Answers with Ralph Anderson

Answer 1

What's your background with board games?First, I prefer to refer to them as tabletop games as I include card games. For me this is a fun, entertaining and mentally challenging hobby played with friends around a table. I started at around 5-years old with my dad playing dominoes, checkers and then Chess. With family and friends, I played many of the Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, American Heritage, 3M Book Case Games all the other assorted games from the 1950's and '60's. In High School and College I played Tournament Bridge and Chess and Board Games like Panzer Blitz and Diplomacy. I also always played a lot of card games like Hearts, Spades, Oh Hell Euchre and others. Acquire was (and still is) a favorite. As a Young adult in the 70's and 80's I added on games from Avalon Hill and SPI - dozens of them. In the late '70's I got into Dungeons and Dragons and in the '90's Magic, Legends of the Five Rings, Shadowfist and Battletech Collectible Card Games (CCGs) and, of course, joined in to play the new "Euro Games" starting with the Settlers of Catan. Over the last 25 years I have been a huge participant in the game playing world including going to game conventions, play testing tons of games, a 17 year game group that played EVERY Thursday night at my house, translating and editing game rules, designing my own game (Chimera) and now working with Eagle-Gryphon Games to publish games.

Answer 2

What games have you published, and what are they like?

My own game Chimera will be published soon by ZMAN Games and is a 3-player cutthroat card game in the same family as Tichu. With Eagle-Gryphon Games our recent and upcoming published games include Francis Drake, Triassic Terror, Rococo, Fleet and some upcoming games include Baseball Highlights 2045, Escape from Alcatraz, Eggs and Empires, and many, many more. By the way, a great resource to read up on these and other games is www.boardgamegeek.com. It is THE resource for tabletop gamers.

Answer 3

What are some of the best recent board games?

Most recently I have really enjoyed Rococo, Francis Drake, Hanabi and some older favorites include Through the Ages, Brass, and Power Grid. I also enjoy a number of filler games like Liar's Dice, Zum Kuckuck and card games like Tichu, Wizard and Sticheln.

Answer 4

What are some interesting games that are coming up in 2014/2015?

Well, because they are on the top of my mind, shameless plugs for my game, Chimera, and a game I am helping develop, Baseball Highlights 2045. However, I leave it to BoardGameGeek.com for more information on the new and upcoming games, as there are countless discussions on that topic.

Answer 5

What makes a really good board game?

Games can be simple or complex and if they work mechanically, I like both kinds. For me, it is really important for games to be fun and challenging. The best ones engage the players and take you on a journey. It is much like great story telling.Of course, these guidelines can be met in so many, many ways it leaves plenty of room for great games!

Answer 6

Are there any games that seem like they shouldn't work, but ended up being really fun to play?

Tons of them! Here is one in particular that I have been working on for Eagle-Gryphon Games. Baseball Highlights 2045 designed by Mike Fitzgerald has all the drama of baseball with none of the tedium. There are no strikes, balls or outs, both players have their own stadium to track their batters and base runners, and a full game is a series of up to 10 mini-games that each take about 3 to 5 minutes to play. Each mini-game consists of players playing six cards each and then buying new players to improve their team between each mini-game.Did I mention that it is set in the future and has robots as literal hitting machines, cyborgs with bionic arms as pitchers and naturals as the fielders? It sounds crazy, but it all holds together and delivers the best sports game I have ever played!

Answer 7

Are there any games that you recommend in particular for getting kids started playing board games?

There are many great games for kids that all help practice various types of skills, math, sharing, reading, history, cooperation, planning and the list goes on. We are lucky to live in a time that offers so much more variety than the classic standard bearers of my youth. Board games have evolved so much in the past 20 years and for the most part they are better. There is such a rich assortment including fun family games for all ages to the deepest strategy games you can ask for. Amigo Games has a great line of children's games as does Huch and Friends - both based in Germany. Our own Gryphon Games line has lots of family friendly games that cater to ages 8 and up with a few for younger players as well. Two that stick out for me are Botswana, which has lovely plastic animal figures and Cheeky Monkey, a plush monkey toy with tokens inside for the game.

Answer 8

What's the best board game of the last hundred years or so?

That is impossible to state categorically. It's like naming the best food of the last hundred years. You can't do it. It depends so much on whom you are with, where you are, what mood you are in, your own personal preferences, your game group's preferences and so many other mitigating factors. I have mentioned a number of great games already and those all work well for me and there are literally hundreds more coming out every year.

Answer 9

What's your favorite game that never really caught on?

I can name some games that I liked but didn't catch on with my game group, but have been successful at other venues. The first one that comes to mind is Dominant Species. It's long, it's chaotic and it's like riding a roller coaster for dear life at times. I like the challenge of trying to ride the wild wave, but my game group likes to have more control. I do get to play it at game conventions.

Answer 10

Are there any games that you like because they make you think in unusual ways, or have unusual gameplay mechanics?

Sticheln breaks just about every rule of trick taking card play and works. I like it particularly as a 3-player cutthroat game. Hanabi is a cooperative game in which you have to play cards in order by color but you can't look at your cards and have to depend on clues from your partners in the game. Hanabi is a fantastic game and very challenging and in my own opinion is the best cooperative game published to date.