Spire’s End Hildegard Early Impressions

Obviously I’m not too far into the game at this point. I’ve played a single chapter and experienced only a little bit of what the game has to offer. But it’s time to give a few pieces of early impressions and comparison to Spire’s End.

Firstly, Spire’s End Hildegard is going to be a more family friendly game. Spire’s End leans into horror and while there might be bits of the story that are intense that I’ve heard of from Hildegard, I don’t find it to be nearly at the level of Spire’s End, so it makes it a more friendly game to play.

Also the die combat is a little bit different and I enjoy both types. In Spire’s End you were tracking health and spending that to try and do actions. You were hitting a target number on a roll. Spire’s End Hildegard you are trying to complete targets. And I don’t know that I have a strong preference for either. With Spire’s End Hildegard you have a bit more choice with the rolls, but with Spire’s End you were picking for one roll which was a fun challenge. You could spend more health to have better odds but put you closer to death.

I think that I do like in Spire’s End Hildegard you just play one character. The fact that you play as Hildegard means that you get her story versus a more generic story with characters who are just battling various monsters. You don’t get attached to the character like you do with Hildegard. Now you can play as her sister as well, but that’s only in a two player game, as this is game that is really meant to be played solo.

Upcoming Streams

So for sure next Monday is going to be playing some Spire’s End. Join me at 8:30 PM next Monday and see how that game compares and we might even see Hildegard in that one as well, probably will. It’s a different game but both I find are easy to table and I want to do more comparisons between the two of them.

Then on Wednesday, we’re going to be streaming at 8 PM central time more Spire’s End Hildegard. We’re going to progress into Chapter 2 and find out if we can survive long enough to play another week. If you join in you can help me make some fun choices as we see what new adventures Hildegard is going on.

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How To Play Canvas

Canvas is a pretty simple game. You collect cards on your turn or you complete a painting. A painting is a collection of three cards, and the most cards you can have in your hand is five. When you take a card, you either take the first card, or you pay a palette per card you want to skip over. You put the palette on the card, so it becomes more attractive to take.

Why would you skip over a card? The game gives you scoring objectives that require certain symbols or colors at the bottom of the card. You might need three of a symbol to get a ribbon or two of two different symbols. And you score multiple of these objectives, ideally, per painting. So some elements, cards, for a painting might work better depending on their scoring options.

At the end of the game, you score for the ribbons that you have. Then the player with the most points is the winner of the game.

What Didn’t Work?

I think that for some people, Canvas is going to be a game that is too simple. The collection of cards and ordering them correctly for a painting is not hard. Generally you have a single option that makes sense. And the fact that you make three paintings with four scoring objectives, means that there isn’t much to think about. Comparing this to something like Calico which is a simple game but has heavy decision making space, Canvas doesn’t offer that same angst while keeping the game play simple.

I also think, for some, that there is a disconnect in the game between the art and the scoring. You might be able to create an amazing painting with the perfect title that will score you no points. Or you create something that looks okay and will score you a lot of points. I can see some people wanting to create those perfect paintings over scoring, but will that lessen the fun in the game, focusing either direction?

What Works?

I like the simplicity of the game. The first time that I played Canvas, I didn’t so much, but with subsequent plays, the simplicity is nice. Canvas is a filler game, two or three player is around 20-30 minutes. And when you play it as a filler game, a lot of the issues with it being so simple alleviate. It is s game that I can pull out, set-up, teach, and be done with while people show up for game night. One one when we want a last game to wrap up the night

I also like that they give scoring objectives for the game. Now, not just the variety in the scoring cards, but they give you different combinations that they recommend. This is something that Sushi Go Party! does as well. So you can make up your own combination but they also have ones with scoring targets to play around with. It adds an additional challenge to the game that will keep it more engaging.

