What is your earliest gaming memory?
My late grandmother introduced me to her version of Monopoly when I was very young. And by “her version,” I mean she did not have a strong grasp of English as an immigrant, and never showed me the rulebook for Monopoly. She made up her own rules and they did not include a win or loss condition, so we just lapped each other around the board, passing money back and forth, and letting hours together melt away.
What game got you into the hobby?
My brother-in-law is an avid gamer and introduced me and my wife to Pandemic during, ironically, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We spun through three straight losses, but regardless of the outcome, I was hooked. The very next game I bought and played was the game of my heart, Spirit Island. Between my solo plays, my digital plays, and the 300-plus plays with my wife at two players, I have close to 1,000 games of Spirit Island over the last six years. Not enough plays, if you ask me.
What do you do if you are not having fun at the table?
One of the most important rules at my table is the right to stop whenever, whyever, without having to justify it; this can be during a particularly frustrating solo play or if someone is struggling to enjoy a game multiplayer. Games are the way in which I let play and non-judged joy into my life, so no reason to stress myself or anyone else out in an otherwise welcoming space.
What makes a game special for you?
Good mechanisms, good theme, these things are important for enjoyment, but a special game is one that develops a meta-narrative once the game is packed away. I have a selection of games that have helped me rewire my relationship to myself, my wife, and my creativity. That’s deeper than rules; that’s the magic of letting a game be your life.
What game in your collection do you most wish you could play more often?
Any campaign game that has one scenario left. My wife and I have never finished a campaign game, for we don’t want them to end, and as such we have a pile of one-scenario-left games that include even an all-time favorite like Vagrantsong. We even have the sequel to Vagrantsong, and yet…
How big is your collection?
After a move and a nice donation to curious folks in my old neighborhood, my collection is hovering around 150 well-loved games.
How did your taste in games change?
When I started in the hobby, I was hunting for the next Spirit Island, so I churned through every highly-rated co-op game from the 2010s. Unfortunately, there can only be one, and as life has gotten more complex, I’m starting to favor simpler rules with deeper decision space over layers and layers of crunchy rules overhead. I’ve also become more of a mid-weight euro gamer over the years, and aside from a nice adventure game here and there, have accepted I have no capacity for tactical combat.
Do you prefer playing games over and over or learning new games?
I like to keep a decently curated collection, so while I enjoy expanding and learning new games, I much prefer building a rapport with my existing games and letting that drive my solo gaming time. It’s so much easier to table a game I have the setup memorized for, than it is to spend time after a long day of work doing the overhead of learning, even if the rulebook is spotless.