I loved playing board games when I was young, and I love playing them still. My current favorite is probably Ticket To Ride, but when I was young it was the old Avalon Hill games. Many of these games had intricate but elegant instructions, and while the boards and pieces were often quite plain, they were incredibly entertaining. The themes of the games often tended toward historical and military subjects. There were games about the ancient Greeks, medieval knights, Napoleon, WWI and WWII - you name it. I remember playing a modern European naval battle game for hours and hours with my friends. I can’t recall the title, and unfortunately my internet searches for it have turned up empty. But the late-night sessions that I played with my friends still live on in my memories, and they are sweet memories indeed. (Funny, I am beginning to hanker for mini-pretzels and RC Cola.)
Why do I mention all of this? Because I recently bought two Avalon Hill games through eBay, and I am excited to play them. The games are Tobruk and The Arab-Israeli Wars. The first is a WWII North African battle game; the second, aptly enough, is based on the Arab-Israeli wars. Sound obscure? Think Risk, only with more strategy. (Not so bad, eh?) I am confident that I can talk Jill into playing these games with me, but I’m not sure that I will be able to convince anyone to join us. Still, it’s worth a shot. In the meantime, I should probably get the instructions out and start reading them. There is a lot to memorize.
These games sound interesting...I enjoy board games over computer games, I'll have to see if I can find some too, thanks for the info :) I love history, just recently purchased a book (on a visit to Canada) titled: "Battles of the Bible: 1400BC - AD73 from Ai to Masada"
ReplyDeleteIt shows drawings of terrain and city layouts, etc of where battles took place and the directions of attacks, etc, so you can "see" how it went, as well as diagrams showing how wagon wheels were made. Really cool stuff! (I guess that makes me a full-fledged nerd in some people's eyes, lol)
I have seen books like that, and they're great. Seeing a location, whether in person or through photographs, can definitely enhance your reading about it.
ReplyDeleteIf you know a few people who would be willing to commit to an Avalon Hill game, you should definitely try it. They are out of print, but you can find them on eBay; I waited for something cheap to show up, started bitting, and viola - success!