Top 10 Games to Introduce Games!

I watch enough Top 10 lists I figured I'd give it a go. Thought exercises are nice, but the experience is way more educational when you actually try to do something! 

I hit bumps along the road immediately. What in the world was I going to record with!? I decided to use Zoom since I'm forced to use it for Virtual School all day. I didn't know what to use as a video editor, so I used the pause button between games and collected my thoughts each time. I wanted to do the whole thing in one take which sounds easy, but is hard to pull off well (and I'm not saying I did!).

Some immediate lessons:

1 -  My mic may be dying. The headset is years old and I've been using it for countless hours since the pandemic hit.

2 - Some basic editing would cut out me looking down to click the pause button at the end of each game.

3 - With basic editing, this 18 minute video could have taken much, much longer. It took me close to an hour to make. I paused for a few minutes in between games to shuffle boxes/components and think my way through what to say. Then I watched all 18 minutes to see if I shamed myself and dishonored my family. Editing would give me the ability to watch a take, see what I liked, and try to improve upon it which would mean more watching, more redoing, and then more re-watching until it was right! It puts a perspective on how long content creators may be spending to make their videos....but hopefully they're used to the process and go faster than me!

4 - It's very different from teaching or having a conversation. I talk online all day, but this has a different feel. Good conversation and presenting has pauses built into it. That allows people to process and ask questions. Entertainment content is fast and furious. Wait time is truncated out and the video has to be concise and conveyed with energy to not feel muted....and it feels weird throwing energy at a computer screen in an empty room with no one watching!

It was a fun experiment and rewarded me with some new insight into what goes into making the videos I watch. Watching the playback was humbling! I have no idea if I'll do one of these again. Writing is more my schtick. 

I uploaded the video to YouTube and left it public for once, but, for your ease, here it is.

Thanksgiving 2020

Cole started it.

Shane was happy to send a goofy picture back!

I texted many people a "Happy Thanksgiving" and that picture!

Our day was a quiet one. Shane wanted to build a city out of Legos to get hit by natural disasters. Whether he was trying to play survival or destroy it is anyone's guess!

He had a radio tower to start, so I started building some townhouses, quads, apartment buildings, and a gas station as seen from an airplane. That led to Shane building an airport and some airplanes to fly overhead.

Carrie joined us after a shower.

Shane's radio tower became an air traffic control tower and Carrie built a radio tower that Shane later souped up to be a power plant.

With all the  natural disasters Shane was ready to inflict (including a blanket sized tsunami) it seemed prudent to give the town a hospital.

We managed to play without electronics for the entire first half of the day!

Carrie went non-traditional for our Thanksgiving meal. She mean a soup involving bacon, potatoes, and pumpkin. 

For our evening entertainment: American Ninja Warrior! We watched some The Floor is Lava the other night, so we were on an obstacle course kick. 

Shane was willing to bounce on the couches, but he had no interest in building our own course and getting some exercise!

It was a much quieter Thanksgiving than years prior. Grandma and Grandpa opted to go to NOVA rather than host, because Rachel and Chris had some concerns about Shane coming back from SC without much time in between. Sophia was just in the hospital from a ruptured appendix, so germs and health were in the forefront of their minds.

On one hand, we would have liked to have seen them. On the other, it was really nice to have a day with no expectations. I've been enjoying the break from work and time with family immensely. 

Thanksgiving 2020 was the holiday we needed. We can have a busier Thanksgiving with more people next year. 

Pandemic...but not the one in the news!

I've been looking forward to Pandemic.

Pandemic Legacy Season 0!

It's a board game. It's the first board game I've ever preordered and it arrived a couple of weeks back.

Pandemic Legacy Season 1 and Season 2 have been my favorite game experiences with Carrie up to this point. I've been waiting ever so patiently to start.

So when Carrie asked, "Do you want to play?" I ran and grabbed the game before she could change her mind. 

Season 0 had more options for building our characters than the other seasons.

Carrie, ever the creative one, really got into making her character's passport. However, when she couldn't find the options she wanted to make a realistic character, she said, "Screw it. I'm going full silly!"

Thus, Raspberry Tartlett was born!

Each character has multiple aliases. We were only supposed to create our first alias, but Carrie went all in up front!

The game eventually reveals/unlocks more stickers that you have access to at first, but it was too late for us!

I went a slightly different direction with my character. I wanted my first alias to be plain and boring. I was having trouble coming up with a name and put down Milton (inspired from Office Space). Carrie came up with the inspiration for the last name. "Are you playing games with me son!?" 

When you can laugh before the game even begins, you know you're going to have a good time!

I went a bit crazy on my aliases, but I didn't finish naming them until multiple games in.