Plus, the artwork is amazing in the game. I talk about games that pop on the table often because of minis or something 3D about it, like Potion Explosion. Canvas doesn’t have anything like that. Though, the deluxe version comes with easels. But it doesn’t need that to make it look amazing. The artwork is phenomenal and will make you want to try it.

Who Is This For?

I think it is for people who like lighter games. It is a filler game for me, but for some people, it is going to be the right amount of strategy. I also think that it will work for people who want something simple for an evening. Want to play a game after kids go to bed but don’t have time for something big, Canvas is good for that. It is engaging, but not too much work.

This is also one that I could see bringing up to my parents for the holidays. As a light game, it is one that they can pick-up. Plus, I can tailor which objectives we use making the game easier or more challenging.

Final Thoughts on Canvas

Canvas is a game that grew on me more as I played it. The first play was slightly disappointing, not because the artwork wasn’t amazing, it is, but because the game is so light. I was thinking that it might be closer to a Calico where balancing the scoring objectives would be trickier.

But the more I played, the more I appreciate it for what it does. It tries to be a game that gives you a little decision but can play so quickly. And I can imagine this one being a success for game nights because of the artwork. And that is why I backed it on Kickstarter in the first place. Plus I still need to try the expansion. I do not expect to make it much harder, but adding in more variety and maybe one thing more, I am definitely curious about that.

My Grade: B
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: A

What do you think of Canvas?

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If you want to join in on the live stream and see the games as I talk about them as well as comment on my choices, you can join on Wednesdays from now until November 17th. I stream over on Malts and Meeples on YouTube at 8 PM Central Time. And if you need to catch up on the list.

100 Through 91

Top 100 Board Games 90 – 81

90. Skulk Hollow

A fun and pretty simple and fast two player asymmetrical game. One person plays as foxes who are trying to take down the other players guardian. The guardian has it’s goal, to take out the foxes leader to some other objective. The foxes are trying to get onto the guardian and hit it, taking out all of it’s health locations and disabling abilities. This is all done through some pretty simple card draw that makes the game easy to play.

Buy On Miniature Market

89. Titan Race

This might be the first racing game that I ever got. It is a light and silly little one, which is what I look for in a filler. In this game you are racing across one board three times or three boards. You use special powers to stop your opponents, knock them off course, and get further ahead. The game play is fun too because you are drafting dice to figure out what your movement is. It’s a good game that can probably be played with all ages.

Not Available

88. King of Tokyo

A classic game at this point, King of Tokyo is about all those monsters you know the names of hitting each other to get into Tokyo. Granted none of the monsters are actually named right because of licensing costs. But this is a great game that uses the Yahtzee style mechanic of rolling dice, keeping, and then rolling up to twice more. You can win by knocking out the other monsters, the most fun way, or by points. This is a game I don’t always pull out, but when I do, it’s a good time.

Buy On Coolstuff Inc

87. Tokyo Highway

Keeping on the theme of Tokyo, we have Tokyo Highway. A game that is as much a piece of art as it is a game. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a game there, but when you finish playing it looks amazing. In this game you build highways through Tokyo while going over and under other roads. The trick is you can only raise or lower your road by one each time, and can’t touch the table with your road. If you go over or under another road you get to put out cars, but that’s harder because you can’t touch the other roads or knock them over. A fun and beautiful dexterity game.

Buy on Miniature Market

86. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle

Not even the first deck builder on my list, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle is one of the easier ones to teach. First there is the theme that makes it easier to get to the table, people know Harry Potter. And a lot of people love Harry Potter. So it’s something that people can jump into as they know the spells and characters you add to your deck. And the game grows and progresses the further you play into it. Even just playing the first book several times, it’s a fun game that is very accessible.

Buy on Amazon

85. Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game

This is the zombie survival game in the lines of The Walking Dead. Yes, you have to kill zombies in the game, but it’s about how you can work together as players while still trying to complete your own secret objective. That part of the game is good, but where it really shires is the Crossroads cards. These offer you challenging decisions as to if you rescue someone or not because that means another mouth to feed. I do house rule this one by drawing two Crossroads cards. Only one can happen, but it means that they happen more often.

