Podcast Episode: Click Here
Youtube Video: Click Here
Hello friends, welcome to a piece that I have been thinking about ever since our podcast group did our first Board Game Draft on the topic of “Best game collection to introduce board games to new players”. I am not much of a writer but I felt that this piece would be better suited to the pages rather than a video so here we are.
First of all, let me state that this is a love letter to my fellow hosts who, without, I would not be here right now writing about this experience. I am also basing this purely on the lists we created from our draft in Episode 008 of our podcast. I think it is very telling and actually shows our personalities in ways that may or may not be so obvious. It was an amazing experience that I look forward to doing again on many occasions in the future.
So without any further ado, let's get started.
- The Mind
- Can't Stop
- Ticket to Ride
- Galaxy Trucker
- The Chameleon
Blayke at first glance can seem to be the quiet one of the group, but don’t let that fool you. His quiet disposition is a smokescreen to one of the sharpest, quick-witted minds I have met as well as one of the funniest and most unique gentlemen I know and his games show this in spades.
His games contain a mixture of quirky and light-hearted mechanisms that allow his players to connect with each other in quiet moments that will most certainly be broken up with fits of laughter, astonishment and banter. Look further and you will see that these games contain a 2nd layer of depth to them that shines when the players get hooked and they certainly will be with this collection.
- Cards Against Humanity
- Qwirkle
- Kingdomino
- Codenames
- Space Base
I’ve known Matt (being my older cousin) my entire life so I may be able to read into these picks a little easier than the others, or maybe not, we will see. His outer display is that of an extrovert with a love for the abstract. Matt performs with a boisterous energy that can capture an entire theatre after-party, but if you truly get to know him you will find a quiet, contemplative, introspective personality that deeply cares for a close circle of people.
On the night he mentioned he wanted games that had a “party” vibe to them before picking on the first round and first pick Cards Against Humanity but the rest of his draft tells a different story. Cards Against Humanity is loud, outrageous and cheeky at its core, however, the rest of his games offer a calm serenity that gives the people he is playing with a challenge that tickles a different part of the brain.
- The Crew
- Love Letter
- Cockroach Poker
- Anomia
- Blood on the Clocktower
Now, this is an interesting one for me. Ralph is one of my newest friends and how that came to be is a story on its own but he keeps on surprising me. When I first met him I thought he was quiet & reserved but the fact that he does stand-up comedy shattered that. I also thought he was quiet but my god if you get him laughing you know that is wrong. It turns out he is one of the most creative people I know with a passion for sharing his life and hobbies with others.
One of the biggest tells of this is Blood on the Clock Tower which gives him a chance to get that storyteller in him churning but this also shows that he cares for the people plays with. Not so much though that he isn’t willing to poke a little fun at them or call them out on their bullcrap but given that the people that gravitate to him will inevitably trust that everything experienced has the best of intentions.
Finally, we come to me and some of you may think that this is cheating but stay with me, I want to have a look at what I thought versus what I picked.
- Unlock
- Just One
- Cash n Guns
- That’s Pretty Clever
- Quacks of Quedlinburg
If you have listened to the podcast you may have heard me say that for me gaming is about “sharing experiences” with my players so I thought that's where I was heading also, I don't win many of the games I own but I seem to always be chasing a bit of validation in something. Begrudgingly I am willing to admit that I am loud and like to control the room, maybe that has to do with the fact I am the oldest of 4 brothers and to be loud was to be heard, however, I do feel like one of the most rewarding experiences for me is to step back, shut up and watch others have those “YEAH” moments.
I think my games show that I don’t mind confrontation in my group and that I am ok to laugh at myself but more so that all of these games have an “Ah Ha!” or “Ha Ha!” moment buried in them. I also notice that nearly half of my game selections contain cooperative moments in them so I think that's telling of how I like to approach beginners in this hobby. I mean sharing is how they say, caring. Maybe my search for that next moment is what fuels my desire.
And so with that, we come to the end of this piece, I had a great time writing and thinking about this. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you would like to listen to the segment that this piece was spawned from you can either listen to the podcast Episode 008 linked below or you can look at the Youtube Video posted shortly after this is released.