Vanya's last name was a play off Novosibirsk.....a city name Carrie and I mispronounced horribly many, many times until it became it's own joke.

We didn't play every day. We managed to play 8 games including the prologue. We're currently up to August (There are 12 months in the campaign). Shane was at Nana and Pop's for 17 days, so that's roughly a game every other day. 

I'm not going to give any spoilers here just in case someone reads this who will care.

I will say the first turn of the prologue and January started with this! 

It didn't matter in the prologue, but we had an incident before I got to make a move in the campaign! Carrie protested, but I insisted we play on! For better and worse, it's the permanent nature of the campaign that makes the experience!

So far, things have gone really well. Carrie and I have played a lot of Pandemics, so we know the ruleset very well. We've done well, but many of the games have been close. A few we've ended right before the board would've exploded in our faces. Our bad luck spells haven't been 'the worst luck' and we were fortunate with how our upgrades interacted with a mission we otherwise would have lost! The game has catch-up mechanics, so that even losses are supposed to become part of the story.

Shane wasn't around to mess up the board, but he's not the only creature in the house who likes to interfere with board games.

Aria found enemy agents to be delicious!

Max and Tsuki both made appearances on the global stage, too. 

My opinion so far: I love Season 0 and recommend it, but it's my least favorite of the seasons. 

That's not a knock against the game, either. It's very well designed and the art fits the Cold War theme perfectly. It might have been my favorite if it was the first one we played, but I can't say for sure.

Season 1 is still my favorite. It was such an unexpected, awesome experience. None of the future season could replicate that magical feeling of discovery of what a legacy game was. Carrie loved it and we played it while on a vacation that led us through NC, TN, and WV that included whitewater rafting and staying at airbnbs. That nostalgia is going to be nearly impossible for anything to beat. Plus, I really liked the bright colors. The bright, colored translucent cubes delighted my ADHD.

Season 2 was very different. The core mechanic was inverted (placing cubes for protection rather than removing cubes to protect) and I didn't like the gray cubes, but the story and sense of discovery were really neat. It was so different from Season 1 that it was fascinating in a new way. No spoilers: There was a big twist on the December mission that killed Carrie's character and almost left a sour taste, but we had a grand time. We played while we were at Roy's place and I was working for the city schools and we'd park Shane on the TV to unwind.

Season 0 is much closer to Season 1 in how it's played than Season 2. It's less out there, but still introduces new mechanics that fit very well with the theme. It's immersive, polished, and fun! The muted colors fit the theme well, but I like Season 1's bright colors better and, again, it would have to overcome a ton of nostalgia to unseat Season 1 as my favorite.

We've still got 5 months to go, though. There's time to see if it will rise to the top. I don't regret preordering it regardless!

UPDATE: We've played all the way up to November now. It's been great! The designers definitely improved some aspects compared to Season 1, but nostalgia is still keeping Season 1 in the lead for now.

Shane saw Carrie and I playing on Thanksgiving and was really interested. I said I'd happily play through a Season with him when he was older. I woke up on Friday to Carrie and him using the remaining stickers to build funny aliases!

That's a bonus point for Season 0!

Surprise Delivery

I got two big surprises Monday. The first, was the Battletech kickstarter I'd backed over a year ago came in!

I got the email confirming shipping about 5 hours after the package arrived. I know the exact time window, because I was on my lunch break letting Loki run when the delivery truck appeared.

I opened it up and let the figurine hang out while I taught triangles!

I'd love to meet up with John McG to play, but he's been more and more distant as the pandemic has continued.  I sent him a bunch of pictures hoping to try and pique his interest, but failed. He refused to play a game with the rest of us a few weeks back, too. I'm sure that COVID has been rough on his mother's (and therefore his) mental health. Unfortunately, we don't live close enough for me to drop by and force him to hang out like I could do when we were younger.

After work a second box arrived! I was expecting that one, but not until Tuesday. 

I loved playing the Pandemic Legacy games with Carrie. I enjoyed it so much I pre-ordered the final game of the set. Normally, I would have waited a year or two for a sale. The time seemed right, though, with all the time we spend at home in this pandemic!

Sadly, there's not been any time (or Carrie energy) to play anything. My plan is to start the campaign the next time Shane visits Nana and Pop for virtual school. That should be sometime in November!

COVID 19 - The Coronavirus: Some Gaming

We played a lot of video games over the weekend. I was a little fried on Friday and I just let the electronic times roll. I tried Invisble Inc and then started a Battletech career and spent way too much time on it. Turn-based RPG/strategies sucker me in with "Just one more..."

Shane played a lot of Minecraft....and he was really excited when I installed the educational edition on my computer, too. Shane built a "parkour" course on a space station level that he had me jumping through. He would stay in "create mode" and be all-powerful with the ability to fly. Then he'd have me in "survival mode" where things he spawned could (and would) kill me.

