Written by Dr. Leisl Grimm, and published in 2024 by Got Games Books
Review based upon a copy provided by the publisher
The hook for this book is laid out clearly on the back cover. “Most books about board games are boring. This is not that book.” While I don’t agree that most books about board games are boring, I was curious to see how this book would stand out.
It was clear that the difference was not in the organization of the book. There are 98 essays, each about a different game, divided into sixteen chapters focused on different types of games. It’s an interesting taxonomy; what most folks I know would call Party Games are listed here as Group Games. And some of the chapters are really just gaming mechanisms, such as Deckbuilding.
But the organization of the essays for each game does stand out as different. Each essay starts with the game’s name, the year of release, the time to set up and pick up the game, the length, and the number of players. The essays are then divided into Gameplay, Rulebook, Tips and Tricks, Culture, and Aesthetic and Design.
Generally, the Gameplay, Rulebook, and Tips and Tricks sections don’t stand out as being all that different from other books. Actively critiquing rulebooks is a nice touch – often the focus of books is on praising or criticizing games, so the focus on issues with rulebooks is good to see.
What really makes the book stand out, though, is the Culture and Aesthetic and Design sections. Dr. Grimm explores a bevy of interesting topics and tangents, a few familiar but many where I learned something. It’s really here where this book meets the claim of the back cover.
It’s also here that I suspect the book will be most polarizing. Dr. Grimm looks at how well many games represent their subject, both in their rules and in the game. This topic is covered far more coherently in the book than in arguments on BoardGameGeek, but I fear that even broaching the matter will bother some readers. I particularly appreciated the breakdown of the setting for Agricola, verifying the timeline of the backstory in the rules
I found the selection of games covered to be interesting, and nicely quirky. I’ve played 79 of the 99 games covered (Race for the Galaxy and Roll for the Galaxy are in a single essay), and – to the book’s credit – wouldn’t tend to think of the games together in any more specific grouping than “game”. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of BuyWord and All-Star Baseball.
The final section of each essay looks at the question of packaging, or storage. The author has a firm preference for a well-made insert, and for games that don’t get jumbled when stored on their side. This can be useful information, but is somewhat inconsistently covered – there is a note about the similarities to the 3M bookshelf game packaging in the essay on Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective, but no mention of this box in the Acquire essay. And while there are specific examples of rule layouts given, and criticisms of each, there is no corresponding section on packaging, just comments on each individual game. Some essays also include an honorable mention at the end, a recommendation for a related game.
There are a number of minor issues I found with the book. Some are simple typos or misplaced text – the second half of the Flamme Rouge essay was, unfortunately, replaced by the second half of the Rallyman GT essay, then repeated two pages later. And for some reason Stratego is listed as a two player game, but recommended for 3-4 players; given no text to support this suggestion, I assume it’s just an error not caught during editing. I have more issues with the articles for Acquire and Pit, but to be fair those are the result of my study of the history of those games, and are unlikely to bother most readers.
But the biggest concern I have with the book is the inconsistent mention of designers. Publishers are always listed, at the top of the essay; designers are mentioned in other portions of the essay, if at all. And – there are times when the motivations of the designer are assumed, when they could be checked. In the Puerto Rico essay, Dr. Grimm writes: “This isn’t surprising; false narratives of western imperialism are so prevalent it’s likely the designers didn’t even consider indigenous people or slaves.” Why not ask Seyfarth? Discussions with the living designers would have made the book even better, in my opinion.
Having said all that, Got Game? is an interesting, worthwhile book that comes through on the promise of the back cover. The inclusion of many mass market games provides a nice entry point for those with little familiarity with the hobby game market, and the fact that a number of games are critiqued as games should make it valuable to adults who no longer play games, but have fond childhood memories. And the variety of topics covered in the essays should provide plenty for more serious gamers. It’s an easy to read book which flew by, and one I’m pleased to add to my gaming bookshelf.
