December 2012 and Year End Wrap Up

Happy 2013!


Welcome to January, the month of gym time, futile attempts to shed holiday pounds, and a time of resolutions.  

December was an amazing month for games.  I was able to play in an X-Wing Kessel Run Tournament and take 2nd place, with my friend taking 3rd.  Since I was also the T.O. I got some extra ships, and ended up with Slave 1, a Tie-Interceptor and 2 A-Wings.  Life in the X-Wing realm is really good right now.  I also procured a play surface, just simple black felt 3'x3' but it works really well.  I was also able to attend a meetup at Fuddruckers. (A burger restaurant for those of you who might not know what it is.)  Of course there have been a lot of family get togethers, time with my gaming family and my friend and his siblings.  

December was also a great month because both Secret Santa packages arrived early! Something that's never happened for me, so I'm grateful for that.  Both my targets are reportedly enjoying their games, which is great.  Let's break down the haul.  BGG Santa sent the Romulan Expansion to Star Trek Fleet Captains as well as the Shadows over Camelot Card Game.  Haven't been able to play either, but they both look like good fun.  Dice Tower Santa sent Martian Dice, The Doctor Who Card Game, and Seasons.  I was able to play Martian Dice at gamenight and with some of my cousins and my sister, and it is a fun little game.  There are some interesting choices to be made, but more on that in a future review.  Seasons is also a lot of fun.  The drafting aspects make for an interesting game with a bevy of combos to explore. Doctor Who is a neat little card game.  We had an odd shuffle so our game felt weird, but there's good promise there.  My gaming family surprised me the day after Christmas with Star Trek Catan.  We don't play Catan much anymore, but I think this might breath some new life into it.  

What got playing in December?

• Tsuro x7
• Werewolf x7
• Incan Gold x6
• Seasons x4
• X-Wing x4
• Dixit x2
• Escape: Curse of the Temple x2
• Martian Dice x2
• No Thanks x2
• 7 Wonders x1
• Airlines Europe x1
• Archaeology: The Card Game x1
• Black Friday x1
• Doctor Who: Card Game x1
• Flash Point: Fire Rescue x1
• Formula D x1
• High Society x1
• Smash Up x1
• TransAmerica x1
• Village x1
• Word on the Street x1
• SR Test x1

Total 49 plays

That brings the YTD total to 324, which is mission accomplished!

December was a really slow month for posts, but January will pick up again.  Looking ahead to 2013, there are some good things ahead.  

The holidays tend to involve a lot of game playing for me, which is great, but it means that this takes a bit of a back seat.  But never fear, I'll be back on a regular posting schedule soon, hopefully in the next two weeks.

My current review queue is a bit up in the air. I've had a realization lately that people don't seem to really care about a review for a game that isn't the new hot thing, so I'm going to try something a little different.  I want to take a longer look at games and offer my insights into them.  Sometimes it takes 5-10 plays to see what a game has to offer.  So that's my new goal, to play a game 5-10 times (depending on length) before I review it.  Because of this I'll be altering the format of my reviews, and reviews will be a bit less frequent.

And now, a look back at what I wrote in 2011 with updates on how they went.

And without further delay, my 2012 gaming desires/resolutions which will probably not work but hey it's nice to dream big.

• Play every game I own that I've yet to play at least once (Big time FAIL. I've actually gained more games that need to be played.)

• Finish Risk Legacy (I've now finished 5 games, hopefully more soon. This could take a few years to finish)

• Log 300 game plays (Done. 300 was X-Wing which happened on December 22. My total for the year was 324)

• Trade/give away the games I won't ever play (Partially done. I have a few more games to trade, but I think this is an ongoing process)

• Introduce at least one new person to Cosmic Encounter (Done in April to 2 new people. Also taught 3 more through Monday Night Game Night.)

• Organize a micro tournament of Dominion with my friends, most likely online. (Accomplished. I ended up 3rd, lost in the semi-finals, won the consolation.)

• Finish design work on my own board game design and start playtesting by June. (Actually started playtesting in May, then revised heavily in June, and kept playing. I've sent out prototype copies to a few people to playtest and report back.)

• I will also predict that Eminent Domain will be my most played game of the year.  (Ha! So Wrong. I played it 4 times, which is T-14 for the year. Tsuro was my most played game, which would have been impossible to predict since I didn't own it until the summer.)

Overall, not bad. I managed to get in the game plays, expanding the love for Cosmic Encounter, a Dominion Tourney, and game design.  That counts as a major success.

I managed to play 78 unique games, which was an enjoyable time.  I didn't realize that number was so high until I started listing them out.

