For years now, I have been seeing people stepping away from others including their loved ones to spend more screen time when they’re free. Those who’ve been following my blog will know that I post a lot of articles on alternative ways to spend our time so that we’re more social, productive, constantly challenging ourselves and learning new things. So, today, I have a very special interview with Paul Shapiro, a board game enthusiast to tell us everything there is to know about strategy board games. And I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Paul’s insight.

This is the first of many more interviews to come about interesting hobbies. And I hope with these in-depth interviews, readers like you will have more interesting ways to spend your evenings and weekends with the people you love.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against the occasional Netflix or video game or social media scrolling.

But when we isolate ourselves from others, get addicted or refuse to leave our comfort zone because of these distractions, it becomes unhealthy for everyone. And that is what I hope to prevent from happening through this blog.

I found out about Paul through someone on Reddit, and I was instantly intrigued by his strategy board game hobby. It sounded exceedingly interesting to me, especially in this age where video games are all the rage.

So I reached out to him and what I learned through the interview is nothing short of mind blowing.

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With that, let’s begin…

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Interview with Paul Shapiro: Strategy Board Game Hobbyist

1. What made you blog about board games? What do you hope to achieve with boardgamesquad.com?

Working in digital marketing, blogging has been a big part of my professional development for quite some time. I wanted an opportunity to be able to write about the hobby that I’m so passionate about and not restrict blogging to work. So, Board Game Squad was born.

2. I have to admit that I don’t know how much board games have evolved in terms of complexity and violence. I mean, in my time, we used to play Monopoly and Snakes & Ladders and it was fun. But are the board games today still family friendly or are there some that are violent or vulgar or not recommended for young players?

I’d say that board games, much like video games or movies, run the gamut. The majority of games I play are family friendly and a fantastic time to be had with all people, ages, and backgrounds. There are some vulgar and violent ones for sure, but if you don’t like or want those in your life, it’s easy enough to find other games you’ll enjoy.

3. How different are today’s board games compared to board games from the 70s?

I’d say that they’re considerably different. Board games have changed drastically in the last 10 years even.

Most board games from the 70s, especially in the United States, were more luck based. In Monopoly and Risk, you roll dice and they greatly affect the outcome of the game.

That has been minimized in most modern board game designs. There’s also less player elimination. Games are usually played from start to end with everyone. There’s also greater emphasis on art, graphic design, and production of modern games.

4. How did you develop a passion for board games?

My passion for board games was born out of exposure.

When I say board games, I’m usually not talking about games like Monopoly, Chess, or Cards Against Humanity. I’m primarily focused on modern strategy board games.

People are often first exposed to these via games like Catan, Ticket to Ride, or Carcassonne—but there’s a huge world of these games out there of varying experiences, themes, and complexities.

The rabbit hole is deep. Thousands of new board games are released every year.

The first game I tried that truly captured me was a simple game called Splendor, a game where you systematically build an engine to purchase more and more valuable cards with gemstones.

From there, I was exposed to two more games (around the same time) that were a little more complex: a game called Viticulture and a game called Terraforming Mars.

Viticulture is a game where you build a vineyard, harvest grapes, and make wine to sell. Terraforming Mars is a game where you play as a competing corporation that is trying to make Mars habitable over the course of many generations and earn a profit in the process.

After playing these two games, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Not only did I have a lot of fun playing them, I also enjoyed the mental stimulation they provided, the time away from my computer and cell phone, and the person-to-person experience with friends and family.

If you have an opportunity to try a modern board game, I recommend it. You might find yourself hooked like I was.

Top strategy board games for beginners

5. How many types of board games are there and what’s unique about each type?

As I previously mentioned, there are thousands of modern board games released every year and just as with books, movies, or even video games—they come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties.

Some games provide very deep thematic experiences, immersing you in a story or historical event as you play. Others, emphasize deep strategy with all randomness removed.

Some games leverage game mechanisms that are very economic in nature, and others are just a romp, with player characters attacking each other back and forth. There are even board games, that marry strategy and physical dexterity.

Some games take as little as 15-minutes to play but many take 3-hours or even an entire day to play. Depending on what you like, there’s probably a board game for you.

6. Have you tried all the board games discussed in your blog? Of the ones you’ve tried, which one is your favorite and why?

