Brandon Kempf – Three Games of June

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Brandon Kempf

June 2020. Not sure in the long run if it’s really a month to remember,  but there was some gaming involved. We started to have some normalcy around, even hosted a game night with three others invited. That’s really the first gaming that I’ve done outside of my family and one friend since March. We had some fun with online games as well as I embraced Board Game Arena a bit more, you’ll see a bit of why in the coming days. Total plays for June were pretty nice, 54 plays of 24 different games. Of those 24 games, I only learned 5 new ones. One of my goals for 2020 was to learn fewer new games, but I had no idea that it was going to be this way. Last year, I learned 162 new games, as we can tell, I’m not even approaching that number this year at the halfway point. It’s a good thing, and a bad thing. Good in that I am achieving a goal and enjoying games that I have learned previously over the years, a lot of favorites. Bad in that, I haven’t really had a choice over the past three months. Now, I wish I could have been playing like we were, but it’s a new time. 

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Dale Yu: Review of Empyreal – Spells and Steam

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Dale Yu

Empyreal – Spells and Steam

  • Designer: Trey Chambers
  • Publisher: Level 99 Games
  • Players: 2-6
  • Age: 10+
  • Time: 60-75 min 
  • Times played: 4, with review copy from Level99 Games

So… I’m not normally one for super thematic games.  From the rules – “The first thing that sets Empyreal apart is the setting. Level 99 has set the game in the rich Indines world of BattleCON and Argent fame. This has allowed us to build a deep lore for the various companies and characters in the game. The second strength of Empyreal is the unique mechanics. By customizing and building your engine (pun intended) in a myriad of different ways, Empyreal allows you to try many different combos and execute a unique strategy in each play, and this really sets itself apart from most other train games which mostly focus on only route building and/or pick-up and deliver. This builds into the third strength, replayability. In true Level 99 fashion, there are many ways to play and many different parts of the game to explore so that each play will be very different from the last.”

 

I have been enthralled by an earlier Level 99 Release, Millennium Blades, and the success of that game with my local group really had me interested in giving this one a try.  Also, my love of most rail games made me look at this one with interest.

 

In this game, each player takes control of a company and ranges across the continent of Indines while connecting towns and building a vibrant trade network. You use your company’s unique advantages to outbuild the competition and secure supply lines for rare resources. You will also research new spells as you go to enhance your abilities and powers. Continue reading →

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2019 Meeples Choice Award Winners

Posted on June 27, 2020 by huzonfirst

The voting for the Meeples Choice Awards has ended and the following three games were chosen by the Spielfrieks user group:

THE CREW
RES ARCANA
MARACAIBO

Wingspan, perhaps the leading contender prior to the voting, wound up in fourth place, 3 votes back.  Barrage finished fifth and Little Town, which wasn’t even on the original ballot, justified its “write-in” status by finishing sixth.

Congratulations to designers Thomas Sing (The Crew), Tom Lehmann (Res Arcana), and Alexander Pfister (Maracaibo).  It’s Sing’s first MCA (actually, The Crew is only his fourth published design).  Lehmann wins his third MCA; only Knizia, Wallace, Moon, and Rosenberg have more.  And it’s Meeples Choice Award #2 for Herr Pfister.  Finally, congratulations as well to the publishers:  Kosmos, Sand Castle Games, and Game’s Up.

Here are the vote totals for all the nominated games.  The first figure is the votes received during the final round, while the second figure (in parentheses) is the vote total during the preliminary round, which determined the nominations.

  1. The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine­ – 26  (34)
  2. Res Arcana – 22  (33)
  3. Maracaibo – 19  (25)
  4. Wingspan – 16  (27)
  5. Barrage – 14  (18)
  6. Little Town – 11  (8)
  7. The Taverns of Tiefenthal – 10  (16)
  8. Paladins of the West Kingdom – 9  (16)
  9. Hadara – 8  (20)
  10. Cartographers – 8  (17)
  11. PARKS – 8  (11)
  12. Pax Pamir (Second Edition) – 8  (11)
  13. Letter Jam – 7  (12)
  14. Point Salad – 7  (10)
  15. Crystal Palace – 6  (15)
  16. It’s a Wonderful World – 6  (14)
  17. Q.E. – 6  (13)
  18. Azul: Summer Pavilion – 6  (10)
  19. Marvel Champions: The Card Game – 6  (9)
  20. Tapestry – 4  (11)
  21. Watergate – 4  (11)
  22. Cooper Island – 4  (8)
  23. Tiny Towns – 4  (8)
  24. Marco Polo II: In the Service of the Khan – 3  (9)
  25. Expedition to Newdale – 3  (8)
  26. Glen More II: Chronicles – 3  (8)
  27. Masters of Renaissance (Lorenzo Card Game) – 3  (8)
  28. The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples – 3  (8)
  29. L.L.A.M.A. – 1  (8)
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Dale Yu: Review of Break the Code

