Photofinish

As a child of the 70s and 80s, I grew up playing the usual fare: Monopoly, Clue, Life, Scrabble, Pictionary, Scattergories — you know the story. I’ve always loved the way boardgames can bring people together and create an event of sorts, and I also like a little friendly competition, but until my girlfriend introduced me to Carcassonne recently, I thought Apples To Apples was about as scintillating as boardgames got. I’m glad I was wrong.

My Google searching for a great two-player game quickly led me to Battle Line. It sounded like it was exactly what I was looking for at this stage: fun, strategic, plays quickly, easy to learn. Even so, I was unprepared for what a brilliant little game it revealed itself to be once I played it for the first time. The way it somehow marries simple rules with strategic depth makes me smile AND burns my brain (in a good, challenging way). Thanks to Battle Line, Carcassonne, Forbidden Island and Ticket To Ride — the latter of which I’ve deemed the most enjoyable, best-flowing boardgame I’ve ever played thus far — I’m really enjoying this new hobby!

Thanks to everyone who posts reviews on the internet. You make it really easy for newcomers like me to learn and find the right games for them.

P.S. Prior to playing Battle Line for the first time, I printed out the formations cheatsheet from the GMT Games website, which helped me get up and running fast.