RetroActive - Celebrating Games From The Past
Antony Brown, co-founder of Dice Maestro, is a games analyst and inventor who writes regularly on board games. His RetroActive column takes a nostagic look at board games of the past. The games are mostly from the 1960s and 1970s and are available from auction sites and specialist board game sellers. Also included are analyses of popular games, such as Monopoly's Best Property List.
As well as a write-up of the game, a picture of the game in play, each retro-review has a "retrograde", a score evaluating the game across three dimensions: nostalgia, fun factor and game play. Nostalgia, of course, is subjective so a high Nostalgia rating is given to games that (i) reflect a topic or theme strongly associated with a particular era; or (ii) have components or design that reflects the era in which they were made; or both. A high Fun Factor is given to games that are (i) enjoyable, especially after many plays; or (ii) are well presented with interesting components; or (iii) will appeal to many people; or all three. A good Game Play score is given to games that allow (i) tactical scope and player interaction; or (ii) have an interesting and engaging play mechanism. A game's retrograde is the sum of all three factors, expressed as a percentage out of the maximum possible. Click on a game below to read its retro-review. RetroActive was started in June 2011. We hope to add 1-2 games every month.
