Wasteland Warriors - Part IV

 For those who haven't had a chance to read previous parts of this story, check out Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.

Previously on:

The Boss's world has been shattered. What previously was a life of wild races, chaotic fun and downright epic competition had quickly turned into a world of fire and blood. Where there had been races that entertained the masses, even those that called themselves The Gentry, now there stood silent pathways.

There had been a tax that had been set due to the races to allow The Boss and his crew to entertain the denizens of the Wasteland, and that had been food of any kind. The Gentry, who thought of themselves above the rest of the remaining civilization, brought fresh fruit and vegetables, which they hounded over the rest of those that they considered to be beneath them. They thought of their fresh produce as something that set themselves aside from everyone else in this land of metal and canned food.

When they learned that one of Boss' crew, Artiste, had taken some of the seeds and began her own vegetable garden on the roofs of one of the garages, as well as starting to hand that food out to those that they deemed "unworthy," the Gentry began scheming for how to teach the Boss of where his status truly lay. Late one night, they slunk into the compound and killed Artiste, to prove a point to the Boss.

Little did they know what kind of monster they had unleashed with this act.

Fire and Blood and More Fire and More Blood and Vengeance!

THE GENTRY MUST DIE!

THEY HAVE TAKEN THIER OBSESSION WITH OBSESSION AND PUSHED IT TOO FAR!

I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE AND BLOOD WILL FLOW.

THE THUNDERERS WILL DESTROY ALL THAT STAND IN OUR WAY!

I was roaring at the top of my lungs into the night air. There was a small crowd that had started to congregate at the base of the parking ramp, where the dirt and sand had begun to pile up from our constant races.

I didn't care about them. They had sat by and let in a viper into my community who then had killed one of my closest friends.

The anger was overwhelming and I saw red. I knew that I wasn't making any rational decisions right now, but as that thought occurred to me, it was quickly overtaken by another wave of grief and anger. Everything was wrong and I didn't care about anything except bringing fire and death to those that sought to take my happiness from me.

As I roared in frustration and helplessness, holding the lifeless body of Artiste in my arms, I felt myself sinking to the ground. Tears streamed down my face as I buried it into the leather jacket that I had given Artiste when she had joined the crew. There were crude patches that had been sewn onto it; some of her design and others that we had created in honor of the races that we had participated in.

The leather stank of sweat and grease, but there was also the deep loamy smell of earth that came from Artiste's time she had spent working on the garden. Her time with the Plant Coalition had taught her much about growing a garden and despite their infatuation with lowly games like Photosynthesis and Arboretum, they didn't go out of their way to kill those that they disagreed with. Not like the Gentry.

I screamed. A deep primal scream of frustration that echoed through the tall buildings that we had made into our kingdom; our racetrack. Sobs of helplessness wracked my body as I couldn't overcome the feeling of crippling failure that came with the bloody body that I held in my arms. I was the king of my realm and I was unable to protect one of my best friends despite my best attempts at creating something beautiful and safe for anyone who wanted to join me.

I wept for what had been lost. I wept for the desecration that had come to this hallowed ground. I wept for Artiste and for those whose lives had been ruined by THE GENTRY. I beat my chest with my fists, vowing fire and blood and vengeance for those whose races had been ended too early.

The Flames Cool and Vengeance is Forged

After what felt like an eternity of letting the fire rage hot on my skin and through my brain, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I hung my head in shame as I didn't want anyone to see the mess that I held in my hands and the guilt that now wracked me through the sobs of anger. There was no one that I wished to see me in this state and to be found in my failure to protect my family, once again stung deeply.

The voices that screamed at me the first night I had awoken in this hellish landscape had come back. They had been demons that I had thought I had exorcised long ago, with my wanderings in the wasteland. The adrenaline rush and focus I had achieved in this new life were all in an effort to avoid these horrid voices that constantly whispered to me about my failure to save my family and failure to find them, despite having a decade pass. The voices had come back strongly and they now screamed at me with a stream of barbs that spoke of impotence and inability to be a true leader.

For but a moment I believed them and the truth that they sought to have me believe.

I considered throwing myself off the edge of the roof. To end this horror of existence that had continuously plagued me since I had awoken several years prior. This ridiculous farce that I found myself in; a landscape dominated by those that fought over board games like Patchwork and The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth, seemed to me but a horrible nightmare that I was stuck in. Any moment now I'd wake up and find myself happy in bed, waking up to my wife and daughters who still were there.

The voices urged me to end it all. To get out of this nightmare and wake up on the other side of this horrid unrestful sleep that I was in. The edge of the garage was but 30 meters away and I could end it all with a simple act. It would be done and I could be happy again. I could see them again, with just a simple series of steps.

What pulled me out of this downward spiral of depression was when I felt the hand be removed from my shoulder and not one, but three separate arms embraced me. The first was slender and the familiar racing suit covered them, but I saw as they encircled me, the scars that ran up and down Wheeler's arms. Evidence of a past where she had attempted to end her life several times.

The second set of arms was more muscular and built, but still feminine. I recognized Grease's bruised knuckles and the regular time that she spent practicing boxing and wrestling when she wasn't working on the cars. Various burn marks up and down the arms showed evidence of Grease's work on the vehicles, but they still maintained their strength, despite all the scars that mottled them.

