My friends Bill & Christina are HARDCORE gamers. Their nerdy game dungeon is stacked with hundreds of truly badass tabletop games of every variety. They travel to PAX each and every year to sample, discuss, and ultimately snag the newest available board games…and their dedication is our gain. For ya see, these maniacs love to hold game nights every so often in their pad, and we couldn’t be happier nerds when we come over to play.
Last night, was one of those game nights. I believe there were supposed to be 10 or 11 of us, but some cancelled last minute leaving lots of choices for the 6 of us that made it. Sadly I snapped this photo later in the evening after Christina’s cousin Mike had to bail. (Sorry Mike!)
Left to Right: Lenny the Elder, Bill the Beer Chugger, Sharese-E-Shitz, Christina the Cook, & Lord Blewitt
What makes their game nights a blast, is the idea that anyone can bounce around and play whatever they want. Last evening’s setup had two games at the kitchen table, one in in living room, one in the basement, and two more in the actual game dungeon leading to 6 fully operational games…all ready for our dumbasses to try to learn on the fly.
I’ll state that BillTina’s expertise in gaming makes them both excellent at breaking down each game so that our commoner brains are able to absorb the rules and goals properly…or as much as possible. Usually we sit and at least one of them will try to play along with whatever group is trying something out. Practice rounds turn into the real deal, and soon enough the shit talking and competitive nature bursts through.
All the while, we load our hungry munch holes with various forms of tastiness. Last evening, the selection included pulled pork sliders, wraps, Buffalo sausage dip, salads, chips, pretzels, cakes, cookies, and lots and lots of beer. As per usual, I gorged myself to the point where I’m actually a bit disappointed in myself…but I’m no stranger to that feeling! But enough about my self hatred because we are here to discuss games!!!
First up was Azul. Ton of fun tile game that was super easy to learn, plus I won my second game. Not too shabby. Highly recommended.
This next one was a blast as well, and it looks beautiful to boot. In Hickory Dickory or as my wife called it last night, Tick Tock…the clock makes this gem shine and draws the eyes to it immediately. You play as little mice trying to collect trinkets and ultimately score the most points at the end. This took a bit longer to learn as it was definitely more involved than say the game above, Azul. I lost by 2 measly points to the wife, while Lenny got trounced. Talk about shameful…way to go Lenny. 😂 Great game. Also, highly recommended.
The only other game I played last evening was one I played before. This one called King of Tokyo, is a super quick and easy game to both learn and kick ass in. The first match we played, lasted mere minutes as the monster in Tokyo simply demolished all the players in rapid time. The second game lasted a lot longer, but I lost both. The goal is to either kill all the other monsters, or end up with 20 points first. My Mech hung in there the second game for a bit, before eventually getting stomped. Yup…you guessed it…also highly recommended.
There were three other games for us to partake in, but I was too busy with these. My shitty brain can only absorb so many files and objectives in one evening. Plus I hate learning a game and bouncing to the next one. I want to play a couple matches to fully appreciate it. But there’s always next time as these looked awesome as well. The Great Split, Fjords, and Clank…we will meet again.
All in all, a wonderful evening with some of my favorite fellow nerds. BillTina, I’m eternally grateful for your hardcore dedication in attempting to teach us commoners the ways of the game. Your patience and faith in us is much appreciated. 🙏 Until next time…
Blewitt