Well, as the year draws to a close, I always like to take a look back to reflect. And as my kids (and I) get older, it feels like this is happening more and more quickly each year. I’ve still got a huge pile of books and games that I’d love to tell you about, but chances are you’ve already done your holiday shopping–or if not, you’re being bombarded with lots of suggestions anyway. (Our own last-minute stocking stuffer guide is coming up on Monday.)
Instead, I figure I’ll take a little breather from my usual reviews and just mosey around my memories of 2014.
At the beginning of the year, I listed 10 things I was anticipating in 2014. Let’s see how I did…
1. Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Check! If I had to pick, Pathfinder has probably been the highlight of the year for me. Our party of five made it through the entire Rise of the Runelords storyline. We have a standing appointment on Monday mornings if everyone’s in town, and it’s my favorite way to kick off the week. We started the Skulls & Shackles set this fall and just wrapped up the first adventure deck. The game is fun, but I’ve loved having a chance to get to know my fellow adventurers really well over the course of over dozens of sessions.
2. The LEGO Movie: Check! We did see the LEGO Movie–my kids saw it twice, once with me and once with mom (because we had to take turns staying home with the baby). Loved the animation, the tune was incredibly catchy, and the live-action portion really hit home (though I’m still not sure I’m ready to break out all of my complete, vintage LEGO sets for my kids). But, as a father of three daughters, I was also disappointed in the way that the awesome girl has to be saved by the clueless guy in the end. Sigh.
3. S. by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst: Nope. Sad to admit, but I haven’t read it yet. Just flipped through it and looked at bits and pieces, but I’ve had so many books to review this year that I haven’t given this one the time it deserves. Maybe next year!
4. Robinson Crusoe: Check! I’ve played this one several times this year, though still with the first basic scenario. I’ve managed to score a few wins, even one without using any handicaps, but my win-loss record is still not great. I’m hoping to play this more, dig into the other scenarios, and eventually get to the Darwin-themed expansion released this fall.
5. Halo 3: Nope. I did get an opportunity to buy a used Xbox 360 but finally admitted to myself that I’m just probably not going to play console games much. I’ll play stuff on my iPad to get a short videogame fix, but sitting down in front of the TV for long sessions just doesn’t happen for me. Ah, well.
6. Gen Con: Check! Another highlight of my year, and an event I look forward to attending as much as possible in the future. Hanging out with other GeekDads, connecting IRL with all of these Twitter gamers I know, and running through True Dungeon were all fantastic experiences.
7. Ridiculo.us: Sort of check. Since Kyle Scheele, one of the minds behind Ridiculo.us, had a new baby this spring, things have been sort of on hold there. They did follow up their fake marathon with a fake adventure race this year, but it was on a day when I wasn’t able to participate myself.
8. Emperor’s New Clothes: Check! My Kickstarted game about games finally shipped in April this year, and I’ve been able to break out my shiny white box at conventions and game nights, and have had fun being able to share that with other gamers. It’s led to some great conversations.
9. We <3 Nerds Con: Postponed. Due to various circumstances, Levi Mote and Sarah Sharp decided to postpone their new nerd-centric Portland-area convention until 2015, so that’s still on the list for next year.
10. The Battle for WondLa: Check! The conclusion of Tony DiTerlizzi’s WondLa series was worth the wait, and once again I read it aloud to my kids. I even got to play a session of a WondLa-themed RPG (using the Numenera RPG system), and got to play as Rovender. Oooeeeah!
So, for my list of 10, looks like I hit 6.5–decent, I suppose. I did manage to read a good number of other books, played a lot of games, attended my high school reunion, and started an occasional podcast.
And one thing that has become a huge part of my life in the past year that I didn’t have on my anticipated list is roller derby. Yep. My two older daughters and my wife are all part of the Rose City Rollers–my daughters in the junior league and my wife on the recreational team. It’s a fascinating sport, and I love being a derby dad/husband. It’s amazing to see what these girls can do on wheels, and I’m particularly enamored with my middle child’s choice of derby name: Cthu-Liu.
