Somewhere between my third and fourth session of a heavy Euro-style strategy game, I noticed I was thinking about our sprint planning the same way I think about turn order. (This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, a nod to the many LinkedIn posts just like it.)
Hidden information isn't a bug
Most of the time when you're playing a board game, you don't know everything that's going on. Other players have cards, pieces, or strategies you aren't privy to, and that's a big part of most board games. Projects are the same. We often have to make decisions with limited information. Good teams and team leads are the ones who can make a call with what they have and adjust as needed. Exactly like a board game.
Turn order matters
It's important to know who blocks whom, and who unblocks whom. It's also important to know who does best in a discussion and who does best when left alone. In other words, sequencing matters on a team.
Co-op beats competitive
The best engineering teams I've been part of play like a co-op board game: a shared win condition, individual roles, and a default assumption that if one person is stuck, the table stops to help. That's why co-op games are my favorite.