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Abstracts for the missus
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...or should that be 'Abstracts for the masses'? Ouch... m'kay... let's not tread into the Venus-vs-Mars hornets nest before I lose my number one game playing buddy, me missus. Still, I've asked around. I have more than a few game playing friends of which a decent percentage are sisters of Venus. Most of them are not addicts - or geeks - like I am but have enough experience to play the gamer's games occasionally. But... no abstracts. Why? I already stepped over the hornets nest, so let's not retrace steps and poke at it by getting too analytical. But I'd like to have this one answered: What abstract games stand a good chance of appealing to women? Or more generally: What level of abstraction can bridge the gap between Catan and Go? Please share your stories, both the good ones and the bad ones. I'd especially like to hear the voices of our female geek sisters on this. PS, Dr. Phil, please stay out of it.
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Posted Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:33 pm
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1.
Board Game: Turn
[Average Rating:4.34 Unranked]
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Turn/Power Game
This is the one that fired up my bugging question. I had been wondering for some time and recently trying to play this with the missus fueled the need to know.
Not the best game ever and I know this game is a bit broken, but we didn't play long enough for her to discover any flaws. I called it quits before it got rough, so to speak.
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2.
Board Game: Chess
[Average Rating:7.05 Overall Rank:218]
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4.
Board Game: Go
[Average Rating:7.83 Overall Rank:34]
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Go
I do not dare suggest 'the beautiful game' to her.
Oh, forgot to mention... Me missus has a degree in Mathematics, go figure! Is there any hope???
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OK, try this one for "Die-Das". The rules are very simple, not much of a brainburner, plays quickly. Scales well for 2-4 players. Will be out in the US this spring.
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6.
Board Game: Ploy
[Average Rating:6.12 Overall Rank:2220]
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I'm beginning to think that me Missus enjoys games a lot more than she'll care to admit, especially since I've immersed myself in the healing boardgame waters of BGG. She will play an abstract if it is simple and competitively balanced = she can win her share of games. I was surprised that she enjoyed Ploy. She'll play boardgames including Pente, backgammon, and Inside Moves (aka Chivalry.)
Gg
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My missus likes to play this now and then, and she is not a gamer at all!
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8.
Board Game: Abalone
[Average Rating:6.34 Overall Rank:893]
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My wife enjoys this one and probably wins about half the time. The only problem I find it that it can lead to analysis paralysis. Still good fun though.
James
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9.
Board Game: Blokus
[Average Rating:7.29 Overall Rank:115]
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We had guests visiting recently and this was the hit of their trip. So much so that I've been asked to bring a copy for them when I visit them next month.
My wife has, however, gone off the game slightly as she doesn't like her pieces being blocked.
James
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10.
Board Game: YINSH
[Average Rating:7.79 Overall Rank:36]
[Average Rating:7.79 Overall Rank:36]
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Yinsh is the abstract I'm most eager to play right now. I've only played it a few times, but what I liked was the balance between constraint and choice and the way in which being in the lead simultaneously handicaps you.
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11.
Board Game: Hive
[Average Rating:7.41 Overall Rank:83]
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When I don't like abstracts (Chess) or suspect I won't like an abstract (Go), but usually what puts me off is the assumption that the game is going to take forever and/or that I'll spend lots of time waiting while my husband or child works through thousands of permutations.
Hive represents a good common ground for all of us because it retains much of what they like about chess while eliminating what I find objectionable.
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12.
Board Game: Rumis
[Average Rating:7.10 Overall Rank:221]
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Anyone who likes Blokus should also consider this one. Easy to explain and aesthetically pleasing.
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13.
Board Game: Twixt
[Average Rating:6.66 Overall Rank:604]
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Row handicapping is possible, so a newbie and an experienced player can both enjoy a challenge. Women generally don't seem to mind receiving a handicap as much as men do.
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14.
Board Game: TAC
[Average Rating:7.69 Unranked]
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This one could be hard to get but I mention it anyway.
The mixture of an abstract boardgame and a cardgame is appealing as well as the aesthetic design and the adorable marbles.
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Everyone I've played this with loves it -- boys, girls, women, men. For what it's worth, the women/girls I know probably tend to prefer abstracts to more thematic games.
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Well, this one has a theme and doesn't really "feel" like most of the games on this list, but many people label it an abstract. My fiancee enjoys it. It plays really quickly with 2, too, which is always nice.
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Posted Fri Mar 18, 2005 1:19 pm
Another possibility in our line: At Essen we presented our new game Outfox (should be in the US this summer) and I noticed it seemed to go over well with the girlfriends, who were frequently beating there boyfriends at it. It is an opaque and very short pattern recognition game that requires paying attention to a large number of possibilities on each turn.
I will check them out one by one later. You see... the missus just called to watch a movie with her. Won't be an abstract one I'm sure.
Oddly I'll spend hours playing puzzle games (like the Everett Kaser ones) on the computer.
Never struck me as a particularly female attitude though; there always seem to be plenty of women keen on abstracts here.