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Dale Yu

 

 

Break the Code

Break the Code is a new skin on a older Japanese deduction game called Tagiron.  Tagiron had been on my want list for awhile now, but between some relative scarcity as well as a bit of stalling on my part, I had never quite gotten around to getting a copy.   I was not even aware that there was going to be a re-release of it until I was contacted by the great folks at IELLO.  

 

IELLO has been finding small format gems from Japan for a few years now, with some of my favorite recent fillers being included: Welcome to the Dungeon and Rent a Hero.

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NEVADA CITY

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Tery Noseworthy

DESIGNER:  Alan Ernstein

PUBLISHER: Rio Grande Games

PLAYERS: 2 – 4

AGES: 14 and up

TIME: 90-120 minutes

TIMES PLAYED: 3, with I copy I received for review

The most excitement we have around here these days is when our CSA box arrives; we are on the edge of our seats waiting to see what varieties of produce we’ll be enjoying, 

so you can imagine our excitement when a box from Rio Grande Games appeared on our doorstep. It arrived on a day when it felt like it was hot enough to be in the desert, so it was appropriate that it was Nevada City. (Yeah, it was probably only 80, but here on the coast of Massachusetts that passes for a heat wave.)

Nevada City is a worker placement game for 2 -4 players. You are a family working to settle Nevada City in the mid-1800’s. The family that does the best job of maintaining the family businesses while also settling the town will win the game.

The game comes with a 3 piece board; the center piece is always the same, and the side of the end boards varies based on the number of players. The board has some buildings preprinted on the board, while other building cards will be built by the players over the course of the game. The board also has storage for property tiles, contract cards and items related to the advanced game (more on that later). There are also cardboard resource tokens representing cattle, crops, silver  and cardboard commodity tokens representing iron, lumber, brick spirits and entertainment.

Each player also has their own board; this is your homestead. Players start with a cattle ranch, a farm and a silver mine, and can add to these over the game.  Players also get a cowboy pawn that goes on the victory point track, wooden circles that indicate building ownership and wooden towers that indicate worker actions.

The Whine Family

Players also choose a family consisting of a patriarch, matriarch, son and daughter; each family has slightly different actions and starting tiles, although all start with the same number of actions.

Players are dealt two secret goal cards; they choose one to be scored by all players at the end of the game and return the other to the box unseen; an additional secret goal is placed directly in the secret goal pile as well.

I am a sucker for cool start player markers

Players are randomly dealt a starting building card from the start deck; the player who gets the sheriff building will be the start player.

There are 23 event cards in the game. 6 are included in every game, and an additional 12 are selected at random.  In the first year of the game there will be an event card every action round; in future years there will be some rounds with no events – these are indicated by spaces on the board. Events can be good and can give players additional options or benefits, or they can be bad and force players to lose actions or spend money.

Damaged Building Marker

At the start of each round the Sheriff checks to see whether an Event Card is revealed. 

After resolving the event the action round begins. Starting with the sheriff each player uses all of the actions of one of their characters. Characters have from one to three actions; all characters can do many actions, but some characters provide a boost or a resource, all indicated on the card.

Actions a player can take include:

Claim a Building: Use one action marker at City Hall, where you can select a building from the buildings for the current year and claim it. Place it on an empty space on the board, construction side up, and place your ownership marker on it.

Claim a Property: Use one action marker at City Hall, where you can select a new property (farm, mine or ranch); pay the cost printed on the tile and place it on your homestead.

Construct a Building: Place one action marker on a building you own that has not yet been built. That character brings any commodities printed on the character card automatically; they may also bring any number of commodities or money that are stored on your homestead mat.

As soon as all required tokens are on the building it is built. Return all tokens to the supply, and flip it over.  The player gets the number of VPs printed on the board, and that building is now available for all players to use.

Produce a Resource: Use one action marker to activate a farm, mine or ranch. Each tile can be activated once per year. Any character can activate a tile; a character with that resource ability printed on their card can activate one or two additional tiles, if you have them.  For example, in the picture below Pa could activate two crop tiles, since he has a bonus crop action on his card.

