My taste in games is really ambivalent, and i think the biggest commonality is that i enjoy games that create those moments where you look up to the people you play with. This can be a twisty move in an epic game, as well as a nasty card play in a small little game.
A very slim ruleset that provides hard decisions is probably what i enjoy most, but I also love some heads-down games as well as some epic stuff. I love spending a whole day getting stuck in a game, but most the time i prefer a streamlined experience.
In my game groups I have a very strong focus on ‘players first’. I want everyone to feel welcome, calm and free to explore the games on their terms. There is almost always room for backsies and helping each other not only with rules, but also giving hints.
I played briefly when i grew-up, and I dabbled in pen & paper as well. End of 2018 I started to embrace board gaming as a hobby, whilst mainly playing heavier games with a focus on (perceived) smart and efficient play. What i liked changed quite significantly over the years, but i always enjoyed board games very much and are privileged enough to play on a regular basis, often multiple times per week.
Currently i am thinking about playing more solo, both because I enjoy board games so much, but also because it helps me get off screens and implement a health night-time-routine.
I really struggled over the years how to build up a collection, and what to focus on. Especially after having more contact to other people playing lots of board games I was overly thoughtful on having ‘cool’ games in my collection, and I am glad to be over that and that I found what games I enjoy and want to have on my shelf. Right now i am fine with having a mix of ‘aspirational games’ that do not hit the table often (because of time investment or lack of people interested in them), some games i know the people I play with really enjoy and a focus on games i really like, which feels like a good approach for me. I am trying to buy less games in general and if possible always buy used copies.
Gaming is my biggest hobby, and it really helped me to connect to people and give myself a space to have social interactions in, which with I sometimes struggle. Besides games I spend a lot of time caring for my senior dog, like to ride bikes, watch a lot of TV shows, love vegan food and started reading more again after joining a book club. I grew up and still live in Europe (Hamburg, Germany). My wage labour is involving some tech & concept stuff for NGOs / NPOs.
What game got you into the hobby?
There wasn’t the one game that brought me into the hobby, but I’ll try to concentrate on a handful of cornerstones. For a while the only game I owned that I played from time to time was Risk: Lord of the Rings, but board gaming was far from a hobby for me. The two games that I played at friends places about 10 years ago that really left a marking impression were Firefly: The Game and Star Wars: Rebellion (obviously I was easily convinced to play games through intellectual properties).
The first hobby game I bought for myself and played loads was Terraforming Mars, which became my favourite game for years to come. I wrote an essay about how this changed and why I advise against buying from the company.
The last two games I want to mention are The Fox in the Forest and Flamme Rouge. Both are still in my collection 10 years later. The first showed me how much I enjoy playing 2-player-games where you try to outmaneuver an opponent as well as trick-taking as a mechanism. The second provided me with a low-complexity game that I could play with bigger groups and show to people that were not in the hobby.
What game is objectively bad but you love it anyway?
I always find this hard to answer, because is a game a bad game when it provides fun? But I get the meaning of the question, and a flawed game I really like is Condottiere. It really can drag and have loads of downtime, if you drew a bad hand, but the game core is just so much fun.
What’s your grail game?
Hands down: Twilight Imperium. I bought this as a birthday gift to myself and hoped that I could get to the table once a year. I managed to play it plenty since then, and I am always amazed whilst playing it, and get exited days in advance. I love spending the whole day with friends and to share this experience, to play cutthroat whilst having a friendly atmosphere around the table and help out everyone with the rules and giving them pointers what they can do. I waited quite some time before diving into the expansions to not make the game more complicated, but after having played every faction this brings back a lot of trying stuff out and childlike-excitement, and I can’t wait to play again.
What makes a game special for you?
This is definitely all about feels and interaction. Whilst I can enjoy both solo games as well as optimisation puzzles to a degree, in the ende games get special for me because of situations that they created and fostered.
Who’s your favorite designer?
I struggled with this question for a long time, because there are definitely some artist which designs I tend to like more often then not, I do not really have someone where I am exited for a new game from. About a tenth of my collection is games from the good Dr. Reiner Knizia, and I like how he is advocating for diversity at game tables as well as the design philosophy of high interaction and playing against players instead of games. Another designer who has multiple titles in my collection is Ryan Laukat, I adore the world-building and like the mix of euro-mechanisms with loads of luck.
