Your introvert comments described me completely. Most people don’t get that I like people but going to a “happy hour” is exhausting and I’d rather stay home. You articulated it perfectly!
I can relate to this too. One contributing factor in me leaving my last job was the increase in "party" office zoom calls since the beginning of COVID as we worked remotely. It was a nice idea to celebrate everyone's birthday, but this became too frequent and I found my introvert self getting exhausted from "putting on a front" as if I was enjoying the proceedings.
Boardgames are so nice to keep busy while also connecting with people. Small talk isn't easy for some people and board games have really helped me get groups together in a comfortable setting haha.
2:35 - was about to say Lost Cities because that was the start of my entry into modern hobby tabletop gaming as an adult, but that reference to MTG brought those 8th grade / high school memories flooding in. That is definitely the answer for me as well. Will never get back the days of sitting in a basement with my friends swapping and sharing cards, trying to put together decks. Absolutely incredible.
1 - Atentado no Cassino 2 - Magic: the Gathering 3 - Munchkin 4 - Science fiction and contemporary history 5 - Engine building and timeline player order 6 - Competitive 7 - Anachrony (already sold, because I moved to another country) 8 - 5 players 9 - Red, it has always been my favorite color 10 - Both: video first, rulebook second 11 - Mixed nuts 12 - Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory 13 - Right away 14 - Spending quality time with friends 15 - Football (soccer)
1. Favorite childhood board game? Scrabble was so fun for me because most adults in my life couldn't spell well. 2. First game you purchased? I'm pretty sure it was the D&D red box. 3. Your breakthrough game? Warhammer 40k Epic Battles. I scored 50% off of a stack of armies as a senior in High School (1991) and it changed me.... but I started playing X-wing about 6-7 years ago & it really pulled me back into the hobby. 4. A theme that always draws you in? Star Wars. Every. Damn. Time. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Deck Building and Deck Construction got me hooked. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Co-op gives me the warm & fuzzies. 7. Newest game in your collection? Jabba's Palace (Star Wars Love Letter. See #4 above) 8. Favorite player count? 4 but 1 is OK lately. 9. What player color do you use most often? Green or Blue 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? I'll watch nearly every UA-cam video ...then read. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Chocolate covered cashews 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? RoboMon gamefound.com/projects/gabe-barrett/robomon 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? ASAP 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The memories of laughter with friends. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Gardening, Star Wars stuff and I love music (have you heard the new Ozzy?)
1. My favorite childhood game is Life. What can I say, I enjoyed inheriting those skunk farms! 2. The first game I bought was Pokemon cards. 3. My break into the hobby game was Dominion. Combo-ing those cards together for an extra long turns makes my brain happy! 4. My favorite themes are anything adventure, story driven, especially if they have magical creatures! 5. My favorite mechanisms are engine building, deck building, worker placement, and set collection. I also love event cards that trigger in fun ways! 6. I like both competitive and cooperative. Semi-coop is my favorite! 7. Flamecraft! I'm so excited to play it! 8. My favorite player count is 4. 9. Blue, it has been my favorite my whole life! 10. Both. I typically start reading the rulebook, get anxious to start playing so I deviate to a rules video. After the rules video I realize I am a completionist and trudge back to the rule book so I can be sure I don't miss anything! 11. Favorite snacks: we have been making and enjoying peanut butter chocolate puppy chow lately, and it hits the spot! 12. I am really excited to play Lands of Galzyr! 13. I always punch my games right away! 14. I love the spirit of giving back amongst board game designers. The general attitude of "we're in this together, so let's help each other" vs. seeing each other as competition. I know both exist, but there seems to be a concerted effort to share knowledge and play test for one another. 15. Other hobbies: Reading (I just finished the 5th Red Rising book last month! Thanks for the recommendation!), Gardening, Painting, Photography, Cooking/eating, and Theology. Thanks for the list, Jamey!
1. Favorite childhood board game - Chess (but I played cards more often). 2. First game I purchased - I don't remember as most were gifted in childhood. To start my Euro/modern game hobby 20 yrs ago, I bought Ra and Samurai. 3. My breakthrough game - Ra. 4. Theme that draws me in - None really, as mechanisms are my draw. Fantasy, gems, magic powers appeal though. 5. Mechanism that always intrigues me - Quirky VP scoring methods, if this is a mechanism (Knizia is a master of this). Otherwise, an element of "area majority control" in a game intrigues me. 6. Cooperative or competitive? - Competitive (almost exclusively). 7. Newest game in my collection - Gorinto (as I await delivery of Rolling Realms promos). 8. Favorite player count - 2 (with wife or daughter), but 4 is often more interesting, with 3 to a lesser extent. 9. What player color do I use most often? - Green (I am Irish, grew up there, although Red is otherwise my favorite color). Generally, for ease of play, I prefer when ALL players are usually color consistent (my 10-yr old daughter is a chronic switcher :). 10) Read rule book or watch how to play video first? - Video usually, although sometimes I look for rules first on BGG (I am inconsistent). 11) Favorite snack to eat while playing? - Not allowed, sorry - I am paranoid about keeping the playing board and all game components free of stains! 12) Unreleased game I am most looking forward to? - Trick and Trade. 13) Open/punch game when received or later? - Later, but between time received and first play. 14). Favorite thing about board game hobby? - Enjoying the experience of 'hopefully' a new/non-recycled blend of game mechanisms with family/friends. 15) Hobbies other than board games? - Reading (non-fiction), Politics/Social Sciences, History, Sports (Irish "hurling", soccer, NFL) and going for casual walks or hikes in natural settings.
1. Favorite childhood board game? The Omega Virus. It still holds up too! 2. First game you purchased? Likely Magic Revised edition boosters and starter decks. If including war games, it would be Warhammer 40K. Otherwise, the first game that got me into modern hobby games would have either been Citadels or Catan I think. Dominion and Bang were close behind those. 3. Your breakthrough game? The idea of big social gaming was either Magic or 40K. Citadels was likely the one that got me seriously playing more board games. But the first "wait games can do this?!" moment was likely Tsuro. Simple rules, good pieces, and a lot of people being able to play at once. It was an evolution on every family game night in my past and one that I still hold enormous nostalgic enjoyment of. 4. A theme that always draws you in? Most things steampunk or dieselpunk will attract me pretty quickly. I enjoy space more than fantasy but so long as it's not generic I'll be attracted. What's important to me is that there is dedication to the theme and it's not just pasted on. I'll be vastly more intrigued by a game with intense and well integrated thematics than I will with "modern infrastructure game". 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Area majority, deckbuilding, and negotiation are my main draws. Worker placement closely fits that list. So long as the game has some kind of hook around those things I'm more interested but anything that intelligently and interestingly blends them together makes it much more attractive. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Depends on the group but I think Co-op more often. Solo modes in co-op games are normally much more interesting there as well because they aren't just "beat your high score" variants. 7. Newest game in your collection? Flamecraft. It just delivered about two weeks ago? 8. Favorite player count? Four or five I think? I normally have a larger playgroup and my favourite games play at those counts. I get frustrated because so many great games go to five and then I end up with a sixth person or similar situation. 9. What player color do you use most often? Purple. It's my favourite colour and it's normally the best looking colour in a game's pieces because the standard R/Y/B/G all look the same. If purple isn't available, then I play orange. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Reading the rulebook. I may do a how to play video afterwards or just before teaching a game to sink those rules in for a better teaching experience but almost always rules first. That said, I may have some familiarity with rules if I've watched review videos prior to purchasing and teaching (which can help too). 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't really eat while gaming and if I do, it's normally during a pause in the game of some kind. Constantly have drinks around, but not food. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? At this point either Mercurial or Freedom Five I think? Most of what I'm looking forward to at this point are actually expansions. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch right away. I actually tend to learn the game, and my ultimate desire to play a game, when doing this. Sorting and bagging components specifically with the rulebook open in front of me to know what each piece is and know what the rules are referencing is my constant process. Depending on what I was expecting out of the box, that process can seriously influence how much I want to play/teach a game if things are too convoluted in their naming schemes or if there are too many bits for what the game seems to need, etc. I almost never leave a game in shrink unless it's an expansion that I've still gone ahead and done the process with but leave in it's own box to make sure I know the base game well enough before integration. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The safe social interatctions that it generates. I've gotten to know many people and have a wide array of interactions with folks that I'd otherwise not cross paths with due to this hobby. It also is a way for me to assist people to safely integrate into a social group as well because there is a clean structure to interact with and be able to express yourself with. Because of the shared experiences had afterward you can discuss what you did/didn't like and how you'd like to try similar things or how you approach certain things. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Comic books, disc golf, classic literature, omnivorous musical consumption
1. Favorite childhood board game? Monopoly-it caused tantrums, but we got a deluxe edition with wooden hotels and houses and I loved that thing. I even made a 'Zoo-opoly' unprompted. I don't remember much, but I do remember that the chance cards were in the shape of peanuts! 2. First game you purchased? I can't remember buying myself games as a kid or a teen. I think the first game I bought was an old 90's copy of Catan from a thrift store. The second was King of Tokyo- Wil Wheaton's Table Top channel really drew me into the hobby! 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan. My family started playing it every Christmas, which was why I was so happy to find my own copy at the thrift store! 4. A theme that always draws you in? Fantasy. Especially anthropomorphic characters. Everdell is a HUGE hit, and I have a BURNING desire to play mice and mystics! 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker Placement. Started with Lords of Waterdeep, I now have Euphoria, Caverna, Stone Age, and Everdell. And I would be happy to have another! 6. Cooperative or competitive? Either works for me! I love them all! (That being said, there may be some people who I ONLY play co-operative games with IE kids still learning to be good sports. I haven't run into major alpha gamers to make me say only competative- although that may be the sign that I'm that player. Trying to get my brother, who is competitive only, to TRY gloomhaven with me!) 7. Newest game in your collection? Technically, Smash Up Disney. I got it for my Birthday last month. But I play other Smash Ups all the time. On the other hand, I've had Stone Age around for almost a year, hoping to find someone to play it with, and it JUST hit the table last night. It was a bit lucky, but I still really liked it! 8. Favorite player count? 2-4. I can do 5-6 if there is player interaction between turns, or if it is something like Dixit or Detective Club. I VERY rarely need something more than 6. I don't like solo play. 9. What player color do you use most often? Green. (Purple or pink if it is offered, but it rarely is.) Yellow is typically my second choice. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Prefered: Watch the video, then skim the book typically while playing (I know, I SHOULD know where the info is before hand, buuuut....). I am so thankful for Jamey for introducing me to the video rule concept! If it wasn't for his Kickstarter stretch goal I probably still wouldn't know who Rodney Smith is! Often: Read the rule book because the game was bought second hand and doesn't have video rules, or I am not near a computer at the time. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? chips. I also have been making Coconut ladoo before games night, and it makes a good games night snack contribution. Simple to make, delicious, and once made are not sticky or likely to leave residue! (toast 2 cups coconut in pot, add can of sweetened condensed milk, pinch of cardimum if feel like it, or 1/4 cup of cocoa if want to turn into pseudo truffles, stir until think/ becomes like a ball, remove from heat, let cool till warm, roll into balls and then roll again in coconut. Really just needs the coconut and condensed milk. Grease hands if you don't want them to get sticky.) 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? I'm really looking forward to the Mermiad and Sketeton factions of the Smash Up 10 year anniversary box. I listen to dicetower and stuff, but it takes longer for games to hit Canada so I tend to wait a bit. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? RIght away! It often *cough cough* takes a while to get a new game to the table, but I find so much fun in opening the game, punching it out, IMAGINING playing it, finding the optimal way to organize the box, painting the minis... its a ritual in and of itself! 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I'm socially awkward, and find it difficult to make friends. I like having a simple way to meet like minded people, that doesn't involve alcohol or religion, and have something to do as we figure out who each other are. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Is DnD a board game? It's an RPG, which technically is different, right? Painting mini's is an off-shoot. I also work with polymer clay making little gnomes and their houses, and I play the ukelele...
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk. My dad and I would set it up in the basement and play on it for days or weeks depending on how much time he had each day to play. 2. First game I purchased? An early copy of Risk from eBay. I love the Roman numerals instead of the pieces they had at the time. 3. Your breakthrough game? Settlers of Catan for sure. I was part of a group of 4 that would play every Friday night for a couple of years. 4. A theme that always draws you in? Animal or Space themes. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? I really enjoy cube pushers, card driven, and drafting games. 6. Cooperative or competitive? I enjoy cooperative over competitive if the competitive allows others to mess up or target what I am doing in a game. 7. Newest game in your collection? Cat Lady and Cat Lady Box of Treats. 8. Favorite player count? 2-4 or 6-8 9. What player color do you use most often? Purple or blue 10. Read a rule book or watch a how to play video? Watch a video, then read a rule book 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don’t generally snack while playing to protect the components, but will take a break to eat white cheese Cheeto puffs. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Iron Forest. Backed on KS, waiting excitedly for it to finish and come out. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I am definitely one to open and punch a game right when I get it. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I love that, as an introvert, it gives me time to spend with people, but not huge groups of them. i’m having to really stretch right now because I just moved abroad to a place where board games aren’t huge and so I’m going to have to find and meet new people. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? I love to hike and kayak and paint with water colors.
Enjoyed your list, it inspired me to respond and to begin keeping a record of those epic gaming moments with friends in sort of a "gaming memories" collection. 1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk 2. First game you purchased? Axis & Allies 3. Your breakthrough game? Pandemic got me into the modern hobby and opened my eyes to new gaming possibilities 4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature, Marvel, Vikings 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker Placement, Resource Management 6. Cooperative or competitive? I like both...depends on my playing group. Some friends do better with cooperative or what I call "passive competitive" vs "active competitive" 7. Newest game in your collection? Clone Wars Pandemic 8. Favorite player count? 2-4, but I love when games have a solo variant so I can enjoy them on my own when I cannot get a group together. 9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow...I'm usually hosting/ teaching and I let all the other players choose their color first, yellow is usually the one left. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Same as your answer. I am a firm believer in knowing the rules before a game night. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Popcorn 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The Great Wall...looks amazing, cool idea to be competitive AND cooperative. Also, whatever open world game you mention you were working on...I love Sleeping Gods and own several of your games, so you have my attention. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Right away. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The social interaction and the memorable moments with something epic or hilarious happens. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Disc Golf, Kayaking, Camping
I choose yellow. My main reasoning was that it just makes sense. When I think of meeples, they're yellow. When I think of dice, they're yellow (or white). I think yellow just resembles board games.
I'll play: 1. Favorite childhood board game? Can't pick just one -- Cribbage (best 2-player game with a standard card deck and easy to play with my dad), Careers (allowed pre-game customization of goals), Risk (first wargame), Europareise (the 1954 version, one of my first Euros) 2. First game you purchased? Blitzkrieg - bought it from a Hallmark store (really) 3. Your breakthrough game? Hard to say, since I've had a variety of breakthroughs in gaming over the years: Blitzkrieg, D&D, Magic, DBA 4. A theme that always draws you in? Dungeon crawl 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Deck building 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, and fairly strongly. I'll play coop, but only if that's what everyone else wants. 7. Newest game in your collection? Ark Nova 8. Favorite player count? 4, though I prefer games that can gracefully flex from 2-5. 9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow. It's the favorite color of the fewest of my opponents, so it's usually available. And thus it's easiest to remember who I am. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Read the rulebook. That's the final arbiter of truth and it's what I'll be teaching from. I do watch video playthroughs, often after playing the first time, so I can find my errors. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Pretzels, because there aren't oils or orange dust. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The High Guard update for Mongoose Traveller. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I won't usually punch a game until I'm going to set it up. This might be for a play or it might be to work through the rules. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Intellectual challenge. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Miniatures painting and modelling, reading, photography, hiking.
My favorite player color is purple. I like the color and also it is usually not everyone's favorite so I can usually get to use it and that makes me feel comfortable. In addition, if I have to use an unfamiliar color I often forget which color I'm using and move another player's pieces!
1. Stratego (kids owned) or Mille Bornes (Mom and Dad's game shelf) 2. Abalone at GenCon in Milwaukee the year it was released. 3. Ticket to Ride brought me back to gaming with my family. Agricola opened my eyes to what gaming could be. 4. Theme agnostic. More drawn to mechanisms and strategy. 5. Worker placement and drafting. 6. Competitive. 7. Loaded question. Between Two Cities Essential Edition. 8. It was 6 because that was my gaming group. Now 3-4 because I only get people to game infrequently these days. 9. Whatever is left after letting everyone else pick first. If they are left over, in order: Blue, Yellow, Green. 10. Read first. Videos to clarify. 11. Food near my games?!? OCD kicks in. 12. I've moved to a strategy of buying games that have a record of re-releases instead of being on the front edge. Given my limited play time I don't purchase like I used to anymore. 13. Used to punch right away, now I wait until there is a chance to play. 14. The people I got to meet along the way and the joy it brought playing with our kids before they moved on to their own hobbies. 15. Working on old machinery and anything involving building something.
1. Favorite childhood board game? I loved "Dungeon!" which is a heist game. It was a little boring but I liked to setup it and play by myself. We also played a lot of Acquire and the card game King. 2. First game you purchased? Risk! My parents had one of the first version and it was in a really bad shape when we were obsessed with it so I bought a newer version of it. 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan was the game that intrigued me to look again to the board game hobby, but I think my breakthrough was Scythe. It showed me what a the hobby could be and it make me realized I wanted to spend more time playing games with my family / friends than doing any other thing. 4. A theme that always draws you in? I really like Fantasy and Dragons. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? More than a mechanism I think seeing a game with a component hook always intrigue me. When I see a game being played and there's something that stand out it always intrigue me. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Nowadays I prefer cooperative for 2 player but competitive for higher player counts. 7. Newest game in your collection? The last game I bought were Between Two Cities Essential Edition and Flamecraft. 8. Favorite player count? I like 2-3 for the same reasons as you: I have a wife and a daughter so that's the player count that matters the most to me. But I look for 5 player games because that's the player count needed when my sister-in-law and her husband come. 9. What player color do you use most often? Blue. My mother was a big fan of a Colombian soccer team which used blue in its uniform and I also became fan of them. Since my childhood she liked to give me blue things. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? If I bought the game in advance I usually watch a video for the rules before getting the game. But I always read the manual anyway because when I'm playing is super useful to know where to look for rule if I don't remember. Even with videos that have timestamps, it's more convenient to have the rulebook at hand and quickly check things. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't know what it is but I usually don't want to eat while playing. But I keep a Coke at hand. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? I'm a SM fan so it's codename Draw. Given the name, I'm very intrigued about what type of game it could be. But I'm also super intrigued about your open world game. I haven't really played an open world board game so I'm curious to see how that feeling translates. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I need to punch a game as soon as I get it. There's something magical about opening a new game and seeing everything that's in the box and get it ready to play. When I read the rulebook and keep the box at hand because as you mentioned, I need to see the components while reading the rulebook for things to make sense. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I really like that I board games can gather people for 2+ hours. Sometimes is difficult to do that, specially to gather my father-in-law and my daughter, but once we are playing they really like share some time. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? I used to be a big video games fan, now I'm mostly a Nintendo fan playing some of their franchises like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, etc. But my biggest hobby is my profession: computer programming. I also programming as a hobby and I also like to teach others about programming.
1. Favorite childhood Game: Rail Baron and Stratego. For anyone who likes some things about monopoly, I would totally recommend Rail Baron, it has buying property, gaining control of parts of the board and some semi exploding dice. 2. First game Purchased: Not positive on this but Bang or Dominion. 3. Your breakthrough game: I think Catan was the the turning point, though I was kind of always a big gamer because of my dad who always loved games too! 4. A theme that draws you in: there are a lot of good themes and unique themes are always welcome, but if you have an Indiana Jones style theme like Lost Ruins of Arnak, Quest for El Dorado, or Tikal I am all in for it! 5. A Mechanism that draws you in: worker placement, Deck/bag building and anything with engine building. 6. Cooperative or competitive: definitely competitive! Co ops can be fun, but if you looked at my favorite games they would be missing. 7. Newest game in my collection: I think by production it would be Ark Nova, but actual arrival it would be Yamatai, Relic Runners and Tikal. 8. Favorite player count: 3 or 4. I do like 2 player games, but 3 and 4 really open up the possibilities, and more narrows it a bit too. 9. What player color do you use most often: green or purple though I seem to be playing with a bunch of green players recently, so I have had more variety. 10. Read the rules or watch a video: I like to read the rules more, but I definitely watch videos too. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games: Carrots and pretzels for obvious reasons. Also, while I will eat baby carrots full sized chopped up carrots are so much better! 12. An unreleased game you are looking forward to: I guess since I do not have it yet Verdant. 13. Open and punch immediately or wait until you are going to play: I have to clarify I punch when I am reading the rules because I fully set up the game when I am learning it! So, I guess I would be in the wait category. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I like how it can bring people together. I have seen people with vastly different views sit down at a table and have fun with each other. It's refreshing to see and it makes me so happy to be in this hobby! 15. Any hobbies other than board games: so definitely reading, watching sports, Lego building, badminton, photography...yeah lots of stuff:)
Love your answers! Thank you for sharing! My answers: 1. Favorite childhood board game? - Bonkers and Yahtzee Bonkers bc of the evolving board state and Yahtzee bc my love of RollnWrites started early lol 2. First game you purchased? - Either No Thanks or Botswana 3. Your breakthrough game? - Carcassonne and Dominion 4. A theme that always draws you in? - mythology, animals, science, pirates 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? - dice manipulation, I-split-you-choose, engine building, any unique action selection mechanism 6. Cooperative or competitive? - Competitive for sure (unless it’s a game to play with my kids) 7. Newest game in your collection? - just got Tidal Blades: Banner Festival and Trekking Through History from my wife yesterday 8. Favorite player count? - 2 players is a must bc 80% of my gaming is just my wife and me 9. What player color do you use most often? - Blue or Yellow bc they’re the easiest for me to distinguish from other common player colors and I’m partially color blind 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? - I’ll usually watch 2-3 reviews/play throughs/ rules vids before I buy the game. After I purchase it, I always read the rule book 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? - pretzel sticks or anything no -messy 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? - Tiletum or Bardwood Grove or Motor City 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? - never open until I’m about to play it 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? - focus on inclusion and respect 15. Any hobbies other than board games? - dancing, science, kayaking, music, TV
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue 2. First game you purchased? 7 Wonders 3. Your breakthrough game? Viticulture 4. A theme that always draws you in? Antiquity/Mythology 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Dice drafting 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive 7. Newest game in your collection? Smitten :) 8. Favorite player count? 4 is my favorite but 5 is most useful for my gaming group 9. What player color do you use most often? Blue 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Both? I love runthroughs to get a feel for the game and overall rules and then the rulebook for smaller details. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't really snack during game time since it's often right after dinner. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Revive 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch right away. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Socializing with friends and meeting new people at conventions. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Nothing near the same magnitude but I do enjoy a good book, movie, or hike.
