Stefan Rogenmoser

Tim and Tina McDuffie play a game of Ticket To Ride as they prepare to introduce designer game nights and tournaments to the community at their store, Here Be Books & Games.

Stefan Rogenmoser

The object of Tsuro is to follow lines on cards without running off the board or into other players.

Board games don’t have to be boring, or make its players wait aimlessly until it’s their turn.

That’s the message Here Be Books & Games co-owner Tina McDuffie wants to spread to the community. The bookstore, which she runs with her husband Tim McDuffie, hosts game nights after-hours on the first Saturday of the month.

From this week through the beginning of December the bookstore will feature designer games and host tournaments with where games are given as prizes.

Anyone can come and play modern designer board games, which are more about skill and strategy than pure luck and player elimination, Tim says.

“There’s a lot of player interaction,” Tina says.

In games like Forbidden Island and Pandemic the players collaborate against the board, and it’s surprising how often the board wins, she says.

Designer games have the designer’s name on the box like an author has their name on a book.

They are also known as Euro games. Here Be Books & Games has 376 such games in the store and anyone can come in during slower hours or on game night and learn to play them.

“I’ll sit down and teach someone how to play,” Tina says. “There’s better games than Monopoly.”

Designer games have themes, detailed artwork and various levels of complexity to make an easy gateway for beginners.

In Tsuro, each player draws a card and they have to follow various twisting or straight paths. If they run off the board or run into another player they are out of the game.

The cards that other players lay down determine the path other players take as the board gets filled. It takes about 15 minutes per game, depending on the amount of players, and is one of the shorter ones.

Some games last 45 minutes to an hour while others go from two to four hours.

“They used to call them German games,” Tina says. “They take it seriously. American games are usually about eliminating players and last man standing.

“These games have more player interaction. You’re not just waiting until your next turn. There’s network building, resource management.”

Ticket To Ride is a train-themed game with train game pieces which are obtained with a set of cards. Another set of cards determines routes on a map that are claimed for points.

The game is all ages for two to five players and takes about 40 minutes. Each player starts with 45 train pieces and when they have two left they win, Tina says.

The original board covers United States, but there are other boards for other countries. The Switzerland board is out of print until December, according to Tina.

Mostly adults come to game night, which is free and lasts from 6 p.m. to midnight. There are usually 25 people who lay about 22 games throughout the night.

Here Be Books & Games is located at 4650 Ladson Road in the Oakbrook Plaza at the corner of Ladson and Dorchester roads.

Designer Game of the Week schedule

Sept. 20 – 24, Pirate Fluxx

Sept. 27 – Oct. 1, Tsuro, Got ‘Em!

Oct. 4 – 8, Catan

Oct. 11 – 15, Forbidden Island

Oct. 18 – 22, Carcassonne

Oct. 25 – 29, Zombies!!!

Nov. 1 – 5, Ticket To Ride

Nov. 8 – 12, Dixit Odyssey, Telestrations

Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, Thunderstone

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