Most tournaments at the Mind Sports Olympiad are for games with a large amount of history - games such as chess and bridge have been round for over a century. The learn and play new games section of the Mind Sports Olympiad will bring some newer games to the event.
This year the Learn & Play New Games will concentrate on German games. There is a different culture in Germany towards games. There games are seen as social events for everyone involving a mixture of luck and skill epitomised by games like Settlers of Catan. All tend to be very simple to learn, but with plenty of depth to the game play. This is a vast difference to the UK, where most games that you find in shops will be some variant of roll a die & move a piece. Over the past ten years or so many excellent German games have been produced (many now translated into English) of varying lengths and complexity.
There will be a Learn & Play New Games event in each weekend of the Mind Sports Olympiad. The sessions are designed to be fairly informal. If players enjoy a game and want to play it several times, then great. If players dislike a game and want to try something else part way through then fine. I will be bringing along my extensive games library so there will be plenty of games available for players to try out.
The way the sessions will work is that I will start by explaining the mechanics of a popular game (probably Settlers to start). As and when tables finish they can play again if they have enjoyed it or move on to something else if they prefer from the choice in the games library.
If you cant make the main sessions but fancy trying out some of the other games then please contact me. I will be there throughout the week so please come up for a chat and to play a few games at any point.
If you have any queries about the event, then please feel free to contact the tournament organiser, Mark Stretch, postally at 34, Dart Drive, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7XX, by phone at +44 1235 519 720, by e-mail, or visit the MSO website at http://www.msoworld.com/.
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