How do modern board games differ from vintage ones?

Question

How do modern board games differ from vintage ones?

Answer 1

It depends on the genre of game.. but generally.. the production value in modern games is taken more seriously by the publisher. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.. but publishers like Z-Man Games.. Days of Wonder.. and Rio Grande Games are consistent in releasing quality titles.. at least in terms of production value.

Answer 2

Products like Monopoly, Sorry, and Candy Land have been reclassified as simulationist. Since they lack vital decision-making elements, they are hardly considered games. Many abstract games, have themes pasted over them now, to make certain concepts more palatable to the consumer.

There are literally thousands of Core market games now, with the consumer having access to an almost unlimited array of options.

Mass Market games still cater, primarily, to recreation and "shouting party" atmospheres.

Trivia games have all buy disappeared as well. Few companies bother making them anymore, without some kind of gimmick... like Wits and Wagers with its number and betting system.

The latest and biggest craze among board game efficiendos has become the EURO-style games. Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico, and others, have follows in and out of the core market of board games.

Answer 3

There's two basic "factions," if you will, to the concept of "modern boardgames."  The first is the mainstream boardgames, the others are niche boardgames.

I would classify mainstream boardgames as those that are available at major retailers, commonly found in household game closets, things like that.  The changes in this category when compared to vintage games, are not very substantial, with one big exception.  Modern mainstream boardgames have done a tremendous job of incorporating available technology into vintage games.  Through interactive elements on the board, to making use of technology in the form of DVD's, computer, etc, I'd qualify this as the major difference between vintage and modern boardgames.  Content, game play, etc, have refined as time goes on, but at their core, they're the same.

With niche boardgames, the differences are many and varied, mainly because niche games only came into strength in the last 20-30 years.  As a result, they tend to have several components that you'd be hard pressed to find in many or any vintage games.  I'll break them out separately, as they're all relatively substantial.

1) Limited use of randomness - It's rare to find a modern niche boardgame that relies on a spinner/dice/random generator in order to progress the game forward and succeed.  Modern niche games are designed to reward strategy first, and strategy can easily be overwhelmed by luck when a randomizer is involved.

2) Multiple paths to victory - Most vintage games are very linear.  Reach the end of the board, acquire X amount of money, defeat the last monster.  Modern niche board games tend to be multifaceted, with multiple victory conditions.  Player A could be trying to accomplish a monetary victory, while Players B and C are going for military wins.  This in turn rewards creative thinking, and requires an adaptive strategy to deal with your opponents.

3) Modularity - For the majority of vintage boardgames, you pull out a bi-fold game board, place the pawns at the start, and play.  Many modern niche games use the concept of modularity to improve replayability and to "de-structure" the game's strategy.  Games where the board is created incrementally through the use of tiles, the board changes by rotation/relocation of parts of the board, and random player/resource/enemy placement at the start of the game are all ways in which this modularity is accomplished.

There's a more long-winded answer then you had ever hoped for :-)

Happy gaming!

Answer 4

There are a LOT of differences. The main ones are:

1. No player elimination. Everybody plays through to the end.

2. Simple rules. Most modern games are fairly easy to understand, and can be played by almost anyone.

4. New game mechanics. For example, rolling dice and moving is considered old school.

5. The game board and pieces are usually much higher quality than the typical Hasbro game. The artwork is usually very nice as well.

6. The games list the expected playing time on the box. Whether the game takes 15 minutes or 6 hours, you'll know before you buy.

7. The game's designer is clearly displayed on the box. Just like movie directors, if you like one game from a certain designer, you'll probably like their other games too.

There is an awesome site with info on thousands of modern boardgames: www.boardgamegeek.com

A few suggestions of good modern games:

Settlers Of Catan

Puerto Rico

Alhambra

Carcassonne

Blue Moon City

No Thanks

For Sale

Ticket To Ride

Bang!

Niagara