I’ve tried most of them! Some of the reviews are written by other contributors, so some of those board games I haven’t personally played.

However, all of the games that I’ve personally reviewed, I’ve played at least 2-3 times. It’s important that I’ve properly vetted a board game if I’m going to recommend it to my readers.

My absolute favorite board game is called Great Western Trail. I’m pretty much always happy to play it. It’s what is called a eurogame.

Eurogames emphasize strategy, utilize mechanisms that are usually economic in nature, have little direct conflict (opposed to war games), have very little luck, and no player elimination.

Thematically, players are competing cattle farmers, traversing the great western trail and earning points and money doing various activities.

Theme in eurogames usually isn’t a particularly rich experience and acts more like a mnemonic device for the rules than anything else. This is also true of Great Western Trail.

But it’s still a ton of fun! It’s moderately complex and takes about 2-3 hours to play. If that doesn’t sound like your type of thing, there are plenty of other types of board games that might interest you.

Other games I really enjoy and recommend are: Anachrony, Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, Orléans, Hansa Teutonica, Rising Sun, Age of Steam, and Spirit Island.

My top games of the year are City of the Big Shoulders a complex stock holding game, and Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, an immersive dark-fantasy game dripping with theme and narrative.

Paul Shapiro’s favorite picks

7. How often do you play board games and with whom?

Although the frequency at which I play games has waxed and waned over the last few years, I currently play about once or twice a week. I usually get together with some board gaming enthusiasts near my office once per week.

Then on occasion, my wife and I are able to sit down to play, I invite some friends over, or sometimes even play a game by myself (it’s more fun than it sounds, I promise—many are designed as solitaire experiences).

But more on that later…

8. Is it difficult to schedule playing board games into your daily life as an adult?

My wife recently gave birth, so I’d say that it’s become more and more difficult to schedule board games into my life as an adult. But it’s also difficult to fit anything into my life as an adult at the moment to be fair.

Still, I try and set sometime every week to play a game because I see it as a form of self-care. Making time to do something I love helps my overall wellbeing, helps me to be a better husband, employee, and father.

9. What do you think are some of the benefits of playing board games?

For an obvious benefit, board games are a social exercise. It’s healthy to get together with others and socialize.

In a world where it’s hard to escape technology, they also provide a more analog source of entertainment, which I find to be quite satisfying.

There is also research to suggest that they sharpen the mind, reduce cognitive decline and improve dementia.

10. What are some board games you’d recommend to play among friends?

Hmm… I’ve mentioned some of my favorites already, but I’ll recommend some additional games.

If you want to ease into board games, I recommend Century: Spice Road, The Quacks of Quedlinburg, or Kingdomino.

If you like history and want a two-player game, I recommend Twilight Struggle.

If you want a horror-filled thematic experience you can play by yourself, I recommend Arkham Horror: The Card Game.

For a similar experience with more players, either Arkham Horror or Mansions of Madness will suffice. If you like controlling little figurines and battling, I might recommend Kemet or Blood Rage.

If you’d rather work together and not play against each other, Spirit Island, Gloomhaven, and Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island are all fantastic.

Other competitive eurogames I might suggest include Concordia, Gaia Project/Terra Mystica, The Castles of Burgundy, Brass: Lancanshire/Birmingham, and Agricola.

Although, any game you can sit around a table and spend quality time with friends is recommended.

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Recommended board games to play with friends

11. What are some board games you’d recommend to play with family?

I play games with family member of all different ages, aptitudes, and attention spans. My wife loves Spirit Island. She’d rather cooperate with me than play against me. But just the same, she loves playing Great Western Trail.

It’s hard to get my grandparents, to play much more than classic card game and that’s okay. It’s not good to force people to play games with you.

My six year old nephew loves Quirky Circuits and Rhino Hero. They’re accessible but fun for both adults and children to play.

For even younger children, there are options as well. I recommend checking out HABA’s line of first board games. I prefer them to games like Candy Land for little ones.

My siblings are older. My father and siblings sat down to play Blood Rage over Thanksgiving which was a ton of fun, but not for every family.

For most families, I’d recommend a game like Wingspan or The Quacks of Quedlinburg. Board games make for great family time.

