Gloomhaven – you have to build up to it (Picture: Cephalofair Games)

A reader explains how his entire family got into board games and why it’s all thanks to a local game shop and its helpful customers.

I thought I would share with you all a recent development that has happened in the Dirtystopout household. As opposed to video games, this revolves around board gaming. As this now seems to be a regular part of GC these days some of you might find this interesting.

I have always loved playing board games and, on the whole, most tend to require a number of players, which have not always been in supply in our household. To combat this, I have dabbled with a number of single-player games. While they are good fun the experience is somewhat muted.

My daughter went off to uni last year and joined a society there called Board and Sword. While she predominantly plays Magic: The Gathering she has dabbled in other board games on offer and has shared many of these experiences with me. She recently returned home and in true spirit I convinced her that she wanted to visit a game shop I had recently discovered.

I told her they sold Magic: The Gathering stuff and she was interested. This was entirely for my benefit, I just wanted a bit of moral support. These places can be a bit geeky and overwhelming.

We paid a visit and had a mooch around. My goodness, there was a mammoth collection of board games and about every miniature wargaming paraphernalia you could think. We bought a few bits and bobs and started having a chat with Andy, one of the staff who informed me about a group who meets fortnightly to play board games in their dedicated gaming area.

My daughter made me promise to attend, which I duly accepted. Unfortunately for me, Tuesdays are not a good day work-wise and it seems every fortnight I’m away but the story doesn’t end there.

Now it transpires Mrs Dirtystopout has had a hankering to play board games but has been somewhat put off by the rules of many of them and complex game mechanics. Especially the ones I like to play. My daughter suggested playing Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition. This proved somewhat difficult but despite this she persevered to the end in her own words, ‘not having a clue what I’m doing!’

This could be the end of this gaming adventure but no, things were about to go up a couple of gears. Mrs Dirtystopout wanted to visit the game shop. She’d been online looking at the website, reading bits and bobs. So off we went one evening. The gaming room was fairly active. Pokémon, Warhammer, and Star Wars Legion in full flow.

In one corner were three guys playing something completely random but that’s by the by, they were happy to chat, explain the rules, and concepts. Back down to the shop and Mrs Dirtystopout is off buying a miniatures game called Dead Man’s Hand. I am now busy building models and painting them, as well as designing and making my own scenery.

We have visited a number of times since. Mrs Dirtystopout has even gone on her own! We had an epiphany moment at a recent bring and buy sale. We got chatting to a guy who had picked up a copy of Gloomhaven, the number one rated game on Board Game Geek! He was sat unboxing it and explaining how it worked and the concepts around it being a co-operative game.

I know this is an expensive game to buy so I was a bit dismissive, even though it can be played solo. He pointed us towards Gloomhaven: Jaws Of The Lion, a standalone version of Gloomhaven set in the time before with its own story and campaign and, importantly, a third of the price. Back in the shop and Mrs Dirtystopout is on it.

We got this home and I’ll be honest I was still a bit dubious about whether Mrs Dirtystopout would want to commit. Well blow me down! I suggested watching some Watch It Played videos on YouTube. All over it. She seemed a bit disinterested at first, while I’m reading the guide and the scenario, but that was soon put to bed and she got as engrossed as me.

We have only completed the first four scenarios, there’s 25 in total, and the last was the first where we were both left a bit confused with new concepts but a quick check through the handbook squared them away. The guide is exceptionally well written.

We spent two hours last night on scenario four. I got exhausted, you don’t die, which left Mrs Dirtystopout to try and complete it on her own, which she did with gusto and success. One thing us gamers of all kinds do is think about our games while we are not playing them and Mrs Dirtystopout is doing just that with this game. Never thought it could happen.

Her opening words to me this morning were: ‘I’ve been thinking about last night’s game… I think we should replay it due to the complexity.’ (That and the fact you got killed and I alone had to move forward and kick the living heck out of all the remaining and spawning death peeps…. this I did swiftly and efficiently.) I assured her we’d be better off moving forward with the scenarios (that and the fact she’s a damn killing machine!).

Board gaming is a fun way to spend time with family and friends. There are plenty of cheap games as well as the expensive ones. Charity shops and eBay all have bargains tucked away. Your local gaming shop may have a club or the opportunity to try something out.

By reader Dirtystopout

The reader’s feature does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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A reader explains how his entire family got into board games and why it’s all thanks to a local game shop and its helpful customers.