How many resources you produce is based on the Production Value Chart and how much money they earn you is based on the Market Chart, both of which are printed on the board. Most of the spaces are pre-determined, but each chart has 2 spots determined randomly by drawing cubes from a bag; each round all but one cube will appear. Some events may also affect both charts.

Silver produces one, and can be sold for 3.

Use a Building: Use one action marker on an available space on a building to take the related action. Some buildings let you sell resources (cattle, crops and silver), while others let you get resources, choose a contract, or  take other listed actions. Each character can only use a particular building once per year.

Work on or Complete a Contract:  Contracts are cards that give you victory points in return for completing them. Cards are reserved based on their color and are taken by putting an action marker on a building with a contract space; you may then choose any of the 4 face up characters that match the color of the space you are on.

Contracts are placed in one of the three spots at the bottom of your homestead board, In order to work on the contract you place an action marker on the bottom of your board and place the requested resources on the card.

Once all required resources are provided you can activate the contract. Players take the VPs listed on the bottom of the card. Some contracts provide more points if a particular building is already built and may provide the owner of that building with 2 VPs as well.  Completed contracts are placed in your general player area; most do not have any other effect, but some will provide you with an ongoing benefit. 

Hire a Worker:  Place an action marker to hire a worker by paying the cost of one of the available face-up workers. Place that worker in one of the 3 slots at the bottom of your homestead board and place the indicated number of action markers on it. That worker is now available to you later in this year. 

Workers generally go away at the end of the year. However, twice per game you can pay to marry them off to your son or daughter by paying any 2 resources and 2 spirits; that worker then becomes part of your family for the rest of the game.

Abel is fixin’ to get hitched to Mary at the end of this round

After each player has completed the actions of one character you check to see if any player still has actions. Lather, rinse, repeat until all players have used all available actions. Once that has happened, you move to the next year. Activate any end-of-year properties on buildings, reset the Production and Market Charts, remove any unmarried workers, and return action markers to the character cards. Reset the event cards and move on to the next year,

The game lasts for 4 years, although it can end earlier if there are no empty building spaces on the board at the end of a year. The secret goal cards are revealed and scored card by card, and the player with the most victory points wins the game. Ties are broken by the most remaining resources.

ADVANCED GAME

The game also comes with additional components that are for the advanced game; any and all can be used. 

There are 4 family member cards – adopted sons and daughters. At the start of the game players can choose to replace one of their sons or daughters with the adopted child instead.

There are additional building cards, event cards, and an additional secret goal card.

There is a poker deck, which is used to take gamble action that can be taken at saloons to try to get more money. It is also used during the additional Troublemaker phase, at the end of each year, during which any unhired workers start shooting. Each card  – workers and family members – has a gunslinging value. A card from the poker deck is flipped for the unhired worker and is added to his/her gunslinging value, and the same is done for the player.  If the worker wins the player loses an action in the next round; if the player wins they gain a victory point.

The Production and Market Charts are determined randomly by drawing all cubes from a bag; there are 2 additional neutral cubes that can also be added.

TWO PLAYER RULES

There are a few changes with only two players. Some buildings are removed from the game, and some of the start buildings start on the board, with the Sheriff and the Assayer dealt randomly to the players.Two buildings come on to the board automatically during the course of each year, and some spaces on buildings are unavailable.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GAME

I like the game. I’m a fan of worker placement games, and this adds a new twist with the way those workers are placed. You have some idea of what you want those workers to do for you, since you know what one of the secret goals is, but there are several you don’t know, so you need to diversify. Coming in first on all of those goal cards likely wouldn’t win you the game, though, so you need to get an effective engine going that maximizes your income so that you can get the resources and commodities to build buildings and complete contracts. I like the fact that the characters’ abilities are different, and that you have to use that information to identify a strategy. The way those abilities interact, and the fact that the contracts and buildings have interactions is interesting as well. There are a lot more contracts than buildings, so this doesn’t always come in to play, but it’s cool when it does.  The contracts and buildings both vary in how hard they are to get into play, so you have options there, too.  However, since the contracts come into play randomly it is possible that there will be times when it’s not possible to buy a contract since none of the colors match, which can be frustrating, since it removes an entire action. There is an action that lets you sweep the contracts, though, so it mitigates that somewhat.

Some people are not going to like the events, because they introduce a random element, and some of the events are punitive. Some of them can be frustrating and force you to change a plan or two, but I didn’t find them to be disabling. While you don’t know exactly what is going to come into play, after the first play you know what could happen and can keep that in mind when making plans; being prepared for anything seems to me to fit well with the theme of building a town in the Wild West, where anything can happen.

