Devotees to board games enjoy how they can transport players to other places—the distant past, a faraway planet or perhaps an entire fantasy universe unto itself. Some fully immerse players in their pastiche while others present an art style that doesn’t make its way into the board game. Most important to remember is that, when it comes to board games, reality bites. Perhaps this is why some tried-and-true aesthetics are popular skins on which board games are based; less time creating an entirely new vibe means more time focusing on board game mechanics and hooking consumers. Here are a few of the most popular world styles and what they bring to board gaming…

Steampunk

Dust off those oversized goggles and dust off the schematics for that Rube Goldberg flying machine. Steampunk, or the blending of low-fi technology with hi-fi chromatics, has made its way through pop culture, of which board games are no exception. It presents a parallel timeline where zeppelins beat out planes and gears triumphed over microchips, and a place where designers can find all sorts of gadgets to include in their board games. The aesthetic also lends a cartoonish flair to supervillains, who usually require some sort of tech support to get their patchwork machinery off the ground—especially when their entire steampunk world can succumb to rust from a bad rainstorm. The stakes are high when the devices of this world threaten to stop working entirely. Maybe those microchips were a better idea…

Fantasy

Dungeons and dragons and bears, oh my! Fantasy worlds, where wizards and wild beasts roam free, are well-worn territory for games. But that’s not to say there’s nothing new to explore. Board game designers often start with familiar critters, like orcs or elves, and provide their own twist on the formula in a way that makes sense for the world they’re trying to create. Perhaps their elf wears a fedora, for example, or instead of the traditional bow and arrow they cart around a bow and a quiver full of fedoras. There are no rules other than pretty much every rule of what makes a human a human: eyes, ears, mouth(s), a body and a soul.

Space

The universe is infinite and vast, but even our own solar system presents mysteries we’re unlikely to solve in our lifetime. Any corner of space provides a wealth of mystery and intrigue on which to base a board game: planetary surfaces to explore, alien critters to meet and a series of disgusting flavors of dried food to eat. The endless, gaping maw of space also allows designers to mess with how the board game progresses—traversing the infinite abyss is not something that must be done linearly; and, in zero gravity, dice cease to operate. Play these board games while you can, because one day, when we’re all living in space and married to terrifying alien beasts, the aesthetic will seem hack.

Your Garage

No space results in more sheer terror than that which lurks below the surface of everyday life. Not surprisingly, board games set in people’s garages are rare, and your parents’ garages even more so. What’s the matter, designers, scared to face your real fear of living at home well into your 30s? As players, we face that world, and our parents, every day.