He really liked it, but I had Battletech on in the background and would switch back and forth while he "made something for me" and was consumed by whatever he was up to.

Tuesday, I decided the family needed a video game detox. It's Holy Week and I'd rather we did things as a family in the really, real world.

I have declared it a "family fun week." The goal will be to do some card and board games all week with each other!

We've done some gaming already (just not as much as I may have dreamed). Shane really liked my X-wing minis.

He's been watching Star Wars Rebels, so he's got Star Wars on the brain! We only played once, but he spent a couple of days flying my ships around. He even built his own ships like the "Starburst Shooter" out of k'nex.

Zombie Kids has seem some playtime, too.

It's a legacy style game with progression. We've almost opened all of the envelopes!

Max enjoys laying on any paper products we offer to her.

Carrie likes cards. She'll play solitaire on her own enough that Shane knows what it is. The main games Carrie plays with me are Rummy and Four Corners. Shane knows how to play Rummy some. He actually beat Carrie once!

He's getting better about not showing off his whole hand whenever he leans forward, but the kid is no savant.

My new detective game got a quick play since I mentioned it last (I could play it once a day, but I'd rather not do it solo!).

We played a few games on Monday after I declared game week. We had a game to select the games, too.

We've played some Love Letter Batman Edition, Rummy, and Exploding Kittens so far. Shane really wants to play King of Tokyo and Sheriff of Nottingham.

When Carrie fell asleep Monday afternoon, Shane and I played a game of Blokus. He's good for a 9 year old.

"Let's leave it out so Mom can see it," Shane said.

I knew it wouldn't last!

As I write this, I told Shane we'd play a game after he put his clean clothes away. It couldn't have been more than 10 minutes of work, but he's been in his room humming for at least 40 minutes.

I'd complain, but I wrote a whole post while he's been busy!

UPDATE: We played some Pokemon. Shane got his engine running collected 5 out of 6 trophy cards the second game. Not bad kid!

I don't go easy on him. He gets some takebacks if he forgets something or makes an obvious mistake, but I make the best moves I can when it's my turn. I tell Shane that he's really good for his age, but he's got to keep practicing to beat adults.

UPDATE 2: We played Sheriff of Nottingham next. Shane loves when Carrie does all the voices and acting bits. "Papers, please! Keep the line moving! It doesn't sound like chickens in your bag. Why would you bag chicken anyway!?" He tries to imitate her and do his own voices, but it normally doesn't work out as well!

Also, Carrie's really good at the game in general. She smoked us. 

What I Watch: The Dice Tower

The younger generation has taken to streaming online. They follow gamers and personalities in the same way that older generations have followed talk show personalities and TV shows. There have been news articles about a young pre-teen who makes millions by reviewing toys, a Fortnite video gamer named Ninja who makes millions streaming, kids on TikTok who have millions watch them dance, and people who just pop on YouTube and do odd things or talk about how their dog was killed by a coyote.

There's more out there than anyone can keep track of. I pay attention to what my students are into, so I'm aware of some of it.

There is one channel I follow online: The Dice Tower.

I probably watch or listen to the Dice Tower for at least a couple of hours a week. I've done so for the past several years since I discovered them (and yet, a search of the blog only mentions them here).

The Dice Tower has a variety show that streams every Monday and Thursday. Then they have top 10 lists where they have talking heads friendly bicker and needle each other. I like to turn on a top 10 every now and then while I'm shoveling poop or driving home at night. I go about my business and listen in as they joke. It's all family friendly and the guy who started has values that are similar to mine and the stated purpose is to build community in a fun way (He was a pastor in Korea and still does sermons at some game conventions).

Two things:

1) It's funny how watching someone online can make you feel a connection. The guys all seem very authentic and some jokes/themes repeat, so after I watched for a while I felt like I knew them at least a little bit. I like it partly because it reminds me of how I would always friendly bicker with my friends (which I miss them being around at times. Life's good but it changes). It's partly an illusion in that it's a one way relationship. The guys online have no idea who I am. One of them was forthright enough and said that, but included he really enjoyed meeting people at conventions. He said it was like meeting friends he didn't even know he had yet who knew about him, but it was his turn to learn about them (See why I like their thinking?). I don't think there's any replacement for in person relationships. The Dice Tower guys go to a lot of conventions, meet fans, and try to encourage people to interact. I wonder, how many young people feel connected to online personalities and settle for a one way relationship instead of working on two-way relationships with those around them? It's easy enough to stream with no real downside.

2) I've watched enough Dice Tower over the past 2 or 3 years, that I throw a little money into their Kickstarter each January. I probably watch/listen to them more than Netflix or anything else, so it's only fair to reciprocate some!