I like most of the components of the advanced game; having additional events and buildings makes the game more interesting, and the addition of the “adopted children”, where you can customize your family a little bit is good, especially if you choose your initial family later in the round. The poker game was neutral for me, it neither hurts nor harms the game, but was a bit random to waste an action on to get money, as they are better, sure-fire ways to do it. I did not like the gunslinger action; sure, it fits the theme, but it’s random and hard to plan for, and the risk/reward feels off – losing an action if you lose can be huge, but if you win you only get a victory point. The rules state that you can use any/all of the advanced game, but if you don’t use poker or gunslinger there are events you should not use as they are specifically related. 

Learning the game from the rules was a little bit of a slog, due to the rules not being well-organized and with some areas of ambiguity. I think the intent of the rules layout was to give you some idea of the components and what they do before explaining the related actions, but this means you have to flip back and forth between multiple sections to find the answer to questions; I would prefer to have all of the information about an action in one place for easy reference as well as at a point where that information makes sense to you. In some cases the rules are perhaps over-detailed, but in other cases they are not specific enough. We were able to mostly figure things out as we got further into the rules or as we understood more about the game, and the rules for the basic framework were clear.

Also, there are a couple of errata that will make things easier for you if you play. The rules refer to grey cubes as being random, but the random cubes are actually white; the gray cubes are the silver.  The rules also confuse the two charts in the description; both of these issues have been clarified by the publisher on Board Game Geek.

The playtime seems pretty accurate; our first game took a lot longer due to the rules explanation and time spent making clarifications, but the second and third games both took just under 2 hours.

The box is a standard size square game box. It has a plain, non-custom cardboard insert that we removed so we could keep some of the components in permanent bins for ease of set-up. The components are well-made and sturdy.  The board is looooong and you need to be able to put cards along the long edges, so you need a large table (something we are in the market for, and this was a good reminder, but we were able to make it work.) Each player has a fancy gate that notes their color, and the wooden player pieces are good quality. The cardstock used for the cards seems like it will hold up well to repeated plays.

There are a couple of minor issues with the components; the VP track only goes to 50, and there is no marker to indicate when you’ve gone past it (we just used an ownership marker, and that worked fine) and a couple of places where a rule or a clarification should be printed on the component. For example, most buildings are built onto an empty space on the board, but some of the buildings in the advanced game are placed on top of one of the pre-printed buildings instead and replace them. However, neither the card or the building on the board indicate that, so it is incumbent on the players to remember.

All of those issues are fairly minor, though, and don’t detract from the fact that this is a good game with some interesting mechanics. Even though I have played it 3 times in fairly quick succession over the course of about a week, it has earned a spot on our shelf for games in regular rotation, and I look forward to playing it again.

Comments from other Opinionated Gamers

Dale Y: 1 play, 2p – It took me a few passes thru the rulebook to get a feel for the game, and we did have to refer to rules for a few things in our game.   I don’t know whether this was due to the layout/organization of the rules or my lack of practice at actually playing games!   I was glad to have been tipped off by Tery about the errata on BGG, because I often do not check online prior to playing a game.  We would have surely been confused with the colored cubes issue without clarification.

The game itself plays smoothly. By the end of my first game, I felt like I finally understood how everything works – and I think that my next game will move much smoother (and i’ll be able to teach it coherently).  As it was a first game, we only played with the basic rules, so I cannot comment on the advanced components – but I do like the fact that they are included in the box so that there is potential for varied and more complex games in the future.

Nevada City is an interesting take on the Worker Placement genre, and there are a number of different ideas here that stop it from feeling like any other WP game you’ve played recently.  The overall variance is pretty high, so you have to be willing to accept swings of fate due to event cards, contracts, “random” hidden goals, etc.  For me, that’s a lot to ask for in a two-hour game, but I know that I’m usually in the minority on that topic.  FWIW, the designer states on BGG: “I would also suggest that the two harshest events, if you don’t know they are coming, are the City Tax and Property Tax. The government always seems to make things more difficult. You should take a careful look at them before you play the first time. I don’t usually use them the first time I teach the game.”  I kinda wish this had been in the rules because it would prevent someone’s first game from being derailed by a harsh event – when you don’t even know enough about how the game works to try to recover adequately from it.  So, if you’re reading this, take this as a word of warning!

I would like to see how it plays with 3p and 4p, and as I generally like WP games, this one makes it to the “save until after Coronavirus” pile for play again when regular gaming resumes.

