Game Night Flow Chart
This thought experiment started as Mark Jessup’s idea.
We were talking about playing boardgames tonight. At least one member of the group wants to play Last Night on Earth. Mark really wants to play Pandemic. Jessup said, “Hey, we can play Pandemic. And then after we lose, because we’re going to lose, we’ll play Last Night on Earth.”
So there’s the path for a night of flow-chart gaming. First you play a cooperative game. You find out which game you’re playing next by whether you win or lose.
My list is mostly filled with games I’ve played recently, with the exception of Last Night on Earth, haven’t played that yet. There’s plenty of room for people to make better suggestions than what I’ve come up with….
Play Pandemic.
If you all lose, play Last Night on Earth.
If you all win, play Bohnanza, you happy-bean planting humans you.
Play Lord of the Rings.
If you all lose, play Titan, because you’re dread lords running around carving up the world between you.
If you win, play Blue Moon City to put the world back together in a harmonious whole.
Or maybe if you win you should play Elfenland. I dunno.
Or Agricola because you’re all happy farmers in the Shire.
Play Shadows Over Camelot.
If the Knights lose and the Traitor wins, play Beowulf, since the barbarians run the world.
If the Knights win, play Dominion, because there’s still room to see who has the best kingdom.
I haven’t played Battlestar Galactica yet, I hear it’s good. I don’t really know enough about the show to do this right. For all I know, you should play Neuromancer Hex no matter who wins, but that’s probably not right.
Twilight Struggle, two-player game of the Cold War?
If the US wins, get some friends and play Vegas Showdown.
If the Soviets win, get some comrades and play Red November.