And now, without further delay, the 2013 BoBG gaming goals

• 365 game plays
• Play 20+ games 5+ times, and play 10+ games 10+ times. (Yes, overlap exists here)
• Play 100 unique games. For instance, Ticket to Ride US and Europe do NOT count as different games for this purpose. Same goes for Wits and Wagers -Base/Family/Party - only one counts there. A game and then the card or dice version would count as 2 different things.  Basically the game has to have a different name.
• Play a game with 50 different people. (Not all at once, that would be one epic game of Werewolf/Mafia. These don't have to be new people.)
• Finish Risk Legacy (Worth trying this again)
• Teach Cosmic Encounter to at least one new person (I think this is going to be a staple goal)
• Attend a gaming convention
• Further the development of current game designs and think up new ones.
• Play every game I own, as of the start of 2013, that I haven't played.
• I'll also predict Incan Gold as my most played game of 2013.

And now for the Nickel and Dime wrap for 2012. Dimes are games that were played 10+ times, Nickels are games that were played 5-9 times.

Dimes

• Cosmic Encounter
• Dominion
• Incan Gold
• No Thanks!
• Pizza Theory
• Scary Tales
• Tsuro
• X-Wing

Nickels

• Colossal Arena
• Flash Point: Fire Rescue
• For Sale
• Tiki Topple
• Werewolf

If you have suggestions for games I should review, feel free to leave a comment, or head over to the BoBG facebook page and vote there.  

Thank-you everyone(nearly 20,000 page views) for reading, commenting, tweeting, re-tweeting, etc. You all are the reason I keep writing articles. 

Have a blessed and safe 2013.

Growth of the Game Group

I've made passing mention of the fellow on BGG who got in contact with me to start up a game group here in town.  I wanted to take some time to talk about the group and some of the things I've learned through the early growing process.

We started the group in mid-September, so I think 3 months is a good time to expound upon what I've learned.  Things started really small, usually only 3 or 4 people, but we had a good time.  The storeowner got behind us, and continues to promote it to his customers which is a great boost.  We've had a few people join us through that, and others through meetup.  As a group, we have a lot of different tastes in games, so finding something that works for everyone can be a challenge.  I've taken the approach of "I'll play anything at least once."  It helps ease tensions when you have a group of people who are open to anything.  The downside of that, no one wants to be the one to make a decision.  Since I'm the "leader" (I use leader loosely, I just try to organize things, and make sure people are having fun.) I tend to suggest games and try to keep things moving.  It usually works well, but sometimes you just have to be flexible.

Game selection and variety are big keys to success.  I have a very nice Costco tote bag full of games that I bring to game night.  Currently it has the following games in it: Seasons, Ticket to Ride, High Society, For Sale, Incan Gold, Tsuro, Fleet, No Thanks, Coloretto, Martian Dice, Lost Cities, and 7 Wonders.  It's a good blend of short and long games, a good player range 2-8, and a good mix of themes and mechanics.  I'm always open to playing games other people bring, but these present some reliable options for people to enjoy.

Another important aspect is splitting up the group.  This past week we had 11 people, so the group had to split into 3.  There were 5 of us who wanted to play Airlines Europe, so we did, and then the other 6 split into 4 and 2 to play Last Night on Earth and the Star Trek Deckbuilding game.  Due to the timing of these games, we never got a chance to mix the groups, but there's always future meetings.  Other times we've had 7, so that means 4-3 unless you want a big game of 7 Wonders.  When that happens it's all about being flexible, and making sure people have a good time.

I've been talking with the store owner to try to get more people involved, so we'll see what happens.  Just by being there, we get people walking by and watching what's going on.  As you look to build a public gaming group, have patience.  It takes time to get the word out.  Work with your local game stores to drive up attendance.  Be flexible with the games you play, and be willing to play just about anything once.  If you try it and don't like it, that's ok.  Stay positive, and try to bring in your friends and family if at all possible.  Most of all, have fun and be positive.  A smile goes a long way towards making people feel welcome.

What's in a Design?

Over the past several days I've been searching for something to write about.  I'm making up prototypes for my game design to send to some friends for beta testing, so game design is on my mind.  It lead to me to think, "what goes in to designing a game?"  I'm by no means an expert, but I thought I'd share my thoughts.

