I admit that my experience with board games is pretty limited. And I’m not too saddened by that.

There are definitely some board games I’d love to play again or pick up. But whenever I think about board games, the problem that always looms in my mind is getting the players together. Coordinating enough interested people, getting over the rules if others (or I) need to learn them, and then finally getting to a place where we can just sit and play can take a lot of time.

But I think such a commitment would be worth it to play King Post’s own Beowulf. This game came to my attention thanks to this review.

This is a board game that uses the story of Beowulf as the background for play. Instead of taking up the role of Beowulf, players step into the shoes of various Geat tribes. Players then progress systematically through turns that see Beowulf moving down the timeline of his life as monsters, events, and a trading/raiding phase unfold. It definitely sounds like a complicated game to grasp at first (kind of like Dominant Species), and even like it might take some getting used to even once you get the basics.

But because this game is more about exploring the context of the Beowulf story than about the story itself, I find it infinitely fascinating. Pairing that with the care and effort that clearly went into the game’s board, cards, and pieces makes me really consider buying the game. Not even to play it, I think it’d be neat to just read all the cards and bask in the atmosphere that this game looks like it exudes.

Though I can’t help but feel like admiring the game is all I’d get to do.

As mentioned above, it’s always seemed difficult to me to bring together enough interested people to try out a new game. Mind you, I’ve never coordinated a board game night before (I’d sooner just read or play video games or, thanks in part to Pokemon GO, go for a walk until my phone dies in my free time). But reading about King Port’s Beowulf board game makes me reconsider that. It definitely sounds like a game that I’d love to learn and play.

I might also stand a decent chance of getting the first turn advantage, since the game dictates that the “hairiest” player gets to go first. Finally a game where Eastern-European genes pay off!