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

  • I love it! 
  • I like it. Tery, Dale, John P
  • Neutral.
  • Not for me…
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The Opinionated Gamers: Plans on Returning to Gaming

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Dale Yu

 

This year has been unlike any other, and one of the biggest changes in my life is the cessation of regular gaming.  Due to social distancing requirements, there has simply been no chance for face-to-face gaming with any of my usual groups since about March.   However, as restrictions are loosening (though to different degrees and at different speeds) all over the globe, some of my friends and colleagues are starting to discuss how to get back into the hobby that we love.

We’re still trying to write about games as much as we can here on the Opinionated Gamers, but due to the natural slowdown in early summer (because if this were a “normal year”, we’d in the doldrums of the game release calendar, awaiting the late summer surge of US releases and pre-Essen releases), there isn’t as much to write about right now.  Additionally, even if there were lots of new games now, the opportunity to play them is significantly lower right now… Heck, we’ve been so desperate as to have organized a Can’t Stop tournament online followed by a Rock-Paper-Scissors tournament!

 

So, I took a poll of the Opinionated Gamers, and below I have copied their response to the question of “What are you doing right now considering returning to gaming?”.  The responses are varied, and each gamer has made the decision that feels right for them, taking into account a multitude of factors including where they live, the particular coronavirus conditions in their area, their own relative health, any local restrictions/recommendations made by their respective governments, etc.  I think it is an interesting cross-section to see how different gamers are approaching this issue.

 

If the respondents are willing, I would like to revisit this in a month or two to see how things have changed.  At this point, at least for me, I have no idea what to expect for the rest of 2020.  Everytime I think that things are settling down into a new normal, something else comes up.

 

One thing that stays constant is how much the mailman hates me.  I can’t wait to get back to gaming so I can work on the growing stack of games just waiting for me to get them to the table!

 

Dale – located in Ohio

 

Right now, we aren’t gaming yet. Haven’t played in person games with my regular group since about the first week of March.  Ohio has been “reopening” for about three weeks now, and thankfully, we are not seeing a rise in cases here.  That being said, I work in a hospital that is in the top 10 in the state in Coronavirus cases, and they has been a strong motivator for my group to not meet yet as I am really worried that I might be a high risk of potential spread to the rest of my group.  I’ve been trying to play online once or twice  a week, and while it’s been enjoyable, it is clearly not a replacement for real gaming.  My family (mostly my kids) will play off and on with me, but it’s sporadic.  I am hoping that my local group can at least start a discussion soon about when they might be ready to be near me, but honestly, I am not yet ready for that, so I haven’t brought it up yet with them.  I have cheated on my regular group a few times by meeting up with a colleague of mine from the hospital.  We both are already at a high risk of exposure due to our work, but we feel that we share the same risk, and we are comfortable with the prevention measures each has taken to stay safe while working at the hospital.  This has led to some 2p game nights, but not that many yet.

 

 

 

OG #2 –  Australia

 

I think the last play with people outside of the house was in February, but possibly earlier.  Ironically we have all been really busy this year and even more so during lockdown., so very little time for gaming. For the last three weekends we have set up a Zoom session and BoardGameArena with a couple that are our normal main gaming friends.

 

At some stage they will come and visit for physical games, but there is no timeframe on that as yet.  Compared to pretty much everywhere except for New Zealand, Australia has been relatively lightly impacted by the pandemic but it is a nasty disease and better safe than sorry.

 

OG #3 – Missouri

 

The last big gaming group meetup we had was the middle of March, we all met at a BnB in a small Southwestern Missouri town and played games all weekend. I’m not sure that we thought it would be the last time we’d all get together and play games for awhile, but it had to be in the back of everyone’s head. Since that weekend, gaming has predominantly been with my family and online. About a month or so ago, I started inviting a friend over now and then to play games and enjoy dinner and we’ve been sporadically doing that, but gaming really isn’t the end all of those meetings, it’s the fact that we need human interaction. This week, June 17, I am hosting a game night though. I’ve invited over three folks who I know took every precaution that we did, and weren’t out putting themselves and others at risk. So we’re going to sit down and have our first post-Covid game evening and see how it goes. I did make sure that everyone knew that if they were more comfortable playing with masks, we’d certainly do that, but I’ll also make sure to have plenty of hand sanitizing soap and such available while we sit around playing games. Just as I was organizing this,of course Missouri is named as one of the states with cases on the rise though, instead of in decline.

