A Game A Day for 2009
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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I played at least one game each day in 2009. Here is the story.
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1.
Board Game: Chaos
[Average Rating:5.07 Unranked]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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January
It started by accident. At the first of the year I was visiting the UK at my parents. I taught my dad (who has always been into board games since I can remember) Dominion and Aquarius and he taught us a simple 2 player abstract, Chaos. The next day, I met for the first time my (then) three-and-a-half year old nephew, and played one of his new Christmas presents with him: Go Away Monster!. On the 3rd, an old college friend and her (now) husband came to visit, specifically to play games, which we did.
Following this with a couple of days showing my dad the versatility of the Icehouse system, and then playing Cribbage on his birthday, selecting a few games from my dad's game collection to add to mine, and it was time to head to London for the remainder of our stay in the UK, and we had to make sure we got there in time to get to Swiggers, where among other things, I played my first game of Brass.
By this time, I realised that I'd played a game every day of the year so far. How hard could it be to continue for the rest of the year?
The rest of the stay in London consisted of acquiring some games at a game store (including Le Havre which was still not easily available in the US), playing some Treehouse with an American friend who was studying in London for a semester, going to another gaming event in London, and playing some games in our hotel room. We even played a game of Cribbage on the aeroplane home.
The rest of the month (and year, in fact) was made possible by the many Meetup events in St Louis, a loving wife who also plays games, and a few colleagues at work who I played with at lunch time.
Games Acquired: Interaction, Black Box, Wooden Ships & Iron Men, Submarine, Le Havre, Zwickern, Oasis, Ninja Versus Ninja, Sorry! Sliders
First plays: Chaos, Go Away Monster!, Villa Paletti, Chairs, Brass, Ninja Versus Ninja, Axis & Allies Anniversary Edition, Architekton, Sorry! Sliders, Keltis
Most plays (5+): Treehouse (12), Dominion (8), Le Havre (8), Sorry! Sliders (6)
Different games played: 27
Total games played: 73
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2.
Board Game: Rummy
[Average Rating:5.69 Overall Rank:4398]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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February
February brought three significant events. The first was that GamerGround, a gamestore that was very close to where I live, closed their Brick and Mortar location. The Meetup group held a number of events there, so we'd have to find new locations for these. We did, however, go out on a bang, with the last Meetup event before they closed, by playing till dawn. At this event I managed to play a game of my newly acquired Brass, and managed to get my AH edition of Titan on the table.
The second event was the sudden passing of my wife's grandmother, necessitating a roadtrip to northern Ohio. We did, however, manage to play some games while out there, including Pinochle, which other family members were familiar with.
Our trip home was interrupted by an accident on the interstate. The car was still drivable, but by the time we were done with the police, it was late. Fortunately, I had a game-playing friend in Indianapolis, and he gave us a game of Rummy and a bed for the night.
The third event was our Meetup group's 4th anniversary event, complete with a wonderful Agricola cake
Rummy became one of the shorter games I played with my wife fairly regularly, and she'd played a lot of it when younger, which showed, as it took me several months before I was able to beat her.
Treehouse became my handy "go-to" game for my "it's really late, and I need to play a game to meet my 'game a day' requirement" needs.
Games Acquired: Brass
First Plays: Zwickern, Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age, Twilight Struggle, Drakon (3rd Edition), Portobello Market, Siam
Most Plays (5+): Rummy (9), Dominion (7), Treehouse (5)
Different games played: 22
Total games played: 49
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3.
Board Game: Brass
[Average Rating:8.08 Overall Rank:8]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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March
And so the search was on for a new venue to replace GamerGround. Fortuitously, I received an email from a relatively new cafe in St Louis City, saying that they'd love to have us check them out, and that they'd even be willing to stay open late, especially for us. I went and checked it out, and it was accessible, there was good parking, the space was well lit, good tables, spacious, and the food was good.
So, I talked to them, asking what their hours were. They closed at 7pm... but as they had originally said, they could stay open late. I asked... "Till midnight?". That surprised them somewhat. Other groups they'd stayed open late for had only needed it until 9. But on a Friday night which was our main need to fill, getting 3 hours of gaming didn't seem really worth it. So I talked more with the owner, assuring him that we would have a good turn out, that the majority of people would buy food, covering his staff costs. Eventually we agreed that we'd have a trial event, staying till 11pm, and that they could close the food by 9pm, so there wasn't too much clean up to be done for the staff that stayed late. The agreement still felt somewhat reluctant on his side.
The event was announced, and we had 26 people turn out. The staff member who had stayed late decided to let us stay until midnight, and a good time was had by all. Personally, I played Brass and Glory to Rome. The owner was so impressed with our turn out that he agreed to have us until midnight once a month on a Friday. It's now one of our most popular events.