Buy on Miniature Market

84. Silver

This game is tricky to explain, but not that hard to play. In the game you are drawing a card and deciding what to do with it, do you add it to your village or discard it for a power. The interesting bit is that you have a village of five in front of you but the cards are face down. At the beginning of each of the four rounds, you look at two of them. So you need to figure out ways to see your other cards, or maybe swap them blindly. And to get rid of cards completely so you have the lowest score. Good little take that type of game.

Buy on Amazon

83. Hues and Cues

There are a few party games on my list, but this one wasn’t there last year because I had yet to play it. It’s a game about trying to get people to guess a color. But you first give a one word clue and then a two word clue. As the person giving the clue, you get points for more people getting close or the right guess. And for the guessers you want to get close because that gives you points. Giving clues to guess colors is definitely different and feels unique for a party game.

Buy on Amazon

82. Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure Game

Clank! A Deck Building Adventure Game I own but I haven’t played my copy. I have played on Table Top Simulator on Steam and had a blast with it. It’s a great push your luck deck building game.

You delve into a dungeon to steal a dragon’s treasure. But as you go through the dungeon you make noise and clank. When the dragon awakens he draws from a bag that has your clank and others. If too much is drawn you die. But if you can get in and then get back out with the best treasure and most points, or the other players die, you can win the game. It’s light goofy and fun. And I really need to play Clank! Legacy.

Buy on Miniature Market

81. Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension

This is an odd game, it is fairly abstract but challenging and fun. Gravwell, I’m not doing the full title, has you sucked into another dimension and trying to escape back home before the portal closes. All while there is a black hole you don’t want to get sucked into. You are also out of your normal fuel, it’s not a good day. So you play down different elements as your fuel.

And this is where the game gets odd because some fuel pulls you towards the closest ship, some push you away and some draw ships towards you. Plus, every player plays down an element at the same time and they activate in alphabetical order. So if you play a later letter, like P let’s say, that might move you a long way towards the closest ship, but will that be the right direction when you get to activate. Silly game with a great and different mechanic to it.

Buy On Miniature Market

The Next Ten

So there we have it, we’re 20 games in between the two weeks. And every time I do the list I come up with a game I want to play And I come up with a game I think was too low.

If you want to join in on the next 10 live, you can do that on Wednesday September 29th at 8 PM Central Time. And then all the rest of the Wednesday’s up through November 17th. That’s over on the Malts and Meeples YouTube Channel. Subscribe and click the notification bell so you know when I go live.

And let me know which of these 10 is your favorite and which one do you want to try?

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Pros

• Solo Play
• Story Driven
• Aesthetic

Cons

• Solo, kind of two player
• Price

The Page

This page looks very solid. Not a major Kickstarter company but one that’s clearly run a successful one before. It really helps the the artwork stands out so nicely. Mainly because the artwork feels to unique. In a sea of minis, monsters, and darkness, this has almost a classic penning look to it that feels refreshing.

Now, price, I talk about that a little bit. This is a game where it’ll be about $55 for 400 cards and some dice. The dice look nice, but still, with shipping that’s fairly steep. Don’t get me wrong, the price is fair. There is a ton of artwork, there is a ton of story that goes into it. As someone who writes, I know how long writing can take at times. It is just a harder sell because of the price and shipping. And I also get that shipping is really expensive right now to add to that as well.

The Game

The game looks like loads of fun to me. I love story driven games, and this one with the artwork looks so unique. I like that you make choices, do challenges, and that pushed you through the story. Unlike, it seems from an overview I watched, you don’t go back up in the deck, so every card you miss is story element that you can come back to and play with later. This is great because it makes it replayable.

