Couple of quick card games

Previous:
Next:
Tags

This was just me and a friend who narmally play some darts at his place every couple of weeks with some friends. I brought a couple of quick games as it would be just the two of us for that evening. 6 Nimmt! went ok, Star Realms was way too much.

This is worth exploring a bit more, why Star Realms was far too much. The objections started almost immediately too. It was an instant turn off, almost from turning over the first few cards. We ended up playing it through, and he even won with a bit of advice from me on which cards to draw, but the end result was "never again." So odd because I consider 6 Nimmt and Star Realms in the same weight class, but I suppose from someone else's perspective that might not be true.

In any case, as Star Realms is the ceiling, and I don't have anything lighter other than 6 Nimmt!, this won't be a game group. Which is ok, I like socializing and throwing darts as well.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.