[On November 19, 1863
President Abraham Lincoln delivered the
Gettsysburg Address. Few American speeches have been more significant, so
this week I’ll AmericanStudy the address and a few other Gettysburg histories
and contexts. Leading up to a special Thanksgiving weekend post!]
On three board
games through which I learned a lot about war histories and stories.
1)
Ambush!: Ambush!,
which began with a focus on post-D-Day European campaigns and then expanded to
include Italy and the Pacific as well, stands out as (by far) the best
solitaire board game I ever played. But its style of gameplay also captures the
uncertainty and constant danger of warfare as well as anything I’ve
encountered: as the player moves his eight squad members across the board in
pursuit of each unique mission, anything and everything can suddenly transpire:
sniper fire, the arrival of an enemy tank, an encounter with a civilian, a mine
or other explosive device being triggered. Awaiting the results of each move
was, as board games go, as nerve-wrecking as it gets.
2)
Sink the
Bismarck!: Something about board games with exclamation points, I suppose.
Inspired by one of the most unique naval
histories in World War II, as well as the 1960 British film of
the same name, Sink the Bismarck! was an incredibly complicated board game, and
I’m not sure I ever played with every rule and feature (or even most of them). To
be honest, I spent a good deal of time just examining the board, the pieces and
cards, the rules and peripheral materials, learning not only about the game but
also about the histories and stories connected to this famous German battleship,
to the Axis and Allied naval armadas, and to all the complexities of naval
warfare. I don’t think Michael
Scott Smith would mind that outcome one bit.
3)
Gettysburg: Ah,
the genius of Avalon
Hill’s Gettysburg, a game that was at one and same time deeply grounded in
the battle’s histories (the board alone taught me a great deal about the
battle’s locations and landscapes) and open to each player’s and game’s unique
choices (I still remember the time I had J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry flank the
Union lines and capture General Meade, winning the battle in one fell swoop;
luckily for all Americans it
didn’t really work out that way!). The battle and war are history, but the
game made them come alive, made them new and meaningful for each player and
experience. I owe much of my enduring love of history to precisely such
effects.
Last Gettysburg
post tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think?
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