5 Board Games That Tempt People To Alpha Game

Board games unfortunately tempt people to alpha game. However, there are some board games that do it more than others. So, what are five board games that tempt people to alpha game?

Five board games that tempt people to alpha game are The Resistance, Gloomhaven, Spartacus: A Game Of Blood And Treachery, Splendor, and Pandemic.

What Is Alpha Gaming?

Although you are welcome to have your own definition of alpha gaming, I’m going to put one forth so we can all have something to work off of. For me, alpha gaming is when someone is trying to control a game, whether that’s telling others what to do, making them feel guilty, or throwing a temper tantrum.

Five Games That Tempt People To Alpha Game

Before I start this list, I want to make it clear these are not the only games that tempt people to alpha game. In fact, you can make an argument that any board game can tempt people to alpha game because it’s not the games that have an alpha gaming problem, it’s the people who do it. 

The reason I picked these five games is that I was looking through my collection, and these five games popped out at me. I have played all five, but I haven’t experienced alpha gaming (whether from myself or someone else) in all of them. I just immediately thought that alpha gaming could happen in them.

Also, please be aware, I enjoy playing all five of these games, so please don’t think I’m trying to steer you away from them. These are just good representatives for games that can tempt people to alpha game.

With that said, let’s start with The Resistance.

The Resistance

Just in case you don’t know, The Resistance is a social deduction game. Everyone has a hidden role, with some people playing on the Resistance team and others playing on the spy team. Each game has five missions. The Resistance wants to succeed at three missions, while the spies want to fail three missions. 

For me, it’s the ultimate gateway game for social deduction games because it’s basically themeless, but it’s easy to learn and easy to play. Plus, it’s fun.

Still, you could replace The Resistance with any other social deduction game for this list. What made me think this game could tempt people to alpha game though were some of its mechanics. For example, you have the social deduction aspect, but you also have several key points in the game.

There’s the mission leader’s decision on who goes on a mission, there’s the vote for whether or not that mission team is accepted, and there are the success or fail cards that go into a mission, which determine if it succeeds or fails.

Maybe you’re seeing it by now, but all of these things give players lots of things to talk about, which gives them many, many opportunities to try to dominate or steer the discussion around them, which can tempt someone to alpha game.

Gloomhaven

Chances are good you’ve heard of Gloomhaven. This game has become a modern classic for board games, and with good reason too. 

I remember playing Gloomhaven for the first time and wondering what all the fuss was about, but by the end of it I wanted to play again. Since then, and having played it several more times, I haven’t wanted to stop. I don’t feel compelled to play it, but I have yet to grow tired of it, which is always a good sign for a game. 

However, Gloomhaven has several things in it that can tempt people to alpha game. For one thing, Gloomhaven feels like you’re solving a puzzle. For some, this will sound like a negative, but I quite like it. It’s less about hoping you get lucky and more about how you put your party’s skills and abilities together to beat each scenario. That requires a lot of thinking, discussion, and planning.

And it’s those things that can tempt people to alpha game in Gloomhaven. There’s also the fact that, based on your decisions, Gloomhaven can change. The game comes with stickers that can change or upgrade abilities, for example. So, people may be tempted to steer others in a direction they think is best. This may not mean they’re doing it out of rudeness either. They may just be trying to help, but it can definitely tempt people to try to take control and, therefore, alpha game.

Spartacus: A Game Of Blood And Treachery

I played Spartacus years and years ago when it first came out. I immediately fell in love with the promise of the game, this idea that you could do so much and had so much influence over everything. It had politics, negotiating, a market, gladiatorial combat, betting, and so on. It also took a long time to play, but no game is perfect.

I also remember reading in the original rulebook a little warning to not be a jerk in the game since the game was designed in such a way that that could happen. 

I have yet to see a warning like that in a game since then, even in the updated version.

But that warning is a great way, to sum up why this game is on this list. That’s because, although I don’t believe any game designer or publisher sets out to design a game that tempts people to alpha game, if there ever was one, Spartacus would be it. By the very nature of the game, you’re likely going to backstab someone. You also have to rally someone to your cause sometimes so you can play certain cards. You may also want to talk someone into throwing a gladiator match. 

And, as we’ve seen, the more talking a game has, the more opportunities it has for alpha gaming.

Splendor

Splendor was not a game I first thought of when developing this article, but when I saw it, I realized how much it could tempt someone to alpha game. 

For just a little context, when Splendor first came out, I didn’t get why people liked it. Back then, I was more obsessed with what I considered to be deeply immersive games, such as Mansions Of Madness 2nd Edition. Splendor did not fit that bill. I did play it once, and I thought it was okay, but I did not play it again until last year when I purchased Marvel Splendor. I liked it so much that I bought the original Splendor too.

Now, I have yet to experience an alpha gaming moment in Splendor or Marvel Splendor, but because these games revolve around building engines and because everyone has access to the same limited resources to build those engines, there are definitely possibilities for alpha gaming. After all, why would someone just let someone else take something they wanted? Why not convince them to go after something else instead? Or maybe, as can happen with alpha gaming, the alpha gamer is just trying to help someone make the best decision possible.

No matter what form alpha gaming takes, I can definitely see it happening in this game and games like it.

Pandemic

Pandemic is one of those games that has been around since I started playing board games in any serious way. I played it back when I started in 2012, and I’ve played it a few times since then. I’ve also played games like it, such as Horrified (which I prefer). 

Since Pandemic is a cooperative game, it automatically lends itself to tempting people to alpha game. After all, how could the stakes get any higher than trying to save the world from virus outbreaks (which hits way too close to home considering the still ongoing events and effects of the pandemic that started in 2020?).

An alpha gamer may just be trying to help someone make a good choice in the game. Or maybe they’re trying to make sure everyone wins, so they start dominating the decisions people make in the game. Whatever the reason, because Pandemic is cooperative and because the stakes are so high, it can tempt people to alpha game.

Did You Know?

(Each time you refresh the page you will get a new “Did You Know” fact!)

Did you know playing Clue is actually really easy? I provided my interpretation of the rules in this article.

Conclusion: 5 Board Games That Tempt People To Alpha Game

As mentioned, I’m not trying to steer you away from these games. The vast majority of my gaming sessions with these and other games have been great times with no alpha gaming in sight. However, if you just want to be more aware of what board games can tempt people to alpha game, then these are five of the ones that definitely can.

So, what do you think about these board games that tempt people to alpha game? What games would you put on the list? Let me know in the comments below!

And, as always, keep on gaming, fellow board gamers.