Gaming Resolutions for 2007 from the Boardgame News Crew

With the changing of the calendar comes a changing in our game goals—well, a change for some of us anyway. Presented here are game-related resolutions that BGN writers have adopted for 2007. If you meet us at the game table over the next twelve months, help us meet our goals!

Valerie Putman
So last year I had the best luck I’ve ever had with a New Year’s Resolution. I usually don’t make it a week, but last year I resolved to keep track of my games played on BGG and I lasted six months!! Seems to me that gaming resolutions are the way to go. So my resolutions for 2007 are:

1. Play every game in the BGG top 100 that I haven’t tried yet.
2. Sell at least 20 games that I haven’t played in the last three years (and likely won’t ever play again).
3. Turn in all my BGN columns on time!

Scott Tepper
My first resolution, given that all of my games now fill every nook and cranny of the 11 bookcases in my gameroom and they’re starting to pile up in a most disorderly fashion, is to reduce my new game acquisitions and start unloading some of my less-played games...or I will buy more, larger, bookcases.

The latter is more likely.

My second resolution is to devote several columns to some obscure games in my collection that received little or no attention.

My third, and probably most important resolution for my sanity, is to get my columns finished earlier than 11:55pm the day before they’re due.

Dale Yu
I would like to get back to regular gaming—you know, on a monthly or biweekly schedule. I’d also like to try the full version of Through the Ages. (More from Dale in his Jan. 3 column.)

Liga
These days I’m quite busy with the baby, but anyway:

• For conventions, I will attend Modcon (Modena, September) for sure (and I hope to cover with a nice report) and also Essen 2007.

• I hope to have someone write for me a report of IdeA G (Jenuary, Piossasco, con for game designer).

• I think that I’ll continue my series “Cosa Bolle in Pentola” starting to interview also “big” Italian persons and not only game designers. (I have almost finished all the Italian game designers!)

• I will continue to cover news and new Italian releases, and also I would like to post something about the Italian gamers’ web community and resources.

• Finally I would like to play as many games as possible—I still have a lot of Essen releases unpunched!

Greg Schloesser
My main gaming resoulution for 2007: Play at least 75% of the un-played games that fill one shelf in my game room. There are at least three dozen games on that shelf. Sigh.

W. Eric Martin
My goal matches Greg’s, but either my shelves are larger or I’m less disciplined than him as the number of unplayed games I own easily runs to three digits. I vow to play at least 100 of my unplayed games by year’s end. (More from Eric in his Jan. 2 column.)

Ted Alspach
I resolve to start parting with games I own that I have never played and that for all intents and purposes, I never will play. Lots of games have found their way onto my shelves that I never consider bringing to gaming get-togethers. Aldie has added all sorts of great new stats to BGG on your profile page, such as games you’ve played but haven’t rated, but there’s no item called “unplayed games you own.� Doing a sort on the games I own revealed a ridiculously large number of games I haven’t played (or at least, that I haven’t played since I’ve been tracking games played, which is the last 2.5 years). So those games are sitting there taking up space and, in reality, will never get played. Theoretically, I could get my collection down to half its size by killing off these games and others that I have played that I won’t play again ‘cause I just don’t like them. Sometime this year, I will do this!

Ben Baldanza
Here are my gaming resolutions for 2007:

• Sell, trade, or give away more games than I buy
• Get really familiar with games for very young children
• Teach at least eight Beyond Monopoly Classes

Tom Vasel
My goals for gaming in 2007: First of all, I would like to take the gaming event that I’ve started on the military bases here in Korea and see it grow and expand. Secondly, I would like to play more games with my family, and introduce more folks to the wonderful games that we play. I’d like to cut my collection down a bit, getting rid of some of the games I’ll never play again, and give out more gifts of games. But my main resolution would be the same as every year—to never allow gaming to get in the way of my family, my church, or anything else of real importance.

Alfred Wallace
Gaming Resolutions...this only took me forever.

1. Get the collection down to a more manageable size.  I gotta move all these things this summer…

2. Finish up my Friedmann Friese costume so I can sneak into the Gathering of Friends.

3. To have no unplayed euros by the end of the year.  (Connecting this with Resolution #1 will likely be necessary.)

Ava Jarvis
Here is a truly torturous New Year’s resolution....

I do not have nearly so many games as some, and I’m struggling to keep it all down to eight shelves, by which I don’t mean shelving units, but just shelves. Two shelving units for me. I’ve got a third but I’m trying not to use it except for the incurably large Heroscape.

So my New Year’s resolution is to buy only one stand-alone game a month, on the very last day, along with an optional single expansion. There is no saving up of credit---if I don’t pick a game or expansion one month, I don’t get any extras the next. And in no form or fashion can I claim to get another stand-alone in lieu of the expansion, nor get multiple expansions in lieu of the stand-alone. If I’m looking at a choice between a Heroscape and a BattleLore expansion, I’m in real trouble, but I will have to make that decision. And if that game or expansion I decide on is out of stock everywhere by the time the last day of the month rolls around, well, such is life. Even if it’s a chance at Through the Ages or a second copy of Goldener Drache.

(Gifts don’t count, so for once my friends can actually buy a birthday game on my BGG wishlist without wondering if I’ve gotten it yet.)

