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European History: The (semi?) Educational Game(s)
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Prompted by a friend looking for a game for her 15 yr old son, I posted this question in the forums: Quote: Can anyone think of a good game that might be helpful in learning about European History?
A friend just asked me this question:
"Can you suggest a game that we can use to help Max remember European History details?"
I asked if they were hoping for an overtly "educational" game or one where some knowledge might rub off more indirectly, and they would be happy to find either. They're not limited to any particular era, although he's currently studying the Renaissance and Martin Luther. There were enough responses so far, that I thought it'd be good to convert the question to a GeekList. If you have any good suggestions, please add or comment on availability and complexity issues as well as content. Thanks! Edit: the teenager is 15, not 13 - oops!
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Posted Thu Oct 5, 2006 2:48 am
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Ted Torgerson wrote: Quote: He would learn more about Martin Luther playing Here I Stand than from reading his textbook.
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ColtsFan76 wrote: Quote: Britannia covers Britain from the Roman occupation until the Norman Invasion. Of my limited experieince/knowledge, one of the best games trying to stay as true to historical events as possible.
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It's pretty specific, but in the rulebook are thumbnail sketches of all of the people depicted in the game.
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I think this game sort of effortlessly gives a sense of the ebb and flow of Dutch history. From imperialist power, back to little Holland again.
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Speaking of the ebb and flow of Dutch history, here's one of the seminal events of Dutch and Spanish history. It is also one of the vital conflicts that established protestantism as a permanent reality in Northern Europe.
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Swedish history is basically a void to most Americans. You'll never learn more about it through a board game that with this little gem. You actually get the broad sweep of Scandanavian history through this game, and lots of little detail about Sweden in particular.
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This SPI classic has recently returned to print thanks to Decision Games. It has an amazing amount of historical detail without being too bogged down. Ethnicity, religion, language are all incoporated into the game. The design shows its age -- lots of luck involved, but that said, it is not too complex. I think a 15 year old could handle it.
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This one is still easy to acquire. It teaches something about the structure of the Holy Roman Empire (yes, yes, neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire). Its on the heavy side of Euro complexity, but its also a little richer than you average euro on theme.
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If you are studying the Renaissance, you could do worse than this game on the waring Italian city states. Out of print, but not hard to find on ebay or elsewhere for a reasonable price. Complexity is low, but play time is a bit much by contemporary standards.
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In this game you have to put events from world history in order. Some of them are famous events like wars, others are cultural like when an artist painted a picture. Its a lot of fun and you have to have an idea of how things fit together in history to do well in the game. Also everyone can play at a faily equal footing (so good for adults too) because some of the events are a bit off the wall. (Invention of the paperclip anyone?)
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A short diplomacy game about prewar years. 1 page rules. Be sure to buy a complete copy with the booklet.
One of the best Dip games. Cheap at ebay.
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I would put this in the semi-educational set for 4 reasons (in decreasing importance IMHO):
1 - it has a short (and interesting) read on the overall 100 years conflict with some references to how it influenced the game's design
2 - it has all the right "powers" and the object of the game is inline with the reality; becoming the king of France
3 - it has many of the key figures for each power outlined in the game - provides a cool - gee I want to know more about... factor
4 - the game play emphasizes the seige warfare and critical factors such as plagues and stuff that could influenced the historical conflict
Excellent game and plays in around 3-4 hours max, sometimes closer to 2 hours.
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Here's a free print and play game by Garry's Games (he also has a few others) that really cover the major figures in English history around the appropriate time periods.
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Here's my final suggestion (at least for now); Hammer of the Scots has I think truly captured the realistic scenario of the historic English war against the Scots that brought them into the UK.
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13th century Europe - a good feel for which nations are which religion (noted on the cards), importance of the papacy & crusades, etc. And then the Mongols start to eat the board...
It's gotten mixed reviews on here; I like the game, but it took most of one play through to get the hang of it.
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If he's at the moment especially into Renaissance Europe, this seems to call for him. The game is not the lightes weight, the topic is mostly economic expansion, i.e. securing areas of influence. Historic flair enters especially through the card play. I am not so sure about the availability, especially in the US. Bought my (German) version back in 1999 at the Essen fair.
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This is my suggestion if you want to dive into Ancient History of Europe. Rare, but excellent !
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The back and forth shifting alliances of pre WWI Europe are captured well in this classic. If this education is taking place in a classroom environment, this could be played over a period of one move per day, like PBEM Diplomacy. Make sure the players are mature and thick-skinned, though, or else you'll end up with a lot of unhappy 15 year-olds.
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Wallenstein is about the 30 Years' War. Included is a booklet with information about the main protagonists.
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This game is lots of fun and gives a pretty good history lesson on the Viking expansion through trade, raiding, and conquest/settling throughout Europe.
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Posted Thu Oct 5, 2006 1:02 am
Since not many people are contributing yet... (until the Europeans gamers come online in a few hours :-)
There are tons of euro games with Renaissance, etc. themes, but they are thin themes pasted onto mechanics. It's harder to find ones that are truly historical, especially over a range of time.
Here are some that might help him relate to history, even though they're not all "history lessons in game form." Disclaimer: A lot of these are from the "most played" statistics - I haven't played many of them myself. Also some of these are pretty heavy - will he find people to play them with?
Wallenstein
Princes of the Renaissance
civ games (loosely historical) Antike, Vinci, Mare Nostrum, etc
Strugge of Empires
wargames - Napoleon, Bonaparte at Marengo, WWII wargames, etc etc
Roma
Havoc: the Hundred Years War
Conquest of the Empire
Byzantium
Friedrich
Axis and Allies, Memoir '44, tons of other WWII games
Wings of War series
History of the World
Caesar and Cleopatra
Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper
Ostia
learn geography, at least - Ticket to Ride: Europe, 10 Days in Europe
In summary, to really learn some history, you may want to tend towards the American games, as the theme usually is vital to the game, and really involves actual personae and events in the game. Avalon Hill (old), SPI, Sierra Madre, and GMT are a few companies that come to mind that provide(d) such games. Good luck!