Beer, pretzels and social engagement

 Beer and pretzel games have been a part of the hobby for a long time. (Not to be confused with pub games which have been a part of the culture for a loooooooong time. But Crown and Anchor apparently doesn’t count as beer and pretzel games, even though that’s what you are eating and drinking when you play it) I think beer and pretzel games are party games for folks who want to say they don’t like party games lol  

Wikipedia defines beer and pretzel games as light tabletop games that have light theming and lots of luck. It also says that the term originated for simple war games before breaking out into the broader world. I personally define beer and pretzel games as ones where you can trash talk during the entire game.

It would be easy today ‘I don’t know what a beer and pretzels game but I know one when I see them’ but that’s not true. There are some key elements. It has to have some kind of theme. It has to have a lot of luck. It has to be easy to learn. It has to have social engagement.

I was going to write fun but all games are supposed to be fun. Social engagement is a better fit. Because a beer and pretzel game is what you pull out so you and your mates can sit back and blow off steam together.

Chess. Chess is not beer and pretzels. Munchkin is beer and pretzels. And in my world, Chess is fun but Munchkin is not lol

The Wikipedia article added one additional criteria. A beer and pretzel game has to be replayable. It has to be a game that you want to go back to.  So a good beer and pretzel game has to balance chaos, let you surf the madness but still give you some agency. Your choices matter but you might not know their outcome.

Beer and pretzel games are not going to be strategic masterpieces. Instead, they are the games that become part of the folklore of your gaming group. They are the games you remember because of the time Marcy made a move that made Linus throw the popcorn bucket at her.

Clearly, the social component is the defining attribute of a beer and pretzel game. The Friday night poker game can be a beer and pretzels experiences. The World Series of Poker never will be.

Still, as games like Munchkin and Nuclear War are clearly designed to fit the beer and pretzels mold. You can’t guarantee the result but you can build towards it.

Beer and pretzel games didn’t create a new social experience. I’m sure people have been chewing the fat and teasing each other since the Hunter and gatherer days. But they do give us a safe and consistent environment for the experience.