Thanks, Jamey! Great learning more about your experience with the hobby! 1. Favorite childhood board game? While I didn’t truly get into the hobby until college and there were much more limited options back in the day, I really enjoyed the tactile, early childhood games like “Don’t Break the Ice.” Very satisfying. 2. First game you purchased? Technically, Pokemon TCG cards, though I just collected them and never actually played the game. Like you, I tended to receive games as gifts. After some reflecting and Googling, I think the first game proper that I bought was something called Bionicle Adventure Game: Quest for Makuta. I was obsessed with the Bionicle IP as a kid, but I don’t think I could ever actually figured out how to play that game. Based on its BGG score, I don’t think I missed much… 3. Your breakthrough game? Dixit. I think I heard about it in college through Wil Wheaton’s “Tabletop” show. I just fell in love with the accessibility and creativity of that game. To this day, that’s my go-to gateway game to play with people, and I’ve yet to play with someone who disliked it. 4. A theme that always draws you in? There’s not really any single theme that really interests me. Rather, I really enjoy strong integration of theme and mechanisms, as they help draw me in and immerse me in the experience. It also makes rules a lot easier to remember. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Push Your Luck, specifically when the consequence for failure isn’t too punishing. I recently got Quacks and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite games of all time. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, though not cutthroat competitive. I don’t really enjoy tournament-intensity play-- I just want everyone to have a fun time. 7. Newest game in your collection? Rolling Realms and Smitten :) 8. Favorite player count? 2-3 players. Also, I really appreciate games with strong solo modes, as they allow me to learn the game so that I can teach it to others. 9. What player color do you use most often? Black or blue, or sometimes a very dark gray. May or may not have something to do with Batman… 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Pretty much the exact same response as you. I watch first to get the general gist of the game, and then read the rulebook to fill in the specifics. And then back to the video if I need to refresh my memory before teaching the game. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Toss up between pizza and chocolate chip cookies. Though, with an obligatory handwashing before returning to the game. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Paperback Adventures! 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I generally like to complete a setup of the game when I get it in order to familiarize myself with the rules in a tactile way. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I really related to your answer. As an introvert myself, I too love that games help provide a topic of conversation besides small talk. I’ve also found that they are a great way to establish common experiences and stories with folks quickly and in a safe environment. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Reading, writing, videogames, VR miniature golf, and, this year, cheering on Ukraine.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue: The Great Museum Caper (also a one-vs-many hidden movement game) 2. First game you purchased? Ticket to Ride, maybe? Also one of the first hobby/designer games I played. I bounced off the game so hard it nearly kept me from exploring more hobby/designer games 3. Your breakthrough game? Letters from Whitechapel (yes. Another hidden movement game) 4. A theme that always draws you in? Perhaps, noir/horror, but moreso I just stay away from fantasy- or superhero-themed games 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Hidden information/movement/location/role 6. Cooperative or competitive? Both? 7. Newest game in your collection? Rear Window. Pandemic Legacy Season 0 might be added soon 8. Favorite player count? Two 9. What player color do you use most often? Green. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Read the rulebook 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Crackers, cheese, summer sausage 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? RUN by Flowers Games 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch when I get it so I can dive right in when I'm ready to play 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? A way to socialize while using your noggin 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Video game and board game design, retro gaming/collecting, watching sports (pro football and baseball mostly), concert-going, cinephile and music enthusiast
1. Favorite childhood board game? I don't know its name in english, but it was a party game that involved drawing cards with words and doing mimics, drawing or whatever to make people guess the word; played that one during the holiday season with my cousins. 2. First game you purchased? Sword & Sorcery. My brother started us up in hobby boardgaming, and once I had to pay him back some money and he told me to get this game for us instead. Great decision, it's one of two campaign dungeon crawlers we love (Gloomhaven is the other). 3. Your breakthrough game? Agricola might've done it for me. My brother got us something like 10-15 games to start a collection with, and we tried a bunch of heavy euros (we had no clue). Agricola was super nice, though. Worker placement is super user friendly, and having to build up the farm is a nice concrete goal. 4. A theme that always draws you in? Fantasy/High Fantasy stuff. I'm a sucker for those things. Magic, dragons... 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? I cut you choose. Only a handful of games use it, but it's such a clever way to interact with your oponent without conflict. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive. The stakes are a big part of the experience. Playing against the game doesn't feel as rewarding, and I prefer video games for that. 7. Newest game in your collection? After the Empire. 8. Favorite player count? Two. It's the player count we play 99% of the time, but I love how engaging and quick it is. Since I play with my brother I'm interested in what he's doing just as much as my own game. I want us both to do well and have a nice game, and often we suggest stuff the other hasn't seen, opportunities or threats. 9. What player color do you use most often? Red, always. I love the color red, and I think it's because I love how red clothes look on me. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Nowadays, watch a video. If it's still necessary to clarify somethings, I read the rules. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? We hardly ever, if at all, eat while playing. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Voidfall maybe. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I usually open and punch once we have a storage solution for the game - we have inserts for almost all games we own. And I find punching out games very soothing. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Exactly what Jamie said: I'm an introvert as well, and I love that we have this thing to mediate interactions with other people. I feel lost in social situations where I don't know what to talk about, or don't know many people, and often they are exausting. Games let me hang out without the pressure. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Music, I play the guitar; video games; books and movies too.
I'm a little late in this reply but I really enjoyed these questions... Thanks! 1. Uncle Wiggily - anyone ever played that game? 2. Yatzee or when I discovered modern games - Ticket to Ride 3. After Ticket to Ride and Pandemic, I was interested but Clank! In Space blew my mind and really got things rolling! 4. I'm a sucker for sci fi space and castles/ knights games. 5. Worker placement always gets my attention. 6. Co ops are fine but I prefer competitive. 7. I just received a kick starter I backed ... Tournament Fishing. 8. I do enjoy playing 2 player with my wife but I enjoy setting my game nights at 4. 9. I also will choose red but normally I let everyone pick their color first so I get whatever is left. 10. I will always set up the game, watch a video then read through the rules. Since I am a visual learner this process seems to work well. 11. I enjoy peanut m&m's and chips during the game. 12. I'm really looking forward to the new version of Castles of Burgundy but I'm not sure that classifies for this question. Otherwise I'd like to try Distilled when it comes out. 13. Most of the time I'm so excited for a game that I punch it right away but I do have 3 games in shrink on my shelf right now. The shame....😁 14. I love playing games and unraveling the puzzle but I also love teaching others new games and watching their faces light up! Most of all I love designing games. I've always created things. As a kid, I designed over 100 original Garbage Pail Kids. In my teens and 20s, I wrote and performed songs that I composed in a rock band. In the last 5 years I've discovered strategy games and it's been amazing! It feel like the most complete artistic expression and seeing people enjoy the games you create is priceless. 15. I also really enjoy travelling, camping and fishing. 🎣
1. Scrabble when it was family games; Marvel Overpower in elementary school with my best friend; The Great Dalmuti with high school friend group. 2. Magic the Gathering 4 edition -- I must be slightly younger than you Jamey or maybe you got into MtG real young. 3. Pandemic - I was playing a lot of hold'em and video games so only played random competitive game (i.e. Catan) when someone invited me. Finding out about cooperative board games blew my mind and ever since I've been hooked. 4. Clever word construction. 5. Highly asynchronous players and powers. 6. Cooperative by a landslide, especially multi-hand solo. 7. Paint the Roses. 8. 4-5 probably. 9. Whatever is left usually. 10. Rulebook first then video. So both. 11. Potato chips with chopsticks to avoid dirty fingers. 12. Senjutsu and Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labrynth. 13. When I get it. 14. Welcoming community that strives to invite more types of people in and make sure they can play safely and find both "windows" and "mirrors" in games. 15. Volunteering with National Park Service, kayaking, backcountry camping, sci-fi, creative writing, learning about ecology and biodiversity.
1. Favorite childhood board game? a. 13 Dead End Drive 2. First game you purchased? a. Catan 3. Your breakthrough game? a. Catan/Agricola, although I discovered the former on Xbox Live back in the mid 2000's 4. A theme that always draws you in? a. Farming 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? a. Worker Placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? a. 90% competitive. I've enjoyed some cooperative games such as Stardew Valley, but my gaming group doesn't get along when we have to work together 7. Newest game in your collection? a. Ark Nova (Jamie was partly to blame for me giving the game a try and I absolutely love it) 8. Favorite player count? a. Two, but I play most of my gaming solo because my fiance is into Dungeons & Dragons more than board games. 9. What player color do you use most often? a. It's changed over the years and I used to pick white/natural, later orange (my favorite color), but now I stick with blue because it's usually in most games. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? a. Watch a how to play video if I'm "patiently" waiting for my copy of a game to arrive (or I want to learn if it interests me) however usually I love sitting down with a new rulebook almost as much as I love reading a good novel! 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? a. Pretzels 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? a. Atiwa, and a few Kickstarters I've been waiting to receive such as Everdell: The Complete Collection and Vindication (I've never played either). 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? a. As soon as I get a game. I've been known to head out my door to work, find a recently delivered package for a board game, and then call in sick for the day. I don't do it often, but a "sick day" with a new board game can be fantastic. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? a. The variety of themes and mechanisms that designers can create. I don't feel we'll ever run out of cool ideas 15. Any hobbies other than board games? a. Leather working (after seeing the new game Woodcraft, I'm starting to wonder if the leather working board game I was designing a while back would actually be a cool idea). Occasional disc golf, playing video games, writing. This was a fun video. Thanks for sharing, Jamie!
1. Chess, even went to the local chess club, still play it today 2. Settlers of Catan 3. see 2. This game opened my eyes to modern board games and what they are capable of. Played this game almost every Sunday with my family. 4. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Pirates 5. Worker Placement, Deck Building, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Variable Player Powers, Deduction 6. Both 7. Ark Nova, still unplayed 😞 8. All. 2 players with my wife, 6 with the family, > 6 with my geeky gamer friends 9. Blue, I just love the color. 10. I watch a video for a quick overview, then I will read the rulebook to get all the details 11. Chocolate! 12. Endless Winter 13. Right when I get it 14. Interacting with people and keeping my brain engaged. Also, as you already mentioned, sharing excitement for a game, mechanic, moment with others 15. Software development (also my job), cars, hiking, reading, cooking Excellent video, Jamey! I really love the way you engage with the community.
What a fun, great list! Here are my answers. 1. Favorite childhood board game? Many happy memories of family nights with Monopoly. 2. First game you purchased? Carcassonne, back in 2002. 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan / Lord of the Rings by Knizia / Carcassonne 4. A theme that always draws you in? Adventure and Exploration 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Tile laying. 6. Cooperative or competitive? I like them equally. 7. Newest game in your collection? Atiwa 8. Favorite player count? 1 and 2 9. What player color do you use most often? Red. No particular story, but I have always loved red and I don’t understand why it isn’t everybody’s favourite colour. 😂 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Definitely rulebook!! 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? None! Snacks and precious board games don’t go together! Although M&Ms are mostly harmless. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Arydia and Earthborne Rangers 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch rightaway! I love unboxing a game! 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The community. I’m back from Essen and I only had happy moments with good people there… ❤ 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Teaching kids how to code.
1. Clue 2. First Hobby game purchased was Power Grid 3. Settlers of Catan 4. Theme doesn’t necessarily draw me in but great art and components makes me look twice. 5. Probably worker placement 6. Competitive 7. Picture Perfect 8. 3. It’s quicker than 4 but more interesting or less Cuthroat than 2. 9. Always Blue 10. Read the rules. Will sometimes watch while punching out and setting up the game to learn it. 11. Haribo mixed gummies 12. I don’t get too excited about games that aren’t out yet. 13. Always punch first 14. Camaraderie with friends. I probably wouldn’t care so much about gaming if I were playing with strangers. 15. Woodworking. Painting board game miniatures. Disc golf.
This was a great video. I’m a hobbyist board gamer as well as board game designer. These questions were great to think about; however, It was really good to hear your favorite part about the hobby was using it as an outlet for being an introvert. As an introvert myself, it was good to hear how you find communicating and socializing in this hobby to actually give you energy rather then zap it away. I can completely relate. Thank you, it is always good to see other introverts thriving and succeeding such as you have done. Keep up the great work
Thanks for the video! (Making my rounds & catching up.) Here are my answers. (Mostly copied from my comments in kovray's FAQs video.) 1. Yahtzee 2. Before joining the hobby in March '15: probably Bezzerwizzer. After joining the hobby, probably No Thanks! 3. Five Tribes. First game played at my first board game night. 4. Usually fantasy and abstract themes. 5. Roll-and-writes and almost anything involving dice intrigues me the most. 6. Typically competitive, but always open to cooperative. 7. [as of February'23] Dominion: Hinterlands, Next Station: London, and Dice Realms from a recent FLGS preorder pickup. 8. 4, then 1, then 2. 9. Blue, then almost any other color, then green, then red. 10. Usually first read the rulebook (if one is readily available), then a how to play video for clarifications and visual examples. 11. Often just ice water or soda (because I'm often talking a lot in facilitating and helping others during a game I'm introducing). 12. [as of February'23] Rolling Heights, then Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game 13. Somewhere in the middle, but usually when I first obtain the game. (I post pictures of board game unboxings on Instagram; still have several games in queue.) 14. All the different people you meet with common interests and making friends. (And yes, it helps break out from my professional introversion.) 15. Video games, number/grid puzzles, recreational math, rock & instrumental music immersion, movies, researching.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Racko 2. First game you purchased? Ticket to Ride: Europe, Jambo, Bohnanza 3. Your breakthrough game? Ticket to Ride: Europe 4. A theme that always draws you in? Lord of the Rings, Baseball 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Its not a mechanism but I always enjoy when games have an aspect of timing (eg. wow you can do that move?) 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive 7. Newest game in your collection? Dealt/Twice as Clever 8. Favorite player count? 4 9. What player color do you use most often? Purple if its available then red 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Video, then rulebook 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Pretzels 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Huang (Yellow and Yangtze reprint) 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Right away 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Being with people as an introvert 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Basketball (fantasy and playing)
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but in a very distinct way Scythe was my breakthrough game! About five years ago my now brother in law invited me to play and not expecting anything in particular the excitement/awe was on another level, to paraphrase you I was hit with the realization that this is “what board games can be.” I had dabbled in Catan as a young adult and as a kid had some pretty memorable experiences with Risk, Axis/Allies, and Heroclix, but for whatever reason never realized the existence of the broader hobby as a whole . Was always a huge fan of video games and it’s weird because I’m sure had the circumstances been different I would have been heavy into board games much sooner! Thanks for sharing and all that you do, Cheers!
1. Depends on time during childhood, there are several contenders, maybe Labyrinth for earlier years and Risk a little later, though also had a lot of 2 player abstracts I was keen on throughout. 2. Probably Perudo (liars dice) 3. Perhaps Dominion. Certainly I have a fond memory of borrowing Dominion from a friend after playing it the first time, taking it home and spending several days playing it 2 player over and over, I was utterly intrigued by it. 4. I’m always attracted to space and medieval themes, but honestly the games that actually draw me into their theme are much more eclectic and usually not in those categories. E.g pandemic legacy, camel up, captain sonar, forbidden desert. 5. Is “engine building” too vague? If so, maybe tableau based engines 6. Generally competitive, but several of my top games are exceptions to that 7. If most recently published - P’achakuna (2021) (not impressed), if most recently acquired, Stone Age (played many times, recently got own copy, 2nd hand from a friend who was downsizing collection). 8. Depends on game & on situation, but I think a disproportionate number of my best gaming experiences happened with 4 at the table. 9. Not overly concerned, but often choose green or white 10. Read the rulebook 11. For long games, I’m all about the step-away pizza break. 12. Not really. There are so many great existing games I’ve not tried yet (e.g. I’ve played just 12 of the bgg top 100) getting hyped for unproven future games seems a bit much for me. 13. Similar to you - it usually happens as part of learning process, pre-1st game 14. Variety of social interactions it enables
1. Hotels 2. Star Wars CCG 3. Settlers of Catan 4. Civilization Building 5. Worker Placement 6. Competitive 7. Peloponnese 8. 3 9. Purple 10. How to play video 11. Chex Mix 12. Last light 13. Open and Punch 14. Interaction without technology 15. Miniature Wargaming
Well - since you had "ports" written on your list (instead of Sports), I was all set to send you some great Port from the Margaret River wine region near me.... but alas. ;) 1. Favorite childhood board game? A toss up between The Sorcerer's Cave and Dungeon! I was heavily into D&D as a teen, so these were natural spinoffs. 2. First game you purchased? Dungeon! 3. Your breakthrough game? Into the modern gaming hobby? Dixit. A lot of what we saw on Wil Wheaton's show, although most of them are too gateway for us these days. I still love Dixit, though, especially in my English classroom. 4. A theme that always draws you in? I really like Western themes for some reason. Great Western Trail and Boonlake are great. Nature and anything with winsome creatures is a big plus as well. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Engine building. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, but friendly competition. We're not aggressive. 7. Newest game in your collection? Smitten! (Non-Stonemaier Ark Nova -- we finally gave into the hype and we LOVE it) 8. Favorite player count? Two. No question. 9. What player color do you use most often? I'm all over the place. Recently it's been red. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Video. Props to Branislav Berec at Nithrania -- the guy is a legend. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? NO FOOD GETS ANYWHERE NEAR MY GAMES 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Maybe Lacrimosa -- I am pretty keen on most of this, though: boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/304776/essen-2022 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? We have "unboxings" that are apart from actual play sessions. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? All the mechanisms coming together really intrigue me. I also love how beautiful some modern games are. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Computer games (PC) and vintage computer games. Gin and Port (although I seldom drink, really) Reading Vegetable gardening - especially super-hot chillies Pinball Cricket (watching and (formerly) playing -- too busy to play right now). TV Cooking Vinyl records.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk I guess. Played it a ton as a little kid. We also designed our own modes, for instance with capital cities. It was a blast. 2. First game you purchased? IIRC it was the Diablo II version of D&D. 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan or 7 Wonders, both kickstarted the hobby big time in their own ways. 4. A theme that always draws you in? Space. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Area Control or asymmetric factions. Also Dice Drafting and Drafting in general (cards). 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive for sure. We seldomly play cooperative games. Only from time to time. 7. Newest game in your collection? Johanna: Orleans Draw & Write. Hasn't even arrived yet. The last one that arrived was Festival. A friend brought it for me from Essen SPIEL fair. 8. Favorite player count? 3 for sure. 9. What player color do you use most often? Teal, if available. Then, in ascending order: green, white, black, purple, grey, orange, blue, red, brown. Never play yellow. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Both, starting with the video, then diving into the rules :) 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Salted sticks. They bring the addiction... 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The second Ghana-themed game from Uwe after Atiwa. There will be at least one more. He originally developed four, as far as my knowledge goes. Let's hope it will see the light of day in the near future. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Wait. Keeps the resell value higher if I manage to play a friends copy beforehand. You gotta minmax. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Sharing something with your friends that all love and cherish equally deep. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Playing table tennis since 28 years. Singing in a band since 14 years. Aside from that: watching movies/tv shows, going to the cinema, listening to music. Reading is also great, but I unfortunately lack the time for it currently.
1. 13 Dead End Drive (Clue and Life as runner-ups). Pinochle by far though if non-hobby games overall are included. 2. Pandemic Reign of Cthulhu (most my early games were also gifts) 3. Pandemic 4. Island/Mystical (think Atlantis Rising, Spirit Island) 5. Deduction, deck building 6. Cooperative by a mile. I own ~200 games and only 1 is competitive only) 7. Paint the Roses as newest release; Lost Expedition is newest own (bought yesterday) 8. 2-3. Mostly my wife is my gaming partner, but some games just play better at 3 and I do like the extra person to bounce ideas off of (again, co-op only player) 9. Green. Blue is a close second. 10. Like you, both if possible - watch video first if there is one, read rulebook second. 11. Peanut butter-filled pretzel bites. Clean on hands, a little protein, salty and sweet. 12. It sounds like I’m a shell, but honestly the upcoming adventure co-op Stonemaier game that has been talked about for a couple years (Daybreak and Borderlands are runners up as games I actually know the name of). 13. Open and punch ASAP. Also I do how to play videos asap so if I ever get the urge to do a first play I’m a little more prepared. 14. For me, being cooperative only, it’s the teamwork involved. It reminds me of sports (which I also love). Sometimes the best move for the team is not the best individual move, and losing some pride and teaching selflessness to fellow gamers is fantastic. I think the world could use a little more selflessness. 15. Sports. Football, basketball, golf, really any!