 

 

OG #4 –  Massachusetts

 

The last face to face games I played were on Wednesday, March 11th. Salem schools closed on Thursday, March 12th. I’m both eager to return to hosting and very reticent at the same time. I typically host up to ten people each week at my house. Since mid March we have been meeting virtually each Wednesday. This has actually allowed our group to expand beyond its usual size. Several weeks saw more than a dozen attendees. While virtual game night has been nice, but it is far from a good substitute for social gathering around a game table. One other good thing about virtual gaming is it has provided an opportunity to play a lot of older games that have been pushed back by newer games. I’m hoping to host again very soon. Massachusetts has seen the key metric surrounding the virus steadily in decline as we are slowly opening back up. When I do host, I will likely scale back to a very small group of three to five. I’ll take advantage of nice weather and play on my porch rather than in my house. I’ll also give more consideration to the game and try to play games that don’t require a lot of cross handling of shared components.

 

 

OG #5 – West Virginia

 

We have been going for about a month and throwing discs with three or 4 of us on weekends.  It was made pretty clear on the post when we started that we wanted everyone to have followed the rules of quarantine to minimize exposure to the group.  And, if you did not feel comfortable, don’t come.  I put hand sanitizer and paper towels on the counter and in the bathroom, so people don’t have to share a towel and we always have paper supplies, cups, plates, etc. which are disposable for snacks.  We do have a few compromised people in my group…..old age, cancer survivor, etc.  We have about 12 on the mailing list and used to get around 6-8 players regularly.  Now, we are 4 – 5 for the last 4 weeks.  Most people have just not responded they will be coming to play except the 6 people that try to make it.  Two people have specifically told me that are not comfortable getting together right now with that many people.

 

It really feels like gaming as normal.  We are not wearing masks or anything and have had no issues so far.  I have had to go into work a lot more lately and we are with temperature checks and masks in common areas.  And, I have eaten out in restaurants several times.  I will add and important tip.  West Virginia has been socially distancing since 1863. We have very few cases and the state is almost fully open at this point.  Pools are open, restaurants at 1/2 capacity, movie theaters, etc.

 

 

 

OG #6 – (near Washington, DC)

 

My last face to face gaming was sometime in February.  I definitely would have played well into March, but we were in the midst of a move, so I was too busy.  And by the time things had settled down, we were well into the World of Social Distancing.  There’s been no question about getting together, as none of my gaming friends are comfortable with FTF gaming yet.  But even if they were, both my wife and I are high risk when it comes to COVID, so I’m being extra cautious.  As a result, it might be quite a while before I resume normal gaming.  Who knows, maybe a year?  As long as the infection rates remain relatively high and there’s no vaccine, I plan to stay away.  I dearly miss FTF gaming, but it ain’t worth dying over.  And my wife isn’t a gamer, so there’s no one here in lockdown to help me scratch that itch.  Thankfully, I have discovered online gaming (I did very little of it prior to this) and am having fun with it.  The problem is, some of the online implementations are pretty bad.  So the choice of games is limited, but it’s much better than nothing.  For a while, I was getting in much more gaming post-COVID than before the virus hit!  So ya gotta love technology.

 

 

OG #7 – Ohio.

I am part of Dale’s group so everything he said applies to me. Given his possible high risk of exposure I am comfortable with not playing face-to-face. I have played a handful of times on yucata.de with discord for voice with my monthly church group. It is ok but I definitely miss the in person experience. I would like to try some more online, real-time gaming but am reluctant to play with random people. Despite my first round elimination in the OG Can’t Stop World Championship tournament I really enjoyed it. I have no idea when we’ll get back to our regular weekly gaming but am really going to enjoy the hell out of it when it happens.

 

 

OG #8 –  Indiana / Overseas

 

My kids are still at the age where going out for an evening is tricky, making me rely on gaming with my tween kids or interactions with students at work or church.  This means I’m often playing with newer gamers and I don’t get many long, complex games to the table.  My situation is a bit strange, as I’ve been in Europe for the duration of the confinement, which made real-time online gaming difficult.  While I have managed to get in some turn-based online board games, it was somewhat disappointing (except for the OG Can’t Stop World Championship.)  On the plus side, I’m slightly more in-time with a friend in the Pacific which led us to play a bit online with Tabletop Simulator, which then morphed into an ongoing role-playing game including my boys and his eldest (on Roll20.)  We’ve been able to play almost twice a week, which is the most frequent I have ever met for an RPG.  One game event of note is my annual all-day boardgame party I throw for my birthday.  This year I had it all online, which worked pretty well.  I started in the am with my Pacific friend, and the finished it out with friends in Indiana.  With voice chat it was a decent substitute, albeit without the nice snacks.  Going forward, parenting combined with a continued desire to practice social distancing (my youngest is slightly at risk) will mean online boardgaming will probably be my mode of choice for some time to come.  On the plus side, that may be others’ choice as well, which could very well mean I get in a bit more boardgaming than usual.