Last year I also mentioned the 10×10 Tabletop Challenge: playing at least 10 board games 10 times each. Well, I knew it was going to be difficult, and I’m not quite there, though I did get a lot of plays of a couple games. Here’s my top 10, according to BoardGameGeek. (I log my plays there, though sometimes I forget.)
- Yardmaster Express: 18
- Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (Rise of the Runelords): 17
- Pathfinder Adventure Card Game (Skull & Shackles): 16
- Good Cop Bad Cop: 11
- One Night Ultimate Werewolf: 9
- Machi Koro: 8
- 20 Express: 8
- Eggs & Empires: 7
- Meteor: 7
- Robinson Crusoe: 7
I don’t log games I played on my iPhone or iPad, or else Carcassonne would certainly have hit 10, though nothing else does. All of the games on the list are pretty short games except for Pathfinder and Robinson Crusoe; some are under 10 minutes per play. It’s pretty clear that in general I play a lot of games only a few times. My total on BGG for the year is just over 600 total plays (though some of that is double-counted when it comes to expansions, and sorting that out would be tricky). It’s certainly not that I don’t have time to play games, but with Kickstarters and review games I’m constantly having to learn something new.
For next year, I’m hoping to go back and play more of the games I backed on Kickstarter that have been arriving over the past year. Many times, the only version I’ve played of a game is the unfinished prototype. Then the finished game arrives, and I don’t have time to play it because I’m writing up the next unfinished prototype. It’s a dilemma, because I love supporting cool ideas on Kickstarter, but it means I don’t get to dive in as deeply in games I already have.
How has your year been? Did things turn out the way you expected? What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Cthu-Liu is just brilliant!
Seems like all my KS games decided to arrive this fall. Definitely going to make a goal to play them.
I had so much fun gluing together the Shadows of Brimstone minis that I want to make a point to get a cool model kit to assemble and paint. It’s been 25+ years since I’ve done one.
Yeah, I’ve got one set of Shadows of Brimstone assembled, and am going to try painting the minis (my first attempt!). One of these days I’ll actually get to play it. I’m starting to understand the appeal of miniatures … but I’m still going to try to avoid making it a habit. 🙂
Arcadia Quest is one to check out. It’s a board game RPG. Gives you some levelling up and weapon/magic decisions in a pretty simple and fun format. Plus the minis are really nice and easier to paint than standard minis.
I did try Super Dungeon Explore, which was my first (and only other experience) assembling minis, but those were a pain to put together, and the game was more complex than I’d expected so my kids weren’t really as interested in playing. Maybe something to check out eventually.
I haven’t tried that one so can’t compare. No assembly for the AQ minis. I’ve been playing with my boys (10 and 12) through our first campaign and then will bring in my oldest daughter (8). I think she’s on the young side for it, but my boys have been doing a fine job beating me in 3 out of 4. They’ve all been having fun painting. I really love the Reaper paints for the eye dropper bottles. (no spills!)
I’m a real noob with the gaming, but we’re having fun trying different styles and painting the minis.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts in writing throughout 2014, Jonathan. I always enjoy reading your articles–the passion you have for all things geek and how you tie them to your family is awesome. I still need to open and play my copy of the Pathfinder Card Game, and this post was a good reminder to me to do that. Thanks!
Thanks, Jamey! You know, I have played Pathfinder ACG over Skype before—with Dave Banks, too. If you ever want a Skype tutorial, hit me up. 🙂 Which set do you have, Rise of the Runelords or Skull & Shackles?
Thanks Jonathan–that’s very kind of you to offer. I have the base set (Rise of the Runelords). I honestly haven’t even attempted to learn it yet, but I will try to do that soon. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I do recommend checking out Paizo’s FAQ: http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1gk I love the game, but unfortunately the rulebook left a little something to be desired—and there were some errors on cards, too. If you get stuck somewhere while you’re playing, that’s the first place to look.