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about, here's a few fun links.

A Top 10 I liked with a guest host: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytUUQhKdzL0

A History of The Dice Tower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyejobxnS8w&list=PLOlRvTbmD6tLZJa_fnCi8URvYwpz_nOJK

A Boardgame Breakfast I liked the Tom Thinks segment on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkdann50GFU (I watch most segments, but there are a few I skip when I'm not interested).

Dial It Down, Sunday

Sunday! A day of rest!

Carrie braided Annie's hair and worked with her in the arena.

Annie's making progress. Heidi came by and it was a horse day for Carrie.

Shane and I went to church and then I taught him how to play Memoir '44 after. It's a history game about WW2 I borrowed from John.

Loki ate a couple of pieces that dropped on the floor. He loves cardboard.

Loki peed when I yelled at him.

Shane rolled really well and won! I missed a rule about sandbags making him roll one less dice against me, but him winning may mean he'll be more willing to play again in the future.

I was happy to lose the battle to win the war on future boredom!

I spent a fair amount of time outside and helping out. I discovered a gross friend in Annie's poop.

It was at least a six inch long roundworm. I took a picture in case we needed to show a vet, but Carrie just grunted and said, "Time to worm her." For such a full grown worm, Carrie thinks Annie came from Sonya's with them.

Shane and I did manage an afternoon play date. We met the Cartwrights at Dorrier Park.

Claire wasn't there, because she was selling Girl Scout cookies. Logan brought his Nerf guns and Julia grabbed the ammo and ran off. Shane tried to get the ammo back for Logan, but it ended up a free for all.

Their dad, Alex (?), had a single shot nerf rifle and got involved in the running around. Shane told him to "pull up his pants" because he could see his butt crack!

"HVAC crack is worse than plumber's!" Corrie said (the mom - not sure on spelling).

The kids all enjoyed running around. Shane opened up a store where he started to sell ammo and other things. Logan accidentally shot himself looking down the barrel of his gun, got upset, and broke it.

It wasn't the longest play date, but it got some energy out.

I reached out to Shelby's family, as well, but their kids were all sick. That left horse chores and hanging out to finish up the weekend.

How much can you fit in a day?

We went for a record amount of activity today.

First, there was horse chores. Second, there was TKD.

After TKD, I visited a wrestling friend who coaches lacrosse. He had some gear for Shane to borrow.

Shane really liked the gear. He was so excited about 'armoring up' for lacrosse he wore the helmet to the recycling center (our next stop!).

I told Shane we were going by 5th Street Station next. He kept asking about food the whole way and I said, "Maybe we'll get something there."

What he didn't know was that Carrie was waiting for him! They went to a SPCA fundraiser at the Alamo Drafthouse. They had lunch and watched a ton of funny cat videos together!

Meanwhile, I slid over to Panera for lunch. Then I drove north to attend Prezcon.

Prezcon is a board game convention. I've known about it for years and been curious, but never attended. This year, I decided I'd take a look.

It's funny how going to something brand new can make you a little nervous. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but adventure called!

There were lots of tournaments for popular board games with scheduled heats. If I were to go again, I would be interested in those. However, today was a scouting mission. I paid $30 for open gaming and then wandered around. There was a game library and tables downstairs.

There weren't a lot of tables open. Most people were already involved in games. Maybe my timing was off, but it's probably easier when you come with a group or meet people in the scheduled games.

There was a sign for someone play-testing a game they designed. I took the plunge and said I was in.

It was a hidden movement game with one vs all. A team of people were people and one person controlled the dinosaurs trying to eat the people.

Naturally, I played the dinosaurs!

It was a fun time! However, it wasn't Carrie's style of game and she's my 'game group,' so it won't hit my wish list any time soon. I wish the guy the best, though! I understand that desire to create something and it takes a brave person to put themselves out there for criticism. 

I found a silent auction and used games for sale area afterward, but it was already highly picked over. There were some things I was curious about, but they turned out to be expansions or parts of systems I didn't own. That meant I saved my money and walked away.

There was an auction underway, as well. If there was something I wanted, I didn't stick around to find out.

I probably could have stayed longer, but there were things that needed to be done. I stopped by Lowe's with a bunch of old batteries to recycle and was told "rechargeable only, please."

Then I dropped by Play it Again Sports. Shane's going to try lacrosse this spring (if you didn't already figure that out), so I needed to pick up gear. He wasn't with me, so I had to guess at sizes.

Gas and Costco were next! It was an eclectic shopping list today. Carrie wanted corn oil to help put more meat on Kitty's bones and I got enough Irish cream for a year's worth of Irish coffees and cooking.

And milk. We were low on milk.

I made it home in time for some cleaning and horse chores. 

I slept well.