The Opinionated Gamers

By Nathan Beeler

Makin’ a List
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, if you are a party game fanatic like I am.  With friends and family around and gay happy parties to attend there are plenty of chances to rejoice in the lighter, sillier side of gaming.  Gone for the moment are strategic considerations, look ahead, and analysis paralysis, as they are replaced by quick thinking, creative energy, and hopefully a whole lot of laughter.  Party games offer a chance to create memorable moments and to revel in a kind of competition where the points don’t matter but good players will still give their all in pursuit of them.

Not all party games will elicit the proper response, however.  There are a whole lot of options out there to choose from, and the overwhelming majority of them are merely mediocre, if they aren’t actively painful.  As you are probably the person your non-gamer friends look toward to spice up a gathering, it is your responsibility to sift through the morass for those perfect gems and hidden treasures and bring them along to the party.  At the very least, as game sommelier you’ll want to tote enough good options to fit the mood and configuration of the attendees.  You owe it to your friends to come properly prepared.

So what should you take to a holiday party?  Standbys like Electronic Catchphrase and Electronic Taboo (if you are lucky enough to have one) are always fun, and should be included in any party game kit to act as a universal catchall.  Beyond that it is a matter of taste, of course.  What follows is an alphabetical list of what I would would use to line the edges of my party game bag of holding, and hopefully a bit of why these and not others.

Note: I’m not going to try to define what a party game is, nor am I going to defend any of these choices as party games.  For the purposes of this article, a game qualifies if it is anything I would take to a gathering where light entertainment was more important than anything else.  My tastes tend toward creativity and quick thinking based games (but not speed games, per se), but there should be plenty of options in here for everyone. Continue reading →

Before I start gabbing on about the year just been, I should explain how I can whip out my end-of-year numbers before end-of-year. My gaming year ends (and re-sets) on my mid-December birthday. I used to strive to hit 100 new games each year, and usually managed to creep over the line each December. Because I’d only just make it, I’d then worry about hitting 100 next year (all in a good-hearted , don’t really care, but it’s fun to have a goal type way) so any games bought for my birthday and Christmas would sit on the shelves waiting for New Year’s Day. Much to the angst and chaffing of my gaming buddies who were denied the goodness of newness for the somewhat whimsical satisfaction of meeting an arbitrary number. When the suggestion came from said buddies to declare my birthday as year end, it was met with acclaim as a beautiful compromise – gaming pleasure wasn’t delayed, numbers could be met! As it turned out, that was the last year I ever struggled to hit 100 new games. But the tradition remains.

Anyway, my 2011 numbers are nearly all face to face and don’t include expansions: 182 new titles played, 477 different titles played, 1006 games played.

Games I’ve played 10+ times (8, in order): Lord Of The Rings: The Card Game, Memoir’ 44, 7 Wonders, Flash Point: Fire Rescue, Bluff, The Resistance, San Juan, Pandemic.

Games I’ve played 5-9 times (28): Eminent Domain, Dominion, Claustrophobia, Backgammon, Castle Panic, Schnappchen Jagd, Rallyman, Innovation, Villa Paletti, Mousquetaires du Roy, St Petersburg, Ascension: Chronicle Of The Godslayer, Cities, De Vulgari Eloquentia, Ra: The Dice Game, Geschenkt, Fairy Tale, Dragonheart, Puerto Rico, Roma, Valdora, Tichu, Lords Of Scotland, World Without End, LotR: The Confrontation, Feurio, Finito, Luna.

With that as a background, of those games played for the first time this year, let’s dole out some awards. Some of this replicates a write-up earlier in the year that was covering 2010 releases, but so be it. It also doesn’t include a lot in the way of current Essen releases. Sorry about that. It takes a while for these to trickle their way down to Australia. On the upside, by the time they get here, most of them have been reviewed enough to allow you to pick up the cream and avoid the duds, so that’s a bunch of money saved. Anyway, to the awards …

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