I want to compare this to Choose Your Own Adventure: House of Danger, for that reason. In that game, sure, I didn’t go through every card in a chapter, but as much as you bounce around and explore, you go back up and down in the deck. I love that this gives the visual representation of how much you’ve missed. I don’t know what percentage of the first chapter I’ve seen of House of Danger, I will for this.

The use of the dice also seems interesting. Jesse from Quackalope was talking about how different combats will use dice in different ways. And while you do roll dice, there are ways to mitigate them, seemingly, or different ways to use them. That means it is a random element, but also a strategic element to a game. I hope that they are light and fast to play with.

Back Or Brick

Right now I haven’t decided. I want to back it, and I want to get Spire’s End. Mainly because I love the artwork and this is the type of solo game that is easy to pullout and play. There is little to no set-up, I can just sit down and play through a chapter. But it also isn’t the cheapest out there. House of Danger was because it was from an established company and a bigger run, so better value for me. With this, I feel like the story is going to be better. Right now I think it’ll be a Brick for me with the likes of Divinus and Slay the Spire coming up, but I’m keeping an eye on it.

How about for you, is this game a back or a brick?

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Pros

• The Art and Aesthetic
• Cooperative and Solo Play
• Grimoire Edition

Cons

• The Price
• Minis

The Page

They do a really good job on this page. I can find basically everything I want right away and I’ve actually watched a little bit of talk about the game already over on BoardGameCo and Quackalope. So they did a good job of getting information and prototypes out with this game, now I’ll address some of what I think on game play later.

I also really like that there are two versions of the game. The Grimoire version is by far cooler looking but also more expensive. And that is going to be one thing that I will knock the game on. This game has a few minis, but the minis aren’t that impressive. Now, not all games need impressive minis and from what I know of this game, you don’t need the minis at all. Try and save some money if they can and if it’s cheaper to go completely with standees and without minis.

Why the standard even has any minis is a question to me. I get Grimoire, you want to add more than just a fancy box. But the standard edition isn’t cheap, over $100 with shipping. Now, I have paid way more for a game, but from the reviews and previews, this game feels lighter. And with it being compared to 7th Continent, I wish less money had been put into minis.

The Game

The game itself sounds interesting. BoardGameCo and Quackalope referred to it as a point and click adventure. You go to locations, you have an image of that location and then you get to play cards to do actions at the location. I like that concept in theory.

What worries me a little bit about the game is that they talk about how you don’t really know what you need to do. You interact with a Goblin it’d be nice to have some visual clues as to what the Goblin is going to do if you don’t kill them. Like they said, you are playing a prototype, so it’s hard to know.

Back or Brick

For me, this one is going to be a Brick on the Back and Brick scale. I love the artwork in this game, I think that there are things that look interesting. But I just don’t know. They talk about it being massively replayable, it might be. I worry that the main focus of the game and what you are doing each time won’t be that interesting. I love good card play, but I’m a little bit worried that the card play is going to feel fairly similar after several turns, let alone several playthroughs.

How about for you, is Soul Raiders a Back or a Brick?

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Art Work

Normally I talk about artwork and things like that, you can get posters from the shows, but I recommend hitting up something like Etsy, because you are going to find some interesting and unique art there. While actual official pictures are cool, something that could be more personalized is going to be artwork from their favorite show that someone has custom created, or I know that people will often to artwork from the manga as well, or create artwork by using panels of the manga, so I’d definitely snoop around on Etsy. With this, it is important to know what their favorite show is, but honestly, that’s going to be the case with almost all of the suggestions that I have.

Dagashi Subscription Box

This one is a bit out there, and might not be for all anime fans, but if they like Japanese culture as well, it is a great idea, and it’s something that is related to what they like a lot anyways. And it really allows someone to dive a bit more into the culture of Japan in a fun way, and just see what some different and new things are. The nice thing is you don’t need to get them a reoccurring subscription, you can buy a one off box, or there are sellers on Etsy who sell bundles of dagashi as well. I’d lean towards one of the mass market boxes versus off of Etsy, just so you know how fresh everything is, but it’s a fun and different idea.

