Replay value

During a recent conversation with an old friend (one of the people who was crucial into getting me into board games), he listed all the games that had gotten played at his last game night. And I noticed every game he listed was at least ten years old.

My first thought was 'Damn, we're getting old!' Heck , I remember at least one one of those games first deputed at Gen Con.

My second thought was 'Yeah, that is a good place to be.'

(The games, in case anyone is curious, were Tsuro, Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix, Catan and Notre Dame. Okay, Notre Dame is just nine years old but close enough!)

I remember an old anecdote I heard years ago of someone who would only buy hand tools if they were at least fifty years old. Presumably from antique stores.  I think there's more than few things to question about that practice. And I don't think the real moral is that they made hammers so much better fifty years ago. 

But if something holds up to years of use, that is a strong recommendation.

I don't believe that game design was so much better ten years ago. Quite frankly, I think designers and the industry have benefited from ten years of innovation and refinement.

However, games that survive ten or more years, not just staying in print but games that get played on a regular basis, those are some rocking games.

And that's something that I think is worth looking for. For me, as I suspect other folks, constantly looking for the next big thing has given way to looking for what what I want to play year after year.