Board Games and Buddhism, with Takuya Ono 00:00 Introduction 01:23 How I became a Buddhist priest and jushoku 03:52 Duties of a Buddhist temple master in Japan 06:06 Board Gaming in Japan, and the Okuma Disaster 08:13 How I became a board game fan 12:32 Religion in Japan 15:39 Buddhism and games 21:06 My favorite board games 26:55 Buddhism practices compassion 33:32 Connect with Ono-san CALL TO ACTION: Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ). Follow Takuya Ono on Board Game Geek, at https://boardgamegeek.com/user/atiisha.

Ideas behind the class What are board games, what is their history, how do they work, and why do they matter? Structuring the class I revisited some of our previous episodes – defining a game, Bernard Suits, Jane McGonigal Defining a board game history of board games mechanisms of board games (card drafting, worker placement, Euro, Ameritrash, bluffing, player elimination, trading, set collection) Games that teach history or lessons Games that are roleplaying and open-ended (TTRPG like D&D) Games and life, such as McGonigal Reality is Broken Magic circles: games and religion Board Game Lab: the experience of playing board games Documents in your syllabus that are familiar to the BGF community (The Grasshopper, Reality is Broken, Theology of Play, Meditations on Tarot), but a new addition is Nietzsche’s Zarathustra. Games that we have played Kingdomino – Euro and set collection Secret Hitler – deception and social deduction Coup - deception and social deduction Pandemic (couldn’t finish) – co-op game and so influential Freedom (couldn’t finish) – a game that teaches Dune Imperium (couldn’t finish) – card drafting, a race, worker placement, hand management Happy Salmon – silly party game that is fun but kind of pointless (which is part of the fun) Bohnanza – trading, set collection, hand management Things I have learned - What are you taking away from it? Spending time with young people is pretty wonderful It’s great to do theory and then experience/practice, especially in a small group/pod setting People are different – one dude loves the social deduction and bluffing element of Coup, while someone else loves the soothing Euro game Kingdomino Youths catch on quickly, and they love games

LISTENER HIGHLIGHT! * Jim from Pennsylvania MAIL BAG! - Episode 21 feedback - So grateful to @CampingMeeple's (https://www.instagram.com/campingmeeple/) response to episode 21 - how to start a board game group:  "We are trying to keep a Board game day happening more often at our church, but it was actually interesting listening to your last episode because it’s generally hobby people at ours and you were talking about card games and stuff a lot. I am a relatively newer convert to hobby games, but my addiction started at one of these events. Interestingly, I attended one a few years prior and it didn’t stick the same way. But just like you said it generally needs to be accessible games not heavy and the last time I brought my 10 year old." - This episode - @Reengineerthegame (https://www.instagram.com/Reengineer_the_game/) offers this response to our question about spiritual lessons learned from cooperative games: "Humility is the first one that comes to mind. You can be humbled in competitive games by being out played but in cooperative games you can choose humility over being an “alpha player” or simply get beat by the game." What is a cooperative game? You win as a group against the board, and not against each other You share information and ideas, and sometimes even resources You have a shared objective (achieve a certain amount of goals) You coordinate your moves and plan out as a group what to do Note the original Monopoly game had 2 rules-sets, and the second one (that we don’t play anymore) was cooperative. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_board_game): In 1903 Elizabeth Magie patented "The Landlord's Game", inspired by the principles and philosophy of Henry George. The Landlords' and designed as a protest against the monopolists of the time, the game is considered to be the game from which Monopoly was largely derived. In it, Magie had two rule-sets - the Monopoly rules, in which players all vied to accrue the largest revenue and crush their opponents, and a co-operative set. Her dualistic approach was a teaching tool meant to demonstrate that the co-operative rules were morally superior. Spiritual Lessons Learning to take turns and moves that help the group and not yourself. Learning that diversity of gifts is important. Many cooperative games assign roles with special powers. Everyone has a different role to play. See 1 Corinthians 12 & Romans 12 in the Christian Bible. Encouraging everyone to participate in a low-stress way; cooperative games allow players to give and receive advice on what to do in a turn. The importance of trusting others' choices. Sometimes we have to let others fail in order to respect that actions and choices. Individual achievement can feel different from communal achievement. A shared victory is much sweeter in the end, don’t you think? NEXT EPISODE - KEVIN: REFLECTIONS ON TEACHING SPIRITUALITY & BOARD GAMES! THANK YOU! CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

