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I'm Not Dead

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06 Feb 2017 22:01 #243589 by Egg Shen
I'm Not Dead was created by Egg Shen

I'm done writing boardgame reviews.  I know people like hearing about the latest games, but it was never really what I set out to achieve here at the Fort.  My initial vision was to write articles about various different boardgaming topics...and occasionally review something random/obscure that wasn't getting proper exposure.  So I'd like to get back to that, and this article is my first step towards that original direction.  Basically, I'm going to go over where I'm at as a person roughly 12 years into this hobby.  

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07 Feb 2017 07:43 #243590 by Rafael Silva
Replied by Rafael Silva on topic I'm Not Dead
Hey Egg I like your views on gaming, please keep the articles coming. Can you expand on why and what games are you keeping?
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07 Feb 2017 08:17 #243591 by SuperflyPete
Replied by SuperflyPete on topic I'm Not Dead
I did the same thing. I sold off, gave away, and donated around 140 games. Bought some guitars, bought the kids some stuff, paid bills etc.

It's liberating.

Still don't play games like I want to (or guitar) but at least when I do get to, they're not bad.
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07 Feb 2017 09:07 #243593 by francisca
Replied by francisca on topic I'm Not Dead
I need to purge as well. You're a better man than I!
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07 Feb 2017 09:28 #243597 by Jackwraith
Replied by Jackwraith on topic I'm Not Dead
Sweet. Sounds like a healthy transition. I did the same thing over the past year or two when I came to the same realization: I have too many and I don't play the ones I really like often enough. I picked up a copy of The Others (largely on your recommendation from the thread I started) and it was the first game I'd actually bought in 2 or 3 years. Everything else new that I've acquired have been trades and I've also sold off well over half my collection. My girlfriend and I just moved into a new house and we bought two sets of shelves for our combined collection of games... and then realized we only needed one set because mine had shrunk so much.

But I echo Rafael: don't stop writing, even if it's just game reports or a change in view of a game as it ages, because I appreciate your perspective, too.
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07 Feb 2017 09:39 #243598 by stoic
Replied by stoic on topic I'm Not Dead
Pssst...[whispers in a low tone]...Egg Shen, hey, buddy [slowly opens a long trench coat], wanna buy some games? Just look at that cardboard [gently caressing an attractive cardboard box with his hands]...Make you a good deal...first one's free, even, 'on the house'...that's what friends are for, ya know? It keeps ya hands from shaking...I'll always be here when yoose needs me


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07 Feb 2017 10:52 #243602 by Gregarius
Replied by Gregarius on topic I'm Not Dead
Great article! I wish you all the best in your quest for quality over quantity!
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07 Feb 2017 11:08 #243603 by hotseatgames
Replied by hotseatgames on topic I'm Not Dead
Dumping shelf toads is always a good feeling.
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07 Feb 2017 12:16 - 07 Feb 2017 20:08 #243606 by Frohike
Replied by Frohike on topic I'm Not Dead
I'm going through something similar.

I'm also taking a step back from reading reviews, which I find is often the momentum that causes me to ride the CotN wave.

I don't think they're a disservice, certainly not from the contributors on this site. I've acquired excellent games because of some of those reviews... but many of these games also aren't getting played as much as I'd like and sometimes don't command my attention enough to make any firm plans to play them again.

I think it's a consequence of owning a large collection and an increasingly defined idea of what I'm looking for in a game; even small hiccups in newer games tend to make me set them aside and revisit older games that hit the same notes, maybe less elaborately, before the ongoing salvo of incremental designs started happening. It has the effect of a constant tide of reviews that implicitly, and understandably, value the new things that games are introducing, which are genuinely compelling, but whose purpose inevitably crashes against the bulwark of games I've already learned and continue to play, mostly because... they got there first.

The new aspects need to be that much more worthwhile and I'm learning that they are seldom worth it for me any more.