The third set of arms was the biggest and I knew that it was Crank. When he wrapped us all in that big bear hug of his, I could hear the sobs that shook his entire body. He was just as much affected by Artiste's death as I was and I knew that he would not be taking this well. Crank was always a big teddy bear and Artiste had been like a mother to him in the short time he knew her. I knew that he was learning to garden from her, but that had only been in the last few weeks as he was often focused on his traps and machinations.

A final hand reached out and touched my shoulder. I knew that this had to be Wiry. He wasn't really one for big shows of affection and had always felt a bit like an outsider. We had attempted to let him know how much we cared about him, even after that first initial encounter where he tried to steal from Grease and I, but he had always been a bit standoffish. From this simple gesture, I could tell that he was out of his comfort zone, but wanted to let me know that he was here, in his own way.

The voices were finally silenced and no longer was I considering the ultimate end. My family had heard my roars of frustration and primeval cries of impotence and they had come to support me in this lowest time. As I was embraced by the warmth of those that remained, the cold body of Artiste being the center of our human galaxy, I understood that this was now my family. While I had lost my first family to the horrors of the bombs, I now had built up a new family here in the ravages of this world.

As the coldness of Artiste's skin against my own struck me with it's icy touch and her grey short-cropped hair shone in the moonlight with phantom sweat, I felt the anger and rage and feeling of impotence inside me cool as well into something deeper and more sinister. They ate into my bones and nestled themselves into my very being, becoming one with the rushing river of chaos that ran through my subconscious and melded with the demons that I had sought to exorcise.

The Gentry had come for my family. They had killed one of my own and thought themselves above everyone else. They saw anyone else who didn't subscribe to their moronic fantasy of the old world in this realm of destruction as beneath them and that no one else could match what they had created.

That anger and rage now had been forged into something new. A thirst for vengeance. A deep-seeded, icy cold thirst that would only be satisfied once each and every one of the individuals responsible for Artiste's death was dead. They had killed one of my own.

And now I would kill all of them.

The time for anger was passed. My enemy was wily.

I would need to be clever about this. No more would I allow the anger to bubble over. The flow must ebb and I must dam it until the true enemy was confronted.

For now, the time came to meet with the Brotherhood.

Final Thoughts

Creative writing is a really interesting prospect. I know that I've said this in the past, but writing a story is a very organic thing. The characters grow and develop in ways that you don't expect and often times the story goes in a very different direction than you expected it to because of that growth.

When I initially started writing this little serial of mine, I thought that I would maybe write one or two entries into it, concluding with the creation of the gang based around Thunder Road: Vendetta. But as I started writing it, the story grew organically into something more. No longer was I content with just ending the story with the creation of the gang. There was potential and something that lay under the surface of all of this.

Sure the concept of having gangs based on board games is absolutely ridiculous. There is a snowball's chance in hell that that would ever happen, but in the world of the written word and creative writing, that's entirely possible. Stranger things have been written about and stranger things will be written too and that's the fun of writing these posts.

I appreciate you reading this and hope that you're enjoying the story as I write it. I had planned on updating this about once a month, but that kinda got away from me so I figured it was high time that I get back to the story.

I would like to say that this is only going to be a few more chapters long, but as I write it, there's more and more that I want to write about so who knows how long this will eventually be. Still, I had fun writing this post and I hope you enjoy the tale that I am weaving, even if it is a bit ridiculous.

If you are ever feeling helpless or like you are not worth the attention or effort of others, please know that you are extremely important. This is not an easy subject to read about or write about, but please seek help if you have thoughts of suicide by contacting the national suicide hotline (in the US) at 988 or your local equivalent. Your story is just as important as everyone else's and YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT.

Thank you so much for checking out this blog. If you liked it, please hit the green thumb  at the top of the page and feel free to leave a comment on the post. I appreciate all interactions and will respond to everything that I can. If you really liked the post and want more ramblings, feel free to subscribe and get new posts every Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

*Originally posted on BoardGameGeek on 4/9/2024*

August in Review

Here it is! The monthly review where I go over each of the games I played in the last month and then realize that I've played far too many games and I have a problem.

It's ok. I can stop whenever I want to.

I just don't want to.

But I know I have to.

Jokes aside, this was a great month for me and I've really launched into playing games on BGA. I've played quite a bit online, so much so that I'm averaging about half my plays on BGA now. It's about 50/50 that I'm playing with random people and people that I'm friends with, which I'm actually ok with.

There are quite a few games on BGA that I want to try, but I don't want to subject others to, so I play them myself and that's really led to me having to hone my skills a bit more. It's like a whetstone for my mind as each new game comes with it's own challenges for me to overcome and learn how to play again and again.

It's great.

New games to me first at the top!

River Valley Glassworks NEW x11
(11 total games played)

This was a new game to me this month and after learning the tutorial to play on BGA, I was immediately enamored with how good this game felt. As a fan of Azul, but feeling like the game lacked a good hook for me to play over and over again (not really sure why, but it just didn't click with me), River Valley Glassworks felt close enough to Azul to warrant a few plays.

11 games later and I'm certain that this will probably be the game that replaces Azul in my collection if I ever get a copy of it. While the glass in the game isn't nearly as pretty as the tiles that come with Azul, I found that the structure of the way that the game was played, as well as the different feeling of the scoring mechanisms was close enough that I preferred it over Azul.