1. Favorite childhood board game? Monopoly, which I mostly played on the computer since no one else wanted to play it. Carcassonne, which I rediscovered after college. And Scrabble, though we were never competitive enough to challenge words and played the bonus score rules wrong for so long that when I found out we got it wrong we never bothered changing it. 2. First game you purchased? I may have spent some month on the old Decipher Lord of the Rings trading card games, but I still think those were mostly gifts and wish list items. My first purchase as an adult was a handful of classic games to play with my wife and her family, particularly The Game of Life and Scattergories. 2a. First game you backed through crowdfunding? I've only backed five or so games after two and a half years in the hobby, and the first one I backed was the Fall of the Mountain King, partially just to get the at-the-time sold out gametrayz for In the Hall of the Mountain King but also because I wasn't normally big on the idea of area control and was really intrigued by their approach to it. 3. Your breakthrough game? For years my wife and I played only Gin, Carcassonne, and sometimes Whist and Scrabble. My brother started getting into games and brought two games that expanded my horizons during a Christmas video game get-together: Ticket to Ride Europe and Zombicide: Black Plague. The former I was concerned would be too complicated for me, and the latter I played reluctantly because I have never liked zombies. I absolutely love both of them. 4. A theme that always draws you in? I love fantasy but it needs to be paired with a good contemporary and maybe even cartoony art style. The 70s fantasy/sci-fi art might be nostalgic for many gamers from that era but feel off-putting for me. It is for this reason I much prefer the new art style of Libertalia to the old one. I do use fantasy loosely in this case, as I'd consider Steampunk or Star Wars along the same lines. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Engine-building. After that initial exposure to Ticket to Ride Europe and Zombicide Black Plague, Wingspan and Scythe were the games I fell the most in love with and still remain my among the most beloved games in my collection. I will get excited for anything that has engine building but I'm most intrigued by engine building that expands or empowers your actions versus more resource focused engines like Terraforming Mars. 6. Cooperative or competitive? As long as I'm building up to doing something very interesting, I could go either way. However with the exception of specific groups, I tend to play more cooperatively than competitively, even in competitive games. I am not very cut-throat. 7. Newest game in your collection? Fall of the Mountain King, the prequel to In the Hall of the Mountain King. I have had one play of it so far (in addition to the play I used to teach myself) and am very excited by it. 8. Favorite player count? I like having three other players at the table (4 player) but I also enjoy the different dynamics of a friendly 2 player game and a solo game. 9. What player color do you use most often? Used to be red, but everyone wants to play red so I try to change it up... but I usually settle on yellow now. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Yes. And in addition to both I also usually play multi-handed by myself to teach myself how to play. And depending on how difficult the teach, I might actually rehearse how I'm going to teach the game. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Candy, doesn't get my fingers sticky and I'm less likely to make a mess or burn or hurt myself if I'm eating it while distracted. Bottlecaps and Nerds Gummy Clusters have been some of the ones I would set out when I have family over. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? At the moment, either Illiterati or the Jurassic World Legacy game. The former is one that I discovered at Origins last year and am super excited to play with my wife since we like Scrabble but she doesn't always enjoy the head-to-head. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to play the latter but I love the idea of it so much. However there are a good number of released games that I've either not played or do not yet own that I'm looking even more forward to. I look forward to owning Orleans and I want to try Concordia and the Argentina version of Great Western Trail. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Punch, sort, and bag as soon as I get them. I may even sit down with the rulebook (did that just recently for Fall of the Mountain King which arrived over a year after I watched any videos on it). I normally don't let a lot of time pass between getting a game and playing it the first time and spending the time with the materials helps me to get hyped. When I get expansions or have played a few times, I will likely reorganize things, consolidating resources that don't need to be in separate bags or very rarely actually buying a wooden insert for storage. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? On a personal level, I love discovering clever things to do with the puzzle the game presents me, whether against an automated opponent, or together with other players. On a social level, I have social anxiety and a very mild form of a social disorder... so board games provides a context for me to spend time with people without having anxiety over small talk, political differences, or anything in between. As a result I do not like games designed to force you into uncomfortable social situations like Secret Hitler or Among Us... nor do I handle it well if people start to get angry or we get into a difficult rules debate. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? I've played video games since I was a childhood and after a brief hiatus during my late college career and early married life, I still play a decent amount of games though my tastes have shifted towards slower-paced strategic games. I also paint my board game miniatures. I enjoy creative writing. I go through phases of laziness and activity but I do enjoy hiking/exploring when I do get out. I am a lifelong Tolkien fan, a Star Wars fan, and have gotten into the MCU but I avoid all fan communities for the sake of my mental health.
I finally got a chance to watch this video!! Thank you so much Jamey for going along with our tag of you. Always love getting to know a little bit more about you. Also happy to see another introvert finding this hobby a great way to interact with folx. I struggle with social anxiety myself. And I will answer a question that you had added, I love my cooperative games!! I love playing competitive games, but if I had to choose, it would totally be co-op for me! Thanks again :)
1. Favorite childhood board game? Stratego 2. First game you purchased? Not sure, probably an AD&D module 3. Your breakthrough game? My parents played a lot of games with other adults and us kids (such as Acquire), so I'll answer what game got me back into gaming in college: Divine Right 4. A theme that always draws you in? Space 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker Placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive 7. Newest game in your collection? Cat in the Box 8. Favorite player count? 3 9. What player color do you use most often? Depending what colors are available: Black, then purple, then green 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Video ("Watch it Played" if available) 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Pretzels, because it doesn't get onto game cards and pieces 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? It was going to be Skymines, but I see it's available currently, so now it's Atiwa 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Usually punch it when I get it. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Meeting new people I wouldn't meet any other way 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Reading, bicycling, hiking in the mountains (live in Colorado), trail running, cooking, watching sports on TV (Formula 1, cycling, Philadelphia sports teams)
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk - used to play countless games of it with friends every summer. 2. First game you purchased? Like Jamie - had received a lot of games as gifts, but Axis & Allies was the first game I bought. 3. Your breakthrough game? Settlers of Catan 4. A theme that always draws you in? Space or fantasy. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? Cooperative 7. Newest game in your collection? Sleeping Gods. 8. Favorite player count? 2 (w/ my wife) or 4 (with friends, typically couples)... although was playing a campaign of Gloomhaven w/ my son & daughter before he went off to college which was awesome 9. What player color do you use most often? Green - don't have a particular reason - other than, most other folks have a preference & I'm just happy to play 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Exact answer as Jamie's. watch the video, then read the book - then watch the video to refresh. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Ruffled or wavy potato chips - especially BBQ flavored... 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Earthborne Rangers - only game we've ever backed. Intrigued by Mosaic - although that might be out... 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? When I get it. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Spending time with friends 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Biking, hiking, reading & cooking.
1. Favorite childhood board game? - Two sports simulations - Negamco Pro Hockey and the baseball game I think was also Negamco. I would play full seasons with my dad and my brother. Awesome memories. 2. First game you purchased? - No idea, but I do remember buying Dungeon! when my kids were young. 3. Your breakthrough game? - Scythe. Really got me into the hobby. (Honorable mention: Forbidden Island.) 4. A theme that always draws you in? - D&D style fantasy. I also love science fiction, but it's hard to make a space game with an attractive game board. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? - Mancalas and rondels. I also love any creative action selection system. 6. Cooperative or competitive? - Competitive, but there are definitely co-ops I enjoy. 7. Newest game in your collection? - Ark Nova, and man I love it. 8. Favorite player count? - Probably 3, but I will say a game having a solo mode is a big factor in whether I'll buy the game. 9. What player color do you use most often? - Red. Never was my favorite color, but the older my eyes get, the more that color has appealed to me, because it pops. Yellow next. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? - Read the rule book for sure. But more and more these days, by the time I get to the rule book I've seen several reviews on UA-cam and possibly a play through. It's rare that I'll watch a rule video (ala Rodney, who is awesome). 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? - I tend not to eat when I play. Not because I'm fastidious, just because I'm not interested. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? - Darwin's Journey looks really cool, but I didn't back it. Two games I backed are Manchukuo and Wayfarers of the South Tigris. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? - Usually punch right away. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? - All the creativity. Art, mechanisms, themes, content creators on UA-cam. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? - Lifting weights, golf, playing the guitar badly.
I enjoyed hearing your answers and it's fun to read the other comments, so I thought I'd share my answers too. 1. Favorite childhood board game? Inner Circle - a bright and colorful abstract game that uses memory as well as spatial movement on a four-layered board. It's still in my collection! 2. First game you purchased? This is very hard to remember - I think the games I had before I went to college were all gifts of one sort or another. My partner and I started buying mass market games when we got our first apartment in college and having regular Sunday night dinner-and-a-game gatherings for all our friends. I don't know for sure what the FIRST one of these that I actually purchased myself was - but it was probably something like TriBond, Planet Hollywood, Catch Phrase, etc. 3. Your breakthrough game? Elfenland. This was the first "hobby" game that we bought from the FLGS when we moved to a new area when we were first married. We played this a ton and it didn't take us long to move on to The Settlers of Catan, though actually we got the Catan Card Game first (see #8, favorite player count!). 4. A theme that always draws you in? I go for anything underwater/something with sea creatures. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Engine/tableau building of any sort. I love the feeling of a game getting bigger and better and more powerful as it goes. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Cooperative. I am not a highly competitive person in general and I love the feeling of working together to beat the game. 7. Newest game in your collection? Smitten! 8. Favorite player count? Like you, Jamey, I find the most *important* player count to be 2, because that's the easiest/most common way for me to play. I do enjoy games with 4 or 5 or 6 when I can. 9. What player color do you use most often? Blue all the way! 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? It depends on the complexity of the game. I will ALWAYS read the rulebook at some point before playing. If I start to read the rulebook and have trouble seeing the big picture of the game, I will seek out a video and then return to the rules. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? At our two-player count, we typically eat before or after, but not during game play. I do have a special fondness for replacing the Wingspan eggs with the same-size Cadbury eggs and eating them as I spend them... 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Endeavor: Deep Sea. I've never played the previous versions of Endeavor because the theme put me off. This is a theme that draws me in (see #4) and I'm looking forward to finally trying this game system. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Usually right away. I count the bits and make sure everything is there, bag and organize them, and then browse through the rules - usually the day the game arrives. There's sensory pleasure for me in doing all of that so it's another way to enjoy the game even if I can't play it right away. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Again, I agree with Jamey that I am really pleased, as an introvert, to find something that makes it comfortable and fun to socialize... it's also lovely that there's such a great online community for this hobby. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Reading, doing puzzles of all sorts (jigsaw puzzles, logic puzzles, escape rooms, etc.), birdwatching/enjoying nature, crafts, making music, enjoying time with my family.
1. Star Wars: Epic Duels 2. Munchkin 3. Munchkin / Survive 4. Not sure. Anything really 5. I cut you choose / deck building / engine building 6. Both really :) 7.horrified technically, but I’m excited to get Ready Set Bet next week :) 8.4 is my favorite, but hard to get on a consistent basis. So 2 or 3 9.white and red. Favorite colors 10. A mixture of both 11. Pretzels… actually if someone brought cookies, I would want them 12. Any unmatched set, clank catacombs, deliverance 13. Immediately 14. The community, the outlet for creativity 15. Getting outside, movies and tv shows, hanging out with friends and just talking
Really fun to look back on the gaming hobby. Played a lot of classic card games in my youth. Bought Carcassonne in my twenties and not nothing more for 4-5 years until I saw a copy of Viticulture in a bookstore. We were really into wine at the time and the look, mechanisms and theme got me interested in board games. After a trip to Florence, we bought Lorenzo il magnifico and then… I fell down the rabbit hole 😅
If you like time travel as a theme, you would love Netflix’s TV show: Dark. This show goes WAY off the deep end, and explores some really cool concepts.
I find that many of my answers are almost identical to your own. 1. Favorite childhood board game? Scotland Yard (and maybe Risk, but my brother was too competitive to make it fun) 2. First game you purchased? D&D stuff for sure, but first board/card game was probably Killer Bunnies or Munchkin (or something of that ilk) 3. Your breakthrough game? Arkham Horror and (Settlers of) Catan 4. A theme that always draws you in? Spaceship stuff or epic fantasy (I'm like totally pumpkin spice-basic on this) 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement for sure, and then probably deck/bag building 6. Cooperative or competitive? CO-OP all the way! 7. Newest game in your collection ? Flamecraft (and am loving it!!! One of the most rewarding KS backings for me yet) 8. Favorite player count? appreciate games that are for 1+ but wish there were ore game good at 5-7 as my game nights can get pretty big 9. What player color do you use most often? Orange (or yellow if orange is not included). It stems from me loving those two colors as a kid because most everyone else DID NOT favor those colors. I liked to be different 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? A mix of each depending on time 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Liquid snacks like beer or tequila, otherwise M&Ms maybe?? 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? More Sleeping Gods content 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Usually punch it out and organize it right away 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Sharing game experiences with friends, which is probably why I'm not all that competitive and would prefer to play a game WITH others than AGAINST others 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Writing (novels based on some of my board game designs), music (I'm a professional musician, trombone), Dance ("I'm a US champion ballroom dancer and still teach a bit on the side) and drag (I am a drag king, leader of a troupe of 12 other drag performers)
This is a great list. Like getting to know you better this way, and I share the same that board games is a comfortable place for introverts to have great interactions.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue and Trivial Pursuit 2. First game you purchased? Puerto Rico, with a 14th birthday Wizards of the Coast gift card 3. Your breakthrough game? I played Catan with my brother and my neighbor constantly, starting when I was about 13 (I had Cities & Knights, and he has Seafarers, so which expansion we played with depended on which house we were at). Then I got Puerto Rico after that, then Starfarers of Catan. (For my 16th birthday, I invited five other guys and the gift was that everyone pitched in to buy Starfarers and the 5/6 player expansion, and then we played a four hour game in my basement.) 4. A theme that always draws you in? I'm not very theme driven, so for me I just want a theme that is interesting and well-implemented, preferably beautiful art and components. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement and bag-building are two of my faves. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, almost always. I usually find cooperative games too stressful, which says a lot about me and also the general design spaces of most coop games. 7. Newest game in your collection? I just got my Kickstarter pledge of Villagers + Shifting Seasons, which I am absolutely loving. 8. Favorite player count? Similar to Jamey, my most important player count is 2 because I often play with my wife. But when I can get 4 people around a table is when I think I'm happiest. 9. What player color do you use most often? Purple (thanks Jamey for always including purple!) or black. I've never loved red/green/blue/yellow because those are always the standard colors and I find them boring, so any time there's a non-standard color I usually gravitate to that one. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Jamey's process is almost exactly mine, except that I love reading rulebooks because apparently I'm a bit of a masochist, so sometimes I'll just read them a few times over. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I'm not a huge snacker tbh, but a good old-fashioned trail mix has been a big hit with my game group the last few months. I'm usually more interested in what we're drinking, which is usually a good craft beer or a nice bourbon. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? I am so excited to get my copies of Distilled and Wayfarers of the South Tigris. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? One of my favorite things about board games is that moment when you first open it and start punching it and reading the rules and organizing the box, so I do it as soon as I get the game. My family laughs at me on Christmas because literally the first thing I do with the 4 or 5 games I've gotten is sit down at the kitchen table, open each one, punch it, read the rules, set up the game, tear down the game, and put it away. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I love the sense of discovery that goes into opening a new box, and I love discovering the contents of that box with friends and family. As a really ADHD person, board games is one of the things that can really focus me and get me into a flow, even with other people, so I love that. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Too many--I love music, movies, reading, sports (baseball, football, hockey, and soccer), singing, and eating/drinking at great restaurants.
I really enjoyed hearing your answers to these. Here’s mine: 1. The Farming Game (with my brother). Sorry or Skip Bo with my Grandma. Later on Rook and Euchre with my family. 2. Risk 3. Targi - I don’t see this come up a lot but my wife bought on a whim and it blew our minds. 4. Nature and farming & industrial 5. Worker Placement and deck building 6. Competitive where take that is not a big part of the game. Not to say I don’t like any interaction, but I like games where you are mostly building your thing. Games like Viticulture, Scythe, Everdell, Kingsburg, and Century Spice Road come to mind. 7. Chronicles of Crime 1400 8. 2 9. I like to switch it up, but mostly purple if it’s available. 10. Both, but I usually watch a video first. 11. Usually salty snacks 12. I can’t think of one; I’m not anti-new, but I don’t pay close attention to what’s coming. 13. Open it when I get it. 14. Time spent with friends. Building things and seeing how it compares to what others made. Strategizing and then making choices on when to change or double down on a strategy. At the end of the game seeing other people’s process. In a co-op game, the shared experience of finally breaking through in a hard scenario. 15. Playing computer games (Civ, Hoi4, Eu4, Tropico), walking/jogging, reading, watching UA-cam (gaming, history, philosophy, economics), chilling in nature, watching sports (indycar, hockey, baseball, World Cup).
My favourite player color is blue, because I used to play video games with my older brother when we were young, and the color of first player, which is always him, is usually red, and the second player is blue, so I got used to that association. Likewise for him, he always choose red as his player color now
1. Favorite childhood board game? Scattergories 2. First game you purchased? UNO 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan 4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? I love both, but coop has a special place in my heart. 7. Newest game in your collection? Wonderland's War 8. Favorite player count? 4 9. What player color do you use most often? Green! 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how-to-play video? Both! Usually video first, then the rulebook. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Peanuts 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Unconscious Mind by Fantasia Games 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Immediately after I get it, for sure! 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? That it allows for friendships to be made for people like me that are quite introverted 15. Any hobbies other than board games? interior design
1. 500 Rummy. We didn't have any good board games, but we played card games. 2. I think I purchased like a scene it seinfeld game in college. 3. Hard to say, there wasn't one game. 4. Marvel. 5. Deckbuilding maybe 6. Comeptitive. 7. Most recently added was Power Rangers Heroes of the Grid. 8. 4. 9. Whatever other people don't like, so usually yellow. 10. Usually start with a video to get the setup, then go to the rule book to get the mechanics. 11. I usually have a fizzy water while playing. 12. I have the motor city dice game coming soon, that should be cool. 13. I punch it right away. 14. How excited it makes me. 15. Not really.
Love this video Jamie! Feel like it's a great way to learn about each other, especially since I find board games to be one of my favorite form of social interaction. Here are my answers: 1. Favorite childhood board game? Into the Forest - I haven't played this for over two decades, but it's a cool little game about food chains that my brother and our friends played a lot when in elementary school. 2. First game you purchased? Settlers of Catan Card Game - In sixth grade, this was likely my first foray into more complex board gaming, and my love has stuck ever since. 3. Your breakthrough game? Agricola - This was my first experience with worker placement and I found it super intriguing. But more importantly, I think Agricola taught me something important: board games have incredible power to transport players into world they might not be initially interested in, but that become entranced. On paper 17th century farming sounds quite dry, but Agricola makes it engaging and fun! 4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature - I've always loved nature and it's a theme ripe with game mechanics. So happy that nature-themed games are exploding now. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Drafting - On top of being a mechanic that enhances gameplay flow, I like how it creates tough decisions and fosters neighborly player interaction. Tile placement - As a GIS nerd, I'm a fan of everything spatial, so much fun figuring out the spatial puzzles. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Cooperative if designed over multiple plays, very difficult and more of narrative focus. For one-off games, prefer competitive. 7. Newest game in your collection? Land vs Sea - Tile placement games are my jam and the mesh of art/gameplay is lovely. 8. Favorite player count? For games with asymmetry, I love 2 player. Otherwise 3-4 is my sweet spot (especially for games that don't have simultaneous turns). 9. What player color do you use most often? Red - my favorite colors are blue/green, but I gravitate toward red in games since I find it stands out on the boards (usually). 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Both 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Grapes 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Arcs - I think Oath is one of the most compelling games I've ever played and I'm looking forward to what Arcs has in store. Love the idea of focused, emergent narratives in sci-fi setting. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Punch out immediately. I don't think I have the willpower to wait haha 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I love how it provides an outlet for introverts (like myself) to engage in a social experience that feel deeply rewarding and fun. The shared experience is what it's all about! 15. Any hobbies other than board games? - Outdoor activities (birding, cycling, running, hiking, soccer, basketball, tennis) - Writing (short stories, film reviews) - Films (watching and analysis) - Baking (chocolate cake and mixed berry pie especially)
1. Favorite childhood board game? Young - Game of life (loved the cars and spinning the wheel), Teen - Risk (many games played to 3am) 2. First game you purchased? probably was Risk or Stratomatic Baseball 3. Your breakthrough game? This is a tough one. I would say Agricola for showing what modern board games can be 4. A theme that always draws you in? Science Fiction 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? By far worker placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, but I like cooperative too since I play a lot of solo games which gives the feel of your against the game. 7. Newest game in your collection? Actually, it would have to be Rolling Realms :) got it when I got my StoneMaier 10th Anniversary shirt that I wore last night. Non-Stonemaier, it may have been Canopy (beautiful and fun game at two. 8. Favorite player count? 2 players since I play with my wife a lot. Otherwise, it would be 5 player since we have 3 older children. 9. What player color do you use most often? Green, without a doubt. Been my favorite color for all my life, I got a green rug and green tote when I went into Kindergarten. Green forever! 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Watch a How to video first, there are some great content creators out there. I hope they know how much they help in teaching all these games.so many content. Then follow up with reading the rules. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't know if I have one, maybe whatever is at hand. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Hmm, this is tough, since there are so many kickstarters that I'm excited about since they've taken so long with the pandemic. I guess Frosthaven since I've waited so long. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch a game right when I get it, too excited not to look at it. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I like your answer to this question especially related to introversion, I feel the same way. I'm very introverted, though I hide it being outwardly sociable. There are some interactions with people that are exhausting, but when I get with people with the same interests such as board gaming it feeds my energy rather than draining me. I subscribe to a lot of board game content creators, I love to hear their thoughts on games and their excitement. I also enjoy watching all your videos, you provide a perspective that isn't out there on board games by anyone else. Thanks. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? 3D Printing (great way to make things for my board games blinging them out and make good inserts when the game didn't come with one), watching sports (American football), reading (now mostly audiobooks)
1) The Lost Diamond & The Amazing Labyrinth - a friend had both of these and I didn't and I think that's why I was extra eager to play them 2) Gonna answer with first Hobby game I purchased, and that's Catan 3) Ticket to Ride - I was introduced to it when a roommate invited me to join her game night and I really loved it, put it on my Christmas/Birthday wishlist and got it and Nordic Countries for the subsequent Christmas/Birthday, it was also the game I introduced and hooked my parents wiht (mom especially, she now owns more maps than I do!) 4) I'm not really a theme person, I suppose there can be off-putting themes, but none that specifically draws me in, maybe occasional IPs, but I always get suspicious when a game has an IP, as well. 5) Worker/Dice placement, Engine building, Deck/pool building, Drafting, Multi-use cards 6) I generally tend to not enjoy most cooperative games, the main exception so far has been Stardew Valley which I absolutely love. Pretty much any other game and I want it to be competitive. I like to do my own thing without having to discuss it with the other players. 7) Newest as in most newly released? Zapotec Newest as in most recently acquired? Kashgar & Nations 8) It really depends on the game, but I find a lot of the games I love are often best either at 2 or 3. So I agree with 2 being the most important one. I enjoy going up to 4, but above that really starts restricting what games we can play, and also make games go longer. 9) I always choose blue, it's the colour of the TARDIS, what other reason do I need to have? 10) I watch a video to learn/internalize the game, and I read the rulebook to clarify things and to help me teach it to others 11) Candy, it's less messy than crisps, plus while I love both, I'm sweet over salt 12) Any future Simone Luciani design, if he's involved in the design process, I'm immediately interested. I just learned about Tiletum this week and ordered it the same day, lol. And eagerly waiting for Darwin's Journey to be delivered. 13) I open and sort them within days of receiving them, I'm hugely into organizing, so part of the fun for me is to organize the game components and figure out how to make the game easy to set up. 14) My favourite thing is the social component. It's one of my main forms of socializing with people now, because it actually get us talking to one another, and is a great conduit to get to know new people. 15) My main hobby outside of boardgaming is fandom (mainly television show fandoms), like reading/writing fanfiction and watching/making fan videos, I'm also big into videogaming.