Figures

I could call them action figures, but some of them are just kind of figures. Again, knowing their favorite anime is important here. You can probably find a figure from most anime, though it might be Funko or it might cost an arm and a leg, but knowing what some of their favorites will allow you to get something they for sure will like. And there are a few different types you can look at getting, Funko is a great option, I consider it kind of an office option, those will be great for having in your home office in the background or in your office cubicle without them being too risky. But there are more impressive posed ones, like I have a nice Kirito one from Sword Art Online that would just stand out too much in an office, but on display in a bedroom, home office, movie/family room area, it’d be great and it’s a great addition to my game room.

Collectors Editions

I’ve talked about this so often before, but generally, not a great idea to get something like a show or a movie or a book or a game for someone who loves those things because they might already have it. I’m pretty sure with my game and movie collection my wife would think twice and have to spend some time figuring out what I don’t have. The same goes for someone who has an anime collection, however, the collectors editions of an anime, those are something that people might be slightly less apt to pick up, spend $50-100 on one anime, or get five anime for that same price, most of the time people will pick the quantity, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t want the quality. So get them the quality and let them enjoy their anime in an awesome collectors edition that is kind of focal point for their collection, versus just another piece of it.

Flair

This is a pretty wide open category, kind of like art, but I think compared to art, this one is going to be something that more anime fans will really like. It’s a subtle way to show off your fandom everywhere, without it taking up wall space, which might be limited. By flair, of course I am meaning stuff like buttons in Office Space, but not just that, enamel pins, decals for a car window, stickers that you can put on a laptop, a little figure for a keychain. Any of those items that give a little pop of fandom without making it overbearing or too obvious. Even things like ear rings would work well because it’s something that can be subtle but people who know will know. And as we know from Office Space, you can never have too much flair and in fact more is better. Plus, these can be really unique items, which is awesome, compared to something like a Funko which is a great way to show a fandom, but more main stream.

Now, there’s a whole lot more in the way of options. I mentioned dagashi subscription boxes, but there are anime ones as well. The downside to those is that what’s in them might be hit or miss for the anime fan. So instead, I like to leave it more focused, there is also apparel, but that’s also risky trying to get a size or style right, so generally I’d skip clothing. And if you know them really well, an anime would work, or you could pay for a year long subscription to one of the anime streaming services like VRV, Crunchyroll, or Funimation.

Alright, a lot of Holiday Lists in the bag, hopefully there is some cross over for you with the loved nerds in your life that you’ll be able to use.

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Pros

• Based off of an existing game world
• Established Company
• Fun theme
• Fun artwork
• Tile Drafting

Cons

• Same world, very different game
• Set collection

The Page

Brotherwise is a company that’s done several successful Kickstarters before, so they know what they are doing. I like that you get a good idea of what the game is pretty quickly into the page as they talk about the theme and the rules. I think that they really lay stuff out in a nice order. Shipping for the game is really good as well.

Overall, it’s a clean looking page, and because it doesn’t have minis, it doesn’t bog down in a ton of images of minis and make it a slog to scroll through at times to find the game play.

Back or Brick

I have Boss Monster on my shelf and I like it for the old school eight bit artwork and just the fun theme of the game. Being the monster at the end of the dungeon is great, though, there are some rough spots for the game, mainly, I think that building the dungeon can be a little bit goofy. When I saw this game, I hoped that they had done a tile drafting version of basically the same game, where you could build out your dungeon, but just in a cooler layout with some more mechanically interesting choices.

Instead you’re basically making a set collection sort of game as you take over the eight bit world. I still like the artwork on the game, but set collection isn’t as cool and doesn’t feel as thematic as the other game. I want to have the heroes still questing and being able to take them down for points. I would love to see a Boss Monster 2.0 with some slightly cleaned up rules using drafting and tile laying instead of the random card draw for building your dungeon. So for me, this is a brick, it just seems like this new “theme” isn’t nearly as much of a theme and it’ll feel more mechanical. It’s one that I’d definitely try, but can’t just back it.

