Why Go Through This Crowdfunding?

I think that it is interesting, every now and again to look back at what I’ve backed. And there are a number of games out there. But the interest is often tied to how my gaming tastes have changed. What did I back on Kickstarter when I started in 2014 and what am I backing now.

It provides an interesting opportunity to see that growth. Normally, you get a game and it leaves and there is no way to track it. I could go through Amazon, CoolStuffInc, and Miniature Market Purchases, but a lot of those are more recent. Kickstarter and now Gamefound give you a history of what you’ve backed over that longer period of time.

Plus Jesse from Quackalope went through his backing history, shorter, but larger than mine, with Devon from Devon Talks Tabletop. He had something like 225 games to go through and that’s almost a five hour video. I should have known that mine would take longer than it did. I thought probably two hours would be enough, it is not.

The Drink

Last nights drink was a Negroni. Back to a classic for me. I really like the flavor and it is a good summer drink. With how large I made it, I wish I’d started streaming and sipping on it sooner, but the flavor is always good. It’s also a nice mixed drink to make because it’s a 1 to 1 to 1 ratio with gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari.

Upcoming Streams

So, clearly I have some more to talk about here with Kickstarter and Gamefound. My hope is that it’ll be about an hour and a half to finish up with no thunderstorms. So that is going to be on Monday at 8:30. Then on Wednesday, I plan on playing some more Paper Dungeons. Like I said, I want to get through that campaign. While I am working on an idea for a bigger game in the roll and write campaign space, you can see my Designer Diary here, I want to finish off the one that I already have.

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BoardGameTables.com Order

So this is the one that’s Foster the Meeple’s fault. Two games only, and that actually takes me to the point where I’ll have the games I want from BoardGameTables.com (which does make board game tables, but also board games, guess which one cam first).

QE

QE is a game where you are bidding however much you want to buy a company. The interesting thing about that is that you can bid however much you want. If I want to bid 120 trillion, I can bid that, if I want to go higher, I can do that. It does have a twist, though, in that the person who bids the most, well, they are automatically out of the running to win. So the prices are likely going to get crazy, but you can’t be too crazy. It seems like it shouldn’t work, but also, everyone who plays it likes it or loves it, so I want to play it.

Ghosts of Christmas

Foster the Meeple are the ones who pushed this over the edge for me, in terms of reminding me about it. But BoardGameCo was the one who brought it onto the radar. This is a trick taking game where you play tricks in the past, present, and future. And you can play to whichever trick you want in whichever order. Only once all are full does the winner get determined. And the trump suit can change on tricks, so it sounds mind bending but really interesting.

Kolossal Games Kind Of Order

So, I ordered these games from Kolossal because it’s about the first spot I’ve seen them available in the US. The games themselves aren’t put out by Kolossal, instead by Chilifox Games out of Norway. It’s a new game company, so limited distribution in the United States, but the two games I know of theirs are really interesting to me, so I wanted to grab them while I had the chance.

Riverside

Riverside is going to be roll and write game. But it has more going on than that. There’s not only the roll and write portion of the game, but also a little board that determines where the boat is on the river. Players are trying to take passengers on tours, drop them off at the right places, and score points. But that extra element of the river and boat position make it feel like a different sort of roll and write game than a lot out there.

Doodle Dash

This is a very different type of game than Riverside. Doodle Dash is going to be a straight up party game. In it, one person is the guesser and everyone else tries to draw a picture as fast as possible, based off of a word, for the guesser to get. But the fastest person gets to show their picture first, and then next fastest. And that second fastest player is rolling a die to limit how much time the rest of the players are going to get to finish their drawing. So there is a benefit to being fast if you can get the word across in a simple drawing. Seems like good chaotic fun for a party game.

All Systems Go

I like to call out the local game stores that I go to, and most of the time it is going to be All Systems Go. I generally trade in my games there, and while I didn’t this time. I did pick up one thing there.

Marvel Champions: Sinister Motives

I basically get all my Marvel Champions stuff from ASG (All Systems Go) and they know to set aside for me every time. Sinister Motives is going to give more Spider-Man characters, both heroes and villains to play as or against. And it’s just more content for Marvel Champions. Why do I keep buy it, because I love Marvel, I love the variety of characters you can play as and villains you can play against. And I really like the game. But it is one that I’m soon going to have to consider how much I want, because I don’t play it enough. The answer, though, is that I probably will want it all.

Miniature Market Orders

I will say, it wasn’t my plan to have two orders that were close to one another from Miniature Market. But it just happened to workout that way. In particular, I can blame another YouTube channel, Quackalope for me getting the second order. Jesse and Devon, from Devon Talks Tabletop, did a solo game list, and there was one I wanted to get immediately upon hearing about it.

