If you can play a game by yourself and have mostly the same experience, then it leads to the question, “then why do the players matter?”

This is a question I always ask myself when playing co-operative games, and I think from that perspective, co-operative games are simply a double-edged sword in that respect.

Reading cards in spooky voices or in a faux-serious tone does not a good story make when you’re by yourself.

White clad men and padded rooms may ensue if you’re ever caught. Still, if you’re looking for a story, this is the board game equivalent of reading a story, and your characters are the ones telling it, whether you do it alone or with friends.

Eldritch Horror has become the Lovecraft game, in my humble opinion. It’s s phenomenal design in almost every way: it delivers a game that, with four, lasts only about an hour and a half, and most importantly, it comes closest to delivering on the promise of a Lovecraft experience where players feel the dread and the hopelessness that embodies Lovecraft stories, or at least as well as I believe a board game ever can. What I mean by that last part is that most Lovecraft stories are about the characters themselves, their fear, their dread, and an unseen force.

The “good guys” rarely win, and most of the time they either lose, go insane, or run for their lives. They are most certainly not about four heroes fighting off an Elder God directly, but rather the true conflict in the stories are about people realizing that there’s far more out there than meets the eye, an unseen force, and their ability to rationalize it and overcome their own horror. This is a systemic failure in the board game design community, if that even exists, because with a rich and prolific catalog of stories to choose from, Lovecraft-themed games always seem to revolve around this idea that there’s some heroes doing heroic shit versus an all-powerful evil entity.

This month I will be giving away a brand new copy of Eldritch Horror by Fantasy Flight, sponsored by Boardgameprices.com and supplied by Deck 60 Online.

Please make sure you read the official Board Game Giveaway rules before entering. Check out the wall of winners for photos of past contest winners with their prizes and send your congrats. For any questions, thoughts or feedback leave a comment using the form at the bottom of this post or use the form on my contact page to shoot me an email. Be sure to make use of Boardgameprices.com when you are looking for the cheapest price on your next board game purchase. For some cool board game t-shirts and other cool merch visit Geeky Goodies and browse what they have to offer. The winner will be contacted via email upon which the individual will be required to send me their mailing address so I can get the game to them ASAP.

For more information, check out ELDRITCH HORROR GIVEAWAY.