 

 

OG # 9 – American Midwest

 

I’ve always gamed primarily with my family, so the pandemic has not had a large impact on my game time.  I had 107 plays in May 2020, for instance, compared to 89 in May 2019, 99 in May 2018, 101 in May 2017, and 48 in May 2016.  A couple of my game groups just started meeting again, and I’ve joined one, but not the other.  That said, the pandemic has dramatically changed the mix of what I’m playing.  New games have come to just a trickle, so I’ve been playing a lot of classics like Agricola, Alhambra, Carcassonne, and King of Tokyo.  Without my game group that enjoys the heavier games, my plays have trended lighter.

 

 

OG #10 – Tennessee

 

After quite a bit of discussion with the folks who host (we have four regular hosts and two who fill-in when needed), we delayed the start of our game nights until the final week in May, four weeks after the Tennessee “stay at home” order was lifted.  Two hosts did not yet feel comfortable resuming their hosting duties, so we are alternating between the other four — including myself.  I hosted my first game night in over three months on the first Thursday in June.  We had 10 gamers in attendance and everyone said they felt comfortable and safe attending.

 

We are fortunate in that East Tennessee and the Knoxville area where we reside has very low numbers in comparison with other major cities in the state (Nashville and Memphis having the highest infection rate).  Before resuming our get-togethers, I sent a lengthy email to all of our members stressing that hosts would take extra precautions, which included separating tables, limiting attendance, going with individual (as opposed to group) snacks and beverages, having wipes and hand sanitizer readily available, etc.  Masks would be optional.  I also emphasized that no one should feel any pressure to attend.  This was a very personal decision and there would be no pressure or judgment.

 

I would say that we have about 60% of our “regulars” who have begun attending, while 40% have elected to be more cautious.  So far, things are going smoothly and no one has contracted the virus.

 

 

OG # 11 –  Tennessee

 

We’ve been extremely careful – which means I’m not getting together with my long-time group of friends/fellow gamers. Local meetups have gone online but I’ve done very little online gaming (compared to some others) – with the notable exception of getting a chance to play with some of my old crew across the country. My playing has actually picked up since I’ve got both boys home with my wife & I… and my wife has been playing some with us as well.

I’m not sure when I’ll feel comfortable with face-to-face gaming outside the family… but I believe I’m better off erring on the side of caution at this point.

 

 

OG #12 – Massachusetts

 

My regular game group meets monthly, and I was last there in January (although they met mid-February; I just had a prior commitment that day). It isn’t meeting again before August, since the library where we hold it is closing their conference room until at least then. I am not sure I’d be ready to go back before then anway. I work for a hospital (although I am lucky to be in a role where I can work from home), and I take the advice and knowledge many of the experts in infection control have shared to heart. I also am in a higher risk category, so  I am not in a rush to dine out or attend any social gatherings, including boardgaming, just yet. I am lucky to be quarantined with my husband, who is also a board gamer, so we’ve been getting games in regularly on the weekends, and I’ve been able to join a friend’s weekly game group now that it meets on-line.  We have talked about whether we’d be comfortable inviting a friend over for gaming if we know that friend has been social distancing, and we may decide to do that later in the summer. Until then, I am watching the news to see how things play out as things start or continue to reopen; here in Massachusetts we are in the early stages of the return to “normal”.

 

 

OG #13 –  London, England

 

I used to meet four times a week but have not done so since early March. Online gaming, solo gaming and playing all sides as well as an occasional game with my wife have replaced the regular gaming. All 2020 mini conventions have been cancelled. I binged on gaming in April with 140 plays but found that too much so halved it since then. I found online gaming only satisfying if I could see faces, which I do on Monday nights now. Face to face gaming will only resume when I am assured the risk is minimal as my wife is in a higher risk category. None of my regular groups have plans to resume anytime soon, so my guess is September at the earliest. I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t join in until 2021.

