As a father I made it a point to share my love for board games with my two daughters. Both of them very much enjoy playing games to this day. However, Ashley, my oldest, has shown more interest and made more time for board games in her life. She is currently participating in two Dungeons and Dragons groups. Since she is living with us again, we have had more time to bond and watch some TV shows and movies together. One night she exclaimed that she did not want to watch anything but instead wanted to play a game. Excited, I jumped on this opportunity and we quickly climbed the stairs and searched the shelves for something that she knew how to play and wanted to play. She found and identified Raiders of the North Sea. Raiders is a game I had not played in a little while so there was a rules refresh but we were able to get through the game and we had a blast.
Since that night we have had several sessions of gaming, just the two of us, which has opened up the floor for many wonderful conversations and superb experiences. We have both found a love for the Star Wars: Deckbuilding Game, which has been a blast. This is a great two player game where players face off as either the Empire or the Rebellion. As with many deck building games, each player starts with 10 cards, seven of which allow for buying cards from the market or the “Galaxy Row”, two cards produce attacks and one card can be used to buy, fight, or pull the force toward your side. The great thing about the market row in this game is when an Imperial card shows up it is pointed toward the dark side player and when any rebellion cards are drawn, they are turned to face the light side player. Any neutral cards are not turned toward either player and may also be purchased by either player. Now, the cool part is that most of the either the Rebel or Empire cards allow for their opponents to attack the cards in the market row and prevent, or at least limit, the ability for the appropriate person to buy those cards and use them to attack. Attacking cards in the market provides the individual with more supply to buy cards or allows for exile or trashing of cards in your hand and/or discard pile. Having a quick way to cull cards is so nice and to have it happen so easily and the fact that cards can come from your discard pile makes it so much sweeter.
This small, little two player game brings us to the table often and allows us to talk and share life’s woes with each other. Allowing me the opportunity to share continued quality time with my daughter. We get to talk about trials, ambitions, and share our feelings and points of view without getting all worked up. I am so happy that board games bring such occasions and are packed with super memories. What are games that you share with close friends that allow you to talk and strengthen your relationships with those who matter?
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