Res Arcana: Perlae Imperii Expansion

This is more content for Res Arcana. I haven’t gone through all the content that I have for the game, but I already know that I want more. And the expansions are not always the easiest to find. Res Arcana is an engine building game where you are building an engine off of eight cards. And you don’t add more cards to your engine. Maybe you get a monument, but often those just offer a one time effect. So how do you build the most productive engine you can from those cards. Not sure that Perlae Imperii adds, but hopefully more of what’s already there.

Railroad Ink Challenge: Engineer Expansion

A mini expansion for Railroad Ink Challenge. This is basically some extra dice that you can use that mess up the board as you go. I don’t know specifically what the Engineer Expansion adds, it is just the last one that I didn’t have, so I wanted to grab it.

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game 2nd Edition

I’ve played the original version of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and I want to try this new one. Plus, I might have picked up some of the 1st edition, so I can compare. But I’ll talk about that soon. I’m hoping that this makes the game a bit smoother to play, but we’ll see. And I just like the fantasy setting and the interesting cooperative nature and card play in the original game.

Radlands

This is one that I don’t regret but also slightly regret getting. I regret getting it because it’s a small two player game, will I play it over Hanamikoji. On the flip side, it’s from Roxley, I like their stuff. And the artwork on the game is amazing. But I don’t know if Radlands is going to be one that’s easy enough to table often. I am excited to try it though.

Clank! Expeditions: Temple of the Ape Lords

An expansion for Clank!. I don’t know what this one adds in exactly. I’m assuming that it’s just going to tweak how the base game plays and add in some apes. I need to play Clank! some more before I add any more expansions to my collection.

Black Sonata

This is the one that Devon was talking about in the video I mentioned. I love the concept of this game. It’s a solo only hidden movement, deduction game. That sounds so crazy to be able to do as a solo game, but it works well. I’ve already gotten my copy and played it twice. Plus I picked up the Fair Youth expansion as well, so that adds in more or a new way to play the game as well. But the base game is going to keep my busy for a little while.

Amazon Order

Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackle

I said I was getting some of the first edition of Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, and Skull & Shackles was the base set I landed on. This one is going to be a pirate based theme, which I like, and use the standard Pathfinder Adventure Card Game system. I picked this one up for comparison purposes, and I hope that I really like it because there are expansions I could get as well.

Coconuts

For something completely different, Coconuts is a dexterity based game. You use monkeys to launch coconuts into cups to try and get a certain number of cups stacked up. The whole point of this is to be a silly fun game. I had a chance to mess around with it a tiny bit at GenCon in 2019, and it’s a fun one. It’ll not get played for a little bit, unless I do it on the table, because kittens will most certainly chase and play with flying coconuts.

Crowdfunding

So there are a lot to talk about, seven in fact. Most of them are going to be pretty small ones because, well, I’ve been trying to do some backing of little roll and write games that are print and play. When a game is $5, for a print and play, and I get it immediately, I want to support the creators because it’s a cool way to get games out there.

Kaikoro

Kaikoro is one of those print and play roll and write games. The game doesn’t seem too complex, you try and keep Kaiju from destroying a city. That theme and the artwork are the selling point, but it’s also a $5 game that I can print, laminate, and play as much as I want.

The Dark Quarter

The Dark Quarter is most definitely not a roll and write game or a print and play. You can see a lot of that here. I think the system is fascinating that it is using. And I really like the dark/mature supernatural, monsters theme that Van Ryder is bringing to the system. For me this was an easy back.

Fortress of Terror

Back to more print and play roll and writes. This one is another $5 that has a fair amount of content with it now. But it looks interesting, almost a bit of a dungeon crawl nature to it, or exploration, something like that. So I’m curious about it, and the system that is being used for the game, it seems like an interesting one that could be fun to play.

Paper Railroad

Another print and play, this one is going to be a route building train game, I believe, with some pick-up and deliver elements thrown in as well. The route building might be secondary to the farming and getting farm rewards and shipping out those things. So I’m curious to see how it is for a roll and write. But it was $6, so one to back that I want to mess around with.

Pestilence – Escape the Plague

The final print and play roll and write game on the list. This one has the most interesting theme for me, or up there with Kaiju. The black plague is rolling through, and you are trapped in the city. You need to make connections, build up reputation and avoid the kings guard to get out of the city. That just seems so different, there are other games about the black plague, but to do a roll and write on it, it’s a different than normal theme.

