I’ve mentioned before about attending a board games club. I’ve been playing strategic board games since 1981, when a group of us played a game called Diplomacy at the after school war games club. I’ve played by post, by email and via websites as well as in person at our current club, at a student club in my Uni days and attending conventions where I can play with around three hundred other like-minded souls, some of whom have become very good friends over the years. I seem to have gravitated towards people who also like real ale, football – and of course, music.
It seems like some games designers have also had an ear to the radio, record player, etc over the years as some games share their names with various songs and bands. And that’s the point of this series. I’ll mention a game, provide a link to its entry on the mammoth BoardGameGeek website (see, we don’t take ourselves too seriously!), and also include the musical connection.
What better way to start than with what is seen as a “gateway” game? That’s a game that a non–gamer can easily learn and understand, but which a seasoned gamer can also play and enjoy. I should point out that these types of games may well have some luck, but the challenge is managing your luck or lack thereof.
Ticket To Ride (wonder what inspired that name) is based on a USA rail map in 1910 and players collect cards that they then exchange in order to build bits of track that should ultimately allow them to complete various contracts. These are what score the bulk of the victory points. There are several other maps available (all with individual tweaks to the rules) as the original game was hugely popular and the gaming industry, like any other, will flog a franchise for all its worth. I seem to be particularly good at the Nordic Countries map for some reason.
Here’s the BoardGameGeek link: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride
I’ve seen the original USA game and the Europe version on sale in places like Waterstone’s in the UK.
Now the music – well sort of. I won’t be providing a link to the original version of the song. We all know that. I thought it would be more fun, and indeed more appropriate, to share a version I acquired on a free EP that came with NME many years ago, recorded by a band whose name was actually inspired by a board game.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/14423/husker-du
It’s a children’s game and not one I’ve ever seen, let alone played. Not that I think I would want to.
I still have this record somewhere, but the version on the link is in far better condition than my copy, which got played to death for eighteen months or so after I got it.
There will be more gaming waffle to come as well as further pieces in the other ongoing series. There’s been a delay since the last post for a number of reasons – not least the fact that I lost all Internet on Tuesday, when I originally planned to put this together.
TGG
Wasting time in the study 
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