The first thing is the idea.
Maybe it's a theme, a mechanic, a twist on an existing game, or something else.  All game designs start with some idea.  Now here's where you say something like "well duh, of course there's an idea."  So let me elaborate.  Ideas come in many forms, but there's always some form of inspiration.  Maybe it's a TV show, maybe a mundane task like house chores, or something completely random.  All those things serve as a basis for ideas.  Maybe you're playing a game like Dominion, and you love the deckbuilding aspect, but you want to do something totally different with it. Great, go for it.  Or maybe it's something even more simple than all of that.  Maybe you want a game you can play with your friends, so you figure out a fun theme, some neat mechanics, and you go for it.  With any of those things, an idea happened.  Something sparked and an idea was born.

Now, ideas are plentiful and cheap.  So the next step is developing gameplay.
In order for a game to be fun, it has to be playable.  Now, I'm not saying that a game is going to be great out of the gate, but it does need a basic structure.  I like to start with how the game is won.  This gives me a framework to follow.  All player choices should be geared towards accomplishing the winning conditions.  If the condition is earning the most points, then player actions should be things that get them points directly, or lead to points being scored in the future.  Designers should be careful to avoid the optimal route.  If there are things that players must do in order to win, the game is less enjoyable.  Sure, there may be things players have to do in order to actually win the game, but there should be multiple ways to win the game.  Let me use Catan as an example.  In order to win a game of Catan, players have to build things.  Additional settlements and cities are good things to have, but players can also go after development cards, largest army, longest road, etc.  There are multiple ways to score points in Catan, and players can use any or all of those ways to win games.  There is no single "right" way to win a game.

Limiting player options.
This is the unintuitive step at first for any designer.  Thoughts along the lines of "wouldn't it be great if players could do whatever they want" sound good in theory, but they make for terrible games.  Good games thrive on players having important choices to make.  Usually this is accomplished by having several good things that a player can do, but only allowing them to do a few of them.  Not being able to do certain things prevents some of the runaway leader problems.  Even if players are faced with a variety of bad options, they have to try to figure out which option hurts them the least, or which might help them in the future.

Incorporate Theme
Some people will disagree with me here, but I feel that a hallmark to good games is how well the theme fits in.  How much theme immersion exists depends on the theme as well as the players.  If you have a mystery game, players should feel like their solving a puzzle, searching for clues, etc.  If you have a sports game, the game should play at a fast pace and have a tense feel to it.

Play and Talk
Many times, things sound great in your head, but they don't quite work in an actual game.  This can happen for a number of reasons, so many that it just is prudent to go in to all of them.  This is why you have to play the game.  The more you play, the more you see what works and what doesn't work.  The second part of playtesting is talking about it.  I find that it's good to spend 5-20 minutes talking about the game afterwards.  Find out what people liked, what they didn't like, what strategies they were trying, did they feel like they could win throughout the game, do they think they'd do better if they played it again, etc.  It might help to have some of these questions written down so you can talk about them.  Also open it up to the players, see what they have to say.  Most people have something to say about a game after they play it, so listen to what they have to say.

Make Revisions
After you've played, go back and tweak things.  Most of the time there are only small changes that need to be made.  Maybe it's something in the presentation, maybe an area of the board being unclear or too cluttered, maybe it's the distribution of cards in a deck.  Whatever it is, monkey around with it for a bit and then play again.  Don't be afraid of the major revisions.  My design has already been through a complete overhaul, and a major map modification.  There are always ways to improve a design, so try and see how it works.

What is in a design?  Ideas, solid gameplay, theme incorporation, a lot of playtesting, and a lot of trial and error.  The creative process isn't an easy one, and often takes months or even years.  Don't get discouraged if your first N ideas fail. It might just be the (N+1) idea that works really well.

1 Year Anniversary

1 Year in the world of boardgame blogging is a bit of an accomplishment.  Sure, I'm still the new guy on the block, but I've been at this a year, with more to come.  It hasn't always been easy, nor has it always been consistent, but it has been fun.  I've enjoyed being able to share my thoughts on specific games, as well as the world of boardgames.  I know it's a hobby, and I know I'm biased to say it's one of the best, but boardgames have meant a lot to me for the last 6 years.

Anniversaries are a time for celebrating.  They're a time to look at the good things in the past, and a time to look ahead to the growth of the relationship.  While I don't know what the future holds, I do know that games will be a part of my life for as long as I live.  As for the looking back, I give you my top 7 articles written in the last year.  These have been determined by you and your pageviews.

#7 Top 7 Games that I want to Play, but not Buy
This article took a bit of flak on BGG, and I never really understood why.  To me, these are good games.  They just have some little part that makes me not want to own them.  Could be the lack of opponents for the game, or the storage required, or the investment cost.

#6 Forbidden Island vs Pandemic
Two really good co-op games by the same designer thrown into an arena and only one can come out.  Perhaps I need to do more face-off reviews?