How about for you, is this a game a back or a brick?

Share questions, ideas for articles, or comments with us!

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To start out with, there is one thing that I really look for in a game, though not every game, but Theme is extremely important to me. Theme helps me get immersed in the game, and while I really can lean into tactics of the game and the strategy, without a good theme, though, I’m less likely to pick up again, and if the theme doesn’t come through, I’m not that likely to continue playing a game. If it’s just a puzzle, once I’ve figured out the puzzle, even if that puzzle is variable, I’m less interested in playing it again. That’s a lot of the reason that I don’t like Dominion. You are just finding the puzzle in the collection of random cards you’re going with, and that’s it. The theme could be about trading coins and it wouldn’t make a difference for the game.

And within theme, there are certain things that I’m apt to be more interested in. I’m a huge fan of Fantasy, Horror, and Sci-Fi. Thankfully, there are a ton of games with those themes. Now, let me say, I’m not a fan of Medieval games with a light fantasy sprinkling on it, but really you’re trading cubes. I want fantasy, and I like a slightly darker fantasy. Things like Gloomhaven and Sword and Sorcery, yes, they are epic fantasy, but they have some odd things going on that don’t just make it the standard heroes rushing in and smashing everything. I’m excited to get games like Apocrypha to the table, because it’s a dark urban fantasy setting. And with horror, while I don’t mind something like zombie horror, I prefer that Lovecraftian style of horror or campy horror. Which, isn’t always the best, because Kristen claims I don’t need 8 different Lovecraft horror games, I suspect that’s wrong, but I also don’t get all of them to the table that often. With Sci-Fi, I don’t know that I have any subset that I love more than others, I think that I have a harder time finding Sci-Fi games that really excite me because a lot of them can end up being cube pushers, and I’m really looking for that theme or that continuing story.

That’s another big thing that I really like, I like Story Based games. Now, that can fall into a few different categories. There are games where you are playing a one off story/scenario where you have an objective that you’re trying to complete. I find that sort of game okay. It’s definitely not my preferred type, but if the scenario is strong, I’m cool with that. I prefer campaign or legacy style games. Now, not all legacy games are story based but they often still keep the pretense. Charterstone which is a fun game theoretically has a story, but in reality, it’s the loosest of threads holding it together. And I’m going to say that I prefer campaign games where you don’t end up destroying stuff, because I have a couple of copies of Pandemic Legacy Season 1 that I had a blast playing and I’m not sure I want to get rid of, but what am I going to do with them? I should just harvest them for parts. Thankfully, there are a ton of campaign games out there, and now there are more legacy games that once you’re done with them, you can continue playing them. Charterstone is a great example of this, but there’s also games like Betrayal Legacy, Aeon’s End Legacy, and Clank! Legacy that allow you to continue playing them. And while I’m less likely to play them once the main story is done, it’s nice that it’s not just a one time investment.

Now, I mention that Charterstone doesn’t have much story to it, and I don’t think it really has much theme to it, but if the theme is light, there are ways to make it feel like more than it actually is. The biggest way to do that, and another thing that makes me interested in a game is Great Artwork/Bits and Charterstone has both of these. The art is consistent and nice and you feel the lightness of the world that Stonemaier Games created through the artwork is great. And the coins in there are amazing, and the little tuck boxes and magnetic boxes are nice in the game. So those aesthetic pieces are very important. Or there are games like Clank! In! Space! where there are some nice pieces, but the cards don’t have the best artwork, but I like it because the art references something and sometimes you just want to figure out what the joke is that is on the card. Another example of a game that has great pieces but not a great story/theme is Century: Golem Edition where it’s a good engine building game, but there’s no theme. The art is just amazing and the pieces, the coins and gems and gem cases are great. That game just looks good on the table.