Games Acquired: none
First Plays: A Castle for All Seasons, Fast Flowing Forest Fellers, Ubongo: Duel, Tiki Topple, Galactic Emperor, Crafty Badger, Café International, Hoity Toity, Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage, Thomas the Tank Engine: Thomas Numbers Game, Shazamm!, Five Crowns, Catan Dice Game
Most plays (5+): Rummy (6), Treehouse (6), Le Havre (5)
Different games played: 32
Total games played: 60
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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April
One of my favourite gaming months, because with it came Geekway to the West. This was its fifth year, with nearly 200 people attending and it's great to see it grow from strength to strength. I'm already looking forward to this year's event. All my games of Crokinole were played at Geekway.
Five Crowns, which is essentially a rummy variant, replaced rummy as the game to play at home.
Games Acquired: Hive, Roll Through the Ages: The Bronze Age, Five Crowns, Royal Palace, Wizard
First Plays: Hive, Dancing Eggs, Royal Palace, Micro Mutants: Evolution, Crokinole, Chicago Express, RattleSnake, Cosmic Eidex, FITS, Powerboats, Caylus Magna Carta
Most Plays (5+): Five Crowns (10), Crokinole (9), Hive (8), RattleSnake (7), Treehouse (7), Dancing Eggs (6)
Different games played: 36
Total games played: 94
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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May
May was another sad month, with the passing of my wife's grandfather, husband to the grandmother who passed in February. This was more expected, as he had been ill for some time. Another road trip to Ohio (this time without traffic incident), and a discovery that he had a large collection of games, which through the generosity of the executor, we acquired.
I was also able to play some new games with family members as we spent time together.
Daytona 500 was a big hit at a meetup event later that month.
Treehouse saw a lot of play, given a number of busy days travelling and being with family.
Games Acquired: Letter Roll, Backseat Drawing and those listed in this geeklist
First plays: It's Alive!, Small World, Mr. Jack, Vegas Showdown, Mwahahaha!, Fortress America, Letter Roll, Backseat Drawing, Daytona 500, Pentana
Most plays (5+): Treehouse (10)
Different games played: 24
Total games played: 47
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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June
In June, many of the Meetup groups in St Louis got together for a Meetup of Meetups picnic. Lots of different groups were represented, and we also had a number of people from the Meetup HQ come visit.
As the event was outside, it seemed appropriate to play some games suitable for the conditions. Skittle-Bowl and PitchCar were our choices.
Can't Stop got a lot of play with a few colleagues at work.
Games acquired: none
First plays: The Ark of the Covenant, Charge It!, Skittle-Bowl, Pack & Stack, On the Dot, Rummikub, Wizard
Most plays (5+): Can't Stop (10), Treehouse (7)
Different games played: 20
Total games played: 44
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7.
Board Game: Jambo
[Average Rating:7.15 Overall Rank:224]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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July
For Independence day, my wife and I roadtripped to Springfield, MO, to belatedly celebrate our anniversary; Karyn's grandpa's funeral had been our anniversary weekend. We also met up with some friends we have down there, and yes, we played a game with them.
Staying in and playing games, including Jambo which we'd not played in a while, and is one of Karyn's favourite 2-player games, was also relaxing. The arrival of Dominion: Intrigue meant that Dominion got played a lot. [A note about how I record Dominion plays: Whether I'm playing with Dominion, Intrigue, or Seaside, the game I'm playing is actually Dominion, I may just happen to be playing it with cards from an expansion. If I'm playing from a set that drew from expansions, I'll probably record those expansions as fractional plays, so I'll see I played them, but they won't show up in my total game count.]
Games acquired: Dominion: Intrigue
First plays: Great Wall of China, Galaxy's Edge, Finca, Cavum, Dominion: Intrigue, Snow Tails, Traders of Carthage, Entdecker: Exploring New Horizons
Most plays (5+): Dominion (19), Can't Stop (8), Treehouse (7)
Different games played: 20
Total games played: 59
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8.
Board Game: Dominion
[Average Rating:7.96 Overall Rank:10]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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August
Dominion took off, somewhat, as I discovered a new game player at work, and we played a lot at lunchtime, and I was also playing it a lot at home.
Games acquired: none
First plays: Byzanz, Oregon, Goldland, Amerigo, Go Nuts!, Pyramid
Most plays (5+): Dominion (36), Treehouse (7)
Different games played: 24
Total games played: 68
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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October
I rediscovered Race for the Galaxy. I'd played it once before as a 4-player game, and the explanation had been rushed. It really didn't click. This time, I learnt it by reading the rules, and played it mostly two player, discovering that it really wasn't that complex. It now sees a lot of play at home.
4 more Unpublished prototypes for the second heat of the design contest hit the table.
Halloween also falls in October (no kidding!) and that brings an opportunity for appropriately themed games, of which there were several.
Games acquired: Race for the Galaxy, Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm
First plays: Race for the Galaxy: The Gathering Storm, Castle Panic, Chaos in the Old World, Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation, The Golden City, Geistertreppe, King Arthur: The Card Game, Won Over, Ad Astra, The Magic Labyrinth, The Adventurers: The Temple of Chac, Dominion: Seaside, Fury of Dracula, 3 of the 4 Unpublished Prototypes
Most plays (5+): Race for the Galaxy (31), Dominion (11), Treehouse (6), Werewolf (6)
Different games played: 33
Total games played: 94
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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November
I participated in my first Math Trade, deciding to do so last minute before submissions expired, which meant rapidly learning how to do everything. I must have done it right, as I traded out an extra copy of Ca$h 'n Gun$ that I'd won at Geekway earlier in the year for Ricochet Robots, one of my favourite puzzle games.
