Abstracts for the missus
Alfred Das
Netherlands
's-Hertogenbosch
Noord-Brabant
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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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1.
Board Game: Turn
[Average Rating:4.60 Unranked]
Alfred Das
Netherlands
's-Hertogenbosch
Noord-Brabant
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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:7.09 Overall Rank:245]
Alfred Das
Netherlands
's-Hertogenbosch
Noord-Brabant
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Chess
I never played it with me missus myself, but hearing her not very favourable words about it gives me the shivers.
Out as well, my owned copy of:
Bushi: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/14591
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4.
Board Game: Go
[Average Rating:7.77 Overall Rank:41]
Alfred Das
Netherlands
's-Hertogenbosch
Noord-Brabant
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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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Robert Zurfluh
United States
Cranbury
New Jersey
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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:6.10 Overall Rank:2859]
Michael Kandrac
United States
Grand Prairie
Texas
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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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Blue Guldal
United States
New York
New York
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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:6.40 Overall Rank:980]
James Cheevers
United Kingdom
Liverpool
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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:7.15 Overall Rank:200]
James Cheevers
United Kingdom
Liverpool
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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:7.67 Overall Rank:65]
Sue Hemberger
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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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:7.37 Overall Rank:111]
Sue Hemberger
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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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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Lyman Hurd
United States
Atlanta
Georgia
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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:6.60 Overall Rank:844]
David Bush
United States
Lexington
Virginia
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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:7.43 Overall Rank:2801]
Dan Rosewater
Switzerland
Zürich
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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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Sue Hemberger
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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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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Lacombe
Louisiana
It was a dark and stormy night.
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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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Bangkok
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.
's-Hertogenbosch
Noord-Brabant
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.
Columbus
Ohio
Solihull
West Midlands
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.