I couldn't tell you why I liked River Valley Glassworks more than Azul immediately, but I can say that I like the variability of how it plays and how each river tile requires a player to play a piece of their own into the river to obtain the nearby glass. I also like the animal theme and while it's more of a visual reference, I really enjoyed the vibe that the game had. This is definitely a game that I'll probably be picking up later (or getting for a gift) to add to my collection as it's a really fun little game that I have thoroughly enjoyed playing.

If you have the opportunity to play it on Board Game Arena, or have backed the Kickstarter, I would highly recommend on giving this game a try as while it is fairly lighter in rules, it plays quick enough and has enough depth to warrant play after play.

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine NEW x5
(5 total games played)

Unlike the previous game, I don't really have much to say about this one. It's definitely not as good as it's sequel, in my opinion, mainly due to the additional types of objectives that are available in The Crew: Mission Deep Sea. It's a great stepping stone for those looking to get into the cooperative card game genre, but if you haven't bought either game, I'd recommend Mission Deep Sea, despite liking the theme of Quest for Planet Nine a bit more.

Ark Nova NEW x5
(5 total games played)

After hearing about this game over and over and how amazing it was, I finally was able to work up the courage and play a game of this on BGA, fully expecting to not really like the game as much as I did. However, after playing my inaugural game of Ark Nova, I was pleasantly surprised, nay floored, at how good the game played. It took me a bit to really figure out how best to play the game and I'm sure that subsequent plays of it will yield better understanding, but even now, I'm still so impressed with the game that it's easy to see why this is so high on the BGG rankings. I may or may not have immediately purchased my own physical copy of the game after playing it a few times and I'm really excited to get it to the table. A few games with a friend of mine ended up seeing me completely destroyed telling me that there's so much I have to learn about the game. To end the month, I played a solo game and I am once again floored with how good this game plays, despite it taking up much of the table with it's presence.

PitchCar NEW x3
(3 total games played)

There's always a concern that a game won't live up to the hype that you've had in your head about it. That you've pumped up the value of the game so much that when you play it, you can't help but be disappointed at what sits in front of you and go, "That's it?" I'm so thankful that PitchCar was not that since I've wanted the game ever since I really got into this hobby deeply. It's such a cool concept: flicking cars around a wooden racetrack that's able to be changed and adjusted to multiple configurations, and the expansions only add more options. I have had this on my wishlist for a long time but had never gotten the chance to play it, but I finally did this weekend and it was all I wanted. Simple, yet really fun gameplay, and it's definitely retained it's status as my "Grail Game."

10 Minute Heist: The Wizard's Tower NEW x2
(2 total games played)

This one was just a simple filler game that I picked up for free when getting another game (which will be later on this list). I played it a few times with friends when we needed something to wind down with and I'm glad that I snagged it. There's not too much going on with the game as its built around set collection, but it's still a nice little gem that I'm happy to have as part of my collection. There's also a few additional rules to change up the gameplay to prevent it from getting too stale and it will probably hit the table from time to time to fill in some extra time.

Call to Adventure NEW x1
(1 total games played)

Call to Adventure was an interesting little game. The entire premise of the game is that you're building a character and overcoming challenges which in turn add new aspects to your character to overcome more challenges. The game ends when someone has completed all three "chapters" of their character's life and then each person can choose to tell their story of what their character did. I think the rune-throwing mechanic is a really interesting idea and being able to build a character is a great idea. I liked the game better than Roll Player, but the "tell what your character did" during the game felt a bit hokey to me, especially after losing the game (that was a house rule rather than a game rule). I think playing again, I'd have a better time as I could build synergies, but I think as far as games go, I prefer other "story-based" adventures.

Expeditions NEW x2
(2 total games played)

I will preface this by saying that I received a review copy of Expeditions for this blog from Stonemeier Games and I was a bit hesitant about how much I would like it due to not being a big fan of Scythe. I gave it a chance however and I am so glad that I did. Rather than being about area control like it's predecessor, Expeditions was all about exploration, engine-building, and worker-placement. I really liked what had been created with the game and before I gush about the game too much, I'll say, "Check out the upcoming review to read more about my thoughts on the game." I played a solo game of it as well and I'm really impressed with how good the game feels solo too, more thoughts on the review later, but wow.

Captain Flip NEW x1
(1 total games played)

I played a game of Captain Flip on BGA and it was an interesting little game. I think the person who won that I played against in the group of four that played the game had previously played as he absolutely demolished us in points. It's an interesting idea, being able to flip tiles of characters, but I just wasn't able to get the right combination of things. I think it would have been better had I played a physical copy of the game, but I just didn't really click with this one.

Fromage NEW x1
(1 total games played)

I think out of all of the games that I was introduced to this month, this was probably one of my favorite worker-placement games. The idea of having to age your cheese and the board turning was a really interesting one and there being four "mini-games" that you play throughout the main game really appealed to me. I was able to do quite well despite not reading the rules for the first few turns and I ended up winning this one, which was one of the only ones that I managed that while playing with my friend who sent me a massive amount of invites to play other games that I had never played before on BGA.

Gem Getter Pro NEW x1
(1 total games played)

This was a simple roll and write that I had printed off a while back after perusing several BGG Geeklists about great Roll and Write games. I would absolutely agree that this game was really fun to play and I loved the simplicity and cleverness of the game. Having various options of tetrominoes to fill in with the dice rolls is really appreciated and I'm sure that each game that I play will feel really different, especially with all the various map options there are. It's probably going to see a few more plays (like 9) this year as I work towards my "Extreme Numerology Challenge" (get 10 plays of 48 games in 2024) that I've decided to partake in midway through the year.