1. My favorite childhood game is Sequence. I have so many memories playing this game in particular with my grandparents. Cherished memories! 2. The first game I purchased was Carcassonne...the Big Box. All I needed was the base game, but I was very excited! 3. Arkham Horror 2nd Edition was the first "modern" game that I played and loved. Catan and Carcassonne were close seconds though. 4. A theme that always draws me in is anything horror. I'm always a sucker for a scary/creepy game. Funny you mention heist themes because I've been rolling the idea of a heist game around in my head! 5. Worker placement is always intriguing for me, especially when there is a twist on it. Dune: Imperium has been one of my favorites in recent years. 6. Cooperative or competitive depends on the current group because I enjoy both. Lean towards competitive. 7. The newest game in my collection is also The Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Collector's Edition! Absolutely adore this game! And the new art/components are fantastic. 8. Favorite player count is probably 4. Most games feel pretty good at that number and have a good amount of player interaction. 9. Purple or green are my go to colors. 10. I like to read the rulebook, then watch a how-to video, then read the rulebook AGAIN. 11. I host a monthly game night at my house and always make some sort of chip dip. Buffalo chicken, guacamole, meat and cheese. I'm always trying new chip dips for the group LOL 12. Two games I'm most excited about are Scarface 1920 and Ready Set Bet. I backed Scarface a while ago because I really wanted a good gangster theme in my collection. Ready Set Bet looks like it's going to replace a BUNCH of party games in my collection. Looks like so much fun! 13. I open and punch a game typically on the day I get them because I'm so excited to start learning the rules! 14. My favorite thing about the board game hobby is also the people. I try to build community where ever I am and whatever we are doing. Board games are a perfect avenue to do this! They are such a great way to connect with others and experience something with others. 15. I've got basically the same hobbies as you, Jamey! I absolutely love music, books, tv shows, movies (and analyzing them), video games. I typically enjoy team sports, as well (volleyball, soccer, basketball, etc). Loved these questions!
1. Favorite childhood board game? Child - Sorry. Teen - Risk. 2. First game you purchased? As a teen - Risk. Getting into the hobby - Catan. 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan, followed closely by Clank. Oddly enough, I no longer own either. 4. A theme that always draws you in? I love themes with animals/nature. Space is another theme that sucks me. Overall, I’m just a sucker for all things pretty. If it’s pretty, I will be intrigued. 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? While I consider myself to be an omni-gamer, euro games have a special place in my gamer heart. Screen-printed meeps, engine-building, and efficiency puzzles? Count me ALL-IN. 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive. While I do enjoy cooperative games, the majority of the cooperative games I own, I purchased primarily for solo play. 7. Newest game in your collection? Flamecraft. I received my deluxe version this week. 8. Favorite player count? If it cannot be played a 2, I’m much more hesitant to purchase because my primary gaming partner is my finance. 9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow. It’s my favorite color. 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how-to-play video? I usually watch a playthrough video and then read the rules. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Cheez-Its. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? ISS Vanguard. I should have my copy soon. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Depends. If the plan is to play it soon, I’ll go ahead and unbox it that way, the game is already organized and ready to set up for play. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Bringing people together and taking time away from the hustle and bustle of life. No screens. Just meeples and laughter. 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Disc Golf, reading, and writing.
Great questions! (And answers Jamey!) 1) favourite childhood game was Cluedo. We didn’t play a wide variety of games but I used to love the deduction element. 2) First game bought was probably Magic the Gathering as well. I tried it when i was young as loved the art but never got into it. 3) my breakthrough game was Betrayal Legacy. It got me into hobby gaming and really opened my eyes to narratives in board gaming. 4) the theme that always gets me is something I haven’t seen before. I am always drawn to new ideas, Lacrimosa has really got me excited. 5) my favourite mechanism (at the moment) is worker placement. 6) even though I love some co op games I am drawn to competitive games a lot more. The competition really pushes me to try new things. 7) the newest game is Flamecraft which only came through yesterday and played today. 8) my favourite player count is 3. Easy to achieve and keeps things moving. 9) i am always purple or pink if it’s available as Like to go actively against gender stereotypes. Other wise I go blue. 10) i always read the book but prefer a video tutorial. And sometimes will watch a playthrough as well. 11) we now always try and have popcorn as now that we game a lot we try to have a healthier snacks than the chocolates of the past. 12) yet to be released game I am most excited for is Lacrimosa! 13) as soon as a game arrives I will open, pre punch and organise. I am very impatient! 😆 14) my favourite thing about the hobby is the social element. I have met many amazing people and built relationships from it. Where ever I go (i travel with work) there is always a game club where I can go and not be lonely. 15) my other hobbies are theatre and film. I go and see as much as I can. Theatre is my work as well so is very important to me. Thanks for your post Jamey, great questions to get me thinking.
1. Favourite childhood board game? Dominion 2. First game you purchased? Citadels - Bruno Faidutti 3. Your breakthrough game? Catan (although arguably Dominion) 4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature/woodland 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement features heavily in my collection, but I also like actions on cards (e.g. Concordia or Ark Nova) 6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive 7. Newest game in your collection? Meadow 8. Favourite player count? 3 people (very used to playing at this count and 4 can feel too slow for many, but not all, games) 9. What player colour do you use most often? Green (because of my last name) 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? "Watch it played" almost always, but occasionally I will read the rule book 11. Favourite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't like eating snacks during games, I prefer cooking dinner before hand 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Survival of the Fattest 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Right when I get it, as I usually am very excited/I get games rarely enough that it's exciting each time 14. What is your favourite thing about the board game hobby? I get to show a new game (or old game) to friends and see them have fun, and also it's a great way to get away from a screen for a few hours (I work as a software engineer) 15. Any hobbies other than board games? Pool, Sudoku, Movies
Great questions, cool answers. Was Megan a gamer when you me her? Purple is my color. Growing up, red and blue were my colors. Then I learned that they make purple, age six. Teal is another default color. Not many games have that choice. Theme I like is Zombies and recourse management mechanism.
Jamey, I love seeing you get emotional about the employee who helped you with the Magic starter pack. I can tell that that moment really had a big impact on you as a child *and* that it still has significance to you as an adult. Would I be correct to assume that that experience affects some of your decisions as a publisher?
That's an interesting question. I hadn't thought about that moment in quite a while--the memory popped up while filming this video. I can say that it's a good reminder for me that every customer is unique, and if we can do something to bring joy to people that's also respectful to other customers, we're always happy to do our best.
My breakthrough game was Dungeons & Dragons, but not in a good way. I wanted to enjoy it so badly, but the emphasis on theatrics and the poor underlying math ruined it for me. Eventually, my peers told me, “You have so much to say and so many good ideas. Why don’t you create your own campaign?” So that’s what I did. But then I realized that I abandoned so much of the D&D framework in my campaign that I was basically designing a game from scratch anyway. I ended up liking the design process so much that now I want to do this for a living. Three years later, and I’m almost ready to play-test my first game!
Also, loved the video ! I really like hearing about why you like board games and the shared excitement there is talking about it! I gotta say the game that really got me into the hobby was Sheriff of Nottingham. It was such a simple game, and I played it with two of my guy friends, and it felt like I had never laughed so hard in my life. I did not know you could lie/bluff in board games, so that got me so excited to learn more. And then what really sealed the deal for me was playing Dominion for the first time, after that I was super hooked. I was desperate to learn new games, and Rodney Smith and his channel truly opened my eyes to new games, and seeing him play those games with his kids was almost as enjoyable as actually playing them myself! Thee most influential content creators in my opinion for the hobby. But yeah I own a lot of Stonemair games and they are some of my favorite games of all time ! :)
1) Hearts or Uno 2) 1st 3: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Zombie Dice, & Burger Up 3) Honestly stumbling across Wil Wheaton's Tabletop Series in 2019 4) ? 5) Set Collection, Worker Placement, Cooperative & Deckbuilding 6) Either I enjoy both 7) Tiny Towns, (expansion) Power Rangers Heroes of the Grid Gold Ranger pack 8) 2-8 I have a game for all these play counts, solo not as much 9) Purple(less common) or Black, if those aren't available anything but yellow. 10) Video, Book, Video(w/ my wife watching to help teach) 11) Chips & Pretzels 12) Marvel Zombies(Crowdfunding), Santa's Workshop 2nd edition(Retail) 13) Yes, it's our 6yr old daughter favorite thing to do 14) Stepping away from TV & Video Games and enjoying real human interaction, also the friendships my wife & I made through the hobby. 15) Movies/Tv, watch old 90s/00s WWF wrestling, and video games(though not as much since i joined the hobby)
As a mainly solo gamer I usually choose the same colour player token as what I'm wearing so I always remember which player is me and which is the AI. Thinking about it now, I realize that if I chose the same colour every time that that would work just as well (and maybe better 🙂)
At first I thought “ports” meant you liked making port which would be pretty niche. But it was actually “sports”, which is still good. And if you think about it - port is a very integral part of sports. Otherwise it would just be “ss”. Coaches should start getting “port baths” instead of Gatorade after victories. That would be something.
Jamey, did you get a copy of the Tabletop Find-It Book (Old Man Games)? You've seen so many games that you might really enjoy that book. The KS campaign ended recently. To answer some of your questions... 4. theme: Weefolk (and fantasy more broadly). It's now the core theme of my company. 5. mechanics: I've been thinking about making multi-player rules for Gnomadic Gardeners by adapting the Between-Two-Cities style of play between players 7. newest: Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest. We played it this week -- incorrectly, as it turned out. I might have some suggestions for the next edition of the rulebook. 9. color: Red. Actually, if I can get it, an off-red leaning toward orange. 10. learn: Rulebook. It's "random access," so I can refer back to spots in it (repeatedly) as I play through. 11. snack: Pizza. Also my favorite snack when not playing a game. 12. upcoming: Your open-world game, after hearing about it for years ;) 14. why: Games inspire me to create Thank you so much for your Sunday Sitdowns. I've missed watching them because of a busy quarter, and I'm now working through a backlog.
I look forward to seeing what you do with the Weefolk theme! I didn't get a copy of that book, but I'll check it out. :) You have my email--feel free to let me know what you played incorrectly and how it could have been clearer in the rules.
1. Preference 2. Das Phantom 3. D&D Wrath of Ashardalon 4. Medieval fantasy 5. Story-driven campagne 6. Cooperative 7. Quacks of Quedlinburg 8. Two 9. Red 10. Both 11. Chips 12. The Witcher: Old World 13. Immediately 14. Roleplay, learning, imagination 15. Collage making, miniature painting, reading cards
Hi Jamey, English subscriber to your channel here. My breakthrough game was Burgle Bros, and indeed is still my absolute favourite game. It was recommended to me by a work colleague who was a keen gamer, and it made me realise that board games could be so much more than the standard high street fare. You said you like watching the Premier League - do you have a team you support?
I saw Key to the Kingdom at the beginning. That was my favorite as a kid. I will say that the recent remake is good, but doesn't hold a candle to the original.
@@jameystegmaier I'm also not very knowledgeable on such things, so maybe someone else can give input -- but as you move closer/further away from the camera (or sometimes just as you gesture) your camera is automatically adjusting the brightness. It creates this flickering effect that's really hard to watch. It's actually not as bad in this video because your room is darker, but if you watch your white walls, especially in videos with more light, its quite noticeable.
Agricola is still my second favorite game just behind Battlestar Galactica. 2 very different games, but I really like their depth. BSG was my breakthrough game. I went to my first convention and brought BSG and Godstorm risk. I had no idea how many better games had existed even back then
@@jameystegmaier thank you. I should answer your questions now at least. 1. Favorite childhood board game? - Scotland yard, but I could rarely get my friends to play it. They liked Monopoly and Clue 2. First game you purchased? - Railroad Tycoon 2005 based solely on enjoying the video game series. 3. Your breakthrough game? - Railroad Tycoon. I didn't realize games could be like that. 4. A theme that always draws you in? - A buisness tycoon style. Chocolate Factory, Power Grid, Power Grid Factory Manager, Automania 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? - Open World. Xia, Western Legends, Railroad Tycoon, Wasteland Express 6. Cooperative or competitive? - Competitive. The only co-op I like is when it's 1 vs the rest. Specter Ops, Scotland Yard, Battlestar Galactica (sort of) 7. Newest game in your collection? - 18 Holes 2nd Edition (in the mail as we type) 8. Favorite player count? - 4 9. What player color do you use most often? - Green, if the game has it. (Stupid Outlive doesn't and it really bothers me.) 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? - Rulebook while manually slogging through it with my son. Then a video to solidify the rules and fix any errors. 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? - No food at the game table. Drinks on separate stools, never on the game table. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? - Nothing. Once my Kallax is full I have to sell before getting anything new. 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? - First option is alway 3d print an insert if there's one available on thingiverse. Second is punch and ziplock bag with labels. Never play until organized, there's too much else going on to be punching out. 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? - Good time with friends 15. Any hobbies other than board games? - Sim racing, gardening
Strange/coincidental timing on this one. I've seen this going around as a 20 question tag, and in fact, just released my answers in my video today. Just subbed on this account, usually on my personal one for most of my content viewing, but felt this was the better account to post my reply incase anyone was interested in checking out my video responses to similar (and same) questions.
#1) clue… my dad was a master of deduction in clue sometimes winning on his first guess and I remember growing up always aspiring to be as good as he was at it. #2) it was either dnd5e when it came out or the first edition of zombicide (incredibly hard to find at the time) #3)hard to say because my uncle blasted me with an ocean of games all at once… I think lords of Waterdeep made the biggest impact on me though. I had never played a worker placement game before then and I immediately fell in love with it #4) mechs🥳🥳🥳 I LOVE MECHS Titanfall and scythe are my favorite aesthetic of mechs but yeah👌🏻… also zombie survival is high on my list, probably tied with fantasy #5)worker placement 100% I have always loved it and I’m always intrigued by the unique twists and intricacies people can design in that space. #6) I’m usually in the middle… I like competitive games that encourage politics like commander in magic, nemesis, or certain missions of zombicide #7) I just bought Gaia Project and am trying to swoon my friends into playing it Monday 😂 #8) 4player… I grew up with 3brothers and we would always play monopoly together and so it’s always felt like a comfortable number for me 🤷♂️ you can make alliances with multiple players and I like that #9) blue unless there is purple… then I choose yellow cause I’m color blind. I like blue but can’t distinguish from purple #10)how to play video and read rules as needed #11)thin stick pretzelz… salty with no grease 👌🏻 #12) windward expansion 🥳🥳🥳 #13) I always open and punch my game as soon as I get it… I like to know it’s ready to go and play at any moment #14) it feels fulfilling, not sure why but it is. Also love meeting new people through board games 😂 #15) I love woodworking, soccer, and theatre Love this topic appreciate the opportunity to share and learn more about you as well👌🏻… I’m on a 24hr guard shift rn so it’s helping kill the time.
Thanks so much for the answers to these questions, I say it tells allot about a person when simple yet complicated questions are answered. 🦙🦙🦆 1. Mouse Trap. With all the moving parts and the colours. This game is the reason interaction in a game is so important. 2. Pokemon TCG ( When this launched, 9 Year old me got my 1st Starter Set, the Blue Box, and never looked back. 3. Exploding Kittens. Had a friend and his new girlfriend over and close to then of the evening, she asked if we'd be game for a card game. It was the game that sparked my love for Board games again. Took 18 years but that 1 game made me realize Board Games and the interaction from them is what is missing from playing games like Video Games. 4. Not really a theme, but a game without Negative influences. "Take That" and games with gameplay involving negatively hurting other players is not fun, so I would say mostly Euro games. 5. Deck Building and Card Drafting, believe it comes from my love of TCG's (Pokemon, Magic, Yu Gi Oh) 6. Competitive but without negative influence on other players experience 7. Tenpenny Park - Love the theme of Theme Parks and worker placement with a hint of Card Drafting. But in the game, placement and objectives matter over 15 placements. High on strategy 8. 2 Player. 90% of the time it's just me and my Lady Llama. 9. Green 10. Always read first. But as I read, I punch out the game to get to know the parts and see whats what. So later, reference is simple and I have an idea 11. Gummies. There has been a few times where while thinking, you accidentally almost start to chew on game parts like the Honey Saps from Honey Buzz... but nothing has gone missing yet. 12. Valor and Villainy: Lludwiks Labyrinth: Loved the Minions of Mordak game and with the 2nd one being a dungeon crawl and you can combine the two games as they are interchangeable. Really looking forward to it from Skybound Games. 13. Open, Read & Punch, Sleeve and place in containers or bags (if the game doesn't have inlays or holders) 14. Spending time with people around a game. The people you know and the people you don't. Seeing enjoyment and watching people get into the game, feel the hits and excitement, always ! 15. Guitar and painting. 🦙🦙🦆
1. Favorite childhood board game? Stratego 2. First game you purchased? Star Wars CCG 3. Your breakthrough game? Terraforming Mars 4. A theme that always draws you in? Spaaaaaaaace 5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? worker placement 6. Cooperative or competitive? Solo! (so ... cooperative) 7. Newest game in your collection? Great Western Trail 2nd Ed. 8. Favorite player count? 1 9. What player color do you use most often? red 10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Video!! 11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? NO, i don't want snackbits on my games. 12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Wingspan Asia :) 13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? immediately 14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? escapism, the feeling of loss of time when a game completely draws you in 15. Any hobbies other than board games? videogames, music GL, GG
1. 13 Dead End Drive (Clue and Life as runner-ups). Pinochle by far though if non-hobby games overall are included. 2. Pandemic Reign of Cthulhu (most my early games were also gifts) 3. Pandemic 4. Island/Mystical (think Atlantis Rising, Spirit Island) 5. Deduction, deck building 6. Cooperative by a mile. I own ~200 games and only 1 is competitive only) 7. Paint the Roses as newest release; Lost Expedition is newest own (bought yesterday) 8. 2-3. Mostly my wife is my gaming partner, but some games just play better at 3 and I do like the extra person to bounce ideas off of (again, co-op only player) 9. Green. Blue is a close second. 10. Like you, both if possible - watch video first if there is one, read rulebook second. 11. Peanut butter-filled pretzel bites. Clean on hands, a little protein, salty and sweet. 12. It sounds like I’m a shell, but honestly the upcoming adventure co-op Stonemaier game that has been talked about for a couple years. 13. Open and punch ASAP. Also I do how to play videos asap so if I ever get the urge to do a first play I’m a little more prepared. 14. For me, being cooperative only, it’s the teamwork involved. It reminds me of sports (which I also love). Sometimes the best move for the team is not the best individual move, and losing some pride and teaching selflessness to fellow gamers is fantastic. I think the world could use a little more selflessness. 15. Sports. Football, basketball, golf, really any!
I just wanted to chime in to say that I'm loving these answers so far! Thank you all for taking the time to share!
Your introvert comments described me completely. Most people don’t get that I like people but going to a “happy hour” is exhausting and I’d rather stay home. You articulated it perfectly!
I can relate to this too. One contributing factor in me leaving my last job was the increase in "party" office zoom calls since the beginning of COVID as we worked remotely. It was a nice idea to celebrate everyone's birthday, but this became too frequent and I found my introvert self getting exhausted from "putting on a front" as if I was enjoying the proceedings.
Boardgames are so nice to keep busy while also connecting with people. Small talk isn't easy for some people and board games have really helped me get groups together in a comfortable setting haha.
2:35 - was about to say Lost Cities because that was the start of my entry into modern hobby tabletop gaming as an adult, but that reference to MTG brought those 8th grade / high school memories flooding in. That is definitely the answer for me as well. Will never get back the days of sitting in a basement with my friends swapping and sharing cards, trying to put together decks. Absolutely incredible.
1 - Atentado no Cassino
2 - Magic: the Gathering
3 - Munchkin
4 - Science fiction and contemporary history
5 - Engine building and timeline player order
6 - Competitive
7 - Anachrony (already sold, because I moved to another country)
8 - 5 players
9 - Red, it has always been my favorite color
10 - Both: video first, rulebook second
11 - Mixed nuts
12 - Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory
13 - Right away
14 - Spending quality time with friends
15 - Football (soccer)
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Scrabble was so fun for me because most adults in my life couldn't spell well.
