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Dan
United States
Burlington
Vermont
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As the primary game supplier (why when I wrote that was the term "primary care giver" floating through my head??) for about 90% of the gaming that I do, I tend to have a large collection of games. Obviously, this is a nice problem to have as it gives me a large degree of variety at my fingertips. But I always face one problem: bringing something to the table that people will like.
Browsing this site on any given day, you can see posts from any number of people discussing their problems with gaming. Or, to be more precise, the problem centers around finding people to play these games with. This is a problem that many of us will face over the course of our gaming lives to one degree or another. So how do you make it all come together? How do you go from having a bunch of unplayed (and unplayable) games to a collection that gets some use?
Well, I don't know. But I can tell you what I have done and maybe some of it will make sense...
If I was to look at my gaming partners, I find that I have quite a few small groups that game with frequency ranging from once a week to once every two or three months. I guess I'm a little bit lucky there, because I shudder when I read of geeks that can find NO ONE to play games with. That, to me, would be torture. So while I find that I am blessed with a variety of people to play games with, I am doubly blessed in that their interests are not all the same. Let's talk a little about the people I tend to play with.
Aaron
First off I have one of my oldest friends and gaming partners, Aaron.
Aaron Hartman
United States
Cumberland
Rhode Island
While I'm sure we played Clue or something else when growing up together, the first gaming experience I feel that we truly shared was BattleTech. My brother had taught me how to play and had left me a few things to get us started. I taught Aaron how to play and away we went! After he graduated from college, Aaron moved out west and we didn't get to see each other that often. But, as fate would have it, he is now a right-coaster again and we've been able to get together a lot more frequently over the last two years.
This is someone I can play just about anything with. When he comes up for my game nights he crashes here so that when everyone else leaves he and I can break out something we've always wanted to try and give it a shot. He is the type of gamer that Fantasy Flight Games just loves, as he enjoys games with a lot of bits.
The Northern Gamers
Next up, we have what I will refer to as the "Northern Gamers". This is a small group that is hosted by a couple about 45 minutes north of here. There are typically anywhere from six to fifteen people that will show up at their game nights. I would make it up there more often, but that drive can be a killer, especially in the winter.
This group is an interesting mix. For a long time a portion of them got stuck in the rut (and I'm not knocking these games, I'm just saying that they got played EVERY time) of playing The Settlers of Catan and Dominion...and playing just those games. It was tough to get them to move out of their comfort zones.
The saving grace for me up there was the host, Josh.
Josh Lareau
United States
Vermont
He lives up north with his wife and child and they are able to get behind some meatier games. They would always tackle a new game and Josh loves to get into a deeper thinkfest of a game than most of the people we play with.
The Family Gamers
Then we have a small group which is the "Family Gamers". This consists of a couple of sisters and their significant others...and me. Pretty small group, but we have some fun when we get together. We started gaming together when I was seeing one of the sisters and even though that relationship ended, our gaming together did not.
This group likes it a lot lighter, with very little forced confrontation. Games like Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride and even the dreaded Fluxx are typically what gets played here. Good company, and some nice light gaming.
The Weekly Group
Finally, there is the weekly game night which I attend at another very close friend's house. We try to get together at least once a week and it's anywhere from four to six people in size.
We play a lot of different games. Sometimes it will be a night of lighter fare: Fast Flowing Forest Fellers, Survive: Escape from Atlantis!, or something from the Gryphon Games bookshelf series. Some nights, we kick it up a notch and break out Power Grid and tonight they are going to learn Railways of the World...they just don't know it yet.
Now that, apart from the game night that I will host once every two or three months at my place, is pretty much a complete list of my gaming partners. All of this adds up to the fact that there's quite a few people here, at least involved or on the periphery. As a result, I need to make my collection as effective as possible to avoid games that just become paperweights.
So how do I do that? There are a few things that I try to do, each with several aspects:
Know your gaming partners:
• Don't Overwhelm: If your gaming partners regularly get vexed by the wealth of decisions in Ticket to Ride, you may not want to break out Agricola. Now this isn't to say that you can't try to teach something new, but if it goes badly, throw it back on the shelf. But try to make smart decisions with what to bring.
• Listen to Their Comments: People will tell you what they like, if you give them a chance. If there's a game that gets more requests than others, you may have a good starting point for opening up more choices. If they like Coloretto, maybe it is time to try Zooloretto.
• Avoid the Problems: I have more than one group within which direct confrontation is a problem in games. From a few nasty looks and snide remarks to the time that someone almost burst into tears while playing Carcassonne: The Tower, it is good to recognize potential ignition points and avoid them.
Make smart purchases:
• Avoid the Paperweight Games: Look, I would love to buy Descent: Journeys in the Dark and sink hours into the game. I've played Runebound (second edition) and loved it. They seem to be my cup of tea. But there is no one for me to play these games with. Aaron would, but he lives four hours away. Josh might, but he's typically with others who won't. Don't buy it if there's not a chance it will get played. So, conversely...
• Buy What Will Get Played: If you've got one primary gaming group, and they LOVE lighter weight euros, well, you should plan on those getting the most table time. Do some research on here. There's a metric ton of reviews and write ups that will help you find something that will fit for everyone in your group.
• Consider Expandability & Alternatives: Sometimes you will get lucky and have a hit with something like Power Grid or Ticket to Ride. The luck here is that you have a good amount of options with some slightly different gameplay. There's a few different games in the Ticket to Ride family and Power Grid offers up a large number of maps. After some research and conversations with Nate Straight, I recently ordered Decktet. This is a whole game system which will lead to a large number of playable games with a variety of the people I play with.
Trim the fat:
• Learn to Say Goodbye: This is the hard part. Look, I really, really, really wish I could have found someone to play War of the Ring with me. But no one would. And no matter how long I hang onto it, no one will. So I had to let it go. You really need to sit down in front of your shelves and make the hard cuts. If it isn't going to get played EVER, let it go. It will find a good home with someone who will give it the attention you never could.
• Trade Away: Utilize the trade tool on here. That game collecting dust on your shelf can be traded for something your group will love. You may think that no one wants your copy of Fantasy Forest, but someone does! And, actually, that someone is me. So if you DO have a copy to unload, well, GM me.
• Sell It Off: Just like trades, there's a variety of ways to sell your games on here as well. Either make a geeklist with all the games you're looking to unload, or search for specific games and the users that want them. This is how I unloaded my beloved copy of War of the Ring. I found someone local who wanted it, sent him a GM, and we made it work.
Create a new group:
• Mix It Up: This is a concept that I'm toying with right now, but it makes a lot of sense to me. My friend Don and I noticed that our weekly game night had a few games that the guys would love and the ladies would hate. And, well, we really liked these games! So we decided that we were going to do a Guy's Night Gaming Night every few weeks or so. This would be a group that could break out Small World and Cosmic Encounter (two games we loved but they hated) without blinking. So far it has been a great success! This is helping to make some of those games that would normally sit around see some table time.
So there you have it. These are the things that I have done to make my collection a little less like a decoration and a lot more like games. Don't be afraid to try something new, but don't go and buy Advanced Squad Leader if you know it won't get played. Talk to your group. Make a new group. Trim the fat. Do what works for you. Get out there and play!
Your turn: What challenges do you face with your gaming group vis-a-vis your games? Do you have those games you just can't bear to part with even though they just sit there?
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