#5 Playing to Win?
This is a look at playing games to have fun, while trying to win, but not getting caught up in the winning.  It's important to do your best, and to have fun.

#4 Ticket to Ride Review
It's only fitting that Ticket would make an appearance here.  I've had so many fun moments with Ticket to Ride, and I'm glad that you all have enjoyed reading my thoughts on a great game.

#3 Dominion Dark Ages
Part review, part in depth look at every card in the expansion.  This article took me many hours to compose, but I'm glad I took the time to do it.  I've been meaning to write more on Dominion, and I think that will be a series coming sometime in 2013.

#2 Why We Play
A look at the various reasons people have for playing games.

#1 Collection Building: 2 Player Games
A bit funny that this would be my top article considering how rarely I play 2-player games.  Still, it's nice to know that this article, and the collection building series in general, have been well received.

So that's where we stand after one year. 123 posts, 15,817 views. Not the biggest of numbers, but more than I ever dreamed possible in the span of 1 year.

From the top and bottom of my heart, thank-you all for reading.  I couldn't do it without each of you.

November 2012 Recap

Welcome to December, the month of holidays, family gatherings, far too many desserts, parties, and snow.  Also, Happy Birthday to the blog. It was one year ago today that BoBG came to exist.  Though the first article wasn't published until December 2nd, the first moments happened on the 1st.

November was a great month for games.  I was able to go to a meetup about an hour away, as well as continue the local meetup Monday nights.  Throw in some good weekend gaming, and a lot of games around Thanksgiving, and life is good.  

What got playing in November?

• Flash Point: Fire Rescue x6
• X-Wing x6
• Tsuro x5
• Incan Gold x4
• Archaeology: The Card Game x2
• For Sale x2
• No Thanks x2
• Scary Tales x2
• Solar Circuit Racing x2
• Black Friday x1
• Cosmic Encounter x1
• Dominion: Dark Ages x1
• Fauna x1
• Fleet x1
• Roll Through the Ages x1
• Small World x1
• Smash Up x1
• Ticket to Ride: Europe x1

Total 40 plays

That brings the YTD total to 275, which is right on pace for 300.  Knowing how December goes, I'm hopeful to surpass 300 right around Christmas, and let New Years Eve bring it over the top.

I acquired 1 new game in November, Black Friday.  It's a few years old, but I got a chance to play it at game night, and I just knew it was a game for me.  Helps that I was able to win it in a BGG auction for a pretty good price.  I've held back because secret santa is right around the corner, and I want to be able to enjoy those games/expansions.

November was a slower month for posts, but I think there was some good quality.

I got out 3 reviews, Incan Gold, Looting London, and X-Wing.  That accounts for the end of my review series of the bookshelf games, at least for now.  I was going to review Birds on a Wire, but I decided not to.

There were 2 additions to the Collection Building Series, Card Games and Animal Games.  

Finally, there was the Christmas Game Guide which was even referenced on Board Game Geek's guide under "Other Resources."  Seeing that made me really excited, and it's great to know that hard work does get rewarded.

Looking ahead to December, I'm not really sure what's going to happen on the blog.  I'll likely do something fun for our 1 year anniversary.  At some point I hope to report that the Secret Santa packages have arrived, though the contents will remain a mystery until Christmas.

Game wise, I am looking forward to my first X-Wing tournament.  The local shop is doing a Kessel Run Event (Yes, in 12 Parsecs) on the 15th, so we get to preview the new ships, and hopefully I'll be walking away with 2 (I get one for being a Tournament Organizer).

If you have suggestions for games I should review, feel free to leave a comment, or head over to the BoBG facebook page and vote there.  

Also, if you have any suggestions for 2013 goals, those would be great to hear.

Thank-you everyone for reading, commenting, tweeting, re-tweeting, etc. You all are the reason I keep writing articles. 

Collection Building: Animal Games

This is a departure from the other Collection Building articles.  Today the focus is on the theme of animals rather than a game mechanic or a situation in which a game can be used.  Animals tend to fascinate many children.  There is so much to learn about the fellow inhabitants of planet earth.  There is a wide variety of animal games, and many more games that I don't know about than I do know about.  As such, this is not a comprehensive list, but a guide to my experiences with animal games, and hopefully it will guide your journey into the animal kingdom.

Zooloretto
The 2007 German Game of the Year (SDJ) winner for good reason.  Zooloretto allows players to take control of their own zoo.  This means that they must acquire animals and kiosks for their zoo while balancing limited funds and restricted space.  Animals include Elephants, Monkeys, Cheetahs, and Zebras.  The game plays in around an hour and works for 3-5 players. I wouldn't play with kids much younger than 8 since there is some strategy to learn.

