Such Charming Nerd Rage

...probably the strongest aspect of designer board games is the method of production. Due to board games of this ilk still being regulated to a growing niche audience, there are no release date expectations to take advantage of before a competing release. As such, the majority of the games that I currently own or have played feature top notch game components and all feel as if they have been extensively play-tested before going to market. Even the least interesting games I have played have very few, if any, holes.

Still, there is one area that can be difficult to cozy up to - theme. Generally speaking, theme is important in any game. The area that can cause issues are licensed themes. Some games use a license and construct a strong game around it. Other games waste the license and develop something that looks rushed, offering very low replayability. A bad use of license (based on reviews and demos I have seen) would be the Assassins Creed Arena game from Cryptozoic. Reviews are not great, game play appears very dull and lifeless and I am guessing even fans of the franchise will shrug it off. On the flipside, despite being similar to Merchants Of Venus, Firefly is a rock solid exploration game with a straight-forward pickup/delivery mechanic strung through a series of strategic planning schemes and a bit of luck.

Recently, I have come to learn that the same company that released the excellent (it really is) Firefly is soon to release a Sons Of Anarchy board game. Again, any license is cause for an instant hesitation on my part, especially after playing Gears Of War. From what I've seen and read, the Sons Of Anarchy board game from Galeforce Nine is a worker placement game with some combat and negotiation elements. I feel as if this could be a cash grab scenario, but I also know from experience how good Firefly is and now, I am curious.

There is a part of me that wants to just bypass this game based on theme alone. While I am still a fan of the series (it is difficult to argue with great writing & acting), I often roll my eyes at the phony "culture" that has erupted as a result of the show. Everyone wants to be the newest member to be patched in so when the next soccer mom steps out of her Grand Caravan sporting a SAMCRO hoodie, I want to run to this nearest Murder She Wrote box set and start solving cat mysteries.

Logically speaking, none of this can be blamed on the show, nor can one ascribe the current biker-mania running rampant in suburban SUV's onto the game. What is important is how the game offers interesting mechanics, handles the theme and generates the replay desire. Based on the few screenshots I have found, I do think that the game has potential. It bears some qualities of other games that I enjoy such as Civilization, Batman Gotham City and Merchants Of Venus.

It will be both interesting and hilarious to see if the pull of playing as a biker will cause unsuspecting bored mom's to buy this game. If it even has some of the game mechanics I suspect that it might, will otherwise non-gamers get either turned onto or intimidated by the possible complexities? Or will it become a coffee table conversation piece that a house guest asks about and is given the explanation "Well, the box looked cool but when we opened it up, there were too many dice and the instruction book was an actual book that we'd have to read. Ned & I just decided to use it as decor instead."