One more year to look at in the rearview mirror, and kind of a change in how I see boardgaming—in that I decided to include online plays going forward.
Why the change, when I was pigheadedly against it in my previous yearly reports? The pandemic made me realize there were friends out there with whom I'd only get to play boardgames online (essentially on Board Game Arena). And I thought that, when all was said and done, those interactions should count.
Of course, I also happened to be playing online boardgames with players I did see in person on a regular basis, what with someone launching a game of, say, Great Western Trail and each of us playing a turn or two each day. (Only to launch another one as a matter of fact, when that first game wrapped up, and so on.)
The net result was an uptick in games played, but I knew I was looking at an artificial inflation: I hadn't spent all of that time sitting down face-to-face with family and friends to push cubes around and slap cards on the table.
So I decided to do the only thing I could: split the main stats in two categories.
GAMES
I played 145 different titles (up from 127 in 2022) for a total of 602 plays (better than the previous 380, although a third of the 602 plays were online). I spent 588 hours playing boardgames in 2023, versus 430 hours in 2022, which is quite an improvement, virtual or otherwise: that's 24.5 full days devoted to boardgaming bliss.
Out of those 145 titles, 68 were new to me (slightly up from 62 in 2022), and I ended up playing 15% of my collection (against 17% last year).
Here are the 10 physical games I played the most in 2023:
1. Heat: Pedal to the Metal (27 plays)
F1 racing in its most distilled form, and an absolute thrill. The first expansion (More tracks! More cars!) is coming out in February, and it'll be a great birthday present to myself.
2. Friday (26 plays)
One of the few Friedemann Friese games I truly enjoy, Friday is always good for a fun, short time battling the elements and trying to survive just one more year. Twice I've given away my own copy now: time to order a third one!
3. Arkham Horror: The Card Game (21 plays)
The last two campaigns published for this delicious nightmare were of dubious quality, and so I went back to explore the early volumes anew. I'll still give the next cycle a shot, but if it's as bad as its two predecessors, I'll stop buying new material for the game and just replay what I already own.
4. Combat Commander: Europe (20 plays)
I can't stay away from this tactical take on WWII for long, and it always shows in these end-of-year reckonings. In 2024 I'll have an exciting reason to spend even more time on this gem of a game—more on that soon.
5. Qawale (20 plays)
Despite my undying love of abstract games, they rarely make an appearance in here. Qawale broke the mold in 2023, and for good reason: it's quick, very clever, and offers the most refreshing twist on the old "four in a row" trope since GIPF.
6. Attack Sub (14 plays)
Fast and furious game of Cold War submarine warfare, to which we've made a couple of tweaks to lift it out of its '90s origins and bring it (a little more) into the 21st century. Great closer after a long evening.
7. Sky Team (12 plays)
Considering this brilliant cooperative game—about landing a passenger plane at airports around the world—unfolds in just 15 minutes, it's a real shame I didn't play more of it last year. I promise to do better in 2024.
8. Wing Leader (11 plays)
Still working our way through WWII using this astounding aircraft warfare system, playing scenarios in chronological order; we're coming up on April 1941, with Operation Retribution in Belgrade. All of our aircraft are now equipped with radios, at last!
9. Charioteer (11 plays)
A Roman-themed racing game that's always a blast, and for which I've put together a set of solo rules. Never again play without a full complement of chariots on the track!
10. The Search for Planet X (11 plays)
I really enjoy deduction games but it took me a while to discover this one. Scan the skies and determine where everything is! Great, original stuff.
And these are the 10 virtual boardgames I played the most in 2023.
(These games are here mainly because they're easy to play through online means, so I'll just stick to a dry list.)
1. Memoir '44 (43 plays)
2. Great Western Trail (25 plays)
3. Applejack (24 plays)
4. Qawale (15 plays)
5. Sky Team (14 plays)
6. Patchwork (10 plays)
7. Viticulture (7 plays)
8. Heat: Pedal to the Metal (7 plays)
9. P.I. (6 plays)
10. Azul (5 plays)
PEOPLE
During 2023, I explored the boardgaming world alongside 51 different players, up from 28 the year before. Much better! But also, not all in person; win some, lose some.
Here are the 10 people with whom I played the most face-to-face last year:
1. Jean-Luc S. (140 plays)
2. Suzie D. (88 plays)
3. François P. (39 plays)
4. Héloïse K.L. (25 plays)
5. Gustavo R.A. (21 plays)
6. Serge R. (15 plays)
7. Ophélie K.L. (8 plays)
8. Robert L. (6 plays)
9. William L. (6 plays)
10. Dominick L. (6 plays)
Here are ALL the people with whom I played the most online last year:
1. Fil M. (76 plays)
2. François P. (65 plays)
3. Jean-Luc S. (53 plays)
4. Héloïse K.L. (12 plays)
5. Gustavo R.A. (9 plays)
6. Béatrice V.K. (7 plays)
7. Angelo W. (1 play)
8. Niko S. (1 play)
The GF lost her crown in 2023, and by a wide margin. Will she try to win it back in 2024? We (really meaning *I*) can only hope.
All four kids are on the list(s) again, including Béatrice who's overseas. Hell, even my dad is making an appearance this time around! I'm a lucky man.
LOCATIONS
The number of different places where I played boardgames rose to 17, from a mere 11 in 2022—almost back to pre-pandemic numbers.
43% of my gaming was done at home (compared to 60% in 2022), 32% online, while the rest was scattered all over the neighborhood.
OTHER MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS
My H-index went up, from 8 to 11. Not a mammoth improvement, but I'll take it.
(In this context, my H-index is the number (h) of games which I've played a number (h) of times. So 11 means there are 11 games that I played 11 times each in 2023.)
My self-imposed challenges didn't go great, but I still managed to accomplish the following two:
- Play 5 games 20 times each (the 5x20 challenge)
- Log in 90 wargame plays (I'm jacking this one up to 100 for 2024)
These three ended up in the gutter, though:
- Alphabet challenge (play one game for each letter of the alphabet—so Attack Sub for A, Black Fleet for B, and so on)
I didn't make any effort to complete it but rather watched if "the thing would happen." It didn't, and I'll be happy to drop this particular challenge going forward. - Log in 50 abstract game sessions
I racked up 48 of them and I could just have thrown in two quick things, such as the aforementioned Qawale. I'm an idiot. - 12 x 1 Named Games Challenge
This is where you basically list 12 games that you would like to play in the coming year and, well, you try to get there. I failed. (Only 7 out of 12.)
My very first game of 2023 was a play of the short-but-tense Twilight Struggle: Red Sea with the GF, and I closed out the year with a fun play of No Thanks! that involved my dad. No complaints here.
Out of the games I was looking forward to in 2023, Oranienburger Kanal, Atiwa and Great Western Trail: New Zealand all ended up on my Top 10 list. I never did try Undaunted: Battle of Britain and I don't feel any urgent need to do so: I'm not getting great feedback from friends and acquaintances.
Still no trace of Dutch Resistance; perhaps 2024 will finally make that one a reality. Skyrise is also supposed to show up this year, and that'll be a fun one to dive into. And dare we hope for I, Napoleon?
But enough of maybes.
GMT's Downfall is already set up in the war room and should see some action before long, with The Plum Island Horror not far behind. I'm also very keen on trying my hand at Evacuation by Vladimir Suchy, whose Messina 1347 left quite an impression on me. Next fall will also give us MATRX GIPF, the conclusion to the seminal GIPF Project—and let me tell you that designer Kris Burm didn't keep the easiest one for last.
What are you waiting for? Get boardgaming!
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