Another year has come and gone, and it's time to look back and reflect on all that time spent in the company of cardboard greatness.
GAMES
I played 142 different titles (up from 128 in 2017), for a total of 439 plays (up from 411).
Translated into grains of sands in the hourglass, this means 443 hours spent pushing cubes and defeating pawns with family and friends, or over 18 full days devoted to boardgaming bliss. It used to be higher than this a few years back, but still, it's nothing to spit at.
Out of those 142 titles, a respectable 67 were new to me (up from 53 the previous year). I'm still devoting time to my old favorites, but I can't completely stay away from the shiny new toys.
I played 142 different titles (up from 128 in 2017), for a total of 439 plays (up from 411).
Translated into grains of sands in the hourglass, this means 443 hours spent pushing cubes and defeating pawns with family and friends, or over 18 full days devoted to boardgaming bliss. It used to be higher than this a few years back, but still, it's nothing to spit at.
Out of those 142 titles, a respectable 67 were new to me (up from 53 the previous year). I'm still devoting time to my old favorites, but I can't completely stay away from the shiny new toys.
Here are the top 10 games I played the most in 2018:
1. Combat Commander: Europe (21 plays)
A WWII tactical wargame, and my all-time favorite.
A WWII tactical wargame, and my all-time favorite.
2. Great War Commander (21 plays)
A WWI port of the previous title, which fell rather flat for me. After going through all the scenarios, I ended up getting rid of it.
3. Fields of Arle (15 plays)
A stunning and heavy agricultural game, from the designer of Agricola.
4. Warfighter (12 plays)
A solo wargame of special ops set in modern times; I'm playing through the scenarios and having a hell of a fun time.
5. Brass: Lancashire (11 plays)
The new edition of the classic Martin Wallace design, finally with a look to match its brilliance.
6. Lorenzo Il Magnifico (11 plays)
A variable worker-placement game from that bunch of clever Italians.
7. Memoir '44 (12 plays)
A quick and dirty WWII tactical skirmish, perfect over lunch at work.
8. Scythe (10 plays)
A superb game of resource management, territory control and the occasionl slap in the face.
9. 7 Wonders Duel (10 plays)
The two-player version of 7 Wonders, superior to its predecessor in every aspect.
10. Flamme Rouge (10 plays)
A racing delight that puts all of my other cycling games to shame.
PEOPLE
During 2018, I explored the boardgaming world alongside 65 different players, down from 97 in 2017. Am I becoming some sort of cardboard misanthrope?
So here are the top 10 people with whom I played the most in 2018:
1. Suzie D. (121 plays)
2. Jean-Luc S. (120 plays)
3. François P. (102 plays)
4. Gustavo A. (77 plays)
4. Gustavo A. (77 plays)
5. Ophélie K.L. (22 plays)
6. Pascal G. (20 plays)
7. Niko S. (19 plays)
8. William L. (16 plays)
9. Jonathan P. (15 plays)
10. Christian B. (12 plays)
Sadly, only one of my three daughters (Ophélie) shows up on the list, despite my best efforts (at least the GF and her son are still there). Speaking of which, the GF was my top boardgaming partner for the second year in a row! I'm a very lucky man.
New colleagues are also making an appearance on the end-of-the-year roster, and by the looks of it, they're probably here to stay. The future will certainly tell.
New colleagues are also making an appearance on the end-of-the-year roster, and by the looks of it, they're probably here to stay. The future will certainly tell.
LOCATIONS
While I had played boardgames in 22 different places throughout 2017, I only managed to grace 13 spots with my playful presence in 2018. Not sure this is a good trend.
I'm playing more at home (65%, up from 61% in 2017), about the same as last year in my workplace (12%), and a good 10% in the humble abode of my long-time friend Jean-Luc. The rest pales in comparison.
I'm playing more at home (65%, up from 61% in 2017), about the same as last year in my workplace (12%), and a good 10% in the humble abode of my long-time friend Jean-Luc. The rest pales in comparison.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
My h-index has been 10 for three years in a row—I can't seem to escape that rut.
