I was not announcing a pregnancy nor my winning the lottery. We were not putting our house up for sale nor was there any hot gossip to share.
My big news was that we'd been playing the Hedge Keeper wrong in our games of Agricola for the past five years.
This made me realize what a special variety of board game geeks we are. Symptoms being:
1. Taking the time to peruse the online board game forums for rule clarification
2. Considering it "big news" that we'd interpreted a card incorrectly - nothing short of life-changing
3. Feeling utterly humiliated that such an error had been made
There is a spectrum of board game geekery. When I visit a board game store and observe the other patrons, I find myself thinking I am not one of them! But I know that I am far greater a board game geek than most people I know, so I fall somewhere on that spectrum - perhaps in the middle? I don't really know. But the entire episode with the Hedge Keeper got me thinking about some of the traits we exhibit in our small circle of board game geeks - the circle of people who are "like us" (but are not one of them).**
You might be like us if...
-The stow and go of your mini van is stuffed with games in case there is ever a need for spontaneous gaming (or "gameage" as we call it).
-Reading the war chapters in the Book of Mormon makes you want to play Risk.
-You know that the probability of rolling a 7 in Settlers of Catan is 21%.
-You own the misprinted edition of Risk wherein you have drawn the connecting line from Middle East to East Africa.
-You audition friends to see if they are eligible for an invitation to game night (most of them aren't).
-You understand that gaming is a lot like dating. Just because you like games and he or she likes games doesn't mean you need to play together.
-You have read the entire Wikipedia page for Risk along with each edition of the rules starting from 1959.*
-Your sense of world geography is based on the countries and cities featured in your board games, and when you hear mention of one of those places, you immediately imagine its position on the board and the color in which it is printed.
-You do not go to the store for groceries. You go for commodities and resources.
-You've purchased mini tackle boxes from Walmart to organize your game pieces.
-You have apps on your phone to help you keep score.
-You think it's a life or death mission to claim the eight-train track in Ticket to Ride: Europe.
-You have a collection of collaborative games which you refer to as "group therapy."
-You have to pencil in a Clue night on your calendar once a year - just so it doesn't feel ignored.
-You've had to ban a particular game from the rotation to save your marriage.
-You have a Game Night play list.
-You know that most of your readers will not be amused by this list, but the one that will is going to read it aloud to her husband, Blake.
*No offense to them.
**There is so much more to say about this. Oh, so much more!
You didn't think you got 3 free fences for each one you built, did you?!
ReplyDeleteProud to be like you but not like them!
ReplyDeleteI emailed it right off to Blake - since he was at work. And we are both dying to know how you have been misreading it?!?
We played Caverna last night for the first time. Very Agricola-ish and very cool! Blake is asking for it for his birthday. Have you played it?
We are exactly like you. We haven't played Agricola, I might have to check it out. We are currently obsessed with Power Grid, Dominion, 7 Wonders and Small World. If you haven't played them, I highly recommend them.
ReplyDeleteI've played all of them but Dominion. I've HEARD plenty about Dominion, I just haven't taken the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteHysterical!!! Josh and I NEVER considered ourselves board game people until about a year ago and now we cant stop. It's a sickness really. We come home every month from our game night and search Amazon for the game we played. Our budget is seriously struggling. P.S. Josh always claims the 8 train in TTR Europe. I can't beat him to save my life :(
ReplyDeleteWish we were neighbors - we also heart Agricola. But I confess, it makes me anxious every game ("I hate this game! That was probably the worst action - what was I thinking? My family is going to starve. And the wild boar living in my house isn't helping.") and then I spend the next 3 days ruminating over it and itching to play again ("Nevermind, I love that game!").
ReplyDeleteHave you played Pandemic? That's our favorite group therapy game.