2. First game you purchased?
I'm pretty sure it was the D&D red box.
3. Your breakthrough game?
Warhammer 40k Epic Battles. I scored 50% off of a stack of armies as a senior in High School (1991) and it changed me.... but I started playing X-wing about 6-7 years ago & it really pulled me back into the hobby.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Star Wars. Every. Damn. Time.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Deck Building and Deck Construction got me hooked.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Co-op gives me the warm & fuzzies.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Jabba's Palace (Star Wars Love Letter. See #4 above)
8. Favorite player count?
4 but 1 is OK lately.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Green or Blue
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
I'll watch nearly every UA-cam video ...then read.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Chocolate covered cashews
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
RoboMon gamefound.com/projects/gabe-barrett/robomon
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
ASAP
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
The memories of laughter with friends.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Gardening, Star Wars stuff and I love music (have you heard the new Ozzy?)
1. My favorite childhood game is Life. What can I say, I enjoyed inheriting those skunk farms!
2. The first game I bought was Pokemon cards.
3. My break into the hobby game was Dominion. Combo-ing those cards together for an extra long turns makes my brain happy!
4. My favorite themes are anything adventure, story driven, especially if they have magical creatures!
5. My favorite mechanisms are engine building, deck building, worker placement, and set collection. I also love event cards that trigger in fun ways!
6. I like both competitive and cooperative. Semi-coop is my favorite!
7. Flamecraft! I'm so excited to play it!
8. My favorite player count is 4.
9. Blue, it has been my favorite my whole life!
10. Both. I typically start reading the rulebook, get anxious to start playing so I deviate to a rules video. After the rules video I realize I am a completionist and trudge back to the rule book so I can be sure I don't miss anything!
11. Favorite snacks: we have been making and enjoying peanut butter chocolate puppy chow lately, and it hits the spot!
12. I am really excited to play Lands of Galzyr!
13. I always punch my games right away!
14. I love the spirit of giving back amongst board game designers. The general attitude of "we're in this together, so let's help each other" vs. seeing each other as competition. I know both exist, but there seems to be a concerted effort to share knowledge and play test for one another.
15. Other hobbies: Reading (I just finished the 5th Red Rising book last month! Thanks for the recommendation!), Gardening, Painting, Photography, Cooking/eating, and Theology.
Thanks for the list, Jamey!
1. Favorite childhood board game -
Chess (but I played cards more often).
2. First game I purchased -
I don't remember as most were gifted in childhood. To start my Euro/modern game hobby 20 yrs ago, I bought Ra and Samurai.
3. My breakthrough game -
Ra.
4. Theme that draws me in -
None really, as mechanisms are my draw. Fantasy, gems, magic powers appeal though.
5. Mechanism that always intrigues me -
Quirky VP scoring methods, if this is a mechanism (Knizia is a master of this). Otherwise, an element of "area majority control" in a game intrigues me.
6. Cooperative or competitive? -
Competitive (almost exclusively).
7. Newest game in my collection -
Gorinto (as I await delivery of Rolling Realms promos).
8. Favorite player count -
2 (with wife or daughter), but 4 is often more interesting, with 3 to a lesser extent.
9. What player color do I use most often? -
Green (I am Irish, grew up there, although Red is otherwise my favorite color). Generally, for ease of play, I prefer when ALL players are usually color consistent (my 10-yr old daughter is a chronic switcher :).
10) Read rule book or watch how to play video first? -
Video usually, although sometimes I look for rules first on BGG (I am inconsistent).
11) Favorite snack to eat while playing? -
Not allowed, sorry - I am paranoid about keeping the playing board and all game components free of stains!
12) Unreleased game I am most looking forward to? -
Trick and Trade.
13) Open/punch game when received or later? -
Later, but between time received and first play.
14). Favorite thing about board game hobby? -
Enjoying the experience of 'hopefully' a new/non-recycled blend of game mechanisms with family/friends.
15) Hobbies other than board games? -
Reading (non-fiction), Politics/Social Sciences, History, Sports (Irish "hurling", soccer, NFL) and going for casual walks or hikes in natural settings.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
The Omega Virus. It still holds up too!
2. First game you purchased?
Likely Magic Revised edition boosters and starter decks. If including war games, it would be Warhammer 40K. Otherwise, the first game that got me into modern hobby games would have either been Citadels or Catan I think. Dominion and Bang were close behind those.
3. Your breakthrough game?
The idea of big social gaming was either Magic or 40K. Citadels was likely the one that got me seriously playing more board games. But the first "wait games can do this?!" moment was likely Tsuro. Simple rules, good pieces, and a lot of people being able to play at once. It was an evolution on every family game night in my past and one that I still hold enormous nostalgic enjoyment of.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Most things steampunk or dieselpunk will attract me pretty quickly. I enjoy space more than fantasy but so long as it's not generic I'll be attracted. What's important to me is that there is dedication to the theme and it's not just pasted on. I'll be vastly more intrigued by a game with intense and well integrated thematics than I will with "modern infrastructure game".
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Area majority, deckbuilding, and negotiation are my main draws. Worker placement closely fits that list. So long as the game has some kind of hook around those things I'm more interested but anything that intelligently and interestingly blends them together makes it much more attractive.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Depends on the group but I think Co-op more often. Solo modes in co-op games are normally much more interesting there as well because they aren't just "beat your high score" variants.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Flamecraft. It just delivered about two weeks ago?
8. Favorite player count?
Four or five I think? I normally have a larger playgroup and my favourite games play at those counts. I get frustrated because so many great games go to five and then I end up with a sixth person or similar situation.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Purple. It's my favourite colour and it's normally the best looking colour in a game's pieces because the standard R/Y/B/G all look the same. If purple isn't available, then I play orange.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Reading the rulebook. I may do a how to play video afterwards or just before teaching a game to sink those rules in for a better teaching experience but almost always rules first. That said, I may have some familiarity with rules if I've watched review videos prior to purchasing and teaching (which can help too).
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
I don't really eat while gaming and if I do, it's normally during a pause in the game of some kind. Constantly have drinks around, but not food.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
At this point either Mercurial or Freedom Five I think? Most of what I'm looking forward to at this point are actually expansions.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Open and punch right away. I actually tend to learn the game, and my ultimate desire to play a game, when doing this. Sorting and bagging components specifically with the rulebook open in front of me to know what each piece is and know what the rules are referencing is my constant process. Depending on what I was expecting out of the box, that process can seriously influence how much I want to play/teach a game if things are too convoluted in their naming schemes or if there are too many bits for what the game seems to need, etc. I almost never leave a game in shrink unless it's an expansion that I've still gone ahead and done the process with but leave in it's own box to make sure I know the base game well enough before integration.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
The safe social interatctions that it generates. I've gotten to know many people and have a wide array of interactions with folks that I'd otherwise not cross paths with due to this hobby. It also is a way for me to assist people to safely integrate into a social group as well because there is a clean structure to interact with and be able to express yourself with. Because of the shared experiences had afterward you can discuss what you did/didn't like and how you'd like to try similar things or how you approach certain things.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Comic books, disc golf, classic literature, omnivorous musical consumption
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Monopoly-it caused tantrums, but we got a deluxe edition with wooden hotels and houses and I loved that thing. I even made a 'Zoo-opoly' unprompted. I don't remember much, but I do remember that the chance cards were in the shape of peanuts!
2. First game you purchased?
I can't remember buying myself games as a kid or a teen. I think the first game I bought was an old 90's copy of Catan from a thrift store. The second was King of Tokyo- Wil Wheaton's Table Top channel really drew me into the hobby!
3. Your breakthrough game?
Catan. My family started playing it every Christmas, which was why I was so happy to find my own copy at the thrift store!
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Fantasy. Especially anthropomorphic characters. Everdell is a HUGE hit, and I have a BURNING desire to play mice and mystics!
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Worker Placement. Started with Lords of Waterdeep, I now have Euphoria, Caverna, Stone Age, and Everdell. And I would be happy to have another!
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Either works for me! I love them all! (That being said, there may be some people who I ONLY play co-operative games with IE kids still learning to be good sports. I haven't run into major alpha gamers to make me say only competative- although that may be the sign that I'm that player. Trying to get my brother, who is competitive only, to TRY gloomhaven with me!)
7. Newest game in your collection?
Technically, Smash Up Disney. I got it for my Birthday last month. But I play other Smash Ups all the time. On the other hand, I've had Stone Age around for almost a year, hoping to find someone to play it with, and it JUST hit the table last night. It was a bit lucky, but I still really liked it!
8. Favorite player count?
2-4. I can do 5-6 if there is player interaction between turns, or if it is something like Dixit or Detective Club. I VERY rarely need something more than 6. I don't like solo play.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Green. (Purple or pink if it is offered, but it rarely is.) Yellow is typically my second choice.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Prefered: Watch the video, then skim the book typically while playing (I know, I SHOULD know where the info is before hand, buuuut....). I am so thankful for Jamey for introducing me to the video rule concept! If it wasn't for his Kickstarter stretch goal I probably still wouldn't know who Rodney Smith is!
Often: Read the rule book because the game was bought second hand and doesn't have video rules, or I am not near a computer at the time.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
chips. I also have been making Coconut ladoo before games night, and it makes a good games night snack contribution. Simple to make, delicious, and once made are not sticky or likely to leave residue! (toast 2 cups coconut in pot, add can of sweetened condensed milk, pinch of cardimum if feel like it, or 1/4 cup of cocoa if want to turn into pseudo truffles, stir until think/ becomes like a ball, remove from heat, let cool till warm, roll into balls and then roll again in coconut. Really just needs the coconut and condensed milk. Grease hands if you don't want them to get sticky.)
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
I'm really looking forward to the Mermiad and Sketeton factions of the Smash Up 10 year anniversary box. I listen to dicetower and stuff, but it takes longer for games to hit Canada so I tend to wait a bit.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
RIght away! It often *cough cough* takes a while to get a new game to the table, but I find so much fun in opening the game, punching it out, IMAGINING playing it, finding the optimal way to organize the box, painting the minis... its a ritual in and of itself!
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
I'm socially awkward, and find it difficult to make friends. I like having a simple way to meet like minded people, that doesn't involve alcohol or religion, and have something to do as we figure out who each other are.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Is DnD a board game? It's an RPG, which technically is different, right? Painting mini's is an off-shoot. I also work with polymer clay making little gnomes and their houses, and I play the ukelele...
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk. My dad and I would set it up in the basement and play on it for days or weeks depending on how much time he had each day to play.
2. First game I purchased? An early copy of Risk from eBay. I love the Roman numerals instead of the pieces they had at the time.
3. Your breakthrough game? Settlers of Catan for sure. I was part of a group of 4 that would play every Friday night for a couple of years.
4. A theme that always draws you in? Animal or Space themes.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? I really enjoy cube pushers, card driven, and drafting games.
6. Cooperative or competitive? I enjoy cooperative over competitive if the competitive allows others to mess up or target what I am doing in a game.
7. Newest game in your collection? Cat Lady and Cat Lady Box of Treats.
8. Favorite player count? 2-4 or 6-8
9. What player color do you use most often? Purple or blue
10. Read a rule book or watch a how to play video? Watch a video, then read a rule book
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don’t generally snack while playing to protect the components, but will take a break to eat white cheese Cheeto puffs.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Iron Forest. Backed on KS, waiting excitedly for it to finish and come out.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I am definitely one to open and punch a game right when I get it.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I love that, as an introvert, it gives me time to spend with people, but not huge groups of them. i’m having to really stretch right now because I just moved abroad to a place where board games aren’t huge and so I’m going to have to find and meet new people.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? I love to hike and kayak and paint with water colors.
Enjoyed your list, it inspired me to respond and to begin keeping a record of those epic gaming moments with friends in sort of a "gaming memories" collection.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk
2. First game you purchased? Axis & Allies
3. Your breakthrough game? Pandemic got me into the modern hobby and opened my eyes to new gaming possibilities
4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature, Marvel, Vikings
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker Placement, Resource Management
6. Cooperative or competitive? I like both...depends on my playing group. Some friends do better with cooperative or what I call "passive competitive" vs "active competitive"
7. Newest game in your collection? Clone Wars Pandemic
8. Favorite player count? 2-4, but I love when games have a solo variant so I can enjoy them on my own when I cannot get a group together.
9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow...I'm usually hosting/ teaching and I let all the other players choose their color first, yellow is usually the one left.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Same as your answer. I am a firm believer in knowing the rules before a game night.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Popcorn
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The Great Wall...looks amazing, cool idea to be competitive AND cooperative. Also, whatever open world game you mention you were working on...I love Sleeping Gods and own several of your games, so you have my attention.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Right away.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The social interaction and the memorable moments with something epic or hilarious happens.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Disc Golf, Kayaking, Camping
I choose yellow. My main reasoning was that it just makes sense. When I think of meeples, they're yellow. When I think of dice, they're yellow (or white). I think yellow just resembles board games.
I'll play:
1. Favorite childhood board game? Can't pick just one -- Cribbage (best 2-player game with a standard card deck and easy to play with my dad), Careers (allowed pre-game customization of goals), Risk (first wargame), Europareise (the 1954 version, one of my first Euros)
2. First game you purchased? Blitzkrieg - bought it from a Hallmark store (really)
3. Your breakthrough game? Hard to say, since I've had a variety of breakthroughs in gaming over the years: Blitzkrieg, D&D, Magic, DBA
4. A theme that always draws you in? Dungeon crawl
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Deck building
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, and fairly strongly. I'll play coop, but only if that's what everyone else wants.
7. Newest game in your collection? Ark Nova
8. Favorite player count? 4, though I prefer games that can gracefully flex from 2-5.
9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow. It's the favorite color of the fewest of my opponents, so it's usually available. And thus it's easiest to remember who I am.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Read the rulebook. That's the final arbiter of truth and it's what I'll be teaching from. I do watch video playthroughs, often after playing the first time, so I can find my errors.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Pretzels, because there aren't oils or orange dust.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The High Guard update for Mongoose Traveller.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I won't usually punch a game until I'm going to set it up. This might be for a play or it might be to work through the rules.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Intellectual challenge.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Miniatures painting and modelling, reading, photography, hiking.
My favorite player color is purple. I like the color and also it is usually not everyone's favorite so I can usually get to use it and that makes me feel comfortable. In addition, if I have to use an unfamiliar color I often forget which color I'm using and move another player's pieces!
1. Stratego (kids owned) or Mille Bornes (Mom and Dad's game shelf)
2. Abalone at GenCon in Milwaukee the year it was released.
3. Ticket to Ride brought me back to gaming with my family. Agricola opened my eyes to what gaming could be.
4. Theme agnostic. More drawn to mechanisms and strategy.
5. Worker placement and drafting.
6. Competitive.
7. Loaded question. Between Two Cities Essential Edition.
8. It was 6 because that was my gaming group. Now 3-4 because I only get people to game infrequently these days.
9. Whatever is left after letting everyone else pick first. If they are left over, in order: Blue, Yellow, Green.
10. Read first. Videos to clarify.
11. Food near my games?!? OCD kicks in.
12. I've moved to a strategy of buying games that have a record of re-releases instead of being on the front edge. Given my limited play time I don't purchase like I used to anymore.
13. Used to punch right away, now I wait until there is a chance to play.
14. The people I got to meet along the way and the joy it brought playing with our kids before they moved on to their own hobbies.
15. Working on old machinery and anything involving building something.
1. Favorite childhood board game? I loved "Dungeon!" which is a heist game. It was a little boring but I liked to setup it and play by myself. We also played a lot of Acquire and the card game King.
2. First game you purchased? Risk! My parents had one of the first version and it was in a really bad shape when we were obsessed with it so I bought a newer version of it.
3. Your breakthrough game? Catan was the game that intrigued me to look again to the board game hobby, but I think my breakthrough was Scythe. It showed me what a the hobby could be and it make me realized I wanted to spend more time playing games with my family / friends than doing any other thing.
4. A theme that always draws you in? I really like Fantasy and Dragons.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? More than a mechanism I think seeing a game with a component hook always intrigue me. When I see a game being played and there's something that stand out it always intrigue me.
6. Cooperative or competitive? Nowadays I prefer cooperative for 2 player but competitive for higher player counts.
7. Newest game in your collection? The last game I bought were Between Two Cities Essential Edition and Flamecraft.
8. Favorite player count? I like 2-3 for the same reasons as you: I have a wife and a daughter so that's the player count that matters the most to me. But I look for 5 player games because that's the player count needed when my sister-in-law and her husband come.
9. What player color do you use most often? Blue. My mother was a big fan of a Colombian soccer team which used blue in its uniform and I also became fan of them. Since my childhood she liked to give me blue things.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? If I bought the game in advance I usually watch a video for the rules before getting the game. But I always read the manual anyway because when I'm playing is super useful to know where to look for rule if I don't remember. Even with videos that have timestamps, it's more convenient to have the rulebook at hand and quickly check things.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't know what it is but I usually don't want to eat while playing. But I keep a Coke at hand.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? I'm a SM fan so it's codename Draw. Given the name, I'm very intrigued about what type of game it could be. But I'm also super intrigued about your open world game. I haven't really played an open world board game so I'm curious to see how that feeling translates.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I need to punch a game as soon as I get it. There's something magical about opening a new game and seeing everything that's in the box and get it ready to play. When I read the rulebook and keep the box at hand because as you mentioned, I need to see the components while reading the rulebook for things to make sense.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I really like that I board games can gather people for 2+ hours. Sometimes is difficult to do that, specially to gather my father-in-law and my daughter, but once we are playing they really like share some time.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? I used to be a big video games fan, now I'm mostly a Nintendo fan playing some of their franchises like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, etc. But my biggest hobby is my profession: computer programming. I also programming as a hobby and I also like to teach others about programming.
1. Favorite childhood Game: Rail Baron and Stratego. For anyone who likes some things about monopoly, I would totally recommend Rail Baron, it has buying property, gaining control of parts of the board and some semi exploding dice.
2. First game Purchased: Not positive on this but Bang or Dominion.
3. Your breakthrough game: I think Catan was the the turning point, though I was kind of always a big gamer because of my dad who always loved games too!
4. A theme that draws you in: there are a lot of good themes and unique themes are always welcome, but if you have an Indiana Jones style theme like Lost Ruins of Arnak, Quest for El Dorado, or Tikal I am all in for it!
5. A Mechanism that draws you in: worker placement, Deck/bag building and anything with engine building.
6. Cooperative or competitive: definitely competitive! Co ops can be fun, but if you looked at my favorite games they would be missing.
7. Newest game in my collection: I think by production it would be Ark Nova, but actual arrival it would be Yamatai, Relic Runners and Tikal.
8. Favorite player count: 3 or 4. I do like 2 player games, but 3 and 4 really open up the possibilities, and more narrows it a bit too.
9. What player color do you use most often: green or purple though I seem to be playing with a bunch of green players recently, so I have had more variety.
10. Read the rules or watch a video: I like to read the rules more, but I definitely watch videos too.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games: Carrots and pretzels for obvious reasons. Also, while I will eat baby carrots full sized chopped up carrots are so much better!
12. An unreleased game you are looking forward to: I guess since I do not have it yet Verdant.
13. Open and punch immediately or wait until you are going to play: I have to clarify I punch when I am reading the rules because I fully set up the game when I am learning it! So, I guess I would be in the wait category.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I like how it can bring people together. I have seen people with vastly different views sit down at a table and have fun with each other. It's refreshing to see and it makes me so happy to be in this hobby!
15. Any hobbies other than board games: so definitely reading, watching sports, Lego building, badminton, photography...yeah lots of stuff:)
Love your answers! Thank you for sharing!
My answers:
1. Favorite childhood board game?
- Bonkers and Yahtzee
Bonkers bc of the evolving board state and Yahtzee bc my love of RollnWrites started early lol
2. First game you purchased?
- Either No Thanks or Botswana
3. Your breakthrough game?
- Carcassonne and Dominion
4. A theme that always draws you in?
- mythology, animals, science, pirates
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
- dice manipulation, I-split-you-choose, engine building, any unique action selection mechanism
6. Cooperative or competitive?
- Competitive for sure (unless it’s a game to play with my kids)
7. Newest game in your collection?
- just got Tidal Blades: Banner Festival and Trekking Through History from my wife yesterday
8. Favorite player count?
- 2 players is a must bc 80% of my gaming is just my wife and me
9. What player color do you use most often?
- Blue or Yellow bc they’re the easiest for me to distinguish from other common player colors and I’m partially color blind
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
- I’ll usually watch 2-3 reviews/play throughs/ rules vids before I buy the game. After I purchase it, I always read the rule book
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
- pretzel sticks or anything no -messy
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
- Tiletum or Bardwood Grove or Motor City
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
- never open until I’m about to play it
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
- focus on inclusion and respect
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
- dancing, science, kayaking, music, TV
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue
2. First game you purchased? 7 Wonders
3. Your breakthrough game? Viticulture
4. A theme that always draws you in? Antiquity/Mythology
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Dice drafting
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive
7. Newest game in your collection? Smitten :)
8. Favorite player count? 4 is my favorite but 5 is most useful for my gaming group
9. What player color do you use most often? Blue
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Both? I love runthroughs to get a feel for the game and overall rules and then the rulebook for smaller details.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I don't really snack during game time since it's often right after dinner.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Revive
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch right away.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Socializing with friends and meeting new people at conventions.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Nothing near the same magnitude but I do enjoy a good book, movie, or hike.
Thanks, Jamey! Great learning more about your experience with the hobby!
1. Favorite childhood board game?
While I didn’t truly get into the hobby until college and there were much more limited options back in the day, I really enjoyed the tactile, early childhood games like “Don’t Break the Ice.” Very satisfying.
