Let's play something else today!

I've been playing all sorts of games ever since I was old enough to comprehend the rules of "Chutes and Ladders". I eventually built an extensive collection of games of all sorts. Card games, and board games that is. My parents were somewhat amused by my growing collection. Things were fairly normal until I ran across the game "Risk"; that was the turning point. I had discovered something new - War Games. I didn't know it at the time, but I had just stepped through a door which would eventually lead me to an exciting new world of adventure and intrigue. It all started with that one game. I became intrigued by the names of the territories in the Game. Where were these lands? Why had I never heard of these countries? Wouldn't it be neat if I could add submarines and other naval units to the game? What about bombers and jets?

Eventually, I began adding my own rules to the game. I now know that this was something that many people did with this very game. It was ripe for expansion. Not content with the current cramped board, I pulled a sheet of plywood out of Dad's stack, and started drawing on it. Dad wasn't that thrilled, but I had to have a geopolitically correct playing surface. After slaving away on the rules for about a month, I invited a bunch of friends. We were soon plotting the course of battleships, armored infantry divisions, and squadrons of strategic bombers. It was thrilling, it was my game! It was wondrous! It was something new!

The year went by and I wrote other games, ones that I introduced to my friends like before. Some were as well received as "Conquest", some were not. That's when I learned that this was not something I alone had thought up. A friend of mine told me about "River City Hobbies". A hobby store that carried an extensive line of games. But what games! Games I had never heard of before. Amazing games, with intricate rules, and highly detailed boards. Where one could be the commander of a Panzer Battalion, or a Civil war cavalry brigade. One could even navigate a starship, or... Control an army of Wizards and Dragons!

Thus it began. My introduction and eventual infatuation with these 'Other' games. The games you don't find at Kay-Be or Toys 'r' Us. The games that require a little more effort than simply moving a token along a circuitous route until you reach the end. The 'War Games', The 'Role Playing' games, the games made by companies other than "Parker Brothers", or "Milton Bradley". Here then is a list of some of those games. A sampling of some of my favorite games.

While many of these games are out of print, you may still be able to find them at local hobby/game shops or online, at one of the various auction sites. If you know of a good 'Other' game, I'd appreciate the information. I'm always willing to try out a new game.

* Here's a game I haven't even had a chance to play yet. Someday I'll take a break from D&D to enjoy a raucous round of something different.

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Author: Robert L. Vaessen e-mail:
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