 

 

OG #14 – Vermont

 

On the weekend of March 14-15 I had two gaming sessions, one with a close friend and another with four of us. For the following two months I did only online gaming, primarily through BoardGameArena and using Tabletop Simulator. We are fortunate in Vermont to have had an aggressive response to Coronavirus spread which has resulted in around 150 known remaining ‘active’ cases and one hospitalized individual statewide, testing of around 1,500 individuals daily, and average daily positive test results of around 0.3% (about 2-4 new cases found daily). In this environment a few weeks ago a group of four decided to reconvene for one weekly play of Clank Legacy; the first session being held on a porch and the next two weekly sessions spreading us out around a ping-pong table in a space opened to the outdoors with multiple running fans. I am the single person in the group and the others also have families of somewhat overlapping ‘bubbles’. This has felt comfortable, even as we  continue to wear masks and try to avoid excessive handling of shared components. I have no expectation of expanding to a more typical gaming group type event soon, and have not pursued gaming with two other friends who would be willing but are a bit younger and practicing a less safe lifestyle. For now, the decision to play face to face is re-evaluated weekly, prior to our one game session.

 

 

OG #15 – Pacific Northwest

 

I’m in the no game group for a while category, but I have an awesome game-playing family.

 

 

OG #16 – North Carolina/Germany

 

We have been living in the U.S. this year before moving back to Germany in a few weeks. Because of our impending move, we are continuing to refrain from most social interactions.  If one of us even gets a fever, we would probably not be allowed to fly back to Germany until we are healthy again. Before the lockdown, I was thrilled to join the Game Designers of North Carolina and playtest prototypes every couple of weeks, as well as attend a couple of local conventions.  Since March, however, we have only met virtually through Zoom a couple of times.  I playtested a friend’s prototype once on Tabletop Simulator, although I still have not put any of my own prototypes there. I also playtested with a friend over Skype with multiple webcams set up. And I’ve played “finished” games with friends—some who live around the world on Boardgamearena.com occasionally. But the most rewarding experience has been to work on a roll & write version of Pandoria with my co-designer, Bernd Eisenstein, who is still back in Berlin. I made the suggestion while we were both in the strictest phases of lock-down. It gave us the opportunity to connect and collaborate again, as well as offering other gamers a free print-and-play version of our game that they can play over the internet with their friends. The game is also different: in addition to removing the “meanest” element of the board game, it also offers new challenges, and we even developed 3 different versions:  the complex gamer’s version, the more streamlined “family” version, and even a solo version!  Because of this, it has taken us several months to balance, but it has been so much fun to play the game with each other every week—something we would never have done without the pandemic.

 

 

OG #17 –  Australia

 

I miss our gaming buddies terribly, but I can’t risk any social contact even though Australia has largely, so far, through early and comprehensive lockdowns, missed the disastrous effects that have been seen elsewhere. My mum, who is 83, had a stroke in mid April, so I need to make sure I am healthy so I can visit her to provide care and support. Also, I’ve already had the COVID swab once and am not keen to go back for seconds. The dryer repair guy who came this week was the first person other than the four of us who live here to enter our house since mid March, although our younger daughter is back at school. Fortunately, my employer is in no hurry to get us back onto campus, although teaching large classes and supervising student research entirely online has its own set of challenges.

 

We have played online games with friends a few times, which has been marvellous, with a Zoom call to keep us chatting as we play. But really I’ve played very few games, because my workload has increased so much and [my spouse] has also been flat out. It’s ridiculous that in a house full of games, with willing opponents, my gaming time is restricted to Animal Crossing, but that’s definitely the game of the year for me so far. I’ve probably spent almost as much time at home on LoveIsland as I have Terraforming Mars!

 

I am looking forward to being able to have small numbers of people in the house again, but I think that’s probably a month or more away, even if the curve holds, and then it really will be one or two not more. I met a friend for a walk and a chat a couple of weeks ago, and I’m hoping to do more of that soon. Sharing pieces and sitting around a table in a closed room (it’s Winter here) just seems waaayyyy too risky when we’re still washing groceries before we bring them into the house.  I feel very strongly that it is our responsibility to stay home to protect people who can’t, so I would much rather be overcautious. It’s a small annoyance for us, but the cost of one of us getting sick and potentially spreading it to my mum or to others is extreme.

 

I’m relieved that major cons and events have been cancelled – think how ‘con crud’ spreads and then think again – but am hopeful that there will be enough progress towards a cure or eradication that we might safely start to see some events again next year.  I missed trips to France, Finland, and the USA this year, so I hope that it will soon be safe to travel again. Essen is very much on my mind.

 

Until your next appointment,

The Gaming Doctor

 

(If any reader would like to share their own situation and decision, please feel free to email the blog and I’ll collate a second round of opinions on the question!)

 

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