2. First game you purchased?
Technically, Pokemon TCG cards, though I just collected them and never actually played the game. Like you, I tended to receive games as gifts. After some reflecting and Googling, I think the first game proper that I bought was something called Bionicle Adventure Game: Quest for Makuta. I was obsessed with the Bionicle IP as a kid, but I don’t think I could ever actually figured out how to play that game. Based on its BGG score, I don’t think I missed much…
3. Your breakthrough game?
Dixit. I think I heard about it in college through Wil Wheaton’s “Tabletop” show. I just fell in love with the accessibility and creativity of that game. To this day, that’s my go-to gateway game to play with people, and I’ve yet to play with someone who disliked it.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
There’s not really any single theme that really interests me. Rather, I really enjoy strong integration of theme and mechanisms, as they help draw me in and immerse me in the experience. It also makes rules a lot easier to remember.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Push Your Luck, specifically when the consequence for failure isn’t too punishing. I recently got Quacks and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite games of all time.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Competitive, though not cutthroat competitive. I don’t really enjoy tournament-intensity play-- I just want everyone to have a fun time.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Rolling Realms and Smitten :)
8. Favorite player count?
2-3 players. Also, I really appreciate games with strong solo modes, as they allow me to learn the game so that I can teach it to others.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Black or blue, or sometimes a very dark gray. May or may not have something to do with Batman…
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Pretty much the exact same response as you. I watch first to get the general gist of the game, and then read the rulebook to fill in the specifics. And then back to the video if I need to refresh my memory before teaching the game.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Toss up between pizza and chocolate chip cookies. Though, with an obligatory handwashing before returning to the game.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Paperback Adventures!
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
I generally like to complete a setup of the game when I get it in order to familiarize myself with the rules in a tactile way.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
I really related to your answer. As an introvert myself, I too love that games help provide a topic of conversation besides small talk. I’ve also found that they are a great way to establish common experiences and stories with folks quickly and in a safe environment.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Reading, writing, videogames, VR miniature golf, and, this year, cheering on Ukraine.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue: The Great Museum Caper (also a one-vs-many hidden movement game)
2. First game you purchased? Ticket to Ride, maybe? Also one of the first hobby/designer games I played. I bounced off the game so hard it nearly kept me from exploring more hobby/designer games
3. Your breakthrough game? Letters from Whitechapel (yes. Another hidden movement game)
4. A theme that always draws you in? Perhaps, noir/horror, but moreso I just stay away from fantasy- or superhero-themed games
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Hidden information/movement/location/role
6. Cooperative or competitive? Both?
7. Newest game in your collection? Rear Window. Pandemic Legacy Season 0 might be added soon
8. Favorite player count? Two
9. What player color do you use most often? Green.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Read the rulebook
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Crackers, cheese, summer sausage
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? RUN by Flowers Games
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch when I get it so I can dive right in when I'm ready to play
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? A way to socialize while using your noggin
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Video game and board game design, retro gaming/collecting, watching sports (pro football and baseball mostly), concert-going, cinephile and music enthusiast
1. Favorite childhood board game? I don't know its name in english, but it was a party game that involved drawing cards with words and doing mimics, drawing or whatever to make people guess the word; played that one during the holiday season with my cousins.
2. First game you purchased? Sword & Sorcery. My brother started us up in hobby boardgaming, and once I had to pay him back some money and he told me to get this game for us instead. Great decision, it's one of two campaign dungeon crawlers we love (Gloomhaven is the other).
3. Your breakthrough game? Agricola might've done it for me. My brother got us something like 10-15 games to start a collection with, and we tried a bunch of heavy euros (we had no clue). Agricola was super nice, though. Worker placement is super user friendly, and having to build up the farm is a nice concrete goal.
4. A theme that always draws you in? Fantasy/High Fantasy stuff. I'm a sucker for those things. Magic, dragons...
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? I cut you choose. Only a handful of games use it, but it's such a clever way to interact with your oponent without conflict.
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive. The stakes are a big part of the experience. Playing against the game doesn't feel as rewarding, and I prefer video games for that.
7. Newest game in your collection? After the Empire.
8. Favorite player count? Two. It's the player count we play 99% of the time, but I love how engaging and quick it is. Since I play with my brother I'm interested in what he's doing just as much as my own game. I want us both to do well and have a nice game, and often we suggest stuff the other hasn't seen, opportunities or threats.
9. What player color do you use most often? Red, always. I love the color red, and I think it's because I love how red clothes look on me.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Nowadays, watch a video. If it's still necessary to clarify somethings, I read the rules.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? We hardly ever, if at all, eat while playing.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Voidfall maybe.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? I usually open and punch once we have a storage solution for the game - we have inserts for almost all games we own. And I find punching out games very soothing.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Exactly what Jamie said: I'm an introvert as well, and I love that we have this thing to mediate interactions with other people. I feel lost in social situations where I don't know what to talk about, or don't know many people, and often they are exausting. Games let me hang out without the pressure.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Music, I play the guitar; video games; books and movies too.
I'm a little late in this reply but I really enjoyed these questions... Thanks!
1. Uncle Wiggily - anyone ever played that game?
2. Yatzee or when I discovered modern games - Ticket to Ride
3. After Ticket to Ride and Pandemic, I was interested but Clank! In Space blew my mind and really got things rolling!
4. I'm a sucker for sci fi space and castles/ knights games.
5. Worker placement always gets my attention.
6. Co ops are fine but I prefer competitive.
7. I just received a kick starter I backed ... Tournament Fishing.
8. I do enjoy playing 2 player with my wife but I enjoy setting my game nights at 4.
9. I also will choose red but normally I let everyone pick their color first so I get whatever is left.
10. I will always set up the game, watch a video then read through the rules. Since I am a visual learner this process seems to work well.
11. I enjoy peanut m&m's and chips during the game.
12. I'm really looking forward to the new version of Castles of Burgundy but I'm not sure that classifies for this question. Otherwise I'd like to try Distilled when it comes out.
13. Most of the time I'm so excited for a game that I punch it right away but I do have 3 games in shrink on my shelf right now. The shame....😁
14. I love playing games and unraveling the puzzle but I also love teaching others new games and watching their faces light up! Most of all I love designing games. I've always created things. As a kid, I designed over 100 original Garbage Pail Kids. In my teens and 20s, I wrote and performed songs that I composed in a rock band. In the last 5 years I've discovered strategy games and it's been amazing! It feel like the most complete artistic expression and seeing people enjoy the games you create is priceless.
15. I also really enjoy travelling, camping and fishing. 🎣
1. Scrabble when it was family games; Marvel Overpower in elementary school with my best friend; The Great Dalmuti with high school friend group.
2. Magic the Gathering 4 edition -- I must be slightly younger than you Jamey or maybe you got into MtG real young.
3. Pandemic - I was playing a lot of hold'em and video games so only played random competitive game (i.e. Catan) when someone invited me. Finding out about cooperative board games blew my mind and ever since I've been hooked.
4. Clever word construction.
5. Highly asynchronous players and powers.
6. Cooperative by a landslide, especially multi-hand solo.
7. Paint the Roses.
8. 4-5 probably.
9. Whatever is left usually.
10. Rulebook first then video. So both.
11. Potato chips with chopsticks to avoid dirty fingers.
12. Senjutsu and Valor & Villainy: Lludwik's Labrynth.
13. When I get it.
14. Welcoming community that strives to invite more types of people in and make sure they can play safely and find both "windows" and "mirrors" in games.
15. Volunteering with National Park Service, kayaking, backcountry camping, sci-fi, creative writing, learning about ecology and biodiversity.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
a. 13 Dead End Drive
2. First game you purchased?
a. Catan
3. Your breakthrough game?
a. Catan/Agricola, although I discovered the former on Xbox Live back in the mid 2000's
4. A theme that always draws you in?
a. Farming
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
a. Worker Placement
6. Cooperative or competitive?
a. 90% competitive. I've enjoyed some cooperative games such as Stardew Valley, but my gaming group doesn't get along when we have to work together
7. Newest game in your collection?
a. Ark Nova (Jamie was partly to blame for me giving the game a try and I absolutely love it)
8. Favorite player count?
a. Two, but I play most of my gaming solo because my fiance is into Dungeons & Dragons more than board games.
9. What player color do you use most often?
a. It's changed over the years and I used to pick white/natural, later orange (my favorite color), but now I stick with blue because it's usually in most games.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
a. Watch a how to play video if I'm "patiently" waiting for my copy of a game to arrive (or I want to learn if it interests me) however usually I love sitting down with a new rulebook almost as much as I love reading a good novel!
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
a. Pretzels
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
a. Atiwa, and a few Kickstarters I've been waiting to receive such as Everdell: The Complete Collection and Vindication (I've never played either).
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
a. As soon as I get a game. I've been known to head out my door to work, find a recently delivered package for a board game, and then call in sick for the day. I don't do it often, but a "sick day" with a new board game can be fantastic.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
a. The variety of themes and mechanisms that designers can create. I don't feel we'll ever run out of cool ideas
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
a. Leather working (after seeing the new game Woodcraft, I'm starting to wonder if the leather working board game I was designing a while back would actually be a cool idea). Occasional disc golf, playing video games, writing.
This was a fun video. Thanks for sharing, Jamie!
1. Chess, even went to the local chess club, still play it today
2. Settlers of Catan
3. see 2. This game opened my eyes to modern board games and what they are capable of. Played this game almost every Sunday with my family.
4. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Pirates
5. Worker Placement, Deck Building, Card Drafting, Hand Management, Variable Player Powers, Deduction
6. Both
7. Ark Nova, still unplayed 😞
8. All. 2 players with my wife, 6 with the family, > 6 with my geeky gamer friends
9. Blue, I just love the color.
10. I watch a video for a quick overview, then I will read the rulebook to get all the details
11. Chocolate!
12. Endless Winter
13. Right when I get it
14. Interacting with people and keeping my brain engaged. Also, as you already mentioned, sharing excitement for a game, mechanic, moment with others
15. Software development (also my job), cars, hiking, reading, cooking
Excellent video, Jamey! I really love the way you engage with the community.
What a fun, great list!
Here are my answers.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Many happy memories of family nights with Monopoly.
2. First game you purchased? Carcassonne, back in 2002.
3. Your breakthrough game? Catan / Lord of the Rings by Knizia / Carcassonne
4. A theme that always draws you in? Adventure and Exploration
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Tile laying.
6. Cooperative or competitive? I like them equally.
7. Newest game in your collection? Atiwa
8. Favorite player count? 1 and 2
9. What player color do you use most often? Red. No particular story, but I have always loved red and I don’t understand why it isn’t everybody’s favourite colour. 😂
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Definitely rulebook!!
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? None! Snacks and precious board games don’t go together! Although M&Ms are mostly harmless.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Arydia and Earthborne Rangers
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Open and punch rightaway! I love unboxing a game!
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? The community. I’m back from Essen and I only had happy moments with good people there… ❤
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Teaching kids how to code.
1. Clue
2. First Hobby game purchased was Power Grid
3. Settlers of Catan
4. Theme doesn’t necessarily draw me in but great art and components makes me look twice.
5. Probably worker placement
6. Competitive
7. Picture Perfect
8. 3. It’s quicker than 4 but more interesting or less Cuthroat than 2.
9. Always Blue
10. Read the rules. Will sometimes watch while punching out and setting up the game to learn it.
11. Haribo mixed gummies
12. I don’t get too excited about games that aren’t out yet.
13. Always punch first
14. Camaraderie with friends. I probably wouldn’t care so much about gaming if I were playing with strangers.
15. Woodworking. Painting board game miniatures. Disc golf.
This was a great video. I’m a hobbyist board gamer as well as board game designer. These questions were great to think about; however, It was really good to hear your favorite part about the hobby was using it as an outlet for being an introvert. As an introvert myself, it was good to hear how you find communicating and socializing in this hobby to actually give you energy rather then zap it away. I can completely relate.
Thank you, it is always good to see other introverts thriving and succeeding such as you have done.
Keep up the great work
Thanks for relating to that aspect of ourselves (and gaming)!
Thanks for the video! (Making my rounds & catching up.)
Here are my answers. (Mostly copied from my comments in kovray's FAQs video.)
1. Yahtzee
2. Before joining the hobby in March '15: probably Bezzerwizzer. After joining the hobby, probably No Thanks!
3. Five Tribes. First game played at my first board game night.
4. Usually fantasy and abstract themes.
5. Roll-and-writes and almost anything involving dice intrigues me the most.
6. Typically competitive, but always open to cooperative.
7. [as of February'23] Dominion: Hinterlands, Next Station: London, and Dice Realms from a recent FLGS preorder pickup.
8. 4, then 1, then 2.
9. Blue, then almost any other color, then green, then red.
10. Usually first read the rulebook (if one is readily available), then a how to play video for clarifications and visual examples.
11. Often just ice water or soda (because I'm often talking a lot in facilitating and helping others during a game I'm introducing).
12. [as of February'23] Rolling Heights, then Terraforming Mars: The Dice Game
13. Somewhere in the middle, but usually when I first obtain the game. (I post pictures of board game unboxings on Instagram; still have several games in queue.)
14. All the different people you meet with common interests and making friends. (And yes, it helps break out from my professional introversion.)
15. Video games, number/grid puzzles, recreational math, rock & instrumental music immersion, movies, researching.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Racko
2. First game you purchased?
Ticket to Ride: Europe, Jambo, Bohnanza
3. Your breakthrough game?
Ticket to Ride: Europe
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Lord of the Rings, Baseball
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Its not a mechanism but I always enjoy when games have an aspect of timing (eg. wow you can do that move?)
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Competitive
7. Newest game in your collection?
Dealt/Twice as Clever
8. Favorite player count?
4
9. What player color do you use most often?
Purple if its available then red
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Video, then rulebook
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Pretzels
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Huang (Yellow and Yangtze reprint)
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Right away
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
Being with people as an introvert
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Basketball (fantasy and playing)
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but in a very distinct way Scythe was my breakthrough game!
About five years ago my now brother in law invited me to play and not expecting anything in particular the excitement/awe was on another level, to paraphrase you I was hit with the realization that this is “what board games can be.” I had dabbled in Catan as a young adult and as a kid had some pretty memorable experiences with Risk, Axis/Allies, and Heroclix, but for whatever reason never realized the existence of the broader hobby as a whole . Was always a huge fan of video games and it’s weird because I’m sure had the circumstances been different I would have been heavy into board games much sooner! Thanks for sharing and all that you do, Cheers!
I'm honored to hear that, Carl! What's your favorite Scythe-like game now that you've gotten more into modern games?
1. Depends on time during childhood, there are several contenders, maybe Labyrinth for earlier years and Risk a little later, though also had a lot of 2 player abstracts I was keen on throughout.
2. Probably Perudo (liars dice)
3. Perhaps Dominion. Certainly I have a fond memory of borrowing Dominion from a friend after playing it the first time, taking it home and spending several days playing it 2 player over and over, I was utterly intrigued by it.
4. I’m always attracted to space and medieval themes, but honestly the games that actually draw me into their theme are much more eclectic and usually not in those categories. E.g pandemic legacy, camel up, captain sonar, forbidden desert.
5. Is “engine building” too vague? If so, maybe tableau based engines
6. Generally competitive, but several of my top games are exceptions to that
7. If most recently published - P’achakuna (2021) (not impressed), if most recently acquired, Stone Age (played many times, recently got own copy, 2nd hand from a friend who was downsizing collection).
8. Depends on game & on situation, but I think a disproportionate number of my best gaming experiences happened with 4 at the table.
9. Not overly concerned, but often choose green or white
10. Read the rulebook
11. For long games, I’m all about the step-away pizza break.
12. Not really. There are so many great existing games I’ve not tried yet (e.g. I’ve played just 12 of the bgg top 100) getting hyped for unproven future games seems a bit much for me.
13. Similar to you - it usually happens as part of learning process, pre-1st game
14. Variety of social interactions it enables
1. Hotels
2. Star Wars CCG
3. Settlers of Catan
4. Civilization Building
5. Worker Placement
6. Competitive
7. Peloponnese
8. 3
9. Purple
10. How to play video
11. Chex Mix
12. Last light
13. Open and Punch
14. Interaction without technology
15. Miniature Wargaming
Thank you for mentioning T.I.M.E Stories!
Well - since you had "ports" written on your list (instead of Sports), I was all set to send you some great Port from the Margaret River wine region near me.... but alas. ;)
1. Favorite childhood board game?
A toss up between The Sorcerer's Cave and Dungeon! I was heavily into D&D as a teen, so these were natural spinoffs.
2. First game you purchased?
Dungeon!
3. Your breakthrough game?
Into the modern gaming hobby? Dixit. A lot of what we saw on Wil Wheaton's show, although most of them are too gateway for us these days. I still love Dixit, though, especially in my English classroom.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
I really like Western themes for some reason. Great Western Trail and Boonlake are great. Nature and anything with winsome creatures is a big plus as well.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Engine building.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Competitive, but friendly competition. We're not aggressive.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Smitten! (Non-Stonemaier Ark Nova -- we finally gave into the hype and we LOVE it)
8. Favorite player count?
Two. No question.
9. What player color do you use most often?
I'm all over the place. Recently it's been red.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Video. Props to Branislav Berec at Nithrania -- the guy is a legend.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
NO FOOD GETS ANYWHERE NEAR MY GAMES
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Maybe Lacrimosa -- I am pretty keen on most of this, though:
boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/304776/essen-2022
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
We have "unboxings" that are apart from actual play sessions.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
All the mechanisms coming together really intrigue me. I also love how beautiful some modern games are.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Computer games (PC) and vintage computer games.
Gin and Port (although I seldom drink, really)
Reading
Vegetable gardening - especially super-hot chillies
Pinball
Cricket (watching and (formerly) playing -- too busy to play right now).
TV
Cooking
Vinyl records.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Risk I guess. Played it a ton as a little kid. We also designed our own modes, for instance with capital cities. It was a blast.
2. First game you purchased? IIRC it was the Diablo II version of D&D.
3. Your breakthrough game? Catan or 7 Wonders, both kickstarted the hobby big time in their own ways.
4. A theme that always draws you in? Space.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Area Control or asymmetric factions. Also Dice Drafting and Drafting in general (cards).
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive for sure. We seldomly play cooperative games. Only from time to time.
7. Newest game in your collection? Johanna: Orleans Draw & Write. Hasn't even arrived yet. The last one that arrived was Festival. A friend brought it for me from Essen SPIEL fair.
8. Favorite player count? 3 for sure.
9. What player color do you use most often? Teal, if available. Then, in ascending order: green, white, black, purple, grey, orange, blue, red, brown. Never play yellow.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Both, starting with the video, then diving into the rules :)
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Salted sticks. They bring the addiction...
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? The second Ghana-themed game from Uwe after Atiwa. There will be at least one more. He originally developed four, as far as my knowledge goes. Let's hope it will see the light of day in the near future.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Wait. Keeps the resell value higher if I manage to play a friends copy beforehand. You gotta minmax.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Sharing something with your friends that all love and cherish equally deep.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Playing table tennis since 28 years. Singing in a band since 14 years. Aside from that: watching movies/tv shows, going to the cinema, listening to music. Reading is also great, but I unfortunately lack the time for it currently.
1. 13 Dead End Drive (Clue and Life as runner-ups). Pinochle by far though if non-hobby games overall are included.
2. Pandemic Reign of Cthulhu (most my early games were also gifts)
3. Pandemic
4. Island/Mystical (think Atlantis Rising, Spirit Island)
5. Deduction, deck building
6. Cooperative by a mile. I own ~200 games and only 1 is competitive only)
7. Paint the Roses as newest release; Lost Expedition is newest own (bought yesterday)
8. 2-3. Mostly my wife is my gaming partner, but some games just play better at 3 and I do like the extra person to bounce ideas off of (again, co-op only player)
9. Green. Blue is a close second.
10. Like you, both if possible - watch video first if there is one, read rulebook second.
11. Peanut butter-filled pretzel bites. Clean on hands, a little protein, salty and sweet.
12. It sounds like I’m a shell, but honestly the upcoming adventure co-op Stonemaier game that has been talked about for a couple years (Daybreak and Borderlands are runners up as games I actually know the name of).
13. Open and punch ASAP. Also I do how to play videos asap so if I ever get the urge to do a first play I’m a little more prepared.
14. For me, being cooperative only, it’s the teamwork involved. It reminds me of sports (which I also love). Sometimes the best move for the team is not the best individual move, and losing some pride and teaching selflessness to fellow gamers is fantastic. I think the world could use a little more selflessness.
15. Sports. Football, basketball, golf, really any!
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Monopoly, which I mostly played on the computer since no one else wanted to play it. Carcassonne, which I rediscovered after college. And Scrabble, though we were never competitive enough to challenge words and played the bonus score rules wrong for so long that when I found out we got it wrong we never bothered changing it.
2. First game you purchased?
I may have spent some month on the old Decipher Lord of the Rings trading card games, but I still think those were mostly gifts and wish list items. My first purchase as an adult was a handful of classic games to play with my wife and her family, particularly The Game of Life and Scattergories.
2a. First game you backed through crowdfunding?
I've only backed five or so games after two and a half years in the hobby, and the first one I backed was the Fall of the Mountain King, partially just to get the at-the-time sold out gametrayz for In the Hall of the Mountain King but also because I wasn't normally big on the idea of area control and was really intrigued by their approach to it.
3. Your breakthrough game?
For years my wife and I played only Gin, Carcassonne, and sometimes Whist and Scrabble. My brother started getting into games and brought two games that expanded my horizons during a Christmas video game get-together: Ticket to Ride Europe and Zombicide: Black Plague. The former I was concerned would be too complicated for me, and the latter I played reluctantly because I have never liked zombies. I absolutely love both of them.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
I love fantasy but it needs to be paired with a good contemporary and maybe even cartoony art style. The 70s fantasy/sci-fi art might be nostalgic for many gamers from that era but feel off-putting for me. It is for this reason I much prefer the new art style of Libertalia to the old one. I do use fantasy loosely in this case, as I'd consider Steampunk or Star Wars along the same lines.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Engine-building. After that initial exposure to Ticket to Ride Europe and Zombicide Black Plague, Wingspan and Scythe were the games I fell the most in love with and still remain my among the most beloved games in my collection. I will get excited for anything that has engine building but I'm most intrigued by engine building that expands or empowers your actions versus more resource focused engines like Terraforming Mars.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
As long as I'm building up to doing something very interesting, I could go either way. However with the exception of specific groups, I tend to play more cooperatively than competitively, even in competitive games. I am not very cut-throat.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Fall of the Mountain King, the prequel to In the Hall of the Mountain King. I have had one play of it so far (in addition to the play I used to teach myself) and am very excited by it.
