State of the Union

Thus far in the new year I've played an unusually high number of games. Does this mean I'm satisfied with my gaming life? No. Does it bode well for 2010? Perhaps.

So what exactly do I envision as the ultimate goal here? What follows will be a brief rundown of the most important aspects of the hobby.

Collection

There is every reason to be happy with my board game collection moving into 2010. Last year saw probably a tenfold increase in the number of games I own, and I've acquired a varied and interesting collection of titles. Despite getting so many new games I've managed to play the vast majority of them, which is another positive sign--I know of many board game players who have huge lists of games they've yet to get to the table. I intend to continue growing my collection this year, and also hope to expand the ones available by getting more people interested in buying games.

The Scene

My goal as far as opponents are concerned is to organize a network of players that has a life of its own. Thus far I've been the one with the game collection and with the primary interest in games--I can occasionally find people to play, but I'm the one initiating the sessions, supplying the games, and teaching the rules. Now I have no problem with playing this role, but the more people out there actively building a game collection and looking to play games, the better. Achieving a certain threshold here will ensure there are a variety of players available with a spectrum of gaming interests, new games being introduced to the area, and a host of gaming opportunities ranging from large planned events to small spontaneous game nights.

I've begun to make some progress developing the local gaming scene, both by introducing games to new people I meet whenever possible, and using the systems at my disposal to create new contacts. Being an employee at St. Lawrence University gives me access to the campus wide email list. Using this as a resource, I've recently found a fair number of people interested in trying some new board games. On another front, I've been able to find a fellow board gamer living here in Canton who will no doubt be a great asset in building a local gaming group.

Play

So, how about actual game time thus far? I've been averaging more than a game per day in the new year, from having big groups over for party games (Say Anything, Dixit, Time's Up!), to smaller strategy game nights (Pandemic, Agricola, Race for the Galaxy), to playing with long distance friends online through BrettSpielWelt (Carcassonne, Pandemic, Ghost Stories), to lots of game time with my kids in the evenings and weekends (Cheese Snatching, Chicken Cha Cha Cha, Carcassonne, Heroscape). Hopefully I'll be able to keep it up!

One final goal for my gaming life in the new year is to make it to a major board game convention, whether it be the Origins Game Fair or the World Board Game Championships. I intended to attend one of these last year, but this time I just need to make it happen.

2010 is going to be a great year!