For Northwood!

Speaking of something that is a bit different. For Northwood! is definitely a unique game. For Northwood is a solo trick taking game. That immediately caught my attention. Add in that it’s pretty cheap, it’s just over a deck of cards, I’m curious about it. They company is also the one that has done or distributed other solo games that I like, like Orchard and Black Sonata.

Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies

Finally, Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies from Red Raven Games just launched this week. If you want to read more about it, you can do so here. But I loved my play through of Sleeping Gods, and Distant Skies seems to build upon that system. And while I didn’t have an issue with Sleeping Gods for solo play, this seems like even simpler solo play. Plus some changes to combat as well, which I was fine with combat. But I’m super stoked for this one.

Final Thoughts

So what am I most excited for, well, Sleeping Gods: Distant Skies and The Dark Quarter. But those two are coming in a while. Same with For Northwood!. So of the stuff that I’ve gotten, or is coming much sooner, what do I want to play? I really want to try and compared both of the Pathfinder Adventure Card Games. They can be played solo, so I think I’ll be tackling them soon. Maybe I’ll even stream some over on Malts and Meeples coming up here.

Which would you want to play first?

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What Is Alpha Gaming?

Alpha Gaming is when one player at the table, and generally in cooperative games, is taking over the game. By that I mean, it is your turn, and this player is telling you what to do. It is your turn and they are playing it. This can be as little as telling you what the optimal play is, to as much as telling and then moving your pieces and playing your cards for you.

More simply put is alpha gaming is stepping on the agency of another player to play the game.

Is Alpha Gaming A Cooperative Game Problem?

So this is where it gets to be a little bit trickier. There are games out there that help so that alpha gaming isn’t a problem. The Lost Expedition, you can’t discuss the cards in your hand. Say Bye To the Villains and Gloomhaven don’t let you give specifics. So cooperative games are looking to solve the problem, but alpha gaming isn’t a problem of the game.

Alpha gaming is a problem of the player(s) at the table. When you play a cooperative game, one person might know it better. And that person might take over the game, but that is a choice that player makes. The game isn’t making them tell people what the optimal play is.in their eyes. The game isn’t making them try and play the game by themselves. That is on the player.

So Why Does Alpha Gaming Happen?

It can happen for a few different reasons in my opinion. And I don’t think my list here is every reason that it might be. I also think for a lot of alpha gamers, it is going to be a combination of these.

• The Need To Win
• They Need To Be Heard
• The Need To Go Fast
• They Know The Game The Best

The Need To Win

This one is probably the most simple and obvious. Some players, playing a game is about winning. They don’t care as much about the time at the table with friends. They don’t care as much about the experience. A game is meant to be defeated. And if they believe they have an optimal strategy, they are going to say it.

How To Change:

This one is tricky, because inherently most games have a win condition. I say most because I know of one game where it’s more like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. But many gamers don’t realize they have this drive to win or that it’s taking over the table. So a conversation after a game night, or before, with an alpha gamer, and just let them know. If they are there for the experience as well, they should be receptive.

They Need To Be Heard

This alpha gamer doesn’t need to win, they just like to hear themselves talk. It’s a trickier one because this is probably something that is in every part of their life. And it could come from a lot of different places. Some people are just loud and don’t realize that they talk over people. Other people haven’t been heard before and are not compensating for that.

How To Change:

I’m dipping into my Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master experience here. In D&D, I keep and eye on who is talking and who isn’t talking. Some of that is some people like the spotlight more. But when there is a question, a decision to be made, if two people are doing all the talking, and one person isn’t. I’ll ask that person what their thought is, or what their character will do.

This might meant that I interrupt someone else. But the same works at the gaming table. Before the decision is made, if someone is walking over someone’s turn, ask that quiet player what they want to do on their turn. And don’t be rude about it to the person who was talking or dismiss them, but ask what the active player wants to do.

The Need To Go Fast

It might come from the fact that they want to get through the game quickly. They can see a strategy and once they’ve seen it, it’s time to get moving. This might be because of a legitimate time constraint, or it might be that they just want to go fast. So when they see something, some strategy, they expect everyone to see it at the same time. And when things don’t move that fast, they start taking over the game.

How To Change:

This is similar to needing to talk, or my thoughts on that. Shift the focus back away form the person who needs to go fast. Ask the active player what they’ve been thinking about for the turn. Because maybe they have a strategy or idea that the other player hasn’t seen.

And the player who goes fast is probably the one most apt to touch and move pieces. Simply because if they help move stuff, it’ll go faster. In that case, ask them to stop. In the game ask them to stop, point out that it’s the active players turn not theirs and let them do their move. This can be a little bit rude with how you say it, not mean, but make it clear.

