What game got you into the hobby? Way back in the beginning, a game called Viceroys. I’m writing a blog post about that! Then my second wave began back in the early 2000’s with Lord of the Rings Risk, Catan, and Mexica.
What do you do if you are not having fun at the table? That depends on why I’m not having fun. If someone is behaving badly I might bow out. If the game is not engaging me, I’ll try and pay attention to the other gamers, if they are having fun then I will try and tap into their joy for the rest of the game. If no one seems to be enjoying the game then I might raise the option of not finishing, and switching to something else if there is time. If I’m not having fun because the game is bringing up difficult emotions then I will use it as an opportunity to reflect on that and try and grow.
What makes a game special for you? A marriage of theme and captivating gameplay.
What games do you absolutely refuse to play and why? I cannot enjoy games that glorify or whitewash colonialism. It’s a personal limit.
Who’s your favorite designer? Once upon a time it was Uwe Rosenberg, but my tastes have changed considerably. I wouldn’t say I currently have a favourite designer.
What game in your collection do you most wish you could play more often? Oath.
How big is your collection? I have my personal collection, with about thirty games maybe, and then a collection for the queer project that has maybe a hundred.
How did your taste in games change? See my soon to be published Discourse on that here on this website!
Do you prefer playing games over and over or learning new games? As an autistic person i certainly have my favourites that bring me comfort to go back to over and again. Though I wish that I had more ability to learn new games frequently. Budget and location are my obstacles.
Do you house-rule games? I seldom house rule games, but my principle is that we are here to enjoy ourselves, so it can happen.
What is a game you sold and bought back? I have never yet done that!
What is a game you sold and wish you didn’t? I think by the time I let go of a game I’m pretty sure about letting it go. This also hasn’t happened yet.
What factors going in adding a board game to your collection? If I really like the look of it, the biggest criteria, other than financial situation and budget (which is extremely low) is whether or not it can get tabled. I have learned to be a lot more realistic and discriminatory with that criteria.
What player color do you choose, or are you indifferent? Depends on the day!
Have you bought games just because of the theme? Oh absolutely. Woodcraft is a game about queer looking gender ambiguous folk living in the woods making furniture. That’s pretty much my life, and it was an instabuy.