Solotober 2021
At the beginning of this year, I proudly declared: "2021. No goals. No challenges." But I can't help myself, I've just joined the third or fourth. Or fifth. I don't know. I keep it a secret for myself. It's not because I'm competitive and need to reach a goal. I've failed many challenges in the past. But I like to plan out my game plays. Give the days some structure.
So I joined Solotober 2021 on BoardGameGeek. The idea is that you play a solo game every day of this month. The rules however are very relaxed. It can be the same game on several days. It can even be a digital game. Of course, this is not good enough for me. I mean, I could easily play Herbaceous every day (takes 2 - 3 minutes), but where's the challenge in that? So these are my additional goals:
Play a different solo game every day
Play at least 10 games from the shelf of shame
Digital plays don't count
Now we're talking. This looks like something I can actually fail. I put out a poll on BGG to see which games I absolutely needed to include (I'm a firm believer in the foolishness of the crowd). The clear winner was With a Smile & a Gun. The most votes went to Cthulhu: Death May Die and Zona: The Secret of Chernobyl, so I'll consider them runners-up. Unplayed games I really want to play myself, are In Magnificent Style, Kick-Ass and Maeshowe.
Which only leaves 25 games to pick.
I will post a weekly report from now on, but the first three dates were a kind of "week" of their own, so I might as well include them here.
October 1: Caverna: Cave vs Cave
Just recently I described this game as one of the lightest worker placement games by Uwe Rosenberg, a nice intro game. But I had not played it since 2019 and let me tell you: even when something is light, it doesn't mean you can win without effort. You need to take your time and plan ahead. And even then - I failed miserably. No wins today, let alone a highscore. Lesson learned: don't let your games gather dust, keep them in rotation.
October 2: Wipers Salient
Such a thematic game. Every session is a completely predictable day during trench warfare in Ypres. It's not just luck whether you survive or not (though it plays it's justifiable part) - after 40+ games I've gotten better at it. I won the third play today.
Earlier post: Deckbuilding in Flanders Fields
October 3: Desolate
A small push-your-luck game that I still enjoy playing once in a while. This one also has over 40 plays now, still with Athena's old prints. There was a time she sent all PnP's that she thought were rubbish to me after one play. This one was a big hit. By now I really should print out a new set of cards, on thick paper. It's too expensive to import from the Game Crafter or I would do that.
Earlier post: Stranded at the moonbase
Nice goals, JW. You're off to a great start, too! I like Caverna: C vs C. Not too long ago I snagged Caverna: C vs C: Era II: The Iron Age. Among other things, it adds iron, donkeys, and even weapons.
Wipers Salient looks and sounds interesting to me. That tank on the back of the card (is it the back or the front?) reminds me of Pocket Landship.
I like Desolate, as well. That's another one I snagged the expansions, Insurgence, and the Dark Matters packs for.