Of course, I am a gamer, and what kind of gamer would I be if I didn’t add some scoring to this whole ordeal? Well, here it is:

• If I don’t choose an expansion that month, I get one Good Gamer Point.

• If I don’t choose a standalone game that month, I get two Good Gamer points.

• For every two games I get rid of through trades or sales, I get one Good Gamer Point. Getting rid of expansions gives me no points.

• If I end up getting rid of a game I bought this year, I lose two Good Gamer Points.

• If I buckle, of course, I lose.

(Note that I have not added the very late releases to my collection, like Ysaphan or Space Dealer or even Hollywood Blockbuster which I really want to get for the characters, and I’m not going to buy any more games this December.)

At the end of each month in 2007 I will as a column addendum recount my suffering for all to enjoy.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

(Definitely the toughest resolution here—anyone want to compete against Ava for high score?)

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Comments:

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No, I don’t want to play.  I don’t think I like that game… Let’s submit it to BGG and see what kind of ratings it gets. Posted by Thomas Pancoast on Jan 1, 2007 at 08:28 AM | #

Hmmm, the number one resolution seems to be to play unplayed games. Number two is to get rid of unneeded games and number three is not to buy so many new games. Looks like 2007 won’t be a good year to be a new game retailer. Fortunately, most won’t succeed in keeping #3 ;-). Posted by Ward Batty on Jan 1, 2007 at 12:32 PM | #

Resolutions seem kinda silly. Mine proably come down to: Play Games, Have Fun, try not to growl too much. Posted by Frank Branham on Jan 1, 2007 at 02:24 PM | #

Hello Gang, Just got back for the New Year from Switzerland.  After a four year layoff, I resolve to get in more skiing for 2007!  But from a game standpoint, no new resolutions… except maybe to find more time to work on my own designs.  Froehliche Weihnachten!  Ein glückliches neues Jahr! Posted by Ryan Bretsch on Jan 1, 2007 at 08:38 PM | #

I am with Ava, although I never thought of the expansion exception (If I order two RotH expansions from Amazon.de in Jan. and they arrive in Feb., how should I score it)? I also enjoyed Dale’s Fantasy Football league this fall.  Anyone want to join a fantasy game acquisition league for 2007?  I’ll coordinate if interest, but no points for letting things go, as some have leaner collections than others. Posted by Jonathan Franklin on Jan 2, 2007 at 12:45 AM | #

Jonathan, I’ve been thinking about removing the points for letting things go, since I usually have group sales in the Spring anyways and that would accrue too many points, but your reason is even better. I still think we should have negative points for letting go of stuff we bought this year.  :) I was thinking more that we count when we ordered the game, rather than when it arrives---orders from Germany and Japan are a wee bit tricky otherwise. Posted by Ava Jarvis on Jan 2, 2007 at 03:00 PM | #

Ava, This is starting to sound like a cross between a league and a support group. Game purchase-free month = +2 Expansion purchase-free month = +1 Each 2007 Game or Expansion unplayed in 3 months = -1 For 6 months = additional -1 Each 2007 Game or Expansion purchase you regret = -1 (Seems a pity to discourage trading away a game just when you can get the most for it.) Any other conditions to cover? A few twists = do P500 preorders placed before 2007 count? [I sure hope not.] Can I buy as many Dice Boots and accessories as I want? My SS (Harry) and I plan to exchange games over the year.  How can I keep this from being a massive loophole? Posted by Jonathan Franklin on Jan 2, 2007 at 03:10 PM | #

Should Adlung’s Kutchfahrt von Teufelsberg = DoW’s BattleLore?  I’m sort of tempted to say that 2 card games = 1 board game. Posted by Jonathan Franklin on Jan 2, 2007 at 03:51 PM | #

Jonathan, It is a pity to discourage trading a game when it’s hot, but the better games tend to stay hot, and this is supposed to make you a bit choosier about what you get.  :) P500 pre-orders before 2007 don’t count, since when you make them, you are very committed in a way you aren’t usually, I believe.  Accessories---go crazy. I don’t think trading is a loophole at all, actually, unless you are getting 4 large-box games for one, which tends not to happen for trades.  (I personally try to trade 2-for-1 whenever I can, so I am overly generous and thus likely to make other people’s scores go down.  See, it can be a devious game...). As for itty bitty teeny games… maybe if the game is a) at most the size of 6 Nimmt! and b) an hour or less of investment for play, it can count as 1/2 of a standalone game. Posted by Ava Jarvis on Jan 2, 2007 at 04:55 PM | #

I had to laugh at all the comments on game shelves and unused games!  I’m glad to know I am not the only pack rat who has trouble parting with anything. I’ll join many of you in trying to play some of my unplayed games too, but I am not going to even pretend I am not going to buy any more - in fact I have two new ones on the way… Cheers! David Posted by vandemonium on Jan 5, 2007 at 09:15 AM | #

And I can do an end-around the whole thing by having our High School’s BoardGame club buy a few games...!  (Although, I am usually having them buy games I already own as I prefer them to have only the very best, most suitable games...) Posted by Matt J. Carlson on Jan 5, 2007 at 11:48 AM | #

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