Recommended board games for family play

12. How long does it take to win or conclude a typical board game? Are there any board games that take several days to finish?

There are games of varying lengths. The games I most enjoy, last for about 2-3 hours. But there are certainly shorter and longer games.

Many of the family games, play in around 30-60 minutes. I’ve also played games that are 6 hours plus.

Many people’s enjoyment is impacted by length of play, so I recommend playing games that best suit your own needs and attention spans.

13. Are there any board games for single players?

Fantastic question! It’s a big trend in board games to provide single player experiences. I find myself playing them more and more as my appetite for board gaming sometimes exceeds my ability to get together with friends.

Some of them are designed to be more like engaging puzzles, some are carried by the story, and some even try to leverage a form of AI opponent.

One of the contributors to my blog has listed his top 10 solo board games (refer below for the list).

Personally, I’ve been enjoying playing Mindclash Games’ Anachrony solo lately, which has an AI-style opponent and feels like you’re playing against another person.

There are even reviewers like Beyond Solitaire, Rolling Solo, and Solosaurus that specialize in solo games if they’re of interest.

Top 10 board games for solo/single players

14. In your opinion, which is a better hobby or recreational activity; board games or video games?

I personally don’t enjoy video games all that much, so board games take the cake. Overall, they feel less solitary (unless you’re playing a solo board game). There’s something just nice about unplugging and sitting across the table with your friends.

15. What would you say to people who say board games are boring compared to say, Facebook, Netflix or video games?

I’d tell them to give a modern board game a try. You might be surprised. There are several games that might appeal to a video gamer—Sanctum, Adrenaline, and Gloomhaven come to mind.

I use Facebook and social media as a place to discuss board games, so I don’t know that you must do one versus the other. I also certainly love some Netflix.

16. Why do you think a lot of people don’t consider board games but rather reach for their phone during their free time?

It’s just easier to reach for your phone. I’m guilty of this myself. The time commitment of board games is also greater. But I think it’s extremely valuable to carve our that time to unplug and spend time with friends and family. Board games are an easy way of doing that and act as a fantastic social lubricant to boot.

17. Do you know of any clubs or forums where people actively discuss about board games for those who want to give this a try?

The biggest community by far is a website called BoardGameGeek. Board Game Atlas is another, newer one that I’m quite fond of.

As far as local clubs are concerned, there’s a ton! I recommend checking out Meetup.com to see what’s available in your area.

I recently moved to a new city and found people to play with in a similar way. It was a great way to explore my new home and meet people.

18. Where are some of the best places to buy board games?

Check to see if there’s a local game store in your area. Many provide libraries of games to play before buying, open space, and recommendations.

If you’re buying online, there’s always Amazon. If you don’t want to buy from Amazon and are based in the United States, I recommend Miniature Market, CoolStuffInc, or GameNerdz.

19. What is your advice to people who want to start playing board games with their families for the first time?

Set a night and do it! Start with something small and if the family enjoys it, there’s a whole world of games for everyone to explore.

20. What are some of the characteristics/features that people should evaluate or pay attention to before deciding on a board game?

I think game length, complexity, and player count are biggest factors effecting someone’s enjoyment of a games if they aren’t a hardcore enthusiast like myself.

Otherwise, check board game reviews like those on my blog, on BoardGameGeek, or whoever it is you may trust.

***

That’s it folks, that’s the end of the interview. If you’re tired of your current hobby or looking for an interesting hobby, I strongly suggest giving strategy board games a try.

I don’t know about you, but this interview with Paul has gotten me really excited about board games. I had expected them to have evolved somewhat through the years, but I did not expect them to have changed this much.

But it’s good news for those who want to do something besides playing video games or watching Netflix. By the sound of it, strategy board games are just as likely to give players an adrenaline rush and elevate their level of excitement.

I think what sold me to the idea in the end is that you can play them on your own even if you can’t find someone to join you. When I posed Paul the question, I was actually prepared for a singular no.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see that’s not the case. It just goes to show how far board games have come and how much the makers want them to be inclusive.

If you found this interview interesting, please share it on social media and help others discover alternative hobbies as well.

I’d also like to thank Paul for agreeing to this interview and for giving this wonderfully in-depth insight into strategy board games. Cheers everyone!

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Photos from Paul Shapiro