When a game is that more abstract style, I can enjoy heavy strategy games, but I tend not to be great at thinking five turns ahead or twenty to the end of the game, so I don’t always do the best, I might think two turns ahead, So for those more abstract games, I prefer Family Weight games. And I have a lot of family weight games in my collection, some that are more introductory games like Catan, Ticket to Ride and Carcassone, but there are some very abstracted ones like Photosynthesis and Century: Golem Edition that I have as well. Now, Photosynthesis is probably heavier than family weight, but go back to that aesthetic paragraph, that’s where it belongs. But Century: Golem Edition is a great example of a game that is a family weight strategy game that looks amazing and is very abstracted away from the looks. Like, why does it matter that you’re getting gems to trade gems, but the strategy is still simple enough that it’s fun and I can pull it out with any group. Sagrada is another game like that. And there are reasons why I have Azul over Sagrada and that’s because the theme, while not there, is easier to sell than Azul, even to myself.

I haven’t even touched on mechanics, and really I’m cool with a lot of mechanics. I like Area Control, Cooperative, Deck Building, Action Points, Engine Building, Drafting and so many more I’m sure. But if I were to pick one that stands out above the others that I love, that would be Variable Player Powers. I love it when I have a character that does something slightly different than other people. Some of the reason that I like it so much is that it allows me to be slightly different and unique than everyone else in the game. And it means that I have to think about my strategy in a slightly different way than everyone else. That means that every time that I play the game the game is going to feel different or could feel different. I enjoy it when it’s fully asymmetric like Root or Cry Havoc, but those are harder to teach because they can be completely different as to how you play. So games like Small World where you have different races and powers that get put together, that’s great because you feel unique multiple times during the game. Though, that makes the game very light in Small World, so games where you have one that you’re playing with throughout the game is great, that’s one thing I love in Xenoshyft: Onslaught, because I have a unique starting deck and unique powers throughout the game.

Now, that’s a lot of information, but I wanted to write this because of my TableTopTakes for Dominion yesterday and just thinking about some of the responses from Board Game Geek that I got when posting it there. Some very good ones and some that basically just said, “You’re wrong in every sentence” without providing any reasoning for saying that. When I do a review and give my ratings, I try and think about the game as to why someone might like it as well, and while a grade will suffer if I don’t like it, I try to base it on more than just that. And really, I do like most games, there are just some that I’m going to gravitate towards and overlook flaws in the game because it’s my type of game. Plus, there are some games that I’ll read a 30 page rule book for because it’s my type of game and if it’s not my type of game, I’m less apt to get it.

Hopefully that helps clear up some of why I don’t like Dominion or why I love some games that might be less popular, Xenoshyft: Onslaught for example. Obviously, everyone is going to have their preferences and I hope that I can somewhat divorce myself from mine when I look at a game, but that’s certainly not possible to fully do. But beyond that, I’m curious to know what other people look for when they look to buy a game or what intrigues you about a game to get you to pick it up?

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In 2016, we:

• Made it to episode 50 on Dungeons & Flagons
• Started doing book and TV show reviews
• Started the “Have You Heard Of…” series
• Went to CONvergence together for the second year in a row and did our most epic cosplay to date
• Had our first AcadeCon experience
• Tried NaNoWriMo again (and didn’t win…maybe next time!)
• Tried out TONS of new board games

And even more! I’ll let Peder talk more about some of the things he started up this year, but as you can see, we’ve been a busy couple of nerds. And we have even more in the pipeline for this year! Beyond the new movies and games coming out this year that we’re already stoked to write about (Star Wars and Marvel and Netflix, oh my!), we’ve both started some new things recently that we’re looking forward to diving into even more in 2017.

