Boardgames - An Economic Entertainment Alternative

by Nate T on June 10, 2011

"Why boardgames?"

That's one of the more common questions we've heard since Steve and I started this WoodForSheep venture.

In today's world, where everyone is trying to stretch the value that they get for every dollar spent, our response is... "Why not boardgames?"

Like most forms of entertainment, boardgames are all about the experience. In particular, boardgames present a unique opportunity for a social, interactive experience since most games require at least 2 players (and some get better with more). Also, as the title suggests, its an affordable alternative to more common entertainment options.

Let's take a (biased) look, comparing boardgames to some of these alternatives based on the following factors, for a group of 4 people (be it a family spending time together or friends hanging out):

  • Price/cost - how much will the entertainment cost, whether its initial, peripheral or on-going
  • Level of interaction - how much social interaction takes place when doing this activity
  • Replayability - how often can the activity be done (and redone)
  • Commitment - amount of space and/or time required to participate in this activity
Activity Price/Cost Interaction Level Replayability Commitment
Night at the movies Approximately $40-$60 depending on time and day of week. A bit more if its 3D. A lot more if food is also purchased. None at all during the movie, as that would annoy everyone around you and may get you kicked out of the theatre. One time event, unless you're willing to pay for the experience all over again. Time to travel to and from theatre, plus another 2-3 hours sitting in the movie, then maybe more time to go to the coffee place after to have a lively discussion on how good/bad the movie was.
Activity Price/Cost Interaction Level Replayability Commitment
DVD/BD at home Depending on how recently it was released, $10-$35. This also assumes you already have all the necessary peripherals - TV, disc player, etc. Similar to going to the theatre, you'll mainly be focused on the screen, though better leeway to make snide remarks. Good value here since you can hit replay as long as you want to, though outside of a few films or TV shows, why? Depends on how long the disc is... could be a few hours (for a movie) or a few days (for a TV series).
Activity Price/Cost Interaction Level Replayability Commitment
Video games If its just the game, $30-$70. Gaming unit is upwards of $150. Extra controller(s) are $50/each. Assumes TV and such already available. Even moreso if each person has to have their own unit/game. To access multiplayer modes, some may require monthly subscriptions to the game network ($10/month). Encourages much yelling and screaming - very exciting when you get to say "you just got pwned!". Then perhaps much vulgarity for those tasting the agony of defeat. Depends on the game, but with the possibility of downloadable content, could be very re-playable... that is until the sequel comes out. Variable. Depends on how glued you are to the game.
Activity Price/Cost Interaction Level Replayability Commitment
Boardgame(s) Games can go from $15 to $80. Depends on complexity, length, etc. A number of games require bluffing, negotiations, trading... You will (have to) talk to the people you are playing with. Very. Modular boards, expansions (though yes, it will require more money), number of players all change the way each game plays out. Most games do require table space to layout all the components, game times vary from 30 minutes to 90 minutes (or more) depending on the game being played.

Movies are a bit high on the cost, and not much on the replay value. DVDs and Blu-Rays have some cost benefits, but lack in the interaction. Video games offer a higher level of interaction, but have high cost and the quality of interaction is suspect. Boardgames are comparable on the positive points and even excel in the aspect of interaction, that is unmatched by any of the other entertainment forms.

So, take a chance. Dive into the world of modern boardgames. At the very least, you have some time to kill until the next movie showing starts.

Filling the Gaps

by Nate T on January 31, 2011

So you and your friends have just spent the last hour and a half, slugging it out on the corn field; hurling fences and livestock and family members. And, someone has emerged as THE farmer to beat... or explorer... or city builder... or whatever else... So... Now what?

While resetting the board and having another go again right away may be enticing, everyone probably would like to take a break and give the gray matter (the brain) some time to recuperate. But then no one wants to really leave the table and lose that gaming momentum (except to answer nature's call, and maybe get a drink). What to do? Well, you dig out from your gaming collection... a nice filler game.

A what?

Filler game.

What's that?

It's a game you play, in between games. More specifically, its a game you can quickly play in between sessions of longer games.

So, what makes a good filler game?

Easy set-up and clean-up
You want to get back to the big game and don't want to have to spend too much time on set-up or clean-up beyond opening the box and bringing out the pieces, which shouldn't be a lot.
Quick to teach and learn
Simple rules with minor variants or options work best. You want to get playing, even if there are players around who haven't played the game before. If its taking 30 minutes to just explain the rules, this is not filler material (you should have finished your first game already, or even two).
Short game sessions
This is meant to be a break from the other games. Not a long, drawn-out session on its own. Now, some filler games could get drawn out, but this should be the exception, not the norm. After you start, shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to get back to the next round of being a farmer or saving the world from diseases.
Different game strategy
You want to give the parts of your brain that you've already been using for an hour. Plus, a change of pace would be refreshing. If you've been calculating permutations or planning the next 10 moves to victory for the last hour, 15 to 30 minutes of mindless chaos isn't so bad. On the other hand, if its been mindless chaos for the last hour, a bit of order isn't too bad either. Whatever the case, a good laugh is a good addition to the mix.