But if I have to name a favorite designer, it is Elizabeth Hargrave. Both Wingspan and Tussie Mussie are games I played a lot, and are staples in my collection. The second one is in my top-20 for years now, and the game that most often is grabbed when I go somewhere. I enjoy how she implements theme in her games, and admire how much knowledge goes into that. Additionally, I really like how she promotes other designers and how invested, vocal and active she is in board gaming as a hobby.
Who’s your favorite Artist?
There are multiple I really enjoy. I think Sai Beppu (for Bested Another Time), Weberson Santiago (for The Bloody Inn) and Vincent Dutrait (for Tribes of the Wind) could be in discussion for one game alone (and did plenty of other great art), whilst Beth Sobel is a perfect fit for calming games. My favorite is Ryan Laukat though, I really like the personality and storytelling of his art.
What game in your collection do you most wish you could play more often?
Flamme Rouge. I mean, it is easy to get it to the table, but I would love to give the grand tour expansion a go when I play it the next time. But for that you need a group that comes together regularly, which is something I struggle with. My only fixed group is to small (we are three players every Tuesday) and we have loads of other regular stuff we are (not) playing right now.
How big is your collection?
I own more then 200 games. Which is a little more then I would like, because I do not want to be a collector, but it developed in this direction and even though I am culling from time to time and are not buying new games regularly, I too often ignore my resolutions when I find an affordable used I want to play. Also I do not want to set an arbitrary numbers goal and are more okay with owning aspirational games I don’t get to the table regularly.
How did your taste in games change?
When I started gaming I often enjoyed games that were optimisation puzzles without much of a luck factor, because winning and showing that I am smart was quite important for me. Now it is basically the polar opposite, I love games that have push-your-luck-mechanisms, that force you to think on your toes instead of executing the perfect strategy and where nothing can be optimised.
Do you prefer playing games over and over or learning new games?
I think one of the most fun experiences is to set up a game and just start playing, because everyone know the rules and you can just go and have fun with it, trying new stuff and have quick and snappy turns. On the other hand, I often get exited in trying out new games or showing them to people, so this might be a tie. I do realise though that this is more and more shifting to play the same game more often, especially when it comes to heavier games.
What hobby / interest of yours shares suprising similarity with playing games?
I sometime like going to a bar and play foosball, and I think this is surprisingly similar in that you are basically playing a game with other people, and it could be a very social or very focussed thing, depending on what everyone brings to the table.
Do you house-rule games?
Very rarely, but yes. I think especially big, long games where a bad start can hold you back a lot (looking at you, Star Trek Ascendancy) we mitigate that with house rules. Also, we do loads of backsies at our table.
What is a game you sold and bought back?
Ethnos. I don’t have any idea what came over me when I sold it, it is a ten out of ten game. Maybe it was not flashy enough or I had the feeling I was over it and did not get it to the table that often, but boy was I wrong.
What is a game you sold and wish you didn’t?
Most of all Campaign Trail. I played it twice and both times it was very long and a little bit flawed, but I still was excited. I Think I let the lukewarm reception at the table get the better of my judgement, as well as the possibility to get some money for it. Now I would love to get it back, but it does not seem possible in europe to find it for an affordable price.
What factors going in adding a board game to your collection?
I don’t really have some fixed factors. Most of the times I think if I would get it to the table, but I also bought aspirational games where I expected not much love from my game groups for sure. Affordability is definitely a factor as well as sustainability, so I barely buy games new but always try to find a used copy. Space is also an issue, but I still have some shelf space (to put this is perspective, most the shelves in my flat are dedicated to board games thought).
What player color do you choose, or are you indifferent?
I prefer purple, it is my favorite color. Pink is a close second, if that is not available I tend to play yellow or red. But this is also a little bit game dependent, for example there are some games that have really beautiful colors all around, there I don’t mind at all.
Do you have a prefered player count?
Whilst I enjoy playing at all player counts up til six probably, I love playing two player. Just the tug of war and outmanoeuvring your opponent is such a beautiful and intimate dynamic. Some of my favorite games of all time are two player games, and I think there is the least change in my collection over the years. For a long time this was the player count where I played the most at, over the last two years this shifted to three players, but I want to make more playdates with just one other person in the future again.
Have you bought games just because of the theme?
Not only for the theme, but predominately for sure. The first that comes to mind is Bloc by Bloc, which I sold after a handful of plays. I think it is a good game and great theme, but I do not like firefighting-coops. Maybe I should find a copy and try the solo mode.
Others are War of the Ring (I am usually not a wargamer) and probably some other IP-games as well as I made you a Mixtape (I loved doing this when I was younger) or Let’s make a bus route (public transport rules!).