Question: One of the appeals of traditional games such as Chess, Go, Backgammon, or Poker is the depth that they have acquired over the years; long-standing communities and traditions, wide range of players from different backgrounds, depth of strategic analysis that has occurred over the years, and wide range of skill levels with very strong top players that comes about from years of study and training.

Many newer games are mere flashes in the pan; fun for a while, but ultimately replaced after a few years with something newer and shinier. Many of them have the potential to gain such depth, but they are crowded in a field of other games, and do not really develop their own independent communities nor a significant pool of people to put in the time and dedication to create a strong competitive system.

What recent games (defined as having been invented within the past century or so) have managed to achieve this sort of durability; their own cultures and communities, high-level tournament play, strong strategic analysis and a broad range of player skill? What games have not yet had time to (past 10 years or so), but do you feel have the seeds of such depth?

Here are some criteria that can help determine if a game has reached this level. Not all criteria need apply, or may not apply exactly, but the more the better.

* Significant tournaments with professional or semi-pro players; or large amateur tournaments at a national or international level.
* Official rating or ranking system (or more than one) with hundreds of players and a wide range of abilities represented.
* Significant coverage in mainstream media, not just passing references or coverage in game-specific media.
* Multiple independent publications discussing the game specifically (not as one of many, but dedicated to the game in question). Books, magazines, professional level blogs or e-zines, etc.
* Professional on-line or software implementations dedicated to this game, or many independent computer implementations in systems which cover multiple games with hundreds of active players.
* Popularity in groups of people outside of of traditional gamer groups; cultural relevance of the game outside of the gaming community.
* Multiple clubs (regional, city, or university) dedicated to this game in particular, not gaming or a particular genre of gaming in general.

Answer: 
Dominion
========

I don't expect a lot of votes up because the game is very new, but I think Dominion has the potential to do a much better job qualifying in the long run than Magic: The Gathering. The problem with any Trading Card Game, in my opinion, is the high financial barrier to entry, as well as the potential significance of limited run cards. To put it more clearly, if you spend more money, show up at more promotional events and have been playing longer than I, you are going to have a much larger set of cards to choose from, and this could give you an insurmountable advantage. If I just don't understand and any starter deck could beat the deck of an experienced player, then I guess I'm mistaken, but I doubt that's the case. One could argue that this is part of the game or meta-game, but I would argue that one of the great virtues of games like chess, go, backgammon or poker is that you can own a set for very little cost to you, and introduce a new player without their having to purchase anything at all.

Dominion, in contrast to Magic, has a much lower barrier to entry because new players can simply join in on a game with your set, and because in a given game all players have the same resources available to them at the beginning.

Now to argue against both games' inclusion: chess, go, etcetera are expanded in depth as a result of exploration of new strategies within the existing game framework. Most modern games, including both Dominion and Magic, are expanded by the addition of new game elements. One could argue that games like chess and go must have gone through an evolutionary phase like this before reaching their current form, and I suppose that is possible, but I certainly think that a game that is still adding features cannot be called "deep" in the same way that these older games can. Perhaps one day Dominion will attain this status, but I think at this point I couldn't vote up my own answer in good conscience.
### [Advanced Squad Leader](http://www.multimanpublishing.com) (ASL)

The ultimate game of WW2 squad level fighting, where anything that could be done in WW2 can be modeled (rockets, paratroopers, any vehicle ever used, etc.). It has a dedicated community with ongoing tournaments. There are over two thousand scenarios for it, and many modules and addons.

It has clubs throughout the world, tournaments all year round, many publications that support it solely and many publications that print scenarios and other articles for it. It has two different rating systems, OARS which is just for ASL, and AREA which is used for many wargames (though nowadays I think AREA is mostly used). It has many websites, forums and blogs that discuss it.