardening: 6
History (medieval): 13
Manufacturing: 1
Childhood: 1
Old West: 6
Racing: 2
Tropical: 1
Central/south America: 4
Vikings: 1
History (industrial revolution): 4
Science: 1
Prehistory: 1
Farming: 3
Steampunk: 3
Disasters: 4
Celebrations/festivals: 2
Trading: 1
Politics: 1
Art: 2
Clearly I’m a sucker for both animal/nature themes and history in general.
I’m also not fond of Lovecraftian themes, generic fantasy, or zombies. I do like an unusual or off the wall theme as well, but that has lead to a few cool-looking but ultimately bad purchases.
I’m not opposed to games with “challenging” themes (See: John Company, This War of Mine) but prefer them to have some sort of point/acknowledgement of the elephant, rather than just using it as window dressing (looking at you Puerto Rico). It’s interesting that WW2 seems to be off limits for a lot of people - would it be more palatable if it was further removed in time, do you think?