The Isle of Cats NEW x1
(1 total games played)

Anthony had picked up a copy of this game last month and had really wanted to get it to the table to see what I thought of it. After finishing up the game, I saw the appeal of the game, but there was something that didn't quite click with me about how it played. Maybe it was having to play cards to see who would draft first, or the need to have baskets to draft the cats, but I always felt on the back foot while playing, even when I won our game. I like the game, but it just didn't hit that polyomino placement niche that I wanted and I'll be looking for other options in the meantime. I won't turn down a game, but it's not one I need for my collection.

Knarr NEW x1
(1 total games played)

I really enjoyed the idea of being a viking and having to trade and recruit new members, but I think that I was at a disadvantage playing this against Sean who probably had played a few games before. I finally was able to start understanding the game at the end of it, but before I was able to make any good progress, it was over and Sean had beaten me by quite a few points. I think I would like to play a few more games of this since it's light enough to play fast, but I'm not certain how I feel about it overall.

Love Letter NEW x1
(1 total games played)

This was a fun little game that I had not yet had a chance to play. I think that the game is definitely situational in how fun it can be, but I really enjoyed my group that I played with. As a social deduction game paired with a card game it was a clever little mix of genres and I significantly enjoyed it more than Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game. Would I rate it higher than One Night Ultimate Werewolf? Probably not, but it was fun being able to play this highly rated game for the first time after seeing it pop up on the BGG lists several times.

Mountain Goats NEW x2
(2 total games played)

This was on offer at BGA for their "Summer of Games" event in August and after a quick conversation with a friend, I decided to give it a try. It wasn't anything fancy and the strategy for the game is fairly minimal, but there's an odd level of fun to it, despite the simplicity of the game. I think that this would probably be more fun with other people for an in-person game, but I'm glad that I got to try it on BGA as it showed me that this game was better of being played from someone else's collection. I wouldn't turn down a game, but it's not my cup of tea to play all the time.

Path of Civilization NEW x1
(1 total games played)

Path of Civilization was a really interesting game to play. I played at the request of a friend and after watching a quick video on how to play the game, I quickly launched into the game with him. The first three rounds felt like the passed by in an instant and by the time I knew it we were about four rounds into the game. I didn't really catch the best way to go about the game until about round five or six and at that point, there were only three rounds left (the game ends after nine rounds). I talked with my friend about it after we finished the game and I think what frustrated me was that the first few rounds felt extemporaneous and while there was a possibility to do better, you would need to have a bit more knowledge about the game to best optimize your plays. It's a worker placement, engine-building, resource-gathering game which should be up my alley, but I just didn't really think it was that great of a game.

Cosmoctopus NEW x3
(3 total games played)

This was a more recent game (and by recent I mean in 2023) that popped up on BGA that I wanted to give a try. It features both a tableau-building and resource gathering mechanic with a "giant octopus elder god" theme to it. I had backed a game with "Cosmo the Cosmic Octopus" as a stretch goal and I wanted to try the game that was being referenced by the inclusion. It turns out that this was actually a fun little game that has a decent level of strategy to it. This might be a BGA exclusive for me to play, but I really like the easy to learn and hard to master gameplay that comes with the game. Two games in and I'm really impressed with how the game can go from 0-100 really quickly. I like the simple nature of the game and it's going to be on my regular rotation for games.

Distilled NEW x2
(2 total games played)

Curious about what this game was since it seemed to popping up a few times on the "strategic theming game" list on BGA, I watched a quick how to play video on Distilled and then launched a game on BGA. I'm still figuring out how best to play the game, but I think that I've gotten the basic strategy down now that I've gotten a game under my belt. I'll be playing a few more games of this to see if I really like it or if it's just "new and fun" to me right now. I do like the theme, but I'll have to see how I feel about the game after a few plays of it.

Race for the Galaxy NEW x1
(1 total games played)

After sitting on my shelf for several weeks after I purchased it, I was finally able to get this to the table for a play. It definitely feels similar to Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition with the action selection allowing everyone to play, but it's simpler in that cards from your hand are your monetary system. I think that this was a bit too difficult to end the night we played it with for Sarah, but my friends seemed to pick it up towards the end of the game, although they were not able to contend with my final score. I liked the game enough that I think I'll probably be getting the expansions for it, especially with how quick this probably could play once Sarah and I are used to the game. The iconography is a bit hard to understand at first, but once I got playing the game, I understood it better and had an easier time with my selection of cards as the game progressed.

Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization NEW x1
(1 total games played)

I think this month I became determined to knock out plays of as many top 100 games on BGG as possible as Sean invited me to play a game of this on BGA. Even after watching two videos on how to play, I was still completely in the dark about what I needed to do and ended up losing resources every round due to "corruption." I finally was able to figure out my problem four turns from the end of the game, but by that point, the damage was done and I had lost handily. I know that this is really highly rated on BGG, but I just did not like the game and even now that I've figured how to play, I know that it's not my kind of game. It may be #15 on the BGG ranks, but for me, I'd be happy if I never had to play this again. Not for me thanks.

