strategy games like chess

Alright, listen up, y’all. We’re gonna talk about them brainy games, the ones like chess, you know? Them games that make you scratch your head and think real hard.

Chess, that fancy king of games, they say. Don’t know why they call it king, ain’t never seen no crown on the board. But it’s a tough one, gotta think ahead, like plannin’ for winter crops. You move them little fellas around, tryin’ to trap the other fella’s king. It’s all about thinkin’ and thinkin’, and sometimes you still lose, just like in life, huh?

Now, there’s this other game, Go, they say it’s even tougher than chess. Can you believe it? Sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. But folks say it’s about seein’ patterns, like knowin’ when the rain’s comin’ by lookin’ at the clouds. You put them little stones down, tryin’ to surround the other fella’s stuff. More territory you got, the better you are. Sounds like farmin’ to me, except you ain’t growin’ nothin’ but headaches.

• Santorini, now that’s a pretty one. They say it’s like buildin’ a village, except you’re tryin’ to climb to the top and block the other fella. You put them little buildings up, and it looks all nice and tidy, until someone messes it all up. Reminds me of tryin’ to keep the chickens outta the garden.
• Then there’s this Viking Chess, or somethin’ like that, Hnefatafl. They say it’s old, like real old, older than my grandma’s biscuits. One fella’s gotta escape, and the other fellas gotta stop him. Sounds like a fox tryin’ to get into the henhouse. Gotta be smart, gotta be quick. Just like when you’re tryin’ to catch a greased pig.

Them games, they ain’t just for city folks, you know. We country folks can play ’em too. We might not have them fancy chess pieces, but we can use rocks and sticks. And we might not know all them fancy rules, but we can make up our own. It’s all about havin’ fun, and maybe learnin’ a thing or two about thinkin’ ahead. Like plannin’ your crops, or fixin’ a fence, or even just figgerin’ out what to cook for supper.

And there’s games where you build your own whole darn towns. Like this thing called Civilization 6. It’s like bein’ the mayor, the farmer, and the general all rolled into one! You gotta decide where to build your houses, what to grow, and how to defend yourself from them other towns tryin’ to mess with ya. Sounds like a lot of work if you ask me, but some folks like that sort of thing.

These strategy games, they’ve been around forever, they say. Folks been playin’ ’em for hundreds of years, tryin’ to outsmart each other. And I reckon they’ll keep playin’ ’em for hundreds more. ‘Cause there’s somethin’ about a good challenge that gets the blood pumpin’. Somethin’ about tryin’ to figure out the best move, the one that’ll make you the winner. And even if you lose, well, you just gotta pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. Just like in life, right?

So, if you’re lookin’ for a way to pass the time, or if you just want to give your brain a good workout, try one of them strategy games. You might be surprised at how much you like ’em. And who knows, you might even get good enough to beat me. But I doubt it, ’cause I’m pretty darn good at thinkin’, even if I ain’t got no fancy book learnin’. I’ve been strategizin’ my whole life, from gettin’ the best price at the market to keepin’ them pesky crows outta the cornfield. It’s all the same, just different ways of lookin’ at things.

And that’s all I gotta say about that. Now go on and play some games, and don’t forget to have fun.

Tags: [Strategy Games, Chess, Go, Board Games, Santorini, Hnefatafl, Viking Chess, Civilization 6, Brain Games, Tactical Games]