This started off as a semi-serious blog post trying to define megagames. But let’s be honest – none of us want that.
What is a megagame? Let me explain
It started off as a big wargame
Armies and counters and pages of text
Rules that were rigid, but some room for flex
It’s said Paddy Griffith fathered the game
And Memphis Mangler was the first with the name
NVA, Americans and Viet Cong
(This was a while back, in ’81)
Over the decades lots more games were run
By designers like Cameron, Boundy, Wallman
And they evolved, the settings got broader
The boundaries stretched by these first marauders
Then in 2014 a new game was devised
Twas based on X-Com and called Watch The Skies
And a famous troupe of board game celebs
Showcased the hobby on the world wide web
The explosion of interest was hard to contain
And megagames reached new heights of fame
Soon groups were emerging all over the world
Each with their own ideas to be heard
The previous boundaries were quickly reached
Brand new concepts and designs were preached
Then came the fighting and all the disputes
For the megagame tree bore quite varied fruit
Some were all roleplay, some focused on maps
Some eschewed technology yet some still had apps
At WTS3 played three-hundred and twenty
So how can you say that twelve is plenty?
And teams – they’re essential, or so some would say
Unless they’re just groupings, allied in no way
And now we hear some American sinners
Are building in Victory Points and naming winners
“They’re boardgames! No, LARPing! No, Model UN!”
Rages the battle again and again
But one thing is true, you’d better believe it,
As said about porn: I know it when I see it
The next megagame I’m at is Crisis in Elysium by Horizon Megagames, where I will be High Priest of the Church of the True Martians. I previously played this game as Governor of Mars – have a read if you’d like to know what the game’s like. Will I see you there?