Love is the only word I can use to describe that feeling of Kickstarter. From start to finish, each Kickstarter project has an ever churning level of excitement and anticipation. I’m not the only one, as many games have found massive success through this platform: Scythe, Blood Rage, Rising Sun, Exploding Kittens, and Gloomhaven are among the most elite of Kickstarters. In fact, the top 10 most funded board games on Kickstarter have raised over 61 million dollars with many games nipping at their heels. Last year, 2337 games were successfully funded through Kickstarter. The amount of money this community can muster through its passion is staggering!
This drives my question of why. Why do these Kickstarter projects find so much success? What elements of the human psyche are coming into play here? There must be some reason for these seemingly endless supplies of cash.
The snow is starting to break here in northern Michigan and so is our cabin fever. More gamers are starting to show up for games every week. It shows in last months stats. Let’s take a look.
Today’s introduction is another board gamer who is near and
dear to my heart. We’ve already met Number One. So, today, let’s get to know
Janeway a little bit better. Around here, I call her Janeway, but at home, she
is Abby.
Abby sticking up the competition.
What is your favorite board game, and what do you like about it?
Have you learned anything from playing board games?
That you have to think ahead when you are trying to solve a problem because something may come up that will affect your initial plan.
Do you ever feel that people underestimate you because you are a teenager when they play board games with you?
Yes. Especially if it is someone that I’ve never met or played a game with. I use it to my advantage like holding on to my good cards and act like I don’t totally know what I’m doing, and once they are complacent, I’ll start playing all of my good cards.
Abby with some of the family. (Left)
What is your favorite thing about playing board games with the Traverse City Board Gamers?
Kyle has such a wide variety of games to play, and messing with Kyle because his reactions are so great.
What type of gamer are you?
I think I’m like Eric in that I like to mess with people, but I don’t think I’m as good as he is. I’m not totally out to get people but I do like to mess with them.
What is your greatest achievement in board games?
Probably a time that I’ve beaten Eric.
Where would you like to see TCBG go in the future?
Having more kids and teenagers involved in game night.
Good afternoon board gamers! I was sitting at home the other trying to decide what I wanted to write about. I started thinking about newer trends in board gaming. One of the trends that came to mind is board game cafés. Since I’m not familiar with board game cafés, I reached out to some online friends who either already own and operate a board game café, Kathleen Miller of House Rules in Hudson, NY, or are in the process of starting a board game café, Bill Giles of The Innkeeper’s Table. This blog may be a little longer than normal, but I hope you will find it interesting.
The universe is expansive and endless with a diverse set of occupying lifeforms. In the center of this universe lays the Crucible, an artificial planet pieced together with the remains of innumerable other planets. Archons, god-like occupants of the Crucible, find themselves in an endless struggle to unlock the untold knowledge and power of the Vault: a hidden storage facility within the Crucible. These Archons, in their struggle, control a group of pieced together factions that inhabit the Crucible in there quest to unlock this hidden Vault. Intrigued yet?
The Traverse City Board Gamers is a fairly diverse group. We
have members of all playing strengths and all ages. Our youngest players are in
their teens. Today’s introduction is one of these younger members, Josiah.
Josiah first started attending game nights with his dad, Matthew, in 2017. We
have all enjoyed playing with the both of them since they started attending.
Without further ado, let’s introduce Josiah.
Josiah carefully considering his opponent.
What is your favorite board game, and why is it your favorite board game?
Terraforming Mars is my favorite. I love how complicated it is. You can use a different strategy every time you play because there are so many different variables.
What have you learned from playing board games?
I’m sure that I’ve learned a lot, but I find it hard to explain off the top of my head. I’ve learned mostly strategies like resource management, negotiating with others, and also how to bluff.
Author’s note: Resource management often happens over
several rounds, so I’d say that this teaches planning ahead. And negotiating
with others is a useful skill for the future in job interviews and other
situations.
Do you ever feel like people underestimate you when playing games with you because you are a teenager?
Yes. I find that it happens most with people who I’ve never played with before. It used to happen more often last year when I was shorter.
This blogger can attest to the fact that new gamers have
underestimated Josiah when it comes to Terraforming Mars. They think that
because he is a teenager, he won’t know what he is doing or that they can
attempt to pull the wool over his eyes. It’s quite satisfying to watch Josiah
beat the pants off these people. All it takes is one game with Josiah, and
gamers realize that he is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to board
games.
