(A mid-week recap of the best blog posts from Nov. 5th through Nov. 11th. This is an excerpted portion of the full article. Please see my blog at Board Game Geek for the entire text.)
A lot of great writing this week as deepening cold weather is keeping Northern writers indoors.
AT THE TOP OF THE CHARTS . . .
WHAT DEDUCTION GAMES LIKE WEREWOLF TELL US ABOUT OURSELVES
Matt M. Casey @ Boing Boing, Nov. 11, 2014
Boing Boing defines ‘social deduction’ games as ones that “pit players against their own ignorance and paranoia.” That’s a bit disingenuous, as Matt points out that games like Werewolf, and its Russian ancestor Mafia (created by a psychology student, natch) are more about the Meta, especially once player elimination was eliminated from the game.
Players therefore never engage in only the game they’re currently playing. They’re replaying past games in their heads and setting patterns for future games.
It’s a genre that is gaining traction.
Social deduction games are … migrating … into mainstream stores. Mainstream retailer Target has stocked The Resistance …. Barnes & Noble now stocks One Night Ultimate Werewolf, and [designer Ted] Alspach said he has gotten calls to ship the title to such unconventional outlets as drug stores.
3 MORE MUST-READS . . .
IMAGINE LUCCA
Ignacy Trzewiczek @ Boardgames That Tell Stories, Nov. 5, 2014
PARENT GAMER TIPS: DISTRACTIONS OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Tessa @ Board Game Duel, Nov. 5, 2014
IP LAW FOR DUMMIES AND GAME DESIGNERS
Filip Wiltgren @ Wiltgren Media, Nov. 10, 2014
The above four blogs earn consideration for the BGA Blog of the Year Award. One point is awarded for inclusion, with an extra point given to the Post of the Week.