8. Favorite player count?
I like having three other players at the table (4 player) but I also enjoy the different dynamics of a friendly 2 player game and a solo game.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Used to be red, but everyone wants to play red so I try to change it up... but I usually settle on yellow now.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Yes. And in addition to both I also usually play multi-handed by myself to teach myself how to play. And depending on how difficult the teach, I might actually rehearse how I'm going to teach the game.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Candy, doesn't get my fingers sticky and I'm less likely to make a mess or burn or hurt myself if I'm eating it while distracted. Bottlecaps and Nerds Gummy Clusters have been some of the ones I would set out when I have family over.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
At the moment, either Illiterati or the Jurassic World Legacy game. The former is one that I discovered at Origins last year and am super excited to play with my wife since we like Scrabble but she doesn't always enjoy the head-to-head. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to play the latter but I love the idea of it so much. However there are a good number of released games that I've either not played or do not yet own that I'm looking even more forward to. I look forward to owning Orleans and I want to try Concordia and the Argentina version of Great Western Trail.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Punch, sort, and bag as soon as I get them. I may even sit down with the rulebook (did that just recently for Fall of the Mountain King which arrived over a year after I watched any videos on it). I normally don't let a lot of time pass between getting a game and playing it the first time and spending the time with the materials helps me to get hyped. When I get expansions or have played a few times, I will likely reorganize things, consolidating resources that don't need to be in separate bags or very rarely actually buying a wooden insert for storage.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
On a personal level, I love discovering clever things to do with the puzzle the game presents me, whether against an automated opponent, or together with other players. On a social level, I have social anxiety and a very mild form of a social disorder... so board games provides a context for me to spend time with people without having anxiety over small talk, political differences, or anything in between. As a result I do not like games designed to force you into uncomfortable social situations like Secret Hitler or Among Us... nor do I handle it well if people start to get angry or we get into a difficult rules debate.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
I've played video games since I was a childhood and after a brief hiatus during my late college career and early married life, I still play a decent amount of games though my tastes have shifted towards slower-paced strategic games. I also paint my board game miniatures. I enjoy creative writing. I go through phases of laziness and activity but I do enjoy hiking/exploring when I do get out. I am a lifelong Tolkien fan, a Star Wars fan, and have gotten into the MCU but I avoid all fan communities for the sake of my mental health.
I finally got a chance to watch this video!! Thank you so much Jamey for going along with our tag of you. Always love getting to know a little bit more about you. Also happy to see another introvert finding this hobby a great way to interact with folx. I struggle with social anxiety myself. And I will answer a question that you had added, I love my cooperative games!! I love playing competitive games, but if I had to choose, it would totally be co-op for me! Thanks again :)
Thanks so much for inspiring this video! It's been neat to see all the fellow introverts in the comments. :)
@@jameystegmaier Introverts for the win!!
1. Favorite childhood board game? Stratego
2. First game you purchased? Not sure, probably an AD&D module
3. Your breakthrough game? My parents played a lot of games with other adults and us kids (such as Acquire), so I'll answer what game got me back into gaming in college: Divine Right
4. A theme that always draws you in? Space
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker Placement
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive
7. Newest game in your collection? Cat in the Box
8. Favorite player count? 3
9. What player color do you use most often? Depending what colors are available: Black, then purple, then green
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Video ("Watch it Played" if available)
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Pretzels, because it doesn't get onto game cards and pieces
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? It was going to be Skymines, but I see it's available currently, so now it's Atiwa
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Usually punch it when I get it.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Meeting new people I wouldn't meet any other way
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Reading, bicycling, hiking in the mountains (live in Colorado), trail running, cooking, watching sports on TV (Formula 1, cycling, Philadelphia sports teams)
My break through game was definitely Splendor. Loved the games careers growing up.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Risk - used to play countless games of it with friends every summer.
2. First game you purchased?
Like Jamie - had received a lot of games as gifts, but Axis & Allies was the first game I bought.
3. Your breakthrough game?
Settlers of Catan
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Space or fantasy.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Worker placement
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Cooperative
7. Newest game in your collection?
Sleeping Gods.
8. Favorite player count?
2 (w/ my wife) or 4 (with friends, typically couples)... although was playing a campaign of Gloomhaven w/ my son & daughter before he went off to college which was awesome
9. What player color do you use most often?
Green - don't have a particular reason - other than, most other folks have a preference & I'm just happy to play
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Exact answer as Jamie's. watch the video, then read the book - then watch the video to refresh.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Ruffled or wavy potato chips - especially BBQ flavored...
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Earthborne Rangers - only game we've ever backed. Intrigued by Mosaic - although that might be out...
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
When I get it.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
Spending time with friends
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Biking, hiking, reading & cooking.
1. Favorite childhood board game? - Two sports simulations - Negamco Pro Hockey and the baseball game I think was also Negamco. I would play full seasons with my dad and my brother. Awesome memories.
2. First game you purchased? - No idea, but I do remember buying Dungeon! when my kids were young.
3. Your breakthrough game? - Scythe. Really got me into the hobby. (Honorable mention: Forbidden Island.)
4. A theme that always draws you in? - D&D style fantasy. I also love science fiction, but it's hard to make a space game with an attractive game board.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? - Mancalas and rondels. I also love any creative action selection system.
6. Cooperative or competitive? - Competitive, but there are definitely co-ops I enjoy.
7. Newest game in your collection? - Ark Nova, and man I love it.
8. Favorite player count? - Probably 3, but I will say a game having a solo mode is a big factor in whether I'll buy the game.
9. What player color do you use most often? - Red. Never was my favorite color, but the older my eyes get, the more that color has appealed to me, because it pops. Yellow next.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? - Read the rule book for sure. But more and more these days, by the time I get to the rule book I've seen several reviews on UA-cam and possibly a play through. It's rare that I'll watch a rule video (ala Rodney, who is awesome).
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? - I tend not to eat when I play. Not because I'm fastidious, just because I'm not interested.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? - Darwin's Journey looks really cool, but I didn't back it. Two games I backed are Manchukuo and Wayfarers of the South Tigris.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? - Usually punch right away.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? - All the creativity. Art, mechanisms, themes, content creators on UA-cam.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? - Lifting weights, golf, playing the guitar badly.
I enjoyed hearing your answers and it's fun to read the other comments, so I thought I'd share my answers too.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Inner Circle - a bright and colorful abstract game that uses memory as well as spatial movement on a four-layered board. It's still in my collection!
2. First game you purchased?
This is very hard to remember - I think the games I had before I went to college were all gifts of one sort or another. My partner and I started buying mass market games when we got our first apartment in college and having regular Sunday night dinner-and-a-game gatherings for all our friends. I don't know for sure what the FIRST one of these that I actually purchased myself was - but it was probably something like TriBond, Planet Hollywood, Catch Phrase, etc.
3. Your breakthrough game?
Elfenland. This was the first "hobby" game that we bought from the FLGS when we moved to a new area when we were first married. We played this a ton and it didn't take us long to move on to The Settlers of Catan, though actually we got the Catan Card Game first (see #8, favorite player count!).
4. A theme that always draws you in?
I go for anything underwater/something with sea creatures.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Engine/tableau building of any sort. I love the feeling of a game getting bigger and better and more powerful as it goes.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Cooperative. I am not a highly competitive person in general and I love the feeling of working together to beat the game.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Smitten!
8. Favorite player count?
Like you, Jamey, I find the most *important* player count to be 2, because that's the easiest/most common way for me to play. I do enjoy games with 4 or 5 or 6 when I can.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Blue all the way!
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
It depends on the complexity of the game. I will ALWAYS read the rulebook at some point before playing. If I start to read the rulebook and have trouble seeing the big picture of the game, I will seek out a video and then return to the rules.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
At our two-player count, we typically eat before or after, but not during game play. I do have a special fondness for replacing the Wingspan eggs with the same-size Cadbury eggs and eating them as I spend them...
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Endeavor: Deep Sea. I've never played the previous versions of Endeavor because the theme put me off. This is a theme that draws me in (see #4) and I'm looking forward to finally trying this game system.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Usually right away. I count the bits and make sure everything is there, bag and organize them, and then browse through the rules - usually the day the game arrives. There's sensory pleasure for me in doing all of that so it's another way to enjoy the game even if I can't play it right away.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
Again, I agree with Jamey that I am really pleased, as an introvert, to find something that makes it comfortable and fun to socialize... it's also lovely that there's such a great online community for this hobby.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Reading, doing puzzles of all sorts (jigsaw puzzles, logic puzzles, escape rooms, etc.), birdwatching/enjoying nature, crafts, making music, enjoying time with my family.
1. Star Wars: Epic Duels
2. Munchkin
3. Munchkin / Survive
4. Not sure. Anything really
5. I cut you choose / deck building / engine building
6. Both really :)
7.horrified technically, but I’m excited to get Ready Set Bet next week :)
8.4 is my favorite, but hard to get on a consistent basis. So 2 or 3
9.white and red. Favorite colors
10. A mixture of both
11. Pretzels… actually if someone brought cookies, I would want them
12. Any unmatched set, clank catacombs, deliverance
13. Immediately
14. The community, the outlet for creativity
15. Getting outside, movies and tv shows, hanging out with friends and just talking
Really fun to look back on the gaming hobby. Played a lot of classic card games in my youth.
Bought Carcassonne in my twenties and not nothing more for 4-5 years until I saw a copy of Viticulture in a bookstore. We were really into wine at the time and the look, mechanisms and theme got me interested in board games. After a trip to Florence, we bought Lorenzo il magnifico and then… I fell down the rabbit hole 😅
Delightful video, Jamey!
If you like time travel as a theme, you would love Netflix’s TV show: Dark. This show goes WAY off the deep end, and explores some really cool concepts.
Thanks! We watched all 3 seasons of Dark and really enjoyed it!
I find that many of my answers are almost identical to your own.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Scotland Yard (and maybe Risk, but my brother was too competitive to make it fun)
2. First game you purchased? D&D stuff for sure, but first board/card game was probably Killer Bunnies or Munchkin (or something of that ilk)
3. Your breakthrough game? Arkham Horror and (Settlers of) Catan
4. A theme that always draws you in? Spaceship stuff or epic fantasy (I'm like totally pumpkin spice-basic on this)
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement for sure, and then probably deck/bag building
6. Cooperative or competitive? CO-OP all the way!
7. Newest game in your collection ? Flamecraft (and am loving it!!! One of the most rewarding KS backings for me yet)
8. Favorite player count? appreciate games that are for 1+ but wish there were ore game good at 5-7 as my game nights can get pretty big
9. What player color do you use most often? Orange (or yellow if orange is not included). It stems from me loving those two colors as a kid because most everyone else DID NOT favor those colors. I liked to be different
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? A mix of each depending on time
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Liquid snacks like beer or tequila, otherwise M&Ms maybe??
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? More Sleeping Gods content
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Usually punch it out and organize it right away
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Sharing game experiences with friends, which is probably why I'm not all that competitive and would prefer to play a game WITH others than AGAINST others
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Writing (novels based on some of my board game designs), music (I'm a professional musician, trombone), Dance ("I'm a US champion ballroom dancer and still teach a bit on the side) and drag (I am a drag king, leader of a troupe of 12 other drag performers)
This is a great list. Like getting to know you better this way, and I share the same that board games is a comfortable place for introverts to have great interactions.
1. Favorite childhood board game? Clue and Trivial Pursuit
2. First game you purchased? Puerto Rico, with a 14th birthday Wizards of the Coast gift card
3. Your breakthrough game? I played Catan with my brother and my neighbor constantly, starting when I was about 13 (I had Cities & Knights, and he has Seafarers, so which expansion we played with depended on which house we were at). Then I got Puerto Rico after that, then Starfarers of Catan. (For my 16th birthday, I invited five other guys and the gift was that everyone pitched in to buy Starfarers and the 5/6 player expansion, and then we played a four hour game in my basement.)
4. A theme that always draws you in? I'm not very theme driven, so for me I just want a theme that is interesting and well-implemented, preferably beautiful art and components.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement and bag-building are two of my faves.
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive, almost always. I usually find cooperative games too stressful, which says a lot about me and also the general design spaces of most coop games.
7. Newest game in your collection? I just got my Kickstarter pledge of Villagers + Shifting Seasons, which I am absolutely loving.
8. Favorite player count? Similar to Jamey, my most important player count is 2 because I often play with my wife. But when I can get 4 people around a table is when I think I'm happiest.
9. What player color do you use most often? Purple (thanks Jamey for always including purple!) or black. I've never loved red/green/blue/yellow because those are always the standard colors and I find them boring, so any time there's a non-standard color I usually gravitate to that one.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video? Jamey's process is almost exactly mine, except that I love reading rulebooks because apparently I'm a bit of a masochist, so sometimes I'll just read them a few times over.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? I'm not a huge snacker tbh, but a good old-fashioned trail mix has been a big hit with my game group the last few months. I'm usually more interested in what we're drinking, which is usually a good craft beer or a nice bourbon.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? I am so excited to get my copies of Distilled and Wayfarers of the South Tigris.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? One of my favorite things about board games is that moment when you first open it and start punching it and reading the rules and organizing the box, so I do it as soon as I get the game. My family laughs at me on Christmas because literally the first thing I do with the 4 or 5 games I've gotten is sit down at the kitchen table, open each one, punch it, read the rules, set up the game, tear down the game, and put it away.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? I love the sense of discovery that goes into opening a new box, and I love discovering the contents of that box with friends and family. As a really ADHD person, board games is one of the things that can really focus me and get me into a flow, even with other people, so I love that.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Too many--I love music, movies, reading, sports (baseball, football, hockey, and soccer), singing, and eating/drinking at great restaurants.
I really enjoyed hearing your answers to these. Here’s mine:
1. The Farming Game (with my brother). Sorry or Skip Bo with my Grandma. Later on Rook and Euchre with my family.
2. Risk
3. Targi - I don’t see this come up a lot but my wife bought on a whim and it blew our minds.
4. Nature and farming & industrial
5. Worker Placement and deck building
6. Competitive where take that is not a big part of the game. Not to say I don’t like any interaction, but I like games where you are mostly building your thing. Games like Viticulture, Scythe, Everdell, Kingsburg, and Century Spice Road come to mind.
7. Chronicles of Crime 1400
8. 2
9. I like to switch it up, but mostly purple if it’s available.
10. Both, but I usually watch a video first.
11. Usually salty snacks
12. I can’t think of one; I’m not anti-new, but I don’t pay close attention to what’s coming.
13. Open it when I get it.
14. Time spent with friends. Building things and seeing how it compares to what others made. Strategizing and then making choices on when to change or double down on a strategy. At the end of the game seeing other people’s process. In a co-op game, the shared experience of finally breaking through in a hard scenario.
15. Playing computer games (Civ, Hoi4, Eu4, Tropico), walking/jogging, reading, watching UA-cam (gaming, history, philosophy, economics), chilling in nature, watching sports (indycar, hockey, baseball, World Cup).
Wow, it's so cool that one of your other hobbies is Ports, I like ports too, usb and Type C in particular!
My favourite player color is blue, because I used to play video games with my older brother when we were young, and the color of first player, which is always him, is usually red, and the second player is blue, so I got used to that association. Likewise for him, he always choose red as his player color now
1. Favorite childhood board game? Scattergories
2. First game you purchased? UNO
3. Your breakthrough game? Catan
4. A theme that always draws you in? Nature
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? Worker placement
6. Cooperative or competitive? I love both, but coop has a special place in my heart.
7. Newest game in your collection? Wonderland's War
8. Favorite player count? 4
9. What player color do you use most often? Green!
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how-to-play video? Both! Usually video first, then the rulebook.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Peanuts
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? Unconscious Mind by Fantasia Games
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Immediately after I get it, for sure!
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? That it allows for friendships to be made for people like me that are quite introverted
15. Any hobbies other than board games? interior design
1. 500 Rummy. We didn't have any good board games, but we played card games.
2. I think I purchased like a scene it seinfeld game in college.
3. Hard to say, there wasn't one game.
4. Marvel.
5. Deckbuilding maybe
6. Comeptitive.
7. Most recently added was Power Rangers Heroes of the Grid.
8. 4.
9. Whatever other people don't like, so usually yellow.
10. Usually start with a video to get the setup, then go to the rule book to get the mechanics.
11. I usually have a fizzy water while playing.
12. I have the motor city dice game coming soon, that should be cool.
13. I punch it right away.
14. How excited it makes me.
15. Not really.
Love this video Jamie! Feel like it's a great way to learn about each other, especially since I find board games to be one of my favorite form of social interaction. Here are my answers:
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Into the Forest - I haven't played this for over two decades, but it's a cool little game about food chains that my brother and our friends played a lot when in elementary school.
2. First game you purchased?
Settlers of Catan Card Game - In sixth grade, this was likely my first foray into more complex board gaming, and my love has stuck ever since.
3. Your breakthrough game?
Agricola - This was my first experience with worker placement and I found it super intriguing. But more importantly, I think Agricola taught me something important: board games have incredible power to transport players into world they might not be initially interested in, but that become entranced. On paper 17th century farming sounds quite dry, but Agricola makes it engaging and fun!
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Nature - I've always loved nature and it's a theme ripe with game mechanics. So happy that nature-themed games are exploding now.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Drafting - On top of being a mechanic that enhances gameplay flow, I like how it creates tough decisions and fosters neighborly player interaction.
Tile placement - As a GIS nerd, I'm a fan of everything spatial, so much fun figuring out the spatial puzzles.
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Cooperative if designed over multiple plays, very difficult and more of narrative focus. For one-off games, prefer competitive.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Land vs Sea - Tile placement games are my jam and the mesh of art/gameplay is lovely.
8. Favorite player count?
For games with asymmetry, I love 2 player. Otherwise 3-4 is my sweet spot (especially for games that don't have simultaneous turns).
9. What player color do you use most often?
Red - my favorite colors are blue/green, but I gravitate toward red in games since I find it stands out on the boards (usually).
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Both
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
Grapes
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Arcs - I think Oath is one of the most compelling games I've ever played and I'm looking forward to what Arcs has in store. Love the idea of focused, emergent narratives in sci-fi setting.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Punch out immediately. I don't think I have the willpower to wait haha
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
I love how it provides an outlet for introverts (like myself) to engage in a social experience that feel deeply rewarding and fun. The shared experience is what it's all about!
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
- Outdoor activities (birding, cycling, running, hiking, soccer, basketball, tennis)
- Writing (short stories, film reviews)
- Films (watching and analysis)
- Baking (chocolate cake and mixed berry pie especially)
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Young - Game of life (loved the cars and spinning the wheel), Teen - Risk (many games played to 3am)
2. First game you purchased?
probably was Risk or Stratomatic Baseball
3. Your breakthrough game?
This is a tough one. I would say Agricola for showing what modern board games can be
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Science Fiction
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
By far worker placement
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Competitive, but I like cooperative too since I play a lot of solo games which gives the feel of your against the game.
7. Newest game in your collection?
Actually, it would have to be Rolling Realms :) got it when I got my StoneMaier 10th Anniversary shirt that I wore last night. Non-Stonemaier, it may have been Canopy (beautiful and fun game at two.
8. Favorite player count?
2 players since I play with my wife a lot. Otherwise, it would be 5 player since we have 3 older children.
9. What player color do you use most often?
Green, without a doubt. Been my favorite color for all my life, I got a green rug and green tote when I went into Kindergarten. Green forever!
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Watch a How to video first, there are some great content creators out there. I hope they know how much they help in teaching all these games.so many content. Then follow up with reading the rules.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
I don't know if I have one, maybe whatever is at hand.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Hmm, this is tough, since there are so many kickstarters that I'm excited about since they've taken so long with the pandemic. I guess Frosthaven since I've waited so long.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Open and punch a game right when I get it, too excited not to look at it.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
I like your answer to this question especially related to introversion, I feel the same way. I'm very introverted, though I hide it being outwardly sociable. There are some interactions with people that are exhausting, but when I get with people with the same interests such as board gaming it feeds my energy rather than draining me. I subscribe to a lot of board game content creators, I love to hear their thoughts on games and their excitement. I also enjoy watching all your videos, you provide a perspective that isn't out there on board games by anyone else. Thanks.
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
3D Printing (great way to make things for my board games blinging them out and make good inserts when the game didn't come with one), watching sports (American football), reading (now mostly audiobooks)
1) The Lost Diamond & The Amazing Labyrinth - a friend had both of these and I didn't and I think that's why I was extra eager to play them
2) Gonna answer with first Hobby game I purchased, and that's Catan
3) Ticket to Ride - I was introduced to it when a roommate invited me to join her game night and I really loved it, put it on my Christmas/Birthday wishlist and got it and Nordic Countries for the subsequent Christmas/Birthday, it was also the game I introduced and hooked my parents wiht (mom especially, she now owns more maps than I do!)
4) I'm not really a theme person, I suppose there can be off-putting themes, but none that specifically draws me in, maybe occasional IPs, but I always get suspicious when a game has an IP, as well.
5) Worker/Dice placement, Engine building, Deck/pool building, Drafting, Multi-use cards
6) I generally tend to not enjoy most cooperative games, the main exception so far has been Stardew Valley which I absolutely love. Pretty much any other game and I want it to be competitive. I like to do my own thing without having to discuss it with the other players.