Gaia Project NEW x1
(1 total games played)

This was played at my request and I think I began to understand the game about midway through it. It was a bit of a puzzle and I'm sure that there was so much more that I didn't figure out so I'm going to have to give this another attempt later. Overall I'm impressed with how it plays, despite the iffy presentation on BGA. I'll give it a few more plays to see if this is a game I want to continue to play.

Dungeonology: The Expedition x6
(14 total games played)

I had Dungeonology as part of my 10x10 Challenge for the year and I powered through the remaining 6 plays that I had of the game left. Every single game that I played was done solo for the challenge and it made me appreciate how much there was to the game, but how much better it would be multiplayer. I haven't had a chance to teach Sarah this game yet and I'm not sure how she'll feel about it, but I'm hoping to have this come out every once in a while so we can play it. I have so many other expansions left to explore that I want to play with other people as the bosses feel so much more balanced to playing with other people rather than playing with the solo opponent. It's a fun game, but I'm not certain how long I'll keep it in my collection.

Sagrada x6
(11 total games played)

With me being an overzealous board game player, I decided to include this game on my list of games that would get 10 plays in 2024. I had already dropped four plays of the game this year and we were borrowing it from a friend, so I decided one night to just play another six games of it solo. The solo mode is really fast and I was able to knock out all six games fairly quickly. I'm not really that impressed with the game and while I'm glad I got to borrow it from a friend, I'm not really certain that it's one that I want to add to my collection. The game looks amazing, but the gameplay isn't really up my alley and I'm not certain Sarah was really a fan of it either.

Agricola (Revised Edition) x6
(8 total games played)

Another few games with Gerry and I'm getting the hang of it, but I'm also getting a bit bored of the game. I think maybe it's because we've played it on and off for the last month or so, but there's just not too much staying power that the game has for me. Seven games in and I think I've basically figured out all there is to play and I wish there was a bit more variation. I'm taking a bit of a break with the game and will probably be up for playing it again in a month or so since I'm a bit burnt out on it. Still, its got a lot of Uwe Rosenburg's fingerprints on it and although it's one of his first games, I'm enjoying it for what it brings to the table (heh). I did play another game with a friend and it still felt a bit too similar, despite having a very different game. I'm not certain why this doesn't seem to be as enjoyable for me, but I'm about over with the game and will probably shoot for two more games before I close out this chapter.

Bandido x5
(8 total games played)

A few plays of Bandido to get me one step further in my challenge for 48 games played 10 times and I'm up to 8 total for the game. Unfortunately, the first game ended up with me losing due to not being able to plan out the exits well and it represents the first game that I've lost solo. You win some you lose some. That actually happened more than once and I've gone into a losing streak and I've lost the next two games that I've played. Which is really frustrating because it all comes to how the cards come out of the deck. It's a decent little game but I doubt I'll be playing it much more after I finish my 10th play.

Welcome To... x5
(30 total games played)

There's not really much else to say about Welcome To... aside from the fact that it's probably one of the best Flip and Write games out there (at least in my opinion). Not only is the game really easy to learn, but it's also got a zen-like puzzle structure to it that's only enhanced by it's 50's Aesthetic. I love this game and I'm so happy that I own the game so I can play it anytime I want to. Add in the fact that the game is also available to play on BGA and I've been playing this far more than I ever expected to in the last month or so. I really enjoy the feel of it and will probably pull this out more often to play with friends.

Paper Pinball: Sorcery School Sleuths x7
(10 total games played)

When it comes to the Paper Pinball series, I really enjoy the simplicity of what is on offer for the game. It's a roll and write, but it also implements one of my favorite physical games ever on the tabletop. I love pinball and being able to play a game quickly on the table with a reusable table, I'm very happy. About 10 minutes per game and this light little game is fantastic to break out when I have some time to kill and I'm hoping to get another two plays of it to finish up my 10 plays of it for the challenge.

So, You've Been Eaten. x4
(5 total games played)

In what was a really interesting series of circumstances, I ended up reading the article on BGG regarding the creation of the game by the dev, Scott Almes, and that prompted me to get this game since his experience essentially mirrored my own. Seriously, check out the article, it's so good and I had to double check it wasn't me that wrote the intro paragraph as I had gone through the exact same experience with my Ulcerative Colitis. I had my eye on a copy of the Collector's Edition for $20 and the seller dropped it to $10, which I immediately snapped up. I played four games on Monday to start with two being the miner vs a sleeping beast, one as an awake beast versus a robot miner, and one as both sides being played by bots. This game is tough and I'm glad I snagged it as I really appreciate it even more, now that I know the story behind it.

boop. x3
(4 total games played)

This is such a cute little game. I love the idea that you're playing with kittens and then cats and just trying to get three cats in a row to win the game. That's a surprisingly deceptive task to perform, especially when your opponent is pushing your kittens and cats in the wrong directions. I have managed to have a positive overall win ratio with this game, but I'm also learning a bit more about how best to play the game. I think it would be fun to play this with Sarah or my daughters so I might have to pick up a copy of the game to play at home in the near future.

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea x3
(31 total games played)

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is definitely the definitive game out of the two Crew games. I really like the mission variability and how easy it is to teach, especially those who have played trick-taking games their entire life, like my mom. This time we played another three missions with my mom and Sarah and we're getting into the harder missions now. We got all the way to Mission 6 and we haven't lost a game yet, although I am expecting that to change as we proceed further into the depths of what the game has to offer. It's a great way to wind down at the end of a night and I think my mom likes that it's a great trick-taking game that we work together in.

