To tell a story or not to tell a story? That is the question the SnakesCast asks this week as we delve into the concept of theme vs. abstraction in games - or in other words, whether a game has a narrative hook or not. Today, Monday December 11th 2017, we begin by trying to define theme as it relates to games, we ask what its purpose is, and we talk about how it may be viewed by different kinds of player.

Abstraction and Theme, Part 1 - What's in a theme?

The world of tabletop games is a lot bigger than most people realize. In fact it's so big that the idea of investigating it can actually be kind of intimidating. When you see all those games you've never heard of, with rules and concepts and themes you've never seen before in a game, it's hard to know where to start.
The answer is: start with the SnakesCast. Every week, we'll bring you ten or fifteen minutes' worth of banter about what makes these games worth playing. With a different theme every episode and a rotating cast of both gurus and non-gurus from Toronto's premiere boardgame café, we'll show you just how much there is to play with out there.

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The world of tabletop games is a lot bigger than most people realize. In fact it's so big that the idea of investigating it can actually be kind of intimidating. When you see all those games you've never heard of, with rules and concepts and themes you've never seen before in a game, it's hard to know where to start. The answer is: start with the SnakesCast. Every week, we'll bring you ten or fifteen minutes' worth of banter about what makes these games worth playing. With a different theme every episode and a rotating cast of both gurus and non-gurus from Toronto's premiere boardgame café, we'll show you just how much there is to play with out there.

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Abstraction and Theme, Part 1 - What's in a theme?

Abstraction and Theme, Part 1 - What's in a theme?