Spice Road – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Fri, 20 Dec 2019 12:29:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Spice Road – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Spice Road – Nerds on Earth false episodic Spice Road – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Spice Road – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ Get ’em at Target: 7 Board Games Deserving of the Next Step into Mass Market https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/05/mass-market-board-games/ Fri, 24 May 2019 12:00:48 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=23963

Earth Nerd Clave shares 7 games he think would do well moving from the shelves of your local FLGS to the mass market shelves of your Targets and Walmarts.

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I love my FLGS. I spend as much time there as possible. When I’m ready for the sweet embrace of death, I might get my ashes scattered there. 

But 99% of humanity has never even set foot in a game store, regardless of how friendly it is. Instead, they shop at Target and order from Amazon, meaning they are the definition of “mass market” shoppers.

My point? While us FLGS-loving nerds chatter on about all types of board games, hobby board games still haven’t made their way to the mass of humanity that still considers Monopoly a rousing good time.

We need more entry-level hobby board games to make their way to the shelves at Target. Here are 7 board games that I think can make that next step to reach the masses.

Dice Throne

Dice Throne Season 2 from Roxley Games

Mass markets board games are typically positioned to arrive under a certain price point. The 1 v 1 Dice Throne boxes are well positioned to look sharp on the shelves at Target for under $25.

Here’s more on Dice Throne if you want a deeper look, but the marketing pitch for the game might be “like Yahtzee, but fun.” Each player chooses a character and chucks 5 dice Yahtzee-style in order to attack the opposing player.

It’s a brilliantly fun game. And if it does well in mass market, it is super easy to add another 1 v 1 box with two new characters right beside it on the shelves.

Get Dice Throne here from Amazon.

Century: Spice Road

The board game Splendor thankfully already graces the shelves of Target. But many folks consider Century: Spice Road to be Splendor-like but a little more fun. So why not have both games be mass market games?

Spice Road has a rulebook that isn’t a book at all, it’s a simple front and back card. But despite the ease of learning to play, it has a good deal of strategy.

Easy to teach; broad appeal. Does that not perfectly describe a mass market board game? Remember, we want to share our nerdy hobby with as many people as we can. Bringing a nice introductory game to the masses is a wonderful way to hook them into the joy of playing board games.

Buy Spice Road at Amazon.

Raiders of the North Sea

The whole game is gorgeous.

Raiders of the North Sea is is a medium weight strategy game, so it doesn’t nicely fit into the mass market category that is driven by light weight quick-pick-up games.

But Raiders of the North Sea has other attributes that make it an interesting option for the mass market. First, it has a strong Viking theme that is very marketable. Second, it has fantastic artwork that would give it a super appealing look on the shelves.

That and it’s not that heavy. Sure, the ramp up would be greater than most mass market board games but it’s really intuitive and smooth. Besides, it’s just so darned good as a game! (Here’s more on Raiders and the other games set in its world.)

Buy Raiders of the North Sea from Amazon.

Deadline

This is a bold pick because Deadline is a game that didn’t land with much of a splash in the trade market actually. But it shouldn’t be overlooked. In fact, it should be allowed to reach a wider audience!

Here’s a full look at the game, but the short story is that Deadline is a detective game. So, a Boomer crowd that has grown up on Law and Order and CSI shows would be an interesting market for the game.

Alas, Deadline would likely need a 2nd edition before it could land a big box store. Another production pass would likely be required to give it a little more “curb appeal.” But the main thing is the rulebook would need to be reworked with a stronger tutorial in order to give it an easier on-ramp for a more casual player.

You can buy it here from Amazon.

Expancity

Expancity would have a higher price point (+$50) than a typical mass market board game but there is no denying that the theming and artwork would appeal to a general audience of board game casuals.

Expancity has straight-forward gameplay and the ideal interaction for mass market. Moreover, the skyscraper building theme is vibrant and the production is colorful. It would provide a nice shared experience for families with older children.

Buy Expancity from Amazon.

Wingspan

As far as I know, Wingspan is the only board game on this list that has been written up in the New York Times.

Here is our full look at Wingspan, but here are the basics: it is bird-themed and without a doubt one of the more beautiful board games out there. The theme has wonderfully broad appeal while the aesthetics can not be beat.

So, why not bring it to mass market immediately? Well, it’s currently sold out even in game shops, so the production would need to be smoothed out before it’s a candidate for Target. Plus, the price point is a little high for big box.

