Board games might involve a race to a finish line, as in Sorry! or that ubiquitous first board game for kids, Candyland. Or they might entail a strategic battle for dominance, as in chess or checkers.

I’m a huge role-playing game (RPG) guy. I’ve spent countless hours playing through the Shin Megami Tensei, Yakuza, and Final Fantasy games, to name a few. But recently, I was given the opportunity to ...