What is your earliest gaming memory?
The very earliest board gmaing memories I have are from a time we visited my cousins near Sand Diego, California. They had the coolest toys, and their board games were no exception. We played game after game of Pizza Party and Ready Set Spaghetti. I never wanted it to end. And, honestly, I still feel that way. I’ll always agree to one more game.
What game got you into the hobby?
Pandemic was the game that got me back into gaming in 2014. I played it at a game night some friends were having, and I never knew there were games where you played AGAINST the game. That blew the top of my head off. I remember playing that, feeling amazed, and then immediately being introduced to Flash Point Fire Rescue. Funny, because the two games we’re currently playing a lot of are Flash Point: Golden State Heroes and Pandemic Legacy Season 0.
What game is objectively bad but you love it anyway?
Five Crowns is, I think, an objectively bad game. Each turn you draw a card. If it helps your hand, you keep it and discard the worst card in your hand. If the card you drew is now the worst card in your hand, you get rid of it. There’s really not much choice in the game, honestly. It’s long, going ten rounds that are all relatively the same except for the ever-ballooning number of cards in your hand. And yet, we love it. My family and friend group have been playing it several times a year for decades. It comes out at holidays, on lazy Sunday afternoons, and even at serious game nights. It’s not a good game, but it makes everyone laugh and groan at the luck, and sometimes that’s enough.
What do you do if you are not having fun at the table?
I’m a finisher. Whether it’s bad video games, bad books, or bad movies, I see it through in the hopes that there’s something redeeming about it. The same goes for board games, in my book. If I’m not having fun because of the game, I’ll see it though and try to find out what others see in it, in case I’m missing something. If I’m not having fun because of a person at the table, I’ll finish a game out (unless they’re being outright racist, sexist, homophobic, etc) and make sure I don’t play with them again.
What makes a game special for you?
I love a game that surprises me. Whether it’s a small box that packs a big punch, a drab-looking game that turns out to be fantastic, or a theme I hadn’t ever considered, I always come back to a game that hits me with something unexpected. My favorite game of all time (Traders of Osaka) surprises me every time I play it. My favorite tabletop experience is sitting down to a game I don’t think I’m going to like and finding out I was dead wrong.
What games do you absolutely refuse to play and why?
This has two answers for me. The first is CCGs. I don’t have the disposable income, the energy, or the interest to keep up with a pay-to-win game of any kind. I know they’re not all that way, but losing because someone else bought 30 boxes and I bought 3 is a feel bad moment for me.
The second is any game with an offensive theme. I don’t want to play Puerto Rico, Santa Maria, Mombasa, or Endeavor: Age of Sail because they have the ick of colonialism and slavery on them. There are plenty of themes out there. You no longer have to make your game about robbing tombs to pad out European museums or killing a native population to make way for one more city. Same goes for the transphobic wizard IP. Throw that garbage out and stop supporting that awful woman. Of course, you’re free to do whatever you want, but you won’t catch any of that on my table.
Who’s your favorite designer?
I’m not sure I have one. I have the most games by Dr. Reiner Knizia, but that might just be because he’s designed more games than anyone else on the planet. I have a ton of games by Keisling and Kramer, too. My gut instinct, though, is to say Stefan Feld because of Bruges and Castles of Burgundy. But Amabel Holland has a lot of space on my shelf, too, and is always doing something new and interesting. So…in short, I dunno.
Who’s your favorite artist?
Ryan Laukat. I want to drape myself in his art. I want to live in his worlds. I just love the gorgeous color and vivid creatures in all of his art. It makes me homesick for a place I couldn’t have possible ever been before. God, it’s just so good.
What game in your collection do you most wish you could play more often?
This would probably be a different answer ten minutes from now, but right now my answer is Heat: Pedal to the Metal. I’ve got unplayed expansions, upgraded bits, and the need for speed. It’s so satisfying pulling off a brilliant move at a corner, dashing 19 spaces down a straightaway, and watching others not quite pull it off in a crucial moment. Thankfully, I just got the Legends expansion, so I might have more drive to try it solo!
How big is your collection?
Eesh. That depends. Board Game Geek says I own 725 games. It also says I have 247 expansions. Now I KNOW for a fact that both of these numbers are wrong, because it counts promo cards as games instead of expansions, and I have a LOT of promo cards. I would guess I have somewhere around 450 games. Ideally, I’d like to keep a collection of around 300 games. I once mentally culled my list to 49 must-have games, but that was a horror show scenario and I am not that strong. Th number of games I own will change tomorrow, most likely.
Do you prefer playing games over and over or learning new games?
I played over 100 new-to-me games in each 2024 and 2025. That was really cool, and I got to learn many games I really enjoyed. This year, however, my goals have been more geared toward playing games I already own and enjoy. Now, I haven’t been the best at that, but I’m trying. I’m naturally inclined toward novelty, but I strive toward depth. Another non-answer, I know, but that’s my truth.
Do you house-rule games?
Absolutely not. I read the rule book. I taught the game. The rules have been tested many, many times by the people who made the game. It’s super arrogant of me to think that I know better after a couple of plays. If a game isn’t fun with the rules as written, I’m not spending any time trying to fix it so it works better for our group, especially when there are so many games out there that are already good. And I don’t want to play your house rules either, sorry.
What factors going in adding a board game to your collection?
I would like it to do something different. I’d like it to be beautiful. I’d like compelling mechanisms. I’d like an interesting theme. I’d like glowing reviews. I’d like a rules video to be available—maybe a playthrough, too. But honestly, if a game looks fun and I think any of my game groups would get a kick out of it for more than one play, I’m likely to add it to my collection. I’m less likely now, seeing as how my collection is bursting at the seams, but not THAT much less likely.
What player color do you choose, or are you indifferent?
If green is available, that’s the color I’m going to want to play. If green isn’t available, I either way purple, pink, or grey. If green is available and someone else wants it, I just warn them that I’ll be grabbing for their pieces the whole game, since I’m a fairly severe creature of habit.
Do you have a prefered player count?
Yes. Three. I feel like solo can be unfulfilling, two can still leave you without a real feel for how a game should play, and four or more can drag a game out so long that no one enjoys it. In a game with a lot going on, three players lets you get a feel for what the game is doing, lets everyone try some kind of strategy and complete with more than one other person, and lets the game finish before overstaying its welcome.