I experienced role playing games in high school and finally learned all there was to know about miniature battles and collectible card games when I became a partner in a hobby store.

Like with software and electronic games, categorizing can be difficult due to the crossover between styles and genres. Here we will take a different stab at the groupings, considering the tools or pieces to the game as the separations.

Playing Cards - Any game that uses the traditional standard 52 card, four suit deck. These games are some of the oldest games and developed some of the most popular. Poker, Pinochle, Hearts, 21, to name a few. There are clubs that play many of these games such as Bridge and Canasta. Some of the games have intricate rules and scoring while others like War or Go Fish can be very simple to grasp.

Trading & Collectible Cards - Any game that uses cards from an expandable series. "TCG" and "CCG's" are constructed around variable deck makeup. Players build their own decks from the cards they have collected and play against others who have customized their deck. The combating decks will be different and played differently as well.

Board Games - Any game with a premade board or device that confines the area of the game and uses counters or pieces. Board Games, also date back to early periods. The variations as we know them today such as Mancala, Chess and Backgammon have been around for hundreds (thousands in the case of Backgammon) of years. These games boast a solid set of proven rules, confines of play area and pieces used, and a large fan base. Current Board Game favorites are Monopoly, Scrabble and Risk.

Tile Games - A game that uses tiles on a tabletop without the use of a premade board. Dominoes and Mahjong are played around the world such as their older relative, games with Dice and usually of chance.

Miniature Battles - A game that uses replicas of combatants and terrain to simulate turn based combat. Miniature Battle Games originated the moment military leaders started putting pebbles in the sand to represent each of the armies. Plotting their next actions on a simulated terrain with miniature replicas of their battle forces has definitely improved. But now anyone can do it. Many companies have developed rules for major armies to small squadron conflicts, from reenactments of historical wars to fantastical battles involving dragons and wizards. They will also make the models and figures to place on the playing field usually depicting terrain or obstacles.

Paper & Pencil Games - Any game that utilizes varying play through interaction between players and/or teams. Paper & Pencil Games cover a wide range of games, from Charades to Dungeon & Dragons to Live Action Role Playing. These games have rules but the need for cards, pieces, boards, and figures is not mandatory. The game thrives on the interactive communication and imagination.