Why I Always Lose Board Games and War Games and Why I’m Okay With That

I lose at board games, card games and wargames a lot. Some of it is lack of strategy, some of it is that I spend a lot of time chatting with people around the table so I don’t pay attention as much as I should, but part of it is, especially with card and board games, that I tend to get teamed up on.

Owning a metric ton of board games means most of the time, we’re playing at my house, with my board games. Players assume I’ve played a game dozens of times, so I’m very good at it, and so I need to be taken down a peg. I regularly hear the cries of, “It’s his game! We can’t let him win!” and lots of players, when I mention a rule that I forgot because it’s my first or second time playing, will say, “oh, that’s convenient that you forgot that rule.” It happens a lot.

Also, having a lot of board games, I really don’t play any of them too much, so I’m not intimately familiar with any specific strategy for any given game.

So why don’t I really care that I lose all the time? And why would I keep up with a hobby that I seem so bad at?

Because I’m a game master. I’ve been playing RPGs longer than I’ve been playing in-depth board games, and losing is kind of the whole point in an RPG. You’re helping guide a story. The goblins in the dungeon aren’t supposed to be aiming for a TPK. The players don’t get slaughtered by the BBEG whenever they meet him. As a GM, your job is to set your players up for success, then watch them knock down the bowling pins, while providing just enough danger and suspense to keep them on their toes. So I tend to do the same in board games. I’m just happy everyone’s together having a good time.

Do I get really competitive at times? Yeah! When I find a good strategy, I’ll plan moves ahead, pushing my luck (usually more frequently than it pays off), and pushing to pull off a win. But for most games, I’m just trying to have a good time with my friends.

To those in my local gaming circle reading this? Don’t push it. Next time I’m going to kick your ass at Colt Express.

One big exception is Star Wars: Rebellion. Once a month or so last year, I was getting together with my best friend to play. I always play Empire, he’s always Rebellion, and we play HARD. We’ve each developed elaborate strategies, trying to outwit and overthrow the other. It’s a lot of fun.

Have any of you experienced the same? Do your fellow players gang up on you?

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