Confounded by Components? Your guide to yet more board gaming terms

I have been board gaming for 10 years and I still have no idea what anyone is talking about. Let’s try to figure it out together with 11 more need to know nerdy codewords. As ever, extra victory points for every occult symbol you recognise and don’t forget to check out parts 1 & 2 if you haven't already.

Part 1 Part 2

Beer and pretzels game - A style of game considered light and breezy. No spreadsheet score trackers here. This term emphasises a game can be played with a beer and/or pretzel your off hand without too much fuss. If you are a non drinker or gluten is your nemesis then try adapting the term to better suit what you would use your offhand for. Try these on for size: Squash and popcorn game, texting and browsing Reddit game, dismantling the republic and force choking rebel scum game, etc.

Blind bid - Bidding is a mechanic rooted deep in the early days of board gaming and this specific style of bidding is where you don’t see who else is bidding what until bids are locked in or revealed. It’s about getting inside your opponents heads and Derren Browning them.

Boxfart - Picture it. You are chatting away with your friends about that game you’ve just finished for the first time. Tim slides you the last bag of components and you press it into the already bulging box. As you are about to inform everyone the only reason you lost is because you didn’t go first and the randomness of the game makes true strategy basically impossible you slide the box lid back on the box… pfffffffffvvvvvvvb. The box does that thing that sounds a bit like a fart as air rushes out when the lid is pressed down. I’m sorry you know there is a word for that now.

Dry - Like a prepacked chicken sandwich bought at the end of the day, a dry game is lacking in flavour and just…. dry. Games that lack theme or connection to their theme. They often have boards that look like a control panel for some Victorian machinery but that doesn’t mean they are not challenging, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable. Just don’t expect to lose yourself in a world of wonder.

Dungeon crawler - a scenario where players are traversing a complex or dungeon which usually includes traps, monsters, loot, rabid pandas, and all that good stuff. Often fantasy themed but this term can stretch to include abandoned laboratories, haunted mansions, dilapidated space stations, spooky old theme parks, etc. etc. A Dungeon Crawl might be the focus of a single RPG session, or it may be the entire concept of a board, card, or video game.

IRL - In Real Life. A simple acronym from all corners of nerdery not just board gaming. Still useful to know when you need to compare slaying goblins, the intricacies of factory management, or the materials required to repair your spaceship in your real life against whatever you are playing.

Quarterbacking - when somebody tells you what you should be doing and sort of plays your part for you. Usually this happens in co-op games and is often, though not always, intended for the benefit of the group or team as a whole. It is rarely a pleasant experience for those on the receiving end. There is a fine line between discussing options and helping someone get to grips with a game, and outright playing it for them. Don’t be like this. It puts people off the hobby, game, or maybe just you. Alternatively look into playing solo games!

RAW - Rules As Written. You know the rulebooks says that if you land on Free Parking in Monopoly then you DON'T get all the fine money in the middle of the board? That would be playing Rules As Written. This is not always a good thing.

RNG - Random Number Generation. The term probably comes from the digital side of gaming and usually refers to the amount of random elements in a games systems. If a game has lots of RNG then you might have to kill that boss again and again until it finally drops those fancy boots.

Roguelike - This one is actually quite tricky. So in essence a roguelike is a style of game that broadly contains procedurally generated stages/levels and contains some sort permadeth. In gameplay terms this often translates to a game where you undertake “runs” with the hopes of getting further and further each time. Often, you earn progression of some form with each run whether that be a small bonus to your stats, new bonuses to encounter in future runs, or simply knowledge that will help you get a littler further next time. Just be aware definitions vary a little here but don’t worry I am objectively correct. You are welcome 🙂

Turtling/Castling up - Means going on the defensive to let your opponent come to you and be crushed upon your immobile autocannons or drown beneath the arrows loosed from your battlements. Most used in the wargaming spheres, both digital and analogue, and is certainly my preferred style of play. My personal preference is for a huge army of fantasy dwarves which have just enough shields to keep your enemy away from my cannons - AKA the real MVP.

Them is my words. Hope these have helped, or you are at least glowing with smug satisfaction that you have learned nothing today. Either way, congratulations on being fluent in gamer and let me know if you work at Dualingo and need my help in setting up a course in nerd, elven, or 1337.