Behind The Bloggers – Craig Smith

This time on behind the bloggers, I am talking to Craig to find out about his board game tastes. I enjoy finding out what people’s favourite game is. I also have a number of games on my wishlist as a result of these interview pieces!

Anyway, let’s find out a bit more about Craig.

What is your favourite board game?

At the moment, I would say my favourite game is Meadow. In Meadow you are building up a tableau of cards in front of you to form your meadow. I was given the Downstream expansion as a Christmas present last year. and it added more decisions and more gorgeous artwork to the game!

What game would you recommend to get someone into gaming?

I generally think that co-op games are a great entry point into the hobby. Co-op games mean that someone can teach you the game as you’re playing it, rather than throwing lots of rules at you to start with. Pandemic is an entry point for a lot of people. But I’d argue that Horrified would also make a good starting point. It has a lot of the same DNA as Pandemic, and has a more interesting theme!

What three board games would you play (if you could only play three) for the rest of your life?

My first choice for this would be Spirit Island. It’s a heavy co-op game that I’ve only just started scratching the surface of. There is a lot of replayability there. I think my second game would be Concordia. I love both the normal game, and the co-op/solo mode is also excellent! Finally, I would go for Brass Birmingham. It was a gift from my partner last Christmas, so I think he’d kill me if I ever got rid of it! It is an exceptional game as well, and I don’t think I’ve ever played the same way twice!

Craig has highlighted some excellent games. Spirit Island is one of my favourite games when I want a heavy, thinky solo experience. With the number of spirits in the game, and the combination of other factors there is a lot of replayability. Meadow is another favourite for me when i want something less thinky. The gorgeous artwork helps it to sing on the table. Not that a love of the theme and artwork makes me any better at the game!

I have played Concordia once before with four people. I had not though it would be that good at my usual player count of two. But it is good to hear there is a great solo/co-op mode which I will definitely be looking into.