Word Prompt – LEGACY – Moshe Kurtz

Before we had kids, I was an avid board game player. But not the typical Codenames or party games that most people play. I was (and still am) into anything from the Fantasy genre, such as Betrayal at House on the Hill, Eldritch Horror and, of course, Gloomhaven. The latter has set the standard for what has developed into the “Legacy” genre, in which a single board game is played by the same participants over numerous sessions in a campaign style (all emerging from the original Dungeons & Dragons roots).

What I love about this genre is when you realize that the decisions you make early on have significant consequences for sessions that take place weeks or months down the line. “Oh man, if only I had upgraded that skill!” or “Ah, I wish we had spent the silver to help that character!” One small investment or misstep can alter the course of an entire storyline.

It reminds me of the principle of ma’aseh avos siman l’bonim. The Ramban (particularly in Parshas Lech Lecha, and based on earlier statements from Chazal) popularized the principle that the deeds of our ancestors continue to reverberate and shape the course of Jewish history today. What we read about in these parshiyos continues to bear import. And this kind of “legacy” is not just for those of us who like Fantasy – because it’s reality.