Always be cautious when challenging Josiah at his favorite game.
What is your favorite thing about playing games with TCBG?
I often get to play games that are new to me. And there are some really nice people in the group.
It is always fun to play with Josiah and the other younger
members of our group. They often provide a new perspective on the game. And
sometimes, they come up with strategies that would have never occurred to me.
If you happen to find yourself in Traverse City, and you’ve got some teenagers
with you, please stop by. We’d love to play games with them.
Recently, we’ve had a small infestation in our house. We’ve got Bugs in the Kitchen. Have no fear, board gamers, it is nothing to fear. No, I’m not talking about cockroaches or silverfish invading my kitchen. I’m talking about the Ravensburger game Bugs in the Kitchen.
Sometime right around Christmas, Peep saw an ad for Bugs in the Kitchen somewhere (most likely when Number One was watching something board game related on YouTube). This game became the only thing that Peep wanted. Number One and I had already purchased all of his Christmas presents. We told him that if he really wanted the game then he could save his allowance to buy the game himself.
My Little Peep
Peep gets $4 every two weeks, and his goal was to save $20. Now, for anyone who has any experience with preschoolers, you will know that $20 is a huge amount to someone who is 4. We set up a chart so that Peep could track his savings.
Peep saved up his allowances. He cashed in all of the coins in his piggy bank. He practiced his letters by writing a letter to his Nana and asking if she would help him reach his goal. She did, and the $5 from Nana put him over his goal. We ordered the game for him and then it was a long wait for it to arrive.
When the box was delivered, Peep was beside himself with joy, and he immediately wanted to play. And we’ve been playing Bugs in the Kitchen ever since. We are actually on our second hexbug for the game.
Bugs in the Kitchen game board
This was Peep’s first big savings goal. And it was the very first game that he purchased all by himself. This was a pretty big event for our house. Being a homeschool family, we use anything and everything to teach skills. Bugs in the Kitchen has been a tool for us to teach Peep about things like taking turns and having good sportsmanship. He is also learning to plan ahead. In Bugs in the Kitchen, you turn little forks, spoons, and knives to create a path to direct the bug into your kitchen. Peep has to look at the board and figure out which path will get the bug into his kitchen the fastest. But, the other players are also trying to direct the bug into their kitchens, so spoons and forks are turning every which way. Peep is getting very good at figuring out which utensil will block other players kitchen. He’s starting to take after his father when it comes to board games.
Playing board games has benefits for children. We will delve into those at a later time, but I just wanted to share the big event that has been taking over our kitchen and lives.
The winter in pushing forward into March and so are the games. Lots of new games found the table in February and few even stood out as clear winners of the month. Let’s deep dive this month and see what happened.
Hello, fellow board gamers! Up next in our introduction
series is Noller. He does have a first name, David, but most of us at game
night just call him Noller or Next Time Noller.
When Noller isn’t playing board games with the TCBG, he can be found
leading a board game group for his high school students or playing the
saxophone with a local band.
How did your board
game journey start?
I was in an R.P.G. group and Kyle joined that group, and he invited me to board game night. That was 3 years ago.
How long have you
been playing board games?
Aside from Monopoly, 3 years. It was never a thing until I joined this group
What is your favorite
style of board game?
Worker placement games. I don’t love euro style. The games have to be pretty.
Your favorite board
game(s)?
My favorite games change every week. Two of the consistent ones are Lords of Waterdeep and Little Flower Shop.
What type of gamer
are you?
I’m Next Time Noller. I always have a play a game and about 60 percent through I figure out how to play it, so I’ll do better next time. (Author’s note: if you play a game with Noller, and it is his first time playing the game, the chances are really high that you will hear him say “Next time”. Hence, the Next Time Noller.
What has been your
greatest achievement in board games?
I beat Kyle at Splendor on the very last turn. And getting to the point where I understand the mechanics of a game quicker.
What direction would
you like to see TCBG go in the future?
More time to play. I liked that we are reaching out to bring in new people. More people come now that didn’t come a year ago.
I try to keep up in the fervent glut of games that grace us with their interwoven mechanics and imaginative themes. At times, it all just seems too much for one to consume with over 3000 new titles coming out each year. I couldn’t even comprehend how one game can stand out from the herd without some form of established credibility: another time and another diary entry perhaps for that topic.
