What do you think about learning a new language by implementing a board game?

[mlpinit]

Do you find the concept of learning a new programming language by implementing a board game appealing?

Assuming sufficient familiarity with the board game, understanding the domain becomes less of a barrier and at the same time, a board game implementation can be sufficiently complex to provide an in depth learning experience.

It also seems fun. What do you think? Have you done something like this before?

[cac1]

In over 50 years of programming I have always read a new language manual in close association with designing then writing a program.