When it comes to being nerdy, I’ll wholeheartedly admit that I am a complete and utter geek. One aspect of my geekery is being a gamer. I really enjoy playing video games but my true passion is in tabletop games. I don’t mean games like Monopoly (that would be way too boring). It all started when my brother and sister-in-law introduced my family to “Ticket to Ride”. The basics of the game are pretty simple: collect color coded cards to place trains on a map of somewhere. Sounds easy, right? You’d be wrong. It is a fun, fast paced game that not only involves luck but a bit of strategy. Playing that game was only the first step. I was over at my brother’s place and we watched a series called “Tabletop”. It’s hosted by Will Wheaton (the King of Geeks) and basically revolves around him playing tabletop games with friends. You’d think it would be boring to watch but I find it relaxing and so funny! Any cares just go away when I watch an episode. Plus I have found some of my favorite games of all time while watching that show!
Currently, I get together with a group of friends on average every week. Sometimes less when we all get busy but we aim for once a week. Someone will host, we all bring food, and we’ll play a game. Our current game is called “Dead of Winter: the Long Night” which is an expansion or standalone to the first game with the same name. Think “Walking Dead” during the winter and that’s the game. It’s exciting and gritty, not to mention it has beautiful artwork! You try to survive a certain amount of days while battling zombies, bandits, and in some cases, each other. It takes a while but worth playing!
What I love about gaming is the act of storytelling. You communicate with one another to either work together or battle it out. Whether it’s a simple card game or an RPG in a box, you are creating a story with friends that will be a memory. The game not only enhances that story, it creates a vibrant one. I’ll admit, I am one to judge a game by it’s looks. That could be that I find visual storytelling such an interesting aspect to our daily lives. Being able to see is a blessing for me and I hope to translate that to visual communication. Gaming can bring people together and I hope some day to do that.
Till then, I have to figure out a better strategy in beating all these zombies.
2 comments
Barbara | September 18, 2016
Hi Megan. I’m so happy I read this. I live in a bush village in Alaska and we don’t have any sorts of entertainment other than a couple of bars.
People are really good about getting together for dinner and movies and playing games. But we’ve grown bored with the games we have and I have been searching the internet looking for something fun and stimulating for a group of intelligent people, mostly geeks and nerds. 😁❤
Do you have a recommendation for newbies just getting started?
Megan Janeve Garry | September 19, 2016
Hi Barbara!
First, thanks so much for reading my blog! You’re my first comment so it’s pretty exciting!
As for games, I have a whole bunch of ideas! It kind of depends on the type of evening you want. “Ticket to Ride” is a really great starter game because it is fast paced and the rules are simple. I think it has a good combination of luck to strategy. Some people may say “Settlers of Catan” is a good game to start but I disagree. I just can’t seem to get the hang of it plus it takes awhile to really get the game moving. It usually isn’t too long of a game, maybe about an hour – hour and a half, and it can be pretty competitive.
If you want a much shorter game that still competitive, try “The Resistance”. You need a minimum of five people to play this game, so it’s great for a big crowd! Be warned though: if you take it way too seriously, someone’s feelings are going to get hurt! The basic of the game is that you’re a group of resistance fighters but there are spies among you. They know who each other are, but no one else does. One game can take about 15 minutes so it goes quick and the spies change every time you play (unless you have some kind of superpower like my sister-in-law).
If you want something laid back and not too competitive, try “Concept”. It’s a mix of charades and Pictionary. My friends and I play it more as a “work together to figure it out and we’re not going to keep score” than a head to head competition. But there are rules for that too!
Honestly, I could go on and on, but those were the ones that I started with. They are a bunch of fun and really get you thinking! Here’s a link to Geek and Sundry’s TableTop series that I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F80C7D2DC8D9B6C
It’s the whole series so feel free to poke around. There are a lot of good ones! Plus, I find it helpful to watch someone play the game and then read the instructions. I’m more of a visual learner. 🙂