When newer games mostly distinguish themselves through incremental differences, they also damn themselves through those differences at times: little design missteps and flourishes with negligible payoff that make me think twice about taking the game off of the shelf when it's sitting next to something more classic and solid, or simply more enjoyable & already learned.
Last edit: 07 Feb 2017 20:08 by Frohike.
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07 Feb 2017 13:26 #243612 by Vlad
Replied by Vlad on topic I'm Not Dead
I'm going to add to the opinion "don't write game reviews, but don't stop writing about games". I enjoy reading your stuff, Egg, and I am sure you enjoy writing. Don't give it up, try to find a different focus.
This "new games fatigue" I think is something of a trend. This doesn't mean we're not interested in boardgaming, but simply that there're a LOT of games both out there and in our collections and we'd rather go deeper than broader.
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07 Feb 2017 14:58 #243616 by engineer Al
Replied by engineer Al on topic I'm Not Dead
Great article Mike. Certainly made me think about my gaming habits. I think my main reasons for gaming are the same as yours. I love the escapism and the fantasy. This is why Talisman really hooked me way back in the 1980's "before time". It provided an instant and usually funny story that we could laugh about for days. Zippin' around between boards, attacking your friends, the feeling of fear and anticipation as you flip over an adventure card. Damn I love me some Talisman! LET"S PLAY TALISMAN!
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07 Feb 2017 15:38 #243624 by Black Barney
Replied by Black Barney on topic I'm Not Dead
is that Hamburgum think for real??
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07 Feb 2017 17:29 #243631 by Cranberries
Replied by Cranberries on topic I'm Not Dead
I quit spending much time over at That Other Site, which helped immensely. I dumped a lot of stuff when we moved to Qatar, and got rid of some favorites when we moved back, but have slowly started buying games again and need to reign it in. Even if they're classics but I'm not going to play them then there's no point to a purchase. Someone tell Barnes to quit selling me games.
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07 Feb 2017 18:20 #243634 by wadenels
Replied by wadenels on topic I'm Not Dead
This is what I've been feeling about the large number of games I have, and I've started getting rid of them too.

I was thinking about writing something about it, but this nails what I'm thinking so clearly and exactly that I don't need to!

So, well-put.
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07 Feb 2017 19:47 - 07 Feb 2017 19:51 #243639 by Egg Shen
Replied by Egg Shen on topic I'm Not Dead
Thanks for the feedback and the encouraging words about my articles. I love sharing them with you guys and I have no intentions of stopping. Also, let's take a second to give a hand to guy's like Thrower and Barnes who continue to write new, excellent reviews...;pretty much week in and week out. Another thing that I didn't mention in the article, but I was certainly cognizant of was just how hard it actually is to constantly pump out reviews. Michael Barnes makes it looks easy. I certainly want to contribute reviews every now and then, but it will mostly be to shine a light on something left in the dark. My favorite reviews to write have been for little offbeat games like The Bloody Inn, CV, and Zombiaki II. In the future that is what I will cover more of.

Rafael Silva asked about games that I'm keeping and why....perhaps that is an entire article for further down the road when I feel that the purge is complete.

Here is a peek at some of the stuff that didn't make the cut:

Small World - I think Small World is a fine game. However, I don't love it. It's just a touch too clean and mechanical for me. If I'm going to break out an area control game or something that scratches a similar itch I'll reach for EVO or Origin instead.

Arena Roma II - This battle line variant is fun...but it doesn't blow me away. I'd rather reach for Blood Bowl Team Manager...or um Battle Line.

Dungeon Lords - One of my favorite games actually. It's just such a motherfucker to teach and it requires experienced players...so I finally said aidios. I struggle to fight the urge to replace this with the big ass anniversary edition like some chump resisting getting back with his ex girlfriend.

Defenders of the Realm - I like Defenders of the Last Stand much better. Plus I've got more fantasy games than I know what to do with.

Bruges - There was a time when I thought this game was good. I was wrong.

Hyperborea - Another instance of getting rid of a legitimate game that I adore. It's very unique, but the chances of it getting played were next to none.

Spartacus - Yeah, I know this is like heresy. It just wasn't ever getting played. And if we're being honest with ourselves the gladiator combat is kind of shit.

I'm not going to bore you with an entire list, but yeah sometimes you get rid of stuff you like...other times you part with junk you don't know why you bought it in the first place.

@ Black Barney
Yes that box of Hamburgum is very real. Drink it in!

@Engineer Al
You know you never need to twist my arm to play some Talisman. I'm always up for a game!
Last edit: 07 Feb 2017 19:51 by Egg Shen.
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