You know how some games are just too short so you don’t get to do the epic thing you wanted? Or how in Hues and Cues or Just One, you can only give single-word clues and it makes your brain burn a little bit? Or someone taking the space you needed in a worker placement game like Stone Age and having to reconsider your turn? Or even having played tiles in your own area in a way that makes your future turns harder? Argh, so frustrating! But also, so good!

It may seem counterintuitive, but restrictions on what you can do in a game are necessary to make the game good. If players are able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, there isn’t much point to playing the game. And when the restrictions are well-designed, it makes the decisions more interesting, makes you the player be more creative. The same is true in art and design—famously, a blank page or a blank canvas is intimidating to the point of overwhelm, but as soon as you paint it yellow or have to incorporate a particular element, the creative juices start flowing. Only being able to keep one of the two cards I’ve drawn in Sea Salt and Paper means I’m risking what someone else might pick up and it means making careful plans for my future turns.

Now, you’re used to my expanding my thoughts on games into Real World experiences, but I don’t want to minimize the restrictions we feel in our actual lives. I don’t want to suggest that the broader world is only a game and thus any restrictions we might face are only frustrating and nothing more—real-life restrictions can be terrifying and even life-threatening. But there isn’t a world where there aren’t any restrictions. They simply exist, so when faced with them, how do we respond? We need to grieve and process for sure, maybe shout and push back, and then we need to be curious and creative and connect with others about what to do next. Can we learn more, can we ask for help, can we commiserate about how hard it all is?

We play games together, and live our lives that way, too.

Alice C, board game librarian

Play Pina Coladice!

It’s a charming riff on Yahtzee—roll five dice up to three times to get number combinations shown on the coasters that make up the playing board. Place your drink tokens to get points, and try to get four in a row for an immediate win. It’s fast, it’s colorful, it’s a little aggressive, and it’s a lot of fun, especially with 3-4 people. Come out for a burger and give it a try!

Cincinnati’s Burger Week is Here!

July 7-13, Cincinnati celebrates Burger Week when every burger joint offers their best at a discount so you can try them all! There’s even an app and prizes!

We have a new burger especially for the occasion: the Battleship “B5” Burger—4oz all-beef patty, bacon, beer cheese, and brisket served on a brioche bun with caramelized onions and tangy BBQ sauce—for $8.

And of course we’ll feature our signature Boardwalk Burger—4oz all-beef patty topped with bacon, American cheese, chipotle mayo, coleslaw, and Grippo’s chips—for $7.