Leave it at the Door…

To me board gaming is all about relaxing and having fun. Let me rephrase that, board gaming should be about relaxing and having fun. I mean it’s a game right? I play games to escape, spend time with friends, and let your brain think about something other than life (unless I’m playing Life…). Saying that is is possible to ignore a bad week at the office, bad news from a friend, or someone else’s bad mood is like saying you can ignore the hungry bear following you as you hike. It’s not easy and could be harmful to your health.

My gaming life has started to stagnate recently. I wasn’t really enjoying it and I think that had at least moderate impact on my fellow gamers. The stresses of work were seeping into my games. It took me ruining my experience with a game that I was extremely excited about to realize I had a problem. In less then a minute my recent gaming experiences flashed before my eyes and I saw one constant. I wasn’t having fun because I put so much pressure on the games to create the fun for me. I so desperately wanted everyone to like the games as much as I was certain I would that I let any negative reaction turn into a huge, inappropriate outburst. One memorable incident resulted in me trading away a game after one play based on the reaction of my group despite me actually enjoying the game.

I’m not able to control other people and make them feel like I do about a game. I am able to control myself and not get into situations that are going to make me defensive. I know who will like Dune and who would get frustrated with Merchant of Venus, which is part of the solution. The other part is not letting hype get to me enough to allow a game be ruined if it isn’t everyone’s favorite. By doing this I can at least ensure that I have a good time at the table. After all it’s only a game, isn’t it?

Playing Favorites

First off hello and welcome to “Board Yet?”. I hope you find helpful and entertaining information here.

When I tell people that I play board games as a hobby the first question I get is “What is your favorite game?”, Well actually the first question is typically “Like Monopoly?” but then the conversation turns toward questions about my favorite games.The question is actually trickier than you would expect.

Of course I have a favorite game. That is without a doubt Merchant of Venus. This is a game where players are interstellar merchants who trade goods and transport passengers through a vast and dangerous galaxy. The game is a classic and definitely worth checking out with the upcoming reprint.

This is simple enough, right? Just say Merchant of Venus, smile smugly that I have a copy of a rare grail game, and watch the person who asked lose interest and walk away. That is definitely one way to work it. I would like to propose a different way to handle the situation.

First off it’s important to realize you have been given a great opportunity to introduce a new player to the world of designer board games. Everyone seems to have a fond memory of playing games with their parents on Saturday night or playing checkers with their grandpa. You can take this little spark and run with it by letting them know of a different game you really like that they may also share an interest in.

I’m not proposing you lie. If there is literally only one game you like then talk about it. I am just suggesting you making a mental list of games that are generally approachable to keep as your “favorites” list. As mentioned above I adore Merchant of Venus but when I was recently asked about my “favorite” game by a coworker I talked about Ticket to Ride. I knew she had a child that is into trains and the geography would appeal to her desire for something educational. It’s also not a fib since I do like the series quite a lot. I took the opportunity to receive a polite nod and instead had a 30 minute conversation that lead to a sale at my friendly local game store (FLGS).

If I’m given a choice I would play Merchant of Venus every weekend. That said if I can bring someone new into the hobby and get them excited about playing a game then I’ve got a Ticket to Ride.