(In this context, my h-index is the number (h) of games, which I've played a number (h) of times.) In other words, for three years in a row, there are 10 games I played 10 times each. I haven't been able to play 11 games 11 times each since 2014.
At least it makes it possible for me to complete my 10x10 challenge, which is one of the recent obsessions shared by serious boardgamers: play 10 games 10 times within the same year. The intent here is to ward off what people call the cult of the new, where players are only interested in the fresh releases and move on to greener pastures after giving each game just a few tries—sometimes not even venturing beyond a single play.
The voluntary 10x10 challenge forces participants to truly explore a part of their collection, often revealing hidden depths that would otherwise never have surfaced.
For 2019, I've set up a regular 10x10, but also another one populated solely with games by German designer Stefan Feld (my second favorite designer, just behind Martin Wallace). I know full well I'll never complete it—that's not usually how a year of boardgaming turns out—but I'm curious nonetheless to see how far I get.
My favorite game, Combat Commander, currently stands at 414 plays, and I'm still excited about the next time I'll break it out. I wouldn't mind taking the rumored Vietnam version of the system out for a spin, but I doubt any other incarnation will dethrone the original in my meeple-shaped heart.
I had launched 2018 with Age of Industry, a favorite of mine I fear I might never play again now that the new (and better) editions of Brass are finally available; and I ended the year on a light note with Micro Robots. As of this writing, I already have 19 plays under my belt for 2019.
Insanity never rests.
So what am I looking forward to in the coming year?
Two new games in the Commands & Colors series are supposed to see the light of day: Medieval and Samurai Battles. Despite my spending over 500 plays immersed in several C&C titles, I'm always looking forward to the next one.
There's also the new design by the Italian crew, Barrage; a new WWII tactical system called The Last Hundred Yards; the upcoming Vital Lacerda game, On Mars; the card-crafting Edge of Darkness; the Meteo expansion for Flamme Rouge; two new titles from Stefan Feld, Forum Trajanum and Revolution of 1828...
It's going to be a fun ride.
(In this context, my h-index is the number (h) of games, which I've played a number (h) of times.) In other words, for three years in a row, there are 10 games I played 10 times each. I haven't been able to play 11 games 11 times each since 2014.
At least it makes it possible for me to complete my 10x10 challenge, which is one of the recent obsessions shared by serious boardgamers: play 10 games 10 times within the same year. The intent here is to ward off what people call the cult of the new, where players are only interested in the fresh releases and move on to greener pastures after giving each game just a few tries—sometimes not even venturing beyond a single play.
The voluntary 10x10 challenge forces participants to truly explore a part of their collection, often revealing hidden depths that would otherwise never have surfaced.
For 2019, I've set up a regular 10x10, but also another one populated solely with games by German designer Stefan Feld (my second favorite designer, just behind Martin Wallace). I know full well I'll never complete it—that's not usually how a year of boardgaming turns out—but I'm curious nonetheless to see how far I get.
My favorite game, Combat Commander, currently stands at 414 plays, and I'm still excited about the next time I'll break it out. I wouldn't mind taking the rumored Vietnam version of the system out for a spin, but I doubt any other incarnation will dethrone the original in my meeple-shaped heart.
I had launched 2018 with Age of Industry, a favorite of mine I fear I might never play again now that the new (and better) editions of Brass are finally available; and I ended the year on a light note with Micro Robots. As of this writing, I already have 19 plays under my belt for 2019.
Insanity never rests.
So what am I looking forward to in the coming year?
Two new games in the Commands & Colors series are supposed to see the light of day: Medieval and Samurai Battles. Despite my spending over 500 plays immersed in several C&C titles, I'm always looking forward to the next one.
There's also the new design by the Italian crew, Barrage; a new WWII tactical system called The Last Hundred Yards; the upcoming Vital Lacerda game, On Mars; the card-crafting Edge of Darkness; the Meteo expansion for Flamme Rouge; two new titles from Stefan Feld, Forum Trajanum and Revolution of 1828...
It's going to be a fun ride.
A pleasure and a privilege to show up again on your list. I look forward to climbing the ranks as my position is unacceptable.
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