Dice Forge x3
(10 total games played)

Several games of Dice Forge after I decided to include this on my 10 plays list for the year. I'm at 7 games for the year so far and after finding out that the expansion for the game was on BGA, I thought I'd give it another few attempts to see how I feel about the game. After playing both sides of the expansion board and experiencing the cards that come with the game, I definitely have to say that it feels significantly better to play with the additional cards, even just because of the new ways to play that get added with the expansion. I'll have to give it a few more plays with the expansion to see how I feel about it, but I'm pretty impressed overall with the expansion and it's gone from "I'm not really interested in it," to "I'm definitely wanting to get this for my copy of Dice Forge."

Kalah x3
(5 total games played)

There comes a time in every kid's life where they are taught how to play Mancala. I'm not certain what it is about this game, but it seems like this was a staple game for every kid that I knew growing up and everyone had a copy of the game in their collection alongside Monopoly and Sorry. Well, the time came for me to play the game with my oldest daughter and she caught on fairly quickly about how to play the game. Her strategy basically boils down to one of two things: choose the biggest pile of beads or go left to right with her choice of which cup she's going to play from. It's led her to win twice, so it can't be that bad of a strategy...

Terraforming Mars x3
(8 total games played)

There is so much to learn in Terraforming Mars and each game that I've played, I felt like there was something new that I had to adjust to or play differently. It's an amazing game and I'm having so much fun playing it on BGA. I wish there were a few more options to include with the game, such as playing with various maps, or adding another expansion (such as Venus Next or Crisis), but for now, I guess I'll have to enjoy what is on offer on BGA until the game is updated or I get the opportunity to pick up a copy of the game for myself.

Burgle Bros. x2
(10 total games played)

I've really enjoyed playing Burgle Bros. but man, this game is tough. I'm still doing the basic game at the normal difficulty, but maybe I should attempt it at the easier difficulty because I've only managed to win one of the ten games that I've played. I have done 9 of the 10 games solo and only won once, so I have to be missing something with the game. But since I'm playing solo, I feel pretty happy that I'm not screwing up someone else's game and I'll keep throwing myself at the puzzle until I get it.

Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure x3
(42 total games played)

Three game of the base version of Clank! this month as Sarah and I played several games of the other versions. We still are maintaining our game a week of Clank! on average and it's become our go-to game series that we play at the end of the night. With us having a bunch of expansion boards, it allows Sarah and I to pick and choose what we'd like to play with, allowing for us to have a ton of fun when playing the game and with more variability. With the addition of the cards from the Adventuring Party expansion being usable in both base and Catacombs (below), it really makes it a sound investment. I may have to get both the The "C" Team and Upper Management packs for additional character options in the future, but for now, I love what we have. A final game of Clank! with my buddy Zach and his wife Anna was a blast to play at four players and Sarah managed to beat us all, while grousing the entire time.

Clank!: Catacombs x3
(9 total games played)

We played two games of Clank!: Catacombs at the beginning of the month as I would not let Sarah continue her winning streak. She had beaten me three times prior and I was frustrated that I had lost so many games in a row. I lost the first game we played but won the second, only because we included the Adventuring Party expansion and played with player powers. I really like Catacombs and the variability it adds to the game and it's a nice change from the base game. I'm not sure which one will end up being played more, but for now I think they're both worth having in my collection. A third game of Clank! Catacombs for my Friday lunch session resulted in another win for me as my opponent got trapped in the catacombs. He wants to play again so I don't think this is the end of that one.

Deadly Dowagers x2
(3 total games played)

A few games of Deadly Dowagers to fill in some time with some friends. It's a pretty fun game and I actually really enjoy the ridiculous and satirical nature of the game. The first game was fairly uneventful, but we did have some good laughs while playing the game. The second game was more fun as we all ended with the possibility to marry the Duke at the end of the game and it resorted to whomever had the most money after paying the dowry for the marriage. As I had never had to worry about the tiebreaker before, it was of great humor to me to see that the third rule for a tiebreaker if both players were tied for money and infamy, was to play another game. Definitely fitting with the spirit of the game.

Dinosaur World x2
(18 total games played)

Two final games for my 10x10 challenge and I played with the fan-made Rampage Expansion for the game. I personally think that it adds a bit more (positive) changes to the game and really helps with helping to not feel paralyzed by the lack of workers or money. I didn't have the best final game, but that was more to get the game out of the way as I was getting a bit burnt out on it, having played 10 games of it in six months. Dinosaur World is great in small doses, but it's more of a "once a while" game rather than a "I'll play it every day" due to the size and time it takes to play.

Dungeon Kart x2
(5 total games played)

Two games of Dungeon Kart, and both were with my friend David on two separate occasions. The first was to teach him the game along with another friend of mine and the second was with his nephew, who was a big gamer too. We had a blast both games and both times we played, there was a photo finish with all of us (well at least in the second game; the first was me and our other player with poor David way far behind) crossing the finish line at the same time. It's a blast playing this game on the table and the catchup mechanic in the game is really great at levelling the playing field, even if a player is really far behind.

