science of board games

I'm a board game fan.  I've been playing for a couple of years now with the non-trivial board games.   I'm also a part-time mathematician, computer scientist, and geek.  So, naturally, I give a lot of thought to the board games I am playing, and always wonder about such things as, "what does this mechanic accomplish in the game," "is this an optimal way to start the game", or "is one player overpowered?"

This blog is meant as a way for me to document my board game curiosities.  Perhaps there are others who will be interested in the tests and results as well.