7) Newest as in most newly released? Zapotec
Newest as in most recently acquired? Kashgar & Nations
8) It really depends on the game, but I find a lot of the games I love are often best either at 2 or 3. So I agree with 2 being the most important one. I enjoy going up to 4, but above that really starts restricting what games we can play, and also make games go longer.
9) I always choose blue, it's the colour of the TARDIS, what other reason do I need to have?
10) I watch a video to learn/internalize the game, and I read the rulebook to clarify things and to help me teach it to others
11) Candy, it's less messy than crisps, plus while I love both, I'm sweet over salt
12) Any future Simone Luciani design, if he's involved in the design process, I'm immediately interested. I just learned about Tiletum this week and ordered it the same day, lol. And eagerly waiting for Darwin's Journey to be delivered.
13) I open and sort them within days of receiving them, I'm hugely into organizing, so part of the fun for me is to organize the game components and figure out how to make the game easy to set up.
14) My favourite thing is the social component. It's one of my main forms of socializing with people now, because it actually get us talking to one another, and is a great conduit to get to know new people.
15) My main hobby outside of boardgaming is fandom (mainly television show fandoms), like reading/writing fanfiction and watching/making fan videos, I'm also big into videogaming.
1. My favorite childhood game is Sequence. I have so many memories playing this game in particular with my grandparents. Cherished memories!
2. The first game I purchased was Carcassonne...the Big Box. All I needed was the base game, but I was very excited!
3. Arkham Horror 2nd Edition was the first "modern" game that I played and loved. Catan and Carcassonne were close seconds though.
4. A theme that always draws me in is anything horror. I'm always a sucker for a scary/creepy game. Funny you mention heist themes because I've been rolling the idea of a heist game around in my head!
5. Worker placement is always intriguing for me, especially when there is a twist on it. Dune: Imperium has been one of my favorites in recent years.
6. Cooperative or competitive depends on the current group because I enjoy both. Lean towards competitive.
7. The newest game in my collection is also The Castles of Mad King Ludwig: Collector's Edition! Absolutely adore this game! And the new art/components are fantastic.
8. Favorite player count is probably 4. Most games feel pretty good at that number and have a good amount of player interaction.
9. Purple or green are my go to colors.
10. I like to read the rulebook, then watch a how-to video, then read the rulebook AGAIN.
11. I host a monthly game night at my house and always make some sort of chip dip. Buffalo chicken, guacamole, meat and cheese. I'm always trying new chip dips for the group LOL
12. Two games I'm most excited about are Scarface 1920 and Ready Set Bet. I backed Scarface a while ago because I really wanted a good gangster theme in my collection. Ready Set Bet looks like it's going to replace a BUNCH of party games in my collection. Looks like so much fun!
13. I open and punch a game typically on the day I get them because I'm so excited to start learning the rules!
14. My favorite thing about the board game hobby is also the people. I try to build community where ever I am and whatever we are doing. Board games are a perfect avenue to do this! They are such a great way to connect with others and experience something with others.
15. I've got basically the same hobbies as you, Jamey! I absolutely love music, books, tv shows, movies (and analyzing them), video games. I typically enjoy team sports, as well (volleyball, soccer, basketball, etc).
Loved these questions!
1. Favorite childhood board game? Child - Sorry. Teen - Risk.
2. First game you purchased? As a teen - Risk. Getting into the hobby - Catan.
3. Your breakthrough game? Catan, followed closely by Clank. Oddly enough, I no longer own either.
4. A theme that always draws you in? I love themes with animals/nature. Space is another theme that sucks me. Overall, I’m just a sucker for all things pretty. If it’s pretty, I will be intrigued.
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you? While I consider myself to be an omni-gamer, euro games have a special place in my gamer heart. Screen-printed meeps, engine-building, and efficiency puzzles? Count me ALL-IN.
6. Cooperative or competitive? Competitive. While I do enjoy cooperative games, the majority of the cooperative games I own, I purchased primarily for solo play.
7. Newest game in your collection? Flamecraft. I received my deluxe version this week.
8. Favorite player count? If it cannot be played a 2, I’m much more hesitant to purchase because my primary gaming partner is my finance.
9. What player color do you use most often? Yellow. It’s my favorite color.
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how-to-play video? I usually watch a playthrough video and then read the rules.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games? Cheez-Its.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to? ISS Vanguard. I should have my copy soon.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time? Depends. If the plan is to play it soon, I’ll go ahead and unbox it that way, the game is already organized and ready to set up for play.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby? Bringing people together and taking time away from the hustle and bustle of life. No screens. Just meeples and laughter.
15. Any hobbies other than board games? Disc Golf, reading, and writing.
This is a great question list! Really made me reflect on my own history in the hobby 😊
I share many of your answers, too!
Really related to the introvert outlet comment!
Great questions! (And answers Jamey!)
1) favourite childhood game was Cluedo. We didn’t play a wide variety of games but I used to love the deduction element.
2) First game bought was probably Magic the Gathering as well. I tried it when i was young as loved the art but never got into it.
3) my breakthrough game was Betrayal Legacy. It got me into hobby gaming and really opened my eyes to narratives in board gaming.
4) the theme that always gets me is something I haven’t seen before. I am always drawn to new ideas, Lacrimosa has really got me excited.
5) my favourite mechanism (at the moment) is worker placement.
6) even though I love some co op games I am drawn to competitive games a lot more. The competition really pushes me to try new things.
7) the newest game is Flamecraft which only came through yesterday and played today.
8) my favourite player count is 3. Easy to achieve and keeps things moving.
9) i am always purple or pink if it’s available as Like to go actively against gender stereotypes. Other wise I go blue.
10) i always read the book but prefer a video tutorial. And sometimes will watch a playthrough as well.
11) we now always try and have popcorn as now that we game a lot we try to have a healthier snacks than the chocolates of the past.
12) yet to be released game I am most excited for is Lacrimosa!
13) as soon as a game arrives I will open, pre punch and organise. I am very impatient! 😆
14) my favourite thing about the hobby is the social element. I have met many amazing people and built relationships from it. Where ever I go (i travel with work) there is always a game club where I can go and not be lonely.
15) my other hobbies are theatre and film. I go and see as much as I can. Theatre is my work as well so is very important to me.
Thanks for your post Jamey, great questions to get me thinking.
1. Favourite childhood board game?
Dominion
2. First game you purchased?
Citadels - Bruno Faidutti
3. Your breakthrough game?
Catan (although arguably Dominion)
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Nature/woodland
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
Worker placement features heavily in my collection, but I also like actions on cards (e.g. Concordia or Ark Nova)
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Competitive
7. Newest game in your collection?
Meadow
8. Favourite player count?
3 people (very used to playing at this count and 4 can feel too slow for many, but not all, games)
9. What player colour do you use most often?
Green (because of my last name)
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
"Watch it played" almost always, but occasionally I will read the rule book
11. Favourite snack to eat while playing board games?
I don't like eating snacks during games, I prefer cooking dinner before hand
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Survival of the Fattest
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
Right when I get it, as I usually am very excited/I get games rarely enough that it's exciting each time
14. What is your favourite thing about the board game hobby?
I get to show a new game (or old game) to friends and see them have fun, and also it's a great way to get away from a screen for a few hours (I work as a software engineer)
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
Pool, Sudoku, Movies
Great questions, cool answers. Was Megan a gamer when you me her? Purple is my color. Growing up, red and blue were my colors. Then I learned that they make purple, age six. Teal is another default color. Not many games have that choice. Theme I like is Zombies and recourse management mechanism.
Thanks! Megan has been a gamer for most of her life, which was very attractive to me. :)
Jamey, I love seeing you get emotional about the employee who helped you with the Magic starter pack. I can tell that that moment really had a big impact on you as a child *and* that it still has significance to you as an adult. Would I be correct to assume that that experience affects some of your decisions as a publisher?
That's an interesting question. I hadn't thought about that moment in quite a while--the memory popped up while filming this video. I can say that it's a good reminder for me that every customer is unique, and if we can do something to bring joy to people that's also respectful to other customers, we're always happy to do our best.
My breakthrough game was Dungeons & Dragons, but not in a good way. I wanted to enjoy it so badly, but the emphasis on theatrics and the poor underlying math ruined it for me. Eventually, my peers told me, “You have so much to say and so many good ideas. Why don’t you create your own campaign?” So that’s what I did. But then I realized that I abandoned so much of the D&D framework in my campaign that I was basically designing a game from scratch anyway. I ended up liking the design process so much that now I want to do this for a living. Three years later, and I’m almost ready to play-test my first game!
Also, loved the video ! I really like hearing about why you like board games and the shared excitement there is talking about it! I gotta say the game that really got me into the hobby was Sheriff of Nottingham. It was such a simple game, and I played it with two of my guy friends, and it felt like I had never laughed so hard in my life. I did not know you could lie/bluff in board games, so that got me so excited to learn more. And then what really sealed the deal for me was playing Dominion for the first time, after that I was super hooked. I was desperate to learn new games, and Rodney Smith and his channel truly opened my eyes to new games, and seeing him play those games with his kids was almost as enjoyable as actually playing them myself! Thee most influential content creators in my opinion for the hobby. But yeah I own a lot of Stonemair games and they are some of my favorite games of all time ! :)
1) Hearts or Uno
2) 1st 3: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Zombie Dice, & Burger Up
3) Honestly stumbling across Wil Wheaton's Tabletop Series in 2019
4) ?
5) Set Collection, Worker Placement, Cooperative & Deckbuilding
6) Either I enjoy both
7) Tiny Towns, (expansion) Power Rangers Heroes of the Grid Gold Ranger pack
8) 2-8 I have a game for all these play counts, solo not as much
9) Purple(less common) or Black, if those aren't available anything but yellow.
10) Video, Book, Video(w/ my wife watching to help teach)
11) Chips & Pretzels
12) Marvel Zombies(Crowdfunding), Santa's Workshop 2nd edition(Retail)
13) Yes, it's our 6yr old daughter favorite thing to do
14) Stepping away from TV & Video Games and enjoying real human interaction, also the friendships my wife & I made through the hobby.
15) Movies/Tv, watch old 90s/00s WWF wrestling, and video games(though not as much since i joined the hobby)
As a mainly solo gamer I usually choose the same colour player token as what I'm wearing so I always remember which player is me and which is the AI. Thinking about it now, I realize that if I chose the same colour every time that that would work just as well (and maybe better 🙂)
At first I thought “ports” meant you liked making port which would be pretty niche. But it was actually “sports”, which is still good. And if you think about it - port is a very integral part of sports. Otherwise it would just be “ss”. Coaches should start getting “port baths” instead of Gatorade after victories. That would be something.
Thanks for the Q&A!
What is your favorite premier league team?
I don't have a clear favorite--I bounce around a bit between different teams and generally just look for great play and underdogs.
Jamey, did you get a copy of the Tabletop Find-It Book (Old Man Games)? You've seen so many games that you might really enjoy that book. The KS campaign ended recently.
To answer some of your questions...
4. theme: Weefolk (and fantasy more broadly). It's now the core theme of my company.
5. mechanics: I've been thinking about making multi-player rules for Gnomadic Gardeners by adapting the Between-Two-Cities style of play between players
7. newest: Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest. We played it this week -- incorrectly, as it turned out. I might have some suggestions for the next edition of the rulebook.
9. color: Red. Actually, if I can get it, an off-red leaning toward orange.
10. learn: Rulebook. It's "random access," so I can refer back to spots in it (repeatedly) as I play through.
11. snack: Pizza. Also my favorite snack when not playing a game.
12. upcoming: Your open-world game, after hearing about it for years ;)
14. why: Games inspire me to create
Thank you so much for your Sunday Sitdowns. I've missed watching them because of a busy quarter, and I'm now working through a backlog.
I look forward to seeing what you do with the Weefolk theme! I didn't get a copy of that book, but I'll check it out. :)
You have my email--feel free to let me know what you played incorrectly and how it could have been clearer in the rules.
1. Preference
2. Das Phantom
3. D&D Wrath of Ashardalon
4. Medieval fantasy
5. Story-driven campagne
6. Cooperative
7. Quacks of Quedlinburg
8. Two
9. Red
10. Both
11. Chips
12. The Witcher: Old World
13. Immediately
14. Roleplay, learning, imagination
15. Collage making, miniature painting, reading cards
Hi Jamey, English subscriber to your channel here. My breakthrough game was Burgle Bros, and indeed is still my absolute favourite game. It was recommended to me by a work colleague who was a keen gamer, and it made me realise that board games could be so much more than the standard high street fare. You said you like watching the Premier League - do you have a team you support?
Thanks Jay! I'm a fan of Burgle Bros too. I mostly just like the quality of play in the EPL, but I have fun watching Man U, Leicester, and Tottenham.
I saw Key to the Kingdom at the beginning. That was my favorite as a kid.
I will say that the recent remake is good, but doesn't hold a candle to the original.
great video Jamey!!
What's you favourite English Footy team?!
I bounce around between a few. I have a Man U jacket, so I root for them, but I also like Leicester, any teams from Wales, and Tottenham. You?
Thank you for continuing to put out content!
(Small production note -- your auto white balance can get really distracting at times)
What is that? White balance isn't an option in my camera settings.
@@jameystegmaier I'm also not very knowledgeable on such things, so maybe someone else can give input -- but as you move closer/further away from the camera (or sometimes just as you gesture) your camera is automatically adjusting the brightness. It creates this flickering effect that's really hard to watch. It's actually not as bad in this video because your room is darker, but if you watch your white walls, especially in videos with more light, its quite noticeable.
@@dereksimmons5877 Thank you! The flickering is really bad if I leave the lights on while filming.
TIL that the designer of my favorite game of all time (Scythe) knows about Ukrop's.
I grew up just 5 minutes away from Ukrops. :)
Agricola is still my second favorite game just behind Battlestar Galactica. 2 very different games, but I really like their depth. BSG was my breakthrough game. I went to my first convention and brought BSG and Godstorm risk. I had no idea how many better games had existed even back then
My own opinion is I don't like to see the answer to the question before you answer it. I admit to enjoying a little suspense.
What is your favorite clank board to play?
Oh, that's tough! Probably the underwater one. What about you?
Are those rubber bins with holes in the background litter boxes? I've done something similar but that might be even better.
They are indeed! :)
@@jameystegmaier thank you. I should answer your questions now at least.
1. Favorite childhood board game?
- Scotland yard, but I could rarely get my friends to play it. They liked Monopoly and Clue
2. First game you purchased?
- Railroad Tycoon 2005 based solely on enjoying the video game series.
3. Your breakthrough game?
- Railroad Tycoon. I didn't realize games could be like that.
4. A theme that always draws you in?
- A buisness tycoon style. Chocolate Factory, Power Grid, Power Grid Factory Manager, Automania
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
- Open World. Xia, Western Legends, Railroad Tycoon, Wasteland Express
6. Cooperative or competitive?
- Competitive. The only co-op I like is when it's 1 vs the rest. Specter Ops, Scotland Yard, Battlestar Galactica (sort of)
7. Newest game in your collection?
- 18 Holes 2nd Edition (in the mail as we type)
8. Favorite player count?
- 4
9. What player color do you use most often?
- Green, if the game has it. (Stupid Outlive doesn't and it really bothers me.)
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
- Rulebook while manually slogging through it with my son. Then a video to solidify the rules and fix any errors.
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
- No food at the game table. Drinks on separate stools, never on the game table.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
- Nothing. Once my Kallax is full I have to sell before getting anything new.
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
- First option is alway 3d print an insert if there's one available on thingiverse. Second is punch and ziplock bag with labels. Never play until organized, there's too much else going on to be punching out.
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
- Good time with friends
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
- Sim racing, gardening
Strange/coincidental timing on this one. I've seen this going around as a 20 question tag, and in fact, just released my answers in my video today. Just subbed on this account, usually on my personal one for most of my content viewing, but felt this was the better account to post my reply incase anyone was interested in checking out my video responses to similar (and same) questions.
#1) clue… my dad was a master of deduction in clue sometimes winning on his first guess and I remember growing up always aspiring to be as good as he was at it.
#2) it was either dnd5e when it came out or the first edition of zombicide (incredibly hard to find at the time)
#3)hard to say because my uncle blasted me with an ocean of games all at once… I think lords of Waterdeep made the biggest impact on me though. I had never played a worker placement game before then and I immediately fell in love with it
#4) mechs🥳🥳🥳 I LOVE MECHS Titanfall and scythe are my favorite aesthetic of mechs but yeah👌🏻… also zombie survival is high on my list, probably tied with fantasy
#5)worker placement 100% I have always loved it and I’m always intrigued by the unique twists and intricacies people can design in that space.
#6) I’m usually in the middle… I like competitive games that encourage politics like commander in magic, nemesis, or certain missions of zombicide
#7) I just bought Gaia Project and am trying to swoon my friends into playing it Monday 😂
#8) 4player… I grew up with 3brothers and we would always play monopoly together and so it’s always felt like a comfortable number for me 🤷♂️ you can make alliances with multiple players and I like that
#9) blue unless there is purple… then I choose yellow cause I’m color blind. I like blue but can’t distinguish from purple
#10)how to play video and read rules as needed
#11)thin stick pretzelz… salty with no grease 👌🏻
#12) windward expansion 🥳🥳🥳
#13) I always open and punch my game as soon as I get it… I like to know it’s ready to go and play at any moment
#14) it feels fulfilling, not sure why but it is. Also love meeting new people through board games 😂
#15) I love woodworking, soccer, and theatre
Love this topic appreciate the opportunity to share and learn more about you as well👌🏻… I’m on a 24hr guard shift rn so it’s helping kill the time.
But for #11 - chocolate chip cookies are eaten away from the board game table and not while playing?
Near the table, but with napkins available. :)
@@jameystegmaier we play party games like Similo or Dixit at dinner, so I’m learning to be OK with steak on my cards. 😭
What's your favorite disc golf course?
I have a bunch I enjoy in St. Louis. I might say Unger is my favorite?
@@jameystegmaier nice!
Thanks so much for the answers to these questions, I say it tells allot about a person when simple yet complicated questions are answered. 🦙🦙🦆
1. Mouse Trap. With all the moving parts and the colours. This game is the reason interaction in a game is so important.
2. Pokemon TCG ( When this launched, 9 Year old me got my 1st Starter Set, the Blue Box, and never looked back.
3. Exploding Kittens. Had a friend and his new girlfriend over and close to then of the evening, she asked if we'd be game for a card game. It was the game that sparked my love for Board games again. Took 18 years but that 1 game made me realize Board Games and the interaction from them is what is missing from playing games like Video Games.
4. Not really a theme, but a game without Negative influences. "Take That" and games with gameplay involving negatively hurting other players is not fun, so I would say mostly Euro games.
5. Deck Building and Card Drafting, believe it comes from my love of TCG's (Pokemon, Magic, Yu Gi Oh)
6. Competitive but without negative influence on other players experience
7. Tenpenny Park - Love the theme of Theme Parks and worker placement with a hint of Card Drafting. But in the game, placement and objectives matter over 15 placements. High on strategy
8. 2 Player. 90% of the time it's just me and my Lady Llama.
9. Green
10. Always read first. But as I read, I punch out the game to get to know the parts and see whats what. So later, reference is simple and I have an idea
11. Gummies. There has been a few times where while thinking, you accidentally almost start to chew on game parts like the Honey Saps from Honey Buzz... but nothing has gone missing yet.
12. Valor and Villainy: Lludwiks Labyrinth: Loved the Minions of Mordak game and with the 2nd one being a dungeon crawl and you can combine the two games as they are interchangeable. Really looking forward to it from Skybound Games.
13. Open, Read & Punch, Sleeve and place in containers or bags (if the game doesn't have inlays or holders)
14. Spending time with people around a game. The people you know and the people you don't. Seeing enjoyment and watching people get into the game, feel the hits and excitement, always !
15. Guitar and painting.
🦙🦙🦆
1. Favorite childhood board game?
Stratego
2. First game you purchased?
Star Wars CCG
3. Your breakthrough game?
Terraforming Mars
4. A theme that always draws you in?
Spaaaaaaaace
5. A mechanism that always intrigues you?
worker placement
6. Cooperative or competitive?
Solo! (so ... cooperative)
7. Newest game in your collection?
Great Western Trail 2nd Ed.
8. Favorite player count?
1
9. What player color do you use most often?
red
10. Read the rulebook or watch a how to play video?
Video!!
11. Favorite snack to eat while playing board games?
NO, i don't want snackbits on my games.
12. An unreleased game you are most looking forward to?
Wingspan Asia :)
13. Open and punch a game right when you get it or wait until you play it for the first time?
immediately
14. What is your favorite thing about the board game hobby?
escapism, the feeling of loss of time when a game completely draws you in
15. Any hobbies other than board games?
videogames, music
GL, GG
1. 13 Dead End Drive (Clue and Life as runner-ups). Pinochle by far though if non-hobby games overall are included.
2. Pandemic Reign of Cthulhu (most my early games were also gifts)
3. Pandemic
4. Island/Mystical (think Atlantis Rising, Spirit Island)
5. Deduction, deck building
6. Cooperative by a mile. I own ~200 games and only 1 is competitive only)
7. Paint the Roses as newest release; Lost Expedition is newest own (bought yesterday)
8. 2-3. Mostly my wife is my gaming partner, but some games just play better at 3 and I do like the extra person to bounce ideas off of (again, co-op only player)
9. Green. Blue is a close second.
10. Like you, both if possible - watch video first if there is one, read rulebook second.
11. Peanut butter-filled pretzel bites. Clean on hands, a little protein, salty and sweet.
12. It sounds like I’m a shell, but honestly the upcoming adventure co-op Stonemaier game that has been talked about for a couple years.
13. Open and punch ASAP. Also I do how to play videos asap so if I ever get the urge to do a first play I’m a little more prepared.
14. For me, being cooperative only, it’s the teamwork involved. It reminds me of sports (which I also love). Sometimes the best move for the team is not the best individual move, and losing some pride and teaching selflessness to fellow gamers is fantastic. I think the world could use a little more selflessness.
15. Sports. Football, basketball, golf, really any!