On a recent episode of The Dice Tower an email was discussed where the listener asked about the "American Heritiage" series of games and Tom and Sam joked about doing a Top Ten list of games Published before 1970. The 60's were my early formative years. I was too young to join or even notice the cultural upheaval going on in the 1960's (I turned 13 in 1969) but I was already playing games in the 60's. Little did I know then that I would still be an avid gamer forty years later.
The list that follows is not a true "Top Ten" list because, with one exception, I only included games I own. I don't claim that this list represents the best games published prior to 1970. I'm sure there are some very good games not on this list. Sadly, I don't own those games...
Anyway, here is my Top Ten List of Games (that I own) Published before 1970.
#10. PIT. A classic by any definition.
#9. ACQUIRE. A Classic. I only played this game for first time in 2005, but I can see why it is so well liked. The first "Euro" game.
#8. BISMARCK. Avalon Hill. Spent many an enjoyable hour searching for the Bismarck or seeking to evade the British. The first "hidden movement" game I ever played.
#7. DOGFIGHT. Part of Milton Bradley's American Heritage series of games. I credit this series of games with my life long interest in History (in general and specifically in Military History).
#6. WATERLOO. Avalon Hill. My first "hex and counter" wargame. Well, the game belonged to my brother and he refused to teach me how to play it. My friends and I figured it out one summer day. I've been a wargamer ever since. (On a side note, I credit wargaming with teaching me basic mathematics. Prior to wargaming my math abilities were pathetic. Due to odds based CRTs, wargaming taught me to multiply and divide better than any school did.)
#5. KIMBO. I found this game doing random searches on BGG. My namesake game! It turns out to be not a bad game. Originally a Waddington's game, brought to American by Parker Brothers. It is a "roll and move" game, but you move over an open grid and each player has a set of gates he can place to impede other player's movement. A "Take That" game where "luck of the roll" is a factor. A good game for all of that. Popular with the casual gamers I have played it with. Back in it's day, KIMBO would have been a good "gateway" game, I think.
#4. RISK. I wouldn't play the original version of RISK today, but I spent many an hour playing this game with my friends. It is a classic game in the sense that almost everyone has played the game. (I can't tell you how many times I've been playing some other game only to have someone walk up and say "Is that like RISK?"
#3. FACTS IN FIVE. The 3M line of games were ahead of their time. FACTS IN FIVE is still a great Trivia type game today.
#2. CAREERS. An important game in my early gaming days because of the variable victory conditions. Each players defines his own victory conditions. A great concept and one that really resonated with me.
#1. BROADSIDE. Another game in the Milton Bradley American Heritage series of Historical games. The Bits (Ships with Sails) are great. The sails are removed as a ship takes damage. A ship is sunk when the last sail is removed. I loved this game as child and I am still fond of it today. The first game that showed me a game could be played without dice or luck and still be fun. I learned strategy and tactics playing this game. Abstract games, like Chess, just couldn't (and still can't) hold my interest. But a "chess-like" game like BROADSIDE with its wonderful theme had me hooked. I credit the American Heritage series of games, and BROADSIDE in particular, with starting my life long interest in History as well as my beginnings as a wargamer.
Good gaming didn't start in 1995 with Settlers of Catan. There are a lot of good games, even my today's standards, that were published prior to 1970. Granted the good "Euro" type games were far and few between but they were out there and the gaming renaissance we enjoy today is possible, due in large part, to these earlier games.
