The false illusion of racing games

Thinking about Lines of Action reminded me of Ramses, another game where movement is determined by the number of pieces. And, thinking about Ramses made think of China Moon, another game where you move your opponents pieces.

And thinking about China Moon has not only made me think about the game itself but the origins of the game.

China Moon was one of the first Bruno Faidutti's designs and it was designed to be a race game where there wasn't any luck, onlfy skill. He has cited Hare and Tortoise as a major influence and inspiration.

I have to admit that I have never played Hare and Tortoise, which I do consider a gap in my gaming life. It won the first Spiele de Jahres and  it is still considered groundbreaking for how it handled creating a race game that didn't involve rolling dice or any other random mechanic.

I have come close to buying Hare and Tortoise a couple times over the years. But, I never ended up pulling the trigger and, at this point, I would have to play it a few times before I would get it.

But this did get me thinking about how racing, as a genre, often feels like the poor cousin in the board gaming hobby. It's obviously a false feeling since there are tons of beloved and successful racing games out there. Formula D, Snow Tails, Thunder Alley, Winner's Circle, et cetera, et cetera. And it's a theme that is super easy to engage non-gamers. 

However, while racing is clearly a successful and beloved genre, it still doesn't seem to get the love other genres. I have regularly heard people introduce Formula D or Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix as a different, fun race game.

Frankly, I blame The Royal Game of Goose, which also wrecked the reputation of Roll and Move as a mechanic. Even if you haven't seen the Royal Game of Goose, you know what I'm talking about. A single track where each player has one pawn and roll a die to see how far they move, along with special spaces that give bonuses or penalties. What has become the generic game for the back of cereal boxes or children's place mats. A game with absolutely no choices.

I do have to note that the Royal Game of Goose started out as a gambling game for adults. Which does explain why it is so random. After all, the Nevada Board of Gaming doesn't allow games of skill to be used in casinos. Poker got grandfathered in and it's openly admitted it would never make it as a new game.

But it does kind of amaze me what an impact the Royal Game of Goose has had on the perception of both racing games and roll-and-move. Both Ludo and in particular Backgammon are far older and better games that offer real choices and interaction. But people don't think of them as the fundamental representation of those genres.

I guess this is an example about perception doesn't really have anything to do with reality. I don't think I've met anyone who actually dislikes racing games or genuinely pooh-poohs them. It's like there is a false majority of there.

And I know that I am going to keep on playing racing games and good role-and-move games. Games like China Moon or Winner's Circle or That's Life are all good games to teach people who don't play a lot of games but are still fun and rewarding for those of us who do.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7204/china-moon

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/361/hare-tortoise

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2785/game-goose

Ramses - an abstract that the world forgot

Ramses is a game that has bounced back on my radar. I think it's a game that falls under a lot of folks' radar. For one thing, it's an abstract which isn't everyone's thing. For another, it had a very limited publication, although making your own copy is super easy. 

The board, which is small enough to fit on one page, consists of three rows of spaces. The middle row has twelve pieces while the top and the bottom have five, the last space long and stretched out. Plus, five of the spaces have Egyptian hieroglyphs on them.

Both players get four pawns. On your turn, you first move one of your

pawns and THEN one of your opponent's pawns. A pawn must move the number of spaces as the number of pawns in either its column or row, which ever one is greater. You can zigzag but you can't move diagonally or backtrack.

The game ends when either someone has pieces on three of the hieroglyphs and wins or when someone can't complete a move and loses. 

Trust me, if you have the board and pieces in front of you and can show examples, Ramses is super easy to teach and learn. My explanation may have been too complicated.

And Ramses is a head cracker.

The real brain burning part of the game is having to move one of your opponent's pieces and it always has to be after you move your own. Ramses isn't the first game I've played where you move your opponent's pieces. China Moon burned that bridge long ago.

But China Moon has a simpler board (since it's basically a track), simpler movement rules and allows you to move your opponent first, letting you set up moves for yourself. It's still a shockingly deep game for its rules, Ramses is just deeper. 

You have a claustrophobic board that is very dynamic. Every move dramatically changes what moves can be made. And it's all open information so you can see exactly how every move will affect the board. 

I have had a lot of fun with Ramses. It's definitely an interesting game and I have not played it nearly enough to get good at it or figure out some of its tricks. It's a game that keeps me wanting to come back for more.

And, while it's hard to get a manufactured copy, making your own is easy. Heck, you could draw the board freehand and use pocket change for the pieces. I have seen pictures of people making boards out of Carcassonne tiles with meeples for pawns.

And there are plenty of files online that you can use to print off your own board. When I first discovered Ramses, I printed off a board and used glass beads for pieces. When i recently remembered it, I printed off a nice board and laminated it for longevity.

Really, if you're interested in abstracts, there's no excuse not to try Ramses and you owe it to yourself to try it. Of course, if you decided to read this, you probably already have.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1529/ramses

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/7204/china-moon