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Rick Baptist
United States
Redlands
California
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Today I was going to talk about why I like playing (and buying) a lot of different games. I'm still going to do that. But the other day, I was listening to The Dice Tower podcast #199, and guest-host John Richard said something that struck true. I thought I'd share it here because it totally capsulizes and explains why it is that I have the taste in games that I do. He said the following:
Quote: "I tend to like pretty much every game that requires me to think but doesn't punish me for being bad. I like games where I can plan out a strategy but if I screw that up I like to roll some dice or have some sort of luck element to help me along."
Read that again. My wife once told me that I sound like John Richard, and we both share the same name (well, in different places). But I might as well be delivering that quote as well. It's totally true! Case in point, Saint Petersburg. I like Saint Pete. I enjoy playing it on Yucata, and have enjoyed playing it with family and friends. Initially, I was extremely turned off by the artwork and was quite jaded with the experience, but future Yucata plays gave me an appreciation for the game. So at the last Strategicon, I signed up for the Saint Pete tournament. Humph. Not once did I think about what I would be getting into -- an older game that relies on a small amount of luck. My opponents were considerate, but it was quite obvious that this was more than just a game for them. Every play was calcuated and fine-tuned, and every situation was planned for. My reaction time was slower for those situations where "you're supposed to know what to do." Eyebrows were raised at some of my plays. That doesn't work for me. So I'll continue to enjoy the game, just not in that setting.
Now, joining the Lords of Vegas tournament this kind of thing is not going to happen. And I know that's an extreme example, but at least if I feel like I'm falling behind in Vegas I can try something to catch up. And to me, the experience is a lot more fun. It's not that I'm not competitive, I am. And my friends will tell me that I'm pretty good at games -- it's just not about that at all. Games are such a social thing for me. More than half the fun of a gameday somewhere is seeing those folks and having a blast with them.
I could go on and on about the social aspect of the hobby and why it's great. But I want to mention another part of gaming I enjoy -- seeing different mechanics and getting exposed to different ideas and structures (Ed. - this is a segue way into the first sentence of my post. I'm so cool.)
Now this isn't Infuse Podcasters into my Blog Day, but Ryan Sturm has long said that he wants us to "play good games more often." Well, Ryan's ideas of a good game have already clashed with me above, so we'll leave that part out. I'm here to focus on the "more often" part. On the surface, sure -- the message is ideal. Play games you like the most! Makes sense to everyone. But I have this itch to try out different things, and this hobby is very easy to scratch this itch. The itch revolves around not only new games, but older games by a designer I might particularly like. In some cases, that means that by association I'm interested in a whole TON of games. So yes, the same day I picked up Confrontation (see my last blog entry for that story) I picked up Saga by Wolfgang Kramer. I like the Kramer games I have played, and for $4, I'm willing to take a stab at Saga. I knew coming in that it didn't have the best rating in the world. I knew that, most likely, I would be trading/selling the game after I tried it out a few times. This would most likely bother people, including the folks that didn't bid against my $4 bid. But it DOES NOT bother me. Here's a few reasons why:
 Used games hold their value. They just do. Most of the time when you buy a game used at a convention, you're going to land it for 40-70% off retail, maybe more. Notice I said "at a convention." That's usually the only place I'm buying used games. Shipping is killer these days, so I don't frequent online for purchasing too much. That said, people do -- so selling the games back at the convention is not your only option. Selling on BGG usually fetches you the same value back, so you're losing nothing. There's even been plenty of titles I've flipped and made money on, not that that was my intention. My intention was as I said above -- I got to play a game new to me. If I don't like it, the MOST I'm going to lose is a few bucks. I justify those few bucks quite easily from the entertainment I had playing the game. But there's more:
 Buying new games through online sales is almost always worth it. I know you folks have seen the holiday sales that have gone on in the past from online stores. And last holidays, Amazon got into the act. When you have a chance to get popular and semi-popular board games for 50% off or more, this is very difficult for me to resist. Because I KNOW that with a small amount of effort I can flip the title and make my money back, no problem. You also have the luxury of getting the game brand new. I'd say that over 60% of my collection consist of games acquired in this fashion -- good, discounted new games that I got with free shipping. Lovely.
 I get exposed to new ideas/mechanics/implementations. Like I said above, I find a lot of fun in seeing new things in games. It doesn't bother me that I could have been playing The Pillars of the Earth instead -- I'm going to have that game forever to play, and I know how to play that one. I like learning new games, and seeing how they work. Buying games in this fashion works for me.
 Bad games still show me something. Of course I've stumbled upon some real rubbish doing this. Yikes, I can think of some really horrid designs. But when that happens, you analyze what it is that bothered you, and then look for signs of that in other games. It's all about refining your gaming taste. Plus, it's fun to trash a game every once and a while with a friend. I have no fears of playing a bad game. Unless it takes 3 or 4 hours -- that might be where I draw the line and make a decision not to play it going in.
 I might be surprised and love it. This is always in the back of my mind! You never know when something will come along and surprise you. I have a lot of those that I acquired using the above steps -- Vegas Showdown, Space Dealer, Vikings.
I've learned a lot about my gaming tastes thanks to my "itch". I'm getting better at identifying games that I might not like (although if it's cheap enough I'll bite). It's fun. So if you're a friend of mine and wondering why my collection keeps growing (and shrinking), there you go. Gaming is a lot of fun and I'm trying to scratch every part of the surface I can. Well, except those strategy-heavy ones. I need a little luck every once and a while.
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Of course there are those that enjoy that type of experience. Just not for me. 
Two of my favorites!