Race for the Galaxy, now with both expansions, saw regular time both at home and at work.
The St Louis final of the ChiTaG games design contest was held, and our winner, Spin~Monkeys was sent with Mark for him to show Jay Tummelson. This was one of the games Jay picked to publish, and I believe it should come out within a year or so.
Games Acquired: Race for the Galaxy: Rebel vs Imperium, Truth Be Told, Ricochet Robots
First plays: Race for the Galaxy: Rebel vs Imperium, Tokyo Train, Truth Be Told, Ubongo 3D, Endeavor, Secrets of the Deep, Techno Witches, Chabyrinthe, Vapor's Gambit, Expedition, Small World: Cursed!, Small World: Grand Dames of Small World
Most plays (5+): Race for the Galaxy (25), Dominion (12)
Different Games played: 35
Total games played: 84
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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December
Bausack, a game I love, had been on my wishlist for ages. This year, my Secret Santa got it for me! [Thank you!]
A train-themed event shortly before Christmas gave people a chance to play some of the less played train games, and of course, a nice pile of games acquired as gifts.
I also made the deliberate decision to end the year well, by playing at least 100 games. The last game of the year was Treehouse, largely because we had a busy New Years Eve planned, and it was something small I could bring with me without too much trouble.
Games acquired: Bausack, Dominion: Seaside, Red November, R-Eco, Magnet, For Sale, Just Typical (not yet in BGG; will add shortly).
First plays: Atlantis, Power Grid: Factory Manager, Augsburg 1520, Antike, Double Crossing, Guatemala Café, I'm the Boss!, Magnet
Most plays (5+): Dominion (41), Ricochet Robots (11), Ca$h 'n Gun$ (7)
Different games played: 34
Total games played: 107
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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My most played game of the year, coming in at 175 plays. This is a fantastic game, very accessible, and with a lot more depth than first appears. I love this game.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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My second most played game of the year, with 76 plays.
Some will say that it's not much of a game, and that it's really random. You'd be right. But it's quick, and it's a great introduction to the Icehouse system of games, which includes two of my favourite games (that I need to play more): Zendo and Volcano.
Some may say that by playing Treehouse, I was merely meeting the letter of my own challenge, and not the spirit. Well, firstly, it's my challenge, so I get to choose the rules. Secondly, we really only played this when we were both exhausted from work and other evening activities we may have had, or other commitments made it unlikely we'd have a chance to get to anything else. Moreover, if I'd just not played Treehouse when time was tight, then I'd have given up on the challenge, and missed out on a lot of game playing.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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I'm so glad I rediscovered this, which ended up as 3rd most played, with 60 plays. It gave my wife and me some more variety at home, and I've also played it a lot at work.
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16.
Board Game: Rummy
[Average Rating:5.69 Overall Rank:4398]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
-
4th most played, with 32 plays. I can now, sometimes, beat my wife, but it's still not easy.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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This has seen regular play throughout the year, mostly at my work. I've introduced several people to it, which has been fun. It comes in 5th with 32 plays.
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18.
Board Game: Brass
[Average Rating:8.08 Overall Rank:8]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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My most played heavy game, coming in 6th place with 20 plays. It's a great game with multiple paths to victory, and finally I'm getting to play games where everyone has played before.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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Joint 7th, with 19 plays. This rummy variant is one we both enjoy at home, but it plays quite differently with more than 2... as you watch the card you want disappear forever in the discards.
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20.
Board Game: Le Havre
[Average Rating:8.09 Overall Rank:6]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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Joint 7th with 19 plays. Another great heavier game. Really enjoy playing this.
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21.
Board Game: Hive
[Average Rating:7.37 Overall Rank:111]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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Joint 9th place with 16 plays, a wonderful two player game with simple rules, but a lot of depth. I'm still very much learning the strategy in this one.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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Joint 9th place with 16 plays. This has seen a lot of table time since its recent acquisition. I'm actually considering getting the maroon edition as well, to have the complementary board set, for even more variety of play.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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coming in at 11th, with 14 plays, is a great game for late at night, or end of the evening. Assuming I'm not accused (wrongfully) of being the undercover cop.
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24.
Board Game: Tichu
[Average Rating:7.73 Overall Rank:36]
Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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Joint 11th with 14 plays, this really is my favourite card game. I know the plays of Dominion may suggest otherwise, but Dominion is so much more accessible and much easier to get on the table, as it doesn't need exactly 4.
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Timothy Hunt
United States
St Louis
Missouri
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In at 13th with 11 plays. I'm not sure where Mike found it, but it's great to start or end an evening with, as we can cut it short if necessary.
Different games played 2009: 186
Total games played 2009: 856
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Happy Valley
Oregon