Aquaretto
The sequel to Zooloretto, except now players are in charge of a marine park.  Animals include Dolphins, Whales, Sea Lions, Polar Bears, and Sea Turtles.  This was a great game for my sister since she loves dolphins.  The scoring rules are a little more complicated than Zooloretto, since the performing animals act differently than normal ones, but it isn't too much more to learn.  Acquaretto plays in around an hour and works for 3-5 players.

Fauna
A fun and educational game all about animal trivia.  Wait, it's not that boring.  Sure, the game does require thought, but it's not that hard.  Here's how the game works.  The top half of a card is displayed with a picture of an animal, the genus and species name, as well as how many areas the animal is found in.  Players then take turns placing marker cubes on the board in areas they think the animal is in, as well as ranges for weight, height/length, and tail length.  After all players place their cubes or pass, then the card is pulled and the right answers are awarded points.  If you're wrong, but you happen to be adjacent to a right answer, you get some points.  The game goes until a certain point level is reached, or for a certain number of rounds, depends on how you want to play it.  I was able to play this on Thanksgiving night with one of my uncles, a cousin, my dad and my sister.  My uncle, who does not play games, really enjoyed it.  It helps that he's a HS science teacher, but he asked to play it again for Christmas, which is a really good sign.  Fauna plays in around 30-45 minutes with 2-6 players, though I find it best with 4-5.

Botswana
This is a card game with an animal theme.  There are some really cool animal figures, but the theme doesn't shine through.  Still, kids will have fun with a simple card game, especially since there are animals around.  There is some strategy, but also a good amount of luck.  Botswana plays in around 30 minutes with 2-5 players, best with 3-4.

Price Wars

Botswana is really the best bang for your buck.  I can't speak to the replayability, but it seems high to me.  If you want a more immersive experience, go with Zooloretto or Aquaretto.  If you have kids that just love everything animal, go with Fauna.

My overall pick, Botswana.  It likely appeals to the most people, and has a lower price point.

Top 7 Games to take on Holiday

As American Thanksgiving approaches, and the December holidays grow ever closer, I wanted to talk about good games to take with you to family gatherings.  Most family gatherings won't consist of "gamers" but they may consist of people who are willing to play games.  As such, it's good to have some short games to play, games that are really easy to learn, and maybe even some games where it doesn't matter if people come in and out since it's a busy time.

#7 No Thanks
Plays with 3-5 players. No Thanks takes around 15 minutes to play.  It's all about knowing when to pass, and when to take cards.  It's quick to explain, really simple choices, and doesn't require full attention from all players at all times.

#6 For Sale
Plays with 3-6 players. A quick auction game.  Players bid on houses, then use the houses to earn money.  It's a fast auction game, good for a few laughs with the various artwork on the houses, and good for gamers and newbies alike.

#5 Tsuro
Plays with 2-8 players.  A game of last man standing.  Players play tiles to move their marker on the board.  If you run off the board or into another player, you're out.  Really simple to learn and do well in from your first play.

#4 Dixit
Depending on the version you have, plays 3-6 or 3-12 players.  Dixit is a storytelling game with quick play and amazing artwork.  When you're the storyteller, you give a clue about your card, then put it in the center.  All other players then put a card in.  All cards are revealed and players try to pick which card belongs to the storyteller.  It's a great game for kids of all ages, especially ones with vivid imaginations, but adults will get a kick out of it too.

#3 Wits and Wagers Party
Plays with 4+ players. If you have a large group, break into teams.  Wits and Wagers is a trivia game where you don't need to know the answers, just have a ballpark idea.  The questions are things that most people won't know, but might have a reasonable guess about.  7 rounds keeps the game short but interesting, and the questions may spark some conversation.

#2 Ticket to Ride
Plays with 3-5 players.  Ticket is the most complicated game on the list, but that's not a bad thing.  It's probably not great for little kids, but for the teenager and up, the game makes sense.  There's only 3 things you can do on your turn: draw cards, play cards, get more tickets.  You really only have to decide between the first two most turns.  The game takes around an hour, but it's a great game to introduce the family into the world of boardgames.

#1 Incan Gold
Plays 3-8 players.  Incan Gold is a push your luck game.  With each card, you must decide if you want to take what you have and run, or risk it and try to find more treasure.  The game plays for 5 rounds, so even if you don't do well in a round or two, you still have a chance.  Incan Gold takes a play to see it work, but most people say "let's play again" after they learn.  It's a great game for a larger group, and a lot of collective emotion as cards come out.