Good luck trying to find it even at Amazon.

Imhotep

Imhotep is a well-designed, beautifully produced game set in ancient Egypt. The price point would be right and the theme would set it apart from the other games found at Target. What more needs to be said?

Buy it at Amazon.


I obviously have no control over which board games actually cross over from the FLGS into mass market accessibility. What I can control are the games that I introduce to friends who may not be board gamers.

You have that control as well! Let the above 7 board games be my recommendations for great games if you personally want to dip your toe into the great world of board games but are intimidated by the hundreds of titles on the shelves at an FLGS. So, if you want something a little more rad than the Sorry and Monopoly that has long been on the shelves at Walmart, the above 7 are good candidates.

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7 Board Games to Play Over the Holidays https://nerdsonearth.com/2017/12/7-board-games-to-play-over-the-holidays/ Mon, 11 Dec 2017 12:16:43 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=14542

The holidays are the time for board gaming. Here are seven suggestions to make holiday gaming great!

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The holidays need board games to distract us from awkward, uncomfortable conversations. These past few years haven’t exactly brought cohesion to family systems, after all.

Besides, board games go great with snacks, which matches the non-stop eating element of holiday gatherings. Listen, you’ve eaten everything else in the house, just go ahead and eat the game afterwards.

So how about some holiday board game suggestions?

7 Board Games to Play Over the Holidays

Dominion

Dominion is a game I recommend to everyone. It has a non-threatening theme, is super easy to teach, and has a really satisfying gameplay that fits grandmas and grandchildren alike.

Dominion is a “deck builder,” a category of game where players begin with a starting hand of cards, then use their actions to slowly upgrade their hands in order to purchase victory points.

You can get it here.

Viticulture

Let’s be honest, there will be a good chance that at least one of your family members will be drunk for most of the holidays and Viticulture is a board game about making wine.

Jokes aside, it’s a great game. I’ve written about it extensively here.

You can get the Viticulture board game here.

Tournament of Camelot

I’ve been snarky, but I shouldn’t assume your family has deep generational communication issues or substance abuse problems, even though, well, you’re family just might. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Maybe your family can handle a little light conflict. If so, Tournament of Camelot is a great trick-taking game set in the world of King Arthur. Taking on the role of a hero from the legendary story, you battle with weapon cards like arrows, swords, sorcery, and even alchemy.

It’s a fun theme and a well done game. And the beauty of a trick-taking card game is that the basic mechanic is understood by folks who may have only played a game like Hearts or Pinocle, making it easy to teach.

You can get here here for a steal.

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is a game about creating railroad routes. Nearly everyone has a grandpa, uncle, or young nephew who is into trains, so it’s a theme that works well in families.

Ticket to Ride is also easily one of the most popular modern board games, meaning you can pick it up in Target or wherever. That can be helpful for folks who may attach a stigma to “that nerdy stuff from comic shops.” But then they are hooked.

Century Spice Road

Century Spice Road is my absolute favorite game on this list. Like the other games listed above, it has a light, non-threatening theme. You pretend you are spice traders from centuries ago.

Century Spice Road has a deck building element like Dominon but it also adds the element of little colored cubes that represent the spices. You use your turns to slowly build up a better collection of spices that you can then use to buy victory point cards.

Century Spice Road is easy to teach (the rules are on one page, front and back) and it plays fast. Before you know it, it will be your turn again, which is great for keeping the whole family engaged.

Get it here!

Codenames

Codenames is on this list because it works in almost any context.

It is designed for 4-8 players and can work with players as young as 6 years old. The basic premise of the game is that the two teams are looking at a 5 x 5 grid of words. One player on each team is the Spymaster, giving clues that their teammates can then use to guess words.

We’ve done a full writeup on Codenames here.

Onitama

Onitama (via Pub Meeple)

Onitama is another personal favorite, but the reason I chose it for this list is because it is a two player strategy game that can be taught in 30 seconds. It is perfect for that favorite uncle or family member that you want to create a shared experience with.

Think of Onitama as streamlined Chess, being that each side of the two player game has a “king” piece flanked by 4 “pawns.” Whereas Chess movement is determined via the restrictions of the individual pieces, in Onitama moving is determined by a set of rotating cards.

As the cards change, players are required to think several steps ahead, just like Chess. But Onitama plays in just 10-15 minutes. It’s quick and light, yet has a ton of depth. It’s a brilliant little game actually.

Get it here.

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