I mean fuck, they managed to remind me about some of humanity's redeeming qualities via a straightforward and entirely credulous vision of the goddamn Catholic Church.

I don't know how long they can keep Benoit Blanc going as:
1) a sherlock/poirot-level genius
2) acompassionate advocate of human-centric justice and
3) a likeable, relatable, flawed, real person
but they nailed it again here and I hope they've got more in the tank.

I do think Mr. Fisher's hypothesis is worthy of careful experimental consideration. Perhaps we test it on, say, the 2000 richest people in America. You know, just to make sure we get a rigorous and statistically significant result.

10) Rococo
Gorgeous game about making dresses for the French court. And organizing fireworks for the French court. And hiring musicians to entertain the French court. And catering for the French court. And oh my god what have you been doing all game, why haven't you made any dresses yet?!

9) Dogs of War
Getting a reprint thanks to SUSD, this game of mercenaries and politics is even meaner than Zoo Vadis, because there is very little mechanically you can offer your opponents except the promise that you won't put a knife in their back. This turn. And that's a sketchy promise at best.

8) Zoo Vadis
Roman politics but with a zoo theme. Incredibly simple game that will reduce all of your friends to slimy politicians in the span of about 5 minutes.

7) Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective
Each box comes with 10 cases, each of which provides a map of London, the day's newspaper, and an address book. Best played by 2-3 people max, all of whom enjoy mystery stories. It's hard work, but solving these cases feels like a real victory

6) Basically anything by Cole Werhle
You want strategic and thought-provoking, Werhle's got you covered. The rest is variable based on preference. You like Redwall? Buy Root. 19th century colonialism (in a not gross way)? John Company or Pax Pamir. Queer history and social deduction? Molly House.

5) For the Queen
A simple RPG of drawing a card and answering a question. The only info the game gives you is:
1) There is a war, which your queen is trying to end
2) You were chosen to accompany her b/c you love her
3) At some point, your party is going to be attacked

Everything else is up to you

4) Tales of the Arabian Nights/Arthurian Knights
Both choose-your-own-adventure-style story games, whose random absurdities fit both settings quite well. Nights is older and fiddlier, but also provides a wider array of possible story types (as opposed to Knights where everyone plays...knights).

3) King of the Castle
If you like the sound of the King's dilemma but have: 1) too many friends; 2) Not enough money; and/or 3) nowhere to store lots of cardboard, pick this up on Steam. One copy plays up to 24 in one room, takes ~ 2 hours to get from your coronation to your inevitable usurpation.

2) The King's Dilemma
Embarrassingly, I haven't actually played my copy of this council politics-themed legacy game. However, that's mainly because I'm waiting for the perfect group b/c I only get to play it once. Unless I buy a recharge pack, which the publisher offers but the point stands

1) 878 Vikings.
If you like the idea of Risk but hate the experience of playing it, this is for you. 2v2 asymmetric war game that produces emergent narrative at a shocking pace and is funnier than it has any right to be. Very well-balanced and strategic despite feeling delightfully swingy.

one thing I do worry about with all this, arguing over ai aside, is giving kids the impression that only perfect and realistic artwork is worth it and they shouldn’t even try

If they like being strategic, 878 is good, but maybe hard to find these days. Pick Dogs of War only if they like the idea of being a cutthroat bastard.

Seconding Nathan. Depends on what chronological/geographic areas they are interested in and the types of experiences they enjoy.

If they want more freedom to tell personal stories, for example, go For the Queen. Pick a Tales game if they'd rather have more structure and less roleplaying.

Oh, I have game recs!
878 vikings (better Risk)
For the Queen (simple but emotional rpg-lite)
Mythic Bastionland (dark absurd arthurian rpg)
Dogs of War (mercenaries game finally reprinted)
Tales of the Arabian Nights/Arthurian Knights (2 games with same classic choose-your-own-adventure system)

So if you or anyone you know has experience with this or similar work, or you would just be interested in participating to collaborate, experiment, and learn, please let me know and share this around!

Bonus points if you are in the Midwestern US

#Medievaljoy #medievalsky

Following the examples of Dr. Mcleish, the Making and Knowing Project, and my friends at UW Madison's HSMT program I would like to see what could be accomplished by getting a bunch of historians, archaeologists, engineers, craftspeople, and historical recreation enthusiasts in a room together.