Daniel Thurot of the Space-Biff! newsletter and podcast discusses board games as devotion and religious exploration, Mormonism, and religious identity. What does it mean for board games to explore religious division, change, and history? CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

We examine the medieval Book of Games, King Alfonso of Spain's 1283 book about chess, dice games, and board games like Backgammon. There are rich insights here into medieval and modern board games – their types, challenges, wisdom, and benefits. Yay for history! CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ)

A regular board game group is a powerful way to build inter-generational relationships and community at your house of worship. But how and where to start? Daniel and Kevin share their experiences: what worked, what didn't, and what to watch out for. For a one-sheet on this process, subscribe to our newsletter here (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) or email us at info@boardgamefaith.com. CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

This thoughtful conversation moves from traveling, gaming with parents, representation in board games, the stereotypes of Muslims as either extremists or as hijab enforcers, the common sense decency of Muslims that is rarely reported in the media, questions of Islamic theology and interpretation, and the place of Jesus Christ as a prophet of Islam. Find Ali Karar on the internet! (https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/277219/karars-story-mode-campaigns-board-games) https://linktr.ee/karar2k CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

Here is the original Dice Tower's "Top 10 Enemies of Gaming" Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytUUQhKdzL0 Mechthild of Magdeburg (13 century German mystic poet and writer), “Clothe yourself with yourself." Rodney Smith (Watch It Played on YouTube): "I come to this table as a flawed human being.… The gift of this hobby is to learn to be better people – note that video games don’t do this." CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

Episode description not available.

Adrian Adamescu is a chemist (with a PhD in Chemistry) and board game designer (Sagrada, Dice Theme Park, 7 Summits, Speakeasy Blues, Creatures & Cupcakes). We interview him about growing up in Romania and Germany, an important family friend, and his faith experiences that have shaped him today as a father and board game designer. CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe us Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact us Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ).

OPENING GAME - Rock-Paper-Scissors/Roshambo CELEBRATION - Had first newsletter this week! INTRO TO MAIN TOPIC - what is an action selection game? GrenadierBG on Discord recommends Adam in Wales video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5KswRrah4&t=847s) MAIN TOPIC - Spiritual Lessons from Action Selection Games Taking initiative can be important. Taking actions can deny resources to others. Taking actions can also provide opportunities for others. You cannot control what others do. You can only control yourself. You must do what is urgent and important in action selection, which is a great human time management lesson. NEXT EPISODE: Adrian Adamescu, designer of Sagrada, Dice Theme Park, 7 Summits, Titanic Board Game CALL TO ACTION: - Subscribe to our newsletter (https://buttondown.email/BoardGameFaith) - Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/) - interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) - Discord us Discord (https://discord.gg/MRqDXEJZ). Send us a video or audio introducing yourself and clapping in a creative way to get an episode started

INTRO IMPROV GAME: Characters in a classic Spaghetti Western film play the game Lord of the Rings: Journey in Middle Earth (currently #97 on Board Game Geek). Apologies for our ridicuous accents! Jane McGonigal's book Reality is Broken describes what we learn about human happiness through understanding the impact of games on human neurology and psychology. Human enjoy goals, rules, obstacles, a feedback system, and voluntary participation. The point of a game isn't always to win but to establish flow. "The opposite of play isn't work. It's depression" (p. 28, quoting Brian Sutton-Smith). GAME BREAK: Games that Have Surprised Us The most enduring human happiness is generated within (intrinsic), not from extrinsic things such as money and power. Through satisfying work, the hope of success, social connections, and meaningful contributions we are at our happiest, and games provide exactly these things. We will discuss Reality is Broken chapters 10-13 in 2023! We are launching a biweekly newsletter!! General news, more about upcoming episode, media we're into (music, movies, books), and an opportunity to get to know you. To sign up, please click on link in our linktree, or email us at boardgamefaith@gmail.com, or info@boardgamefaith.com Next episode: Spiritual Lessons of Action Selection Games

How do board games intersect with Orthodox Jewish religious and family life? We discuss how Sabbath observance impacts Alex's work, family life, and board game hobby, and how the Sabbath is defined and practiced for him and his synagogue. Be sure to check out Alex's excellent YouTube channel, BoardGameCo (https://youtube.com/boardgameco). NEXT EPISODE: We discuss Jane McGonagal's Reality is Broken chapters 1 and 2. We're glad to have you read along with us, but this homework is totally optional and can be ignored! What do you think? Post your thoughts, responses, and questions on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) and Discord (https://discord.gg/RTpwD9V2). Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/posts).

