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