And along with these new things comes a bunch of nerdy new years’ resolutions (the best kind, obvs, and probably the easiest to stick with). Here are a few of mine

• Hone my newly acquired amigurumi (crocheted plushie) skills
• Try my hand at selling my crafts and artwork at a convention, at a craft show, and/or online
• Make more stuff!
• Finally finish Skyward Sword and start playing Dragon Age
• Try out more low-key (Loki? Nah, not this time) cosplay this year
• Read through more of the books I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time
• Go to more movies
• Step outside my comfort zone and GM a Cold Steel Wardens session (even if it’s just a one-shot)
• Have a couple of movie and/or TV show marathons
• Play another legacy board game after we’re through with Pandemic (and more new board games in general!)
• Continue our biweekly game nights at Insight Brewery

So there you have it! Like I said, we’ve got a busy year ahead of us, but I can’t wait to get going. These are just a few of the things I hope to do in the new year (and now that they’re documented, I guess I’m going to have to stick to them!) — what are you hoping to accomplish in 2017? Do you have your own list of nerdy resolutions? We hope you’ll tell us about them in the comments!

And we especially hope you’ll stick around and join us for our nerdy shenanigans this year. Best wishes to you all for a fantastic and geeky 2017!

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There are lots of great ways to take advantage of the great weather while engaging in glorious nerdery at the same time — here are a few ideas!

Taking indoor activities outside

This is one of my favorite on the list, because it’s the best of both worlds–you get to do something you love doing all year round, but you also get to soak in the warmth and sun at the same time! Grab a book and a quilt and read in the yard for a while; bring your laptop outside and get to work on your latest story; take your sketchbook to a pretty spot and do some drawing; even have a backyard movie screening — this can be as simple as watching something on Netflix with a friend, or setting up a projector and screen and having your own outdoor movie theater!

Outdoor role-playing games

This type of activity is generally for the more committed nerds among us, but can yield lots of fun possibilities! Summer is the best time for those of you who are into LARPing (Live Action Role-Playing), Belegarth (a type of role-play that involves fighting with homemade foam weapons), and the like. You and your D&D group could find a spot in a park to run your next session, or even have a session on a camping trip, like we and our other two Dungeons & Flagons players did last summer!

Cosplay groups

If you’re part of a fan group that sometimes takes part in cosplay, consider planning or attending a cosplay outing, or even just having a fun hangout time in the park with your group! It’s always great to have another good excuse to cosplay, and doing so with your group in a public spot can lead to some fun conversations with passersby, and maybe even a chance to do a little role-playing! When I was at the zoo last week, I saw an anime group having an event like this in a nearby park, cosplay and all, and it looked like such a great time!

Attend a festival or outdoor convention

If you do a little looking and asking around, I bet you’ll find that there are lots of this type of event near you! Things like your local Renaissance Festival, art shows, cultural festivals (Peder’s and my favorite is Obon, a Japanese lantern-lighting festival held in a nearby park every August), or outdoor events promoting a movie release or other nerdy event, are great ways to enjoy some time outside with fellow nerds. These are often great chances to dress up as well, whether it’s in Renaissance garb, traditional dress (like yukatas at Obon! I still want to do this…), or good ol’ fashioned cosplay. Just come prepared to get a little extra-warm if you do dress up!

Pokemon Go!

Obviously I had to mention this one! This uber-popular game has taken over pretty much everywhere, and when you see someone walking around with phone in hand, there’s a really good chance they’re trying to catch ’em all. Not only is the game a great excuse to get outside and go for a nice walk, it’s also inspired a lot of meetups in parks and other public spaces; game players come by the thousands to catch Pokemon together and meet other players. And I have to say, with all the stuff that’s been going on recently, it sure is wonderful and refreshing to see tons of people, sometimes with very little in common, bonding over something as simple as a fun new game.

These are just a few fun ideas to inspire you to enjoy some outdoor nerding, but there are many more possibilities! What’s your favorite nerdy activity to do outside? What new activity would you like to try out?

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