Escape: The Curse of the Temple – Big Box x2
(11 total games played)

We had a friend over for a game night and rather than getting too deep into the weeks with some of our heavier games that we own, we decided to pull out Escape: The Curse of the Temple. The first game we lost horribly due to not getting rid of enough of the gems as we attempted to proceed out of the temple, and that was only exasperated by both Sarah and I losing two dice due to not making it back to the central chamber before running out of time. The second time we won with extra time to spare and we had a blast with the funny soundtrack I had chosen. I enjoy this game and need to pull it out more as it's a fun real-time coop one.

Gizmos x2
(10 total games played)

A few games of Gizmos to continue pushing my plays of this game up to 10 for the year. I really like how smart this game makes me feel, especially after I get three or four gizmos to trigger in a row. It's a really fun game and I would have to agree with my friend who calls it "Splendor 2.0". There's so much that you could potentially build and with the engine-building mechanics of the game, I'm in love with how much there is that you could do with it.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal x2
(18 total games played)

Two games (so far) of Heat: Pedal to the Metal, one with Sarah and one with the Legends module. Both were played with the weather and garage modules and I managed to win one and lose the other. I managed to get a pretty good game with Sarah and then thought I should try to face off against the Legends. Unfortunately, my hubris got the better of me and I ended up getting fifth place against the six legends, which stung a bit. Still, I'm able to play more Heat whenever I want so I expect that I'll be playing this more.

Lost Ruins of Arnak x2
(4 total games played)

I had wanted to get back into attempting Lost Ruins of Arnak after a disastrous attempt on BGA previously. I played a game with Gerry, but realyl couldn't get an engine going and I had an abysmal score. After borrowing a copy of the game (along with both expansions) from a good friend of mine, I taught and played a game with Sarah. This time went much better and I think I realized some of my mistakes in my previous game, which was a big help in retooling my thought process in the game. There's so much that could potentially be done and it's all about finding the right combination of actions to help you do it. I love the game and I'm fairly surprised Sarah enjoyed it as much as she did, so we'll be playing another game or two of it soon! 

Machi Koro 2 x4
(7 total games played)

A few games of Machi Koro 2 with my buddy and the first two games saw the inclusion of the Launch Pad, which was an instant win card. Game three saw Sarah get a win by stealing coins from me (clever) and it was a nice way to end the night. I really prefer this version over the first iteration of the game not only because it's quicker, but also because of the option to choose to play with one or two dice at any time. That, paired with additional cards that are different each game really helps it play much faster and it doesn't overstay it's welcome. I'm glad I added this to my collection as it's a fun little filler game. The final game we played with Zach and Anna (like Clank!) and Anna managed to get a win over the other three of us by wracking up some serious coinage and earned the final landmark with no trouble at all.

Rhino Hero x2
(8 total games played)

Rhino Hero is one of those games that sounds ridiculous on paper, but then you play it and realize how much fun it is. There's no reason that I should have so much fun creating a tower of cards and moving a little rhino figurine up the tower, but I do. Each time that we play, we hold our collective breaths as the tower gets higher and higher and there's a malicious glee that comes from seeing someone have to place a card on a wobbly tower. Definitely recommend this light and fun game.

Yard Builder x3
(5 total games played)

This is a cozy little Roll and Write that I found here on BGG when perusing a few lists that had free PNP games. It's a great little game and I'm a big fan of how much variability that there can be with the game. With the game using three D20s, it allows for a significant level of variability, although I do feel like my yard often ends up looking fairly similar to the previous yards that I've built. Maybe I'll have to try it a few different ways to see what I can get going.

The 7th Continent x1
(10 total games played)

I started a new curse in The 7th Continent and it's one of the starting curses I believe. I'm playing with HP Lovecraft and I love the theming of this game that goes along with the exploration in the game. I do need to get back to my regular plays of the game since it was something that I only played at the beginning of the month.

Calico x1
(11 total games played)

A game of Calico with Sarah and another friend and I'm still flabbergasted with how difficult this game is, despite looking so incredibly cozy. Sarah managed to absolutely destroy me and my friend with her board as she had something like five separate cats and 10 buttons on the board. Sarah was one cat away from getting all three cats on the board and it was an astounding score that she managed.

Cartographers Heroes x1
(2 total games played)

After having picked up Cartographers Heroes: Collector's Edition in July, I wanted to at least get one game in before the end of the month. I tried one of the new map packs and ended up having an absolute banger of a game where I got one of my highest solo scores ever. I played with the Heroes cards as well as the new monsters and new cards for this game and I like the change in what's available during the game from the base game. It's definitely one that I'll be playing more since it has so much replayability now.

Clank! In! Space!: A Deck-Building Adventure x1
(22 total games played)

Sarah and I got the Apocalypse! Expansion for Clank! In! Space! and Sarah and I played a game of it together with one of the new apocalypse scenarios active. It was a really interesting game and definitely changed the flow of how we normally played. Interestingly enough, Sarah managed to get out before I did and even won the game, which was great since she normally didn't win Clank! In! Space! I look forward to playing with the various modules and the different schemes.

Draft & Write Records x1
(8 total games played)

Draft and Write Records has been one of my favorite flip and write games to play on BGA, not only because of the complexity, but also because the game's upkeep is taken care of pretty quickly by BGA so there's not a lot of checking boxes or worrying about what's going on. I will be pushing this to at least 10 plays this year as I have another game going right now that will probably end by the beginning of September. It's a great little game and I'm glad I found it.