Some filler game recommendations:

Tsuro
This is my favourite filler game (at the time of this writing). It takes 5 minutes to teach, and the first game will be done after 20 minutes. The pieces are big and solid, making it easy enough to pull from the box or to tidy up. A bit of spatial recognition may be required, but nothing requiring extraneous planning.
Coloretto
A game with straight objectives which requires simple focus, not the multi-tasking resource management of other games.
Gosu
Army building game that may take 10 minutes to explain all the nuances, and the first game may take a full 30 minutes. Subsequent games though are fast. Blink, and you could be holding the white flag of surrender.
Bang! The Bullet
Recall comment about mindless chaos. This is a 'mafia' type game set in the old west. Make sure you're friendly with your crowd or you could find yourself out of the game, before your first turn even starts.
Lemming Mafia
Its like a horse race, betting on which little lemming will reach the end of the pier first. But since the mob is involved, the race could be fixed... and you get to fix it.

Getting started

by Nate T on December 18, 2010

Well, we've finally taken the plunge and become small business entrepreneurs. If you have no idea who we are, get to know about us in 'About Us'. After years of dabbing into an interest here and an interest there, Steve and I are going head first into this business venture. We'd love for it to take off, but know it will take time. We hope you'll be part of building WoodForSheep not just as a boardgame retail site, but also a good boardgame resource site. Now, if it simply becomes an excuse to play even more boardgames... then I don't think either of us will complain (except maybe our good friends XBox360 and PS3 since they won't be getting as much love).

The next matter to determine is what to talk about. Rest assured, Steve and I will be sharing our 2 cents on games (ex. reviews), game trends (ex. comparisons), each other's personal life (probably more of Steve's since his is more interesting) and whatever else boardgame related that may come up (ex. industry news). I'll also share our some of our experiences that may come up in the industry or just business in general (in case it may prove helpful to somoene else starting their own business, preferable not in the same area); though it may just be general ramblings of a madman.

Adventures in Selling Boardgames

So, one of the first challenges was how to store our inventory, which meant looking for good shelving options. After trips to Canadian Tire, Home Depot and even Costco... and seeing the cost for new, good sturdy shelves that could hold chunky cardboard boxes (of variable weights) meant that we should look somewhere else for now. My better half (no, I'm not bi-polar) suggested that we should look for second hand ones to get us off the ground. So I was off to scour Kijiji, craiglist and redflagdeals to find something sufficient. After finding some potential possibilities, and inquiring (and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting), got some replies (yay!) and settled on some old industrial shelves a company was looking to sell, since they were moving to bigger and better places (Mississauga, really? :P).

Of course, the pickup had to be complicated, since convenient and easy weren't on the menu.

  • Pickup on Wednesday
  • Between 10AM and 4PM
  • Shelf will be uninstalled but you have to transport it yourself
  • Help may be available to load your vehicle
It was now Tuesday. And my 5 foot hatchback, wasn't going to fit those 8 foot brackets. O-K.

After making some quick calls, arranged to borrow a van. Couldn't work around my day job schedule, so zipped over during lunch for the pickup... hoping that with their help, we can get it all loaded in under 30 minutes, and still make it back to work on time. Once arriving, I can't say I was surprised to find out that... there was not much help available. Oh well... so off to lugging 10 metal brackets and 4 baseboards from the 6th floor to the loading dock where I parked. Thankfully, there was a service elevator (though i may have left a mark or two when moving in and out of it... sorry). As each of these brackets felt like carrying a 12 pound bowling ball, I realized one thing: I am SOOOOOOO out-of-shape. Not that it was going to get any better with holidays coming around the corner (and the obligatory eating that goes with it).

So, it took a little longer to load everything... which barely fit. Seems the van was only like 7 feet long, so had to be creative in angling the pieces right to make it all fit, without punching through any of the windows. Not too bad. Was only a bit later coming back, although way exhausted from all the unexpected carrying (and the aforementioned being-out-of-shape). Regardless, lesson learned and made a call to make sure to have help when unloading and installing back at WoodForSheep headquarters.

Not much happening on the final leg of this story. Got off work. Got back. Got help. Got it unloaded. And got it all up and done. I guess one interesting thing is that this was pretty much done on impulse and I didn't measure anything... like if the space where the storage shelf would go would fit 8 feet (both length and height). After trying out a few different positions and hoping not to cut any power or water lines, was able to fit it into a satisfactory place. Now, its installed... yet again, barely. Boxes unpacked (and urge to open games kept in check) and lo and behold... storage space! See pictures for your viewing interest. :)

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