Playing The Mind Games - Winning Board Games Part 4

In my post “5 Basic Tips For Winning Board Games” I outlined best practices that can be applied to just about any board game, the 4th of which was about playing mind games with your opponents. While I gave some insights about this on that post, I figured it was worth going into more detail. So here are some tips for playing mind games during your tabletop gameplay.

Act Upset When You Actually Aren’t

It’s a silly thing really, but I’ve found value in pretending to be upset when someone plays right into my plan. A great example of this is in the game Hearts. If I’m trying to shoot the moon, it’s in my best interest to pretend to be upset when I take points (points in hearts is bad unless you take all of the points). I also pretend to be upset when I’m passed the 2 of clubs. I’m fine with that card, but people tend to pass it to me anyway because they think it interferes with my strategy.

Use Reverse and Reverse-Reverse Psychology

You heard it right! We’re playing that game you see in The Princess Bride. Reverse psychology is a common tactic used, but what if you took it a step further? If you have a group that you commonly play with, sometimes pretending like you’re pretending can actually work. They think you’re using reverse psychology when in reality you’re planning to do exactly what you outlined. It can be very difficult to read, especially in games like Bang! or Sheriff Of Nottingham where deceit is a key element of the game.

Subtly Communicate

This one is a bit broad, but in a nutshell it’s basically subliminal messaging. Let me give you an example. When playing Settlers, if you roll a 7 you can move the robber piece to block anyone from gather resources from a specific tile. Take some time to pretend you’re considering placing it on a tile that you don’t really intend to. It makes people worried that they’re going to get robbed. Then when you choose a different location, tell them you didn’t want to be mean. You just placed the robber in the same spot you had originally planned and gained a friend in the process. Hopefully the people you “spared” robbing might return the favor and not rob you when they get the chance.

The key here is sneakily getting people to think a certain way about your strategy, like considering you a sort of ally or thinking you’ve accidentally let a plan slip when in reality it’s your red herring strategy.

Those are just a few of the mind games that I’ve found to be fun while playing card games. Be sure to still be kind and not get too manipulative. You certainly don’t want to lose any friends over a board game. ;)