Over the last few weeks as I have fully transitioned to the stay at home lifestyle, I came to the realization that my life is somehow different, yet exactly the same. I am blessed to have a job that allows me to work from home, so my Monday through Friday still involves work, just in a different environment. I spend much more time on video conferences and have discussions with my wife about who gets access to the office at what times of the day. Initially I was going to the grocery store once a weekend to stock up on supplies, but have now transitioned to grocery delivery to further avoid interaction with other people. My social life is almost entirely digital now, besides walks with the dog and the occasional conversation with my next door neighbors while separated from our joint fence. In reality, I know I have it much easier than most, and haven’t seen a truly drastic change to my health or happiness.
And then, I saw this post online:
Suddenly I started really thinking about what I’ve been doing the past few weeks- a lot of TV and video games, the occasional virtual happy hour, a movie marathon where my wife and I watched the full Lord of the Rings trilogy… but nothing really of substance. It made me realize that this was a good time to work harder on my board game design ideas that I’ve had in the works. After all, what would be a better opportunity to try and make progress on my games then when I’m inside for most of the day?
It turns out, things are not as simple as just deciding to be productive and doing it. I am at the point of my games where I am constantly trying to tweak and improve the rules, but in order to do so I need people to playtest. I am also starting to work with a graphic designer, but meeting with her virtually wouldn’t be as effective as an in person discussion. I have an idea for a 2 player game which I tried out with my wife- she gave good feedback, but now I don’t have anybody else to get a second opinion from. The reality of what I am able to accomplish in this environment is completely different than it was before, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad.
But the difficulty of logistics in the COVID-19 world is not the only problem, it’s also the difficulty of what the world is going through. It feels like every time I check the news or my social media feed I see more bad news. I tend to be a very positive person, but with everything going on it’s hard to not feel down.
Mental health is extremely important during this time, and so I have realized that some of the things I have been doing outside of work may not be productive, but they do help me feel better, and that’s important too.
I think that during these times we have to remember that everyone has different things they are dealing with- it’s not as black and white as “you now have more time at home and should use that time productively”. I personally would like to try and be productive when I can, but I have also realized that pressuring myself to do something productive will only cause more stress, and I should focus on things that will make me happy along with things that I want to improve or build on when I am motivated to do so.
If any of you are like me and are trying to balance productivity and entertainment, I hope you are able to find the way that works for you. If you find yourself in a funk or an emotional low, I recommend focusing on yourself and doing what you can to feel better. Stay in contact with loved ones, decompress with hobbies you enjoy, and just simply do what you can, not what you feel like you have to do. Stay safe everyone, and here’s hoping that we turn the corner soon.
Playing cards is the majority of the turn, and there are a number of different cards with varying immediate and long term effects. The most crucial cards are Bang! cards, which allow you to shoot anybody within range. Once you declare who you shoot, that player has the opportunity to play a Missed card, which lets them avoid taking damage. If a Missed card isn’t played, that player loses one hit point. Lose all of your hit points, and you are out of the game. The game ends when either the Sheriff is killed, or all Outlaws and Renegades are killed.
The strategy involved with this game took some getting used to, but once you get the hang of things it becomes fun and engaging. Knowing who the Sheriff is gives him/her a disadvantage, but the Sheriff also gets an additional hit point, gets to go first, and in certain instances has deputies to help. In addition, the Renegade only wins if the outlaws are killed before the Sheriff, so the player who is the Renegade has to work to harm the Sheriff without them dying and take out the rest of the characters first. The outlaws seem to have the easiest job, but with a number of other characters having different motivations sometimes tipping your hat too early and going straight for the Sheriff can make things difficult for you. Overall it feels like you are able to win as any of the characters (in our first round the Sheriff won and then in round two the Outlaws won), so there’s a good sense of balance that some competitive games lack. Another fun aspect of the game is the shooting distance- shooting distance is based on who you are sitting next to, meaning it is easier to shoot someone next to you than someone with multiple people in between. There are weapons and abilities to enhance your ability to shoot, but there are certainly times when you are restricted in your ability to use Bang! cards on people.
are a huge number of possibilities and directions you can take when playing a card. At first when I read my cards I assumed there was no way I would be able to use some of them, but sure enough a round came along where they were the perfect fit. In addition, the fact that the judge gets to play one of the cards is a huge positive in comparison to CAH and Apples to Apples. The judge actually gets to shape the story the way they see fit, which can very quickly add to the hilarity.
would never get old… but I have started to realize that the Mayfair Games classic may not be as bullet proof as I previously thought. The reason that this idea popped in to my head was simple: over the past few weeks I played a few rounds of Settlers with two different groups of friends. After the last time I played, I randomly started thinking about how long it was since I had played and I couldn’t even remember how long ago it was. I’ve had so many other games to play, and it seems like Catan always finds its way onto the bottom of the pile. If I ever recommend it to my friends they usually say that they like the game, but would rather play something different. So I started to think about why I’ve been seeing this trend over the past few years. What makes Settlers the less popular choice nowadays? I think this is due to three big factors.
play a board game, I would either be playing an old school game my parents bought me or I would be playing Catan. Games like Pandemic and Ticket to Ride started to catch on in the early 2000’s, and slowly but surely game shelves started to grow and grow with new, exciting games. Fast forward to the present, and it feels like there’s no end to the amount of game options available to the average gamer, making Settlers a secondary option.
break. Collectively as a community, board gamers almost all played Settlers religiously for years after it came out, to the point where it feels like a drop-off was inevitable. I know from personal experience that I played the game so much in High School and College that I was practically begging for a change, not because I disliked the game but because overuse breeds disinterest. That, coupled with the bevy of new games that arrived on the scene, meant that everyone’s favorite game became just another one of many great options.
Legacy since the game first came out. While at first the idea of a game board permanently changing based on your play made me nervous I would screw it up, more and more I have thought of it as an exciting and bold style of game. After playing a Pandemic marathon over Christmas I have decided that Legacy is a game I have to try soon.
Firefly and the movie Serenity, and I also heard that the gameplay is quite good. I recently gave this board game as a gift to my fiancée for Christmas, so I am looking forward to trying it out with her sometime soon!
existence, Carcassonne is up there with Settlers of Catan as one of the board games that drove the recent board game resurgence. I am sad to say that I have never had the opportunity to play Carcassonne, and I am hoping that in 2017 I am able to remedy that. The game is easy enough to find, so hopefully in the near future I will be writing a review of it.
a competitive price, and guarantee that almost all of them can get to you within two days. Am I fishing for a sponsorship right now? Perhaps. But I’m also serious when I say that Amazon can be a lifesaver for busy people who can’t find time to go out to a store and need gifts delivered in a hurry. In addition, if you have an 
or the first time and feeling like everybody knows what to do, and even better it doesn’t feel like the same game you’ve always played because of the new cards and style. I also appreciate that the game is a bit more highbrow in its profanity- in no way does the game avoid dirty jokes, but it does find a way to make them more intellectual. Finally, the game is a great for social events and can be played with any number of players.
points, you equip weapons that you find by searching a room/area, and you have the option of trying to be sneaky or barging in guns blazing. The underlying premise is to move from different “zones” on the map and either defeat zombies, find items, or reach objective points depending on the situation at the time. All while this is happening, more zombies are arriving and looking for a way to get to you and eat your brains. There are rules for combat, item usage, and taking damage, and after each turn new challenges form that you have to overcome. Because the game is cooperative, if a character dies your team can still win; it is possible to sacrifice yourself to keep your teammates alive as they reach their mission objective.
The Boardwalk Games 