Cold Opening: Through the Ages on a Doomed Spaceship OPENING GAME - Location: A doomed spaceship (from “www.can-i-get-a.com”). Game: Through the Ages - A New Story of Civilization – (#12 on BGG!) main topic Defining magic circles and liminal spaces, and how they relate to religious practice and faith. scriptures referenced Genesis 28:10-16 NEXT EPISODE: Interview with Alex Radcliffe of BoardGameCo on Youtube, and now Chief Marketing Officer at GameFound. Also, if you are interested, start reading McGonagal's Reality is Broken for our upcoming discussion! What do you think? Post your thoughts, responses, and questions on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) and Discord (https://discord.gg/RTpwD9V2). Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/posts).

Episode description not available.

Kevin torments Daniel with a homebrewed Push Your Luck game based on Star Wars and Weird Al trivia (NOTE WE HAVE CHAPTER MARKERS NOW!). We then define push your luck games and glean some wisdom from these games: learning to take risks is good (and even Biblical, see Matthew 25:14-30); we can better understand ourselves and our comfort level with risk; we can learn to take smart risks instead of reckless ones; luck can be inclusive because everyone has a chance to win; we can't take luck personally; luck can build community. What do you think? Post your thoughts, responses, and questions on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) and Discord (https://discord.gg/RTpwD9V2). Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/posts).

The goal of the Center for Play and Exploration is to encourage adults to be more curious, more divergent in their thinking, and empowered to fail. Dave argues that curiosity and imagination are ways to dismantle anxiety and fear. We respond to listener feedback and speculate whether God does indeed play dice with the universe, because creation is God's joyful act of play. Post your thoughts, responses, and questions on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/) and Discord (https://discord.gg/RTpwD9V2).

What would it mean to think of life as a game? Are games merely pastimes between serious endeavors, or is it an approach to life oriented around unnecessary obstacles and enjoyment? We touch on ideas about the meaning of life, happiness, and life as something useful versus life as something to be enjoyed. Human flourishing is ultimately found in graceful abundance, in which all we can ever really do is pursue meaningful activities (and play games). Perhaps God does indeed play dice with the universe. Join us our Discord here (https://discord.gg/zPnwy5J4).

Daniel and Kevin tackle the obvious question: is wining the point of playing games? How does a desire to win relate to the desire to have an enjoyable gaming experience, and what spiritual realities are present when we strive to be humble and gracious at a gaming table where the object is to win the game? We consider that games might be training us to win over other people, instead of being more loving and kind. Does love exclude winning? Yet much of life is about improvement, and even heaven must include aspects of winning and loss. Some board games use different mechanics and win conditions such as "sandbox" and "kingmaker" type games, and others are social deduction games where players deceive and lie. How do the words of Jesus (the last shall be first) relate to ideas of winning and losing?

Rev. Chelsey Hillyer joins us to chat about creating accessibility around board games so everyone is welcome to be themselves, find satisfaction with their game play, and empowered to have fun. How do board games and play in general create accessibility so everyone is welcome to be themselves? Games are partly about winning, but also about being satisfied with your game play and everyone being able to have a good time. We discuss ADHD-Inattentive and neurodiversity, play as protest, and games that create deep presence and community. We share thoughts on parenting, Geoff Englestein's book GameTek, play as a fundamental part of human life and a fundamental human right, play as a protest against hierarchy and monetary valuation, the films Life Is Beautiful and Jojo Rabbit, and we recommend the games Pandemic, No Thanks, Azul, A Gentle Rain, and Charterstone as particularly accessible games. Follow Chelsey Hillyer through her website, Amateur Efforts (https://amateurefforts.com). Support us on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/boardgamefaith/), learn more about us at boardgamefaith.com (https://boardgamefaith.com), and interact with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/boardgamefaith/).