Everdell: The Complete Collection x1
(16 total games played)

Everdell: The Complete Collection sees another play this month as Sarah and I chose to play the base game with the Nightweave opponent active as well. She hadn't ever played against Nightweave and I think that it was a nice change of pace, allowing for an extra player to be set up with the game. I didn't do as well this time with Nightweave active, but I still managed to scrape a win out. I liked the extra opponent, but Sarah wasn't a big fan and we'll probably keep her out of most of our games, using her only sparingly.

Life in Reterra x1
(2 total games played)

Life in Reterra was pulled out to play with my buddy and his kid at the end of a long day. We played it with the second set and on the purple side, so it wasn't so "take that". This game is super interesting to play and especially with the pedigree that Eric M. Lang has, it's so curious to see him put together a game that's lighter than his normal fare. It's definitely going to take another few plays before I have a conclusion with how I feel about the game, but overall, I'm impressed.

Lords of Waterdeep x1
(2 total games played)

A second play of Lords of Waterdeep and teaching Sarah how to play only made me appreciate this game even more. I really enjoyed the game and the intrigue cards and new locations really made the game feel so different from the first time that I played it. I'm very curious to see what the game plays like with 3-4 players, but I think that 2 players might be the sweet spot for the game as it's just the right amount of time and speed to get through at a fairly good pace. And yes, I know, the expansion makes it better. It's on my list to get at a later time.

Next Station: London x1
(3 total games played)

Played a game of Next Station London with Gerry on BGA. It's a nice little flip and write although I can't seem to really break 120 points with my score. I had a really rough game this time and didn't end up doing as well as I had hoped. Still, I hope to continue playing this a few more times to see if I can get a better score with some more clever implementation. I'm learning. Slowly. But I'm still learning from my mistakes!

Thunder Road: Vendetta x1
(13 total games played)

Thunder Road: Vendetta remains one of my favorite games to play on the table if I'm looking for something shorter and/or more chaotic. It's a great "Turn your brain off" game and I love the absolute chaos and fun that it brings to the table. Each time I've played I've come away with some fun stories and I'm so excited for later this year when I get the Maximum Chrome edition along with the new expansion that will have arena combat. It's time for the rubber to hit the road and the shrapnel to fly, because this game is hot!

Wingspan x1
(3 total games played)

After playing so much Wyrmspan (below), I wanted to try the original game of Wingspan and see how well I could do after my experience with Wyrmspan. There's significantly less going on with Wingspan and although I love the complexity of Wyrmspan, I still find myself enjoying the lighter feel of Wingspan. This game was a really interesting one as I managed to get seven birds on my board, but that got me both of my personal objectives completed at the 7-point tier, which ultimately won me the game. I'm hoping to get a few more games in and we shall see how those go.

Wyrmspan x1
(8 total games played)

Here be dragons. A game of Wyrmspan with Sarah and this time ended with me almost filling up my entire board with dragons. It came down to the final move and I was short a dragon that could go in the last cave and I ended the game with 14 of my 15 slots filled, which slightly irked me, but that didn't have any standing on whether or not I lost the game to Sarah. It was a great game for both of us and I managed to come out slightly ahead with my final score. I want to give the solo mode another attempt now that I've had some time to cool on the game. I think it'll feel better now that I'm a bit less excited about it.

Final Thoughts

This was a ton of games that I played in August and that's only getting bigger because I'm on BGA more and more. It is 142 plays represented over 58 separate games with an H-Index of 5 and that represents a significant level of progress towards my 730 plays for the year. I'm at 725 at the time of writing but I have no doubt that I'll be hitting that by the first week or so of September.

For those who are interested in stats, like me, I have some fun number breakdowns for the month, year and all-time:

Month:
Plays - 147
H-Index - 5
New Games Played - 20
Games in the Top 100 - 13

Year (so far):
Plays - 737
H-Index - 12
New Games - 107
Games in the Top 100 - 20

All Time
Plays - 1136
H-Index - 15
Games in the Top 100 - 22

With my completion of my 10x10 Challenge list, I'm now participating in the "Extreme Numerology Challenge" which my goal is to hit the Silver tier, which is 48 games played 10 times each. While I could go for the higher tiers, I think that I need to be reasonable with myself and I'll be shooting for that next year. The Hardcore 10x10 Challenge really took it out of me and I don't want to really have myself having to play the same games over and over again at the end of the year to get the "Extremium" tier.

I also realized that having 20+ games going on BGA at one time is a bit too much for me and I'll likely be limiting that to 15 or so at most. There was just far too much going on and I was beginning to have trouble keeping track of each of the games that I was playing. While I love playing games asynchronously, that was a bit extreme for me and I've found my limit.

I'll be reducing the total number of plays that I'm looking to get since I've hit my goal of 720 plays for the year and I'll be easing off the gas now for how much I'm looking to play each week. Hopefully that should also mean that I don't spend three days on a single blog post talking about what I did this month, like I did with this one.

Give me your thoughts:What was your favorite game that you played this month? Was there anything new that you played that you'd love to share? Any fun things that happen outside the BGG-verse that you'd like to share here?

As always, thank you so much for checking out this blog. If you liked it, please hit the green thumb  at the top of the page and feel free to leave a comment on the post. I appreciate all interactions and will respond to everything that I can. If you really liked the post and want more ramblings, feel free to subscribe and get new posts every Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

*Originally posted on BoardGameGeek on 11/9/2024*