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Valerie Emerson
United States
Milwaukee
Wisconsin
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This weekend I went to one of the public gaming groups in my area, and got to try a couple of games that have been on my watch list since before Gen Con. The game day was at one of our FLGS’s, which had an open copy of Elder Sign. Ben, our local rep for Z-Man Games, was there to demo Ascending Empires. I brought some games of my own, along with my boyfriend.
First we joined in on Ascending Empires. I’d heard of this game and was interested, until I heard about the dexterity element. Then interest waned and I passed it up at Gen Con. I have never been so happy to be so wrong. This game was excellent. Ben explained the rules and we got right into playing.
Game play was quick, downtime was almost nonexistent, and the flicking mechanic – totally new to me outside of Crokinole – had me completely charmed by the end of the first round. Every round I had to choose between expanding, growth where I’d already landed, or developing my tech tree. I made a few wrong choices that slowed me down, which was why the gentleman to my right (his name escapes me) ran away with the game with his orange planet strategy, leaving me in second place. I really liked this game, and it’s now on my ‘must buy’ list. I was tempted to go back to the FLGS and buy it at the store when I went to pick up some paint. So far I've stayed strong... holding out for an online order 
Then we played Elder Sign. The store owner picked it up at Gen Con, which was partly why I didn’t feel too motivated to get into a Gen Con demo when the game was already sold out. I sat down to play this with a few guys, the game was explained by the store employee, and off we went.
And… I have no idea why this game gets the hype that it does. I love me some Cthulhu Mythos, but this was a very watered down version of Arkham Horror, only with dice. And more dice. I felt about as engaged as I would be playing 10,000. The art was good, it was an interesting idea, but it left me saying “….Meh.” It was all right, I'd probably sit down and play again if a filler was needed, but I really doubt I’d ever buy it. It was the same reaction I had to Qwarriors, actually, so maybe I just don’t appreciate dice games. I'd rather play something else, or just straight out make time for AH. It's a better game.
Finally, I got a game of Fortune and Glory: The Cliffhanger Game going. Most enjoyed it quite a bit, as I’d hoped. The dice were a little hard on one of the players. While I’m sorry he didn’t have much fun, I think a big part of having fun with this game is enjoying the experience. The dice can screw you, and often do (I have yet to win or even come close) so the best thing you can do is enjoy the experience. During your down time, listen to the other players’ turns, which are pretty entertaining if you pay attention, so the down time can be interesting. At the same time, though, I don't think I would play it with more than four people again. I’ve been slow to rate this game, because I like it so much yet the time restraints might affect how often I’d be willing to play… but you know, I really think it deserves a solid 8, or even a 9.
I got a little irritated at one point in the day, with something I’m debating about whether or not I should write about more fully in a future post. I was playing Volle Scholle, with the owner teaching it while four of us played. I won, and another player made the comment that my boyfriend "taught me well." I get a lot of jokes and comments like this – that we king make each other, or things that imply that I wouldn’t be good at games if it wasn’t for my boyfriend. I might be taking these comments too seriously, but I think it’s time to start reacting to them, instead of just letting them pass. I’ve been a gamer for a lot longer than these people have known me, I deserve a lot more respect than that kind of comment implies.
Finally, I have a question for anyone who wants to share their opinion. Most of the game groups I belong to are public; anyone who signs up can show up and play. I like that, because I get to meet new people and game with them all the time. I get to try new games because of these people. But the norm seems to be that if you bring a game to an event, more than likely someone will grab it and play it without asking, even if that game is put away in a crate or a tote bag.
Most times I’d gladly say yes if someone asked me if they could play one of my games, but sometimes I might say no because a) I’m about to leave, or b) I JUST opened that game, and really want to be in on the first play. I might not even say no because of #2. But I really wonder, doesn’t politeness dictate that you ask before you play with someone else’s toys? Do you bring games to events because you want to play them, or do you just want them to be played with and it doesn’t matter who does it?
Again, 9 times out of 10 I’d say yes if someone wanted to play one of my games, but I do want to be asked. Is that weird?
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