They Know The Game The Best

This often happens when the alpha gamer is teaching new players. The idea most of the time behind this isn’t because they feel like they’re smarter than everyone or anything malicious. Instead, they want people to like the game as much as they do. And they taught it, so they’ll point out strategy and the optimal move. Often times this comes also from the idea that winning the game will give the other players a better experience.

How To Change:

This also comes back to asking the active player what they want to do. What moves they are thinking of. But I think this is the one that is easiest for someone to notice when they are alpha gaming. So I have some advice for when you notice yourself doing that.

If someone is taking a while, if someone maybe needs a little prompting, don’t tell someone what to do. Give them options or suggestions. Let’s use Pandemic as an example, if there are four cities with three cubes on and an optimal play you can see is to go to one and clear cubes, don’t point to the one and say, clear cubes here. Say, “Hmmm… we have four cities that we might want to clear cubes off of because they have three.” You just gave them four options of things they can do.

Or give multiple options. “You could clear cubes on one of these four cities, or you could try and meet up with this player to trade a card, or you could go to Lagos and build a research center because you have that card.” There might be an optimal play in there, or even two things that they can do out of that group. But they get to decide. This is something I do in D&D as well, give players a few options if they seem stuck.

Can Everyone Stop Alpha Gaming?

Some people can’t. And for some people that is because cooperative games might not be for them. Not playing a cooperative game isn’t a bad thing. If that is how you avoid alpha gaming, that is perfectly acceptable.

Yes, there are a lot of good cooperative games out there. But there are more good competitive games out there. Why, because more competitive games come out every year than cooperative. So it isn’t like you need to force yourself to stop alpha gaming. You might just need to stop playing cooperative games.

I know I talked about a lot of ways to stop. And maybe there are some ways that you hadn’t thought about before. Or maybe those different reasons, it might help you understand why you do it, or why someone does. But it is something hard to change. And it might not be worth the effort to change, that is on a personal level and a gaming group level.

What Games Help With Alpha Gaming?

There are some times when maybe your group really likes cooperative games. And either you or one person in the group are an alpha gamer. It doesn’t change over night, so there are some games that help with the alpha gaming. What are some that you could maybe try and help curb the alpha gaming with?

The Lost Expedition

In The Lost Expedition you as a group are adventuring to the lost city of Z. You trek in the morning and evening and you do that by playing down cards in a row and then going through those cards. How this helps with the alpha gaming problem is you can’t discuss the cards in your hand. So no one can tell you what card is the right one to play when.

And I think this one is good because when going through those cards, it’s a chance to practice not being an alpha gamer. Everyone leans in and looks at the cards, and discuss as a whole who to get through them. So if you find you have a tendency to alpha game, this game stops you from doing it for part of it, and gives you a chance to practice not in the other half.

Say Bye To The Villains

Like The Lost Expedition, you are limited with how much you can tell people in Say Bye To The Villains. You can trade cards, so I might say that I can help someone a lot with their speed, but I can’t say specifics of how I can do that. It might be that it’s the infinite speed card or a +4 speed. But the game rules prevent that from happening.

This one I think it’s a little easier to slip up on. But the game is also more punishing than The Lost Expedition. So Say Bye to the Villains can work better with that little bit of table talk. But it’d be a nice one where a single person can’t do everything, because some of the information just isn’t available to them. And everyone else following the rule can stop alpha gaming.

Spirit Island

This is one that I haven’t played. But I always hear about this one as a very good one for alpha gamers. Why, because each spirit that you can play is so differently. That means that unless the alpha gamer has played the game so much they know every spirit that they won’t know how they play. And the puzzle for each spirit is fairly complex, so to optimize their own strategy will require effort on their behalf.

This one isn’t as easy for a more casual group. But if you’re heavier into gaming, it’s one that makes a lot of sense. And there are so many spirits, and expansions. So if you ever feel like it’s getting close, just get new spirits and mix them in.

Final Thoughts

Alpha gaming or any negative thing impacts enjoyment are hard to talk about when it comes to gaming. And a lot of the times people don’t realize that they are actively doing it or how to stop. I hope that this is something that helps some people know how to deal with it better.

I think, in the end, most of us want to play games and play games with more people. Alpha gaming can hurt in the development of new gamers. And it’s something that can come from a good place. So, especially with new gamers, if you know you have that tendency, try and hold back. It’s worth taking a loss or two, making less than ideal moves, and setting aside a little bit of your enjoyment for a moment, to find new gamers.

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