boring

our game blog is boring. we've been busy with stuff. more later, when we finally play some games.

samurai

Blogmaster ("BM" as i like to call him) cannot overcome my mad Samurai skills.

which reminded of us our game-playing last winter, when i was pregnant with our third love-child. or, as i put it earlier, "yeah, when i was always edgy, crabby, & my temper was atrocious." there are many funny memories from that long winter or largeness, and many of them involve playing games & our fuses being too short.

the infamous carcassonne tile flying across the kitchen and into the pantry is my favorite one. i never did anything like that, that i can remember. only BM did.

game table

the blogmaster went to a game convention a few weekends ago. a few pictures from that GLORIOUS trip.

Without a needle or a spoon

Anybody that knows me well will attest to the fact that I have a fairly addictive personality--meaning that if something strikes my bones right, I will hang on to it for dear life for quite a while. Certain candies can do this to me (every so often, I get on a Baby Ruth kick), or television shows (especially 24) can also bring this out. But nothing in recent memory has struck me as this hobby has. Today, as I was listening to the new Kanye West while mowing my parents' lawn, I wondered why games in general have such a rabid following. Why are there so many of us that have to have that game?

My first thought was the elusive greatest deal ever. Boardgames are not cheap (at least the good ones aren't--typically)--Memoir '44 will set you back more than $30. Usually, bigger games run right around this price range. But there are also plenty of smaller games that cost quite a bit for what they are (San Juan retails for $23-$25 I believe, and really is just a deck of cards with a few tiles). So, if you are a more dedicated gamer who loves your games and is always on the lookout for the next great game, when you come across a game that is either:

A) Headed towards being out of print
B) A few dollars cheaper than you can normally find it (ahem, Tanga)
C) The last copy at a convention/game store
D) Cool bits, artwork, mechanics, etc.
or
E) any combination of the above,

then it becomes irresistible to you. That game has your name on it. Your collection becomes incomplete in your eyes without it. I know--I suffer this.

Part of it is the American way--you have to have what you do not already possess. If it resembles meat, then it must be steak, right?

Part of it is exclusivity. This is well-done by the publishers in the hobby. Only 1000 copies of a popular game might be printed. Once they are gone, then, if you are lucky, there may be another print run. In 6 months, you might get that game.

Part of it is price. Like I said, games are expensive. Knock a few bucks off the cheapest price, and man you'll sell a ton of stuff (not always games). Tanga has mastered this philosophy. Toss in the occasional decent price on a very hot game, and you will sell lots of mediocre games, along with flashlights, corded phones, and popcorn tins. But, when you see Shogun for $41 instead of $43, then it becomes a no-brainer. Right?

So what do you make of all of this?