Well, that just proves that he was right! The definition of “standing the test of time” seems fuzzy. If mainstream appeal is vital, for instance, how to explain Diplomacy? Many games maintained a following despite going out of print (Dune, Wiz War etc.). Ironically, the greatest obstacle to standing the test of time might be gamers themselves, who sometimes seem a bit quick to dismiss things as “good for their time” (and there’s a phrase that sends a cold chill up my spine). The Settlers Of Catan, arguably the most successful crossover hit ever and a huge holiday seller, seems often viewed as a relic by the “cult of the new”. Even when classic games are reintroduced, the first question is often “how will it change to appeal to today’s audience” (and there’s another… brrr... hang on, let me get a sweater.) Surely there has to be some middle ground between stagnation and cultural ADD. Still, happy new year! I suggest this decade left its mark in two major areas rather than individual titles. First, a new style of cooperative game grew from The Lord Of The Rings through Pandemic. Second and easier to overlook, the new power of “print-and-play” allowed designers to affordably take their work directly to the public and provided a way to distribute some classic games that stood the test yet were never graced with a full reprint. So the best decade ever? Maybe, maybe not, but (cue the stirring rendition of "Pomp and Circumstance" here while I switch on the backlight and wind machine) certainly one that stands proudly alongside the 1960’s when 3M provided a fresh image of new game design for adults. The 1970’s when the rise of D&D, Cosmic Encounter and the prime of Avalon Hill revealed possibilities beyond the deserving classics of the early 20th century. The 1980’s when the mania of Trivial Pursuit proved that table games would survive the new rivalry of the video screen while Mayfair and Steve Jackson began their rise to glory and the RPG came of age with edgier titles like Paranoia. And the 1990’s when Magic: The Gathering created an entirely new concept just as people in the states were first learning new and exciting names like Knizia and Catan. (I do realize that this is an increasingly eccentric and isolated view, but that’s okay. It just makes for a crowded bookcase. Or five. That wind machine’s a little strong by the way…) As for mainstream success, much derision was (rightly) targeted at the recent article in a Fort Worth newspaper dismissing titles like Ticket to Ride and Pandemic in favor of second-tier party games and TV tie-ins(none of which I expect to stand any kind of test). Now, while I by no means defend it, I wonder, given phrases like “we’re not stupid people” and “those old games are classics for a reason” and the carefully specific selection of some trumpeted “gateway games” only to acknowledge that they hadn’t even bothered to finish reading the rules, if the article’s aggressive and willful cluelessness only made sense as a backlash piece. After all, over this decade I have seen some gamers- and I stress the word some- refer to people unexposed to “those games of theirs” as (and I’m not making any of these up) “nongamers”, “noobs”, “the mundanes”, “the great unwashed”, "the easily entertained", “the (less) intelligent ones”, “(those who) need to touch the f---ing monolith”, ”sheeple”, “Jethro McAverage”, “idiots”, and much, much worse actually. (I had to stifle a giggle in a local game store recently when I overheard someone ask if they could bring in Ticket To Ride or if that was “too ‘pleb’ for the store.” Look, is there a lower setting on that wind machine? I don’t know how much longer I can hang onto this pole.) Granted, I’m probably giving the columnists far too much credit, but I can imagine them trying to innocently strike up a conversation near the recent con, inadvertently dropping the name of one of The Dreaded Mainstream Titles That Dare Not Speak Their Name, then deciding to write something specifically to smack down those strange people who had so talked down to them. A predictable torrent of geeky abuse followed on their website to which they snappishly replied that they weren’t there to serve a “niche”. And when I look at those two extremes, to be honest, I’m not really eager to sit down at a table with either of them. (Seriously, now, it’s going to blow me down the hill here. It’ll take me until at least Valentine’s Day to walk back…) The titles that really break out, I think, are going to fall somewhere in the middle ground and they're mainly going to reach new people through friendly inviting local game stores but as to what defines them I’m baffled. I’ve had much better luck introducing casual players to The Princes of Florence than to Chrononauts, go figure. Settlers made it. Then again so, like it or not, did Fluxx. Blokus is produced by Mattel now with at least four distinct variants available; I’d say it’s safe. Zombies!!! seems to keep gradually lurching further along. (Losing grip… what’s that blowing toward me… no, it can’t be! COW! *Moooooo…WHUMP!* Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!)