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Debate: does a board game need heavy strategy to be a "geek" game, or can it be pure luck?

I was reading through the BGG top 100 last night and noticed that games like Monopoly and Candy Land are basically nowhere on it, but they're what got most of us into the hobby. I get that those are mostly luck based, but doesn't that still make you a board game geek if you love playing them? On the other hand, I've met people at my local game store who only play complex euro games and look down on anything with dice rolling. What do you all think: is the label about how deep the rules are, or just that you're passionate about playing anything on a board?

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1 Comment

finleythomas12d ago

Do we really need to gatekeep what counts as a "geek" game based on how many rulebooks you gotta read? Monopoly isn't exactly deep strategy, sure, but the whole point is sitting around a table with friends yelling at each other over rent payments. I've played games like Cosmic Encounter where a single dice roll can ruin your entire plan, and people still call that a geek classic because it's got theme and social chaos. Meanwhile, some of those heavy euro games feel more like doing taxes than having fun. Why can't a game just be a game without trying to measure up to some imaginary nerd hierarchy? What's the actual difference between luck and strategy when both end up making people laugh or rage quit?