Tom Vasel:  Week one in America

(As I started to type this, I realized that I’m late!  Normally I type my blog on Monday afternoon Korean time – so that it’s posted Monday morning in America – but that doesn’t work when I’m actually IN America!  My apologies for the delay.)

For the first time in a long time, I’m on a “realâ€? vacation.  The kind in which you simply kick back your feet and relax – spending time with your family.  For the first time in five years the entire Vasel clan (all seventeen of us) are getting together for a family vacation.  Thus, for the next couple of weeks, you won’t see many (if any) reviews and other game information – as I’m taking a much needed break.  Don’t worry, after Origins is over, I will be back with a vengeance, typing up tons of reviews and getting back into full Dice Tower mode.

This is the first time that I’ve spent a decent amount of time in America in a couple of years, and thus I’ve been able to assess the local board gaming scene.  By local, I mean Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania – where I grew up.

First of all, lets talk about the stores in the area.  The mass market stores, such as Toys ‘R Us, Walmart, and K-mart all are rather sparce in their selections – having your typical mish mash of commercially themed games and trivia boredom.  I was pleased to see expansions for Heroscape in many stores (though not the ones I needed!) and a few Gamewright games, such as Loot and In a Pickle.  Overall, I’m more impressed with the stores in Korea, which carry games such as Gemblo, Carcassonne, and Settlers of Catan.

Specialty game stores are almost nonexistent in the area – with the only exception being a game store in the Lehigh Valley mall.  I was certainly impressed with the tremendous selection that they had – with a large amount of Mayfair, Rio Grande, Fantasy Flight, and Days of Wonder games.  I was able to pick up a copy of Ticket to Ride for my sister’s family for a decent price – and although the store employee wasn’t tremendously knowledgable about games, he certainly knew more than the average Joe.  Other hobby stores in the area, such as Hobbytown USA, carried a decent selection – although at horrific prices.  The folks who game around here told me that they basically order games online.

The thrift stores had nothing – and I visited several of them.  Of course, I’ve given up hope of ever finding anything of value at them, so this wasn’t a horrible surprise to me.  Garage sales also yielded little of value – although I was able to get several good books!

There is no dedicated gaming group in Allentown or Whitehall, but a local Lansdale group contacted me and we were able to get some games in on the first Saturday I was back.  Lots of fun was had with games of Liberte, Samurai, and The Great Space Race.  I didn’t fare too well, although I did tie for the victory in Samurai.  It was a great gaming group, and I wish I could spend more time with them.

Playing Reiner Knizia’s Samurai caused me to think about my feelings on games in general.  One of the players was extolling the virtues of the game – praising it as Knizia’s finest.  I disagreed – noting that while the game was certainly a good one, it wasn’t my favorite of his games – putting Modern Art and Lord of the Rings higher.  While one can admire the scoring mechanics of Samurai, it simply is a bit confusing and isn’t intuitive to new players.  Secondly, the lack of theme in Samurai brings it down slightly for me.

So what has happened to me?  Have I become jaded with theme-less games, and fallen more in love with games that are an experience of theme?  I do note that games such as El Grande and Age of Steam have fallen out of my top ten, while Descent, Dungeon Twister, and Railroad Tycoon have moved up.  I know that I’m a sucker for a good theme, and will gladly play a game that has seems more interesting.

I think that the truth of the matter is that I’m not necessarily becoming more jaded with games in which the theme seems “pasted onâ€?, such as Oasis and Goa – but simply place them on a slightly lower tier than other games.  I think that Caylus is a fine, wonderful game – but it doesn’t give me the same thrill of excitement that a battle through Twilight Imperium III does.  Are they better game systems? – perhaps.  But great mechanics, as great as they are – simply do not compare with a good game that has causes one to speak about it as if it actually occurred – as if I was actually part of the party that slew the dragon, or the leader of the Royalist party in France, or fighting side by side with Robin Hood and his flamethrower.

I want games that we talk about YEARS after they occur.  Sure, games such as Puerto Rico and El Grande will never leave my collection – because many times I’m interested in games that give me a tremendous evaluation of my thinking skills – with multiple and varied paths to victory.  But the greatest games for me are those that leave me thinking about them for the next couple of weeks – the games that imprint themselves on my memory as an experience, rather than a ruleset.

Well, I’m off to check out more garage sales and thrift stores.  Only ten days until Origins!  See you all next week!  Until then, remember that

“Real men play board games�
Tom Vasel
www.tomvasel.com

© 2006 Tom Vasel

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Tom, I’m sorry I missed you. I would have been at that game session but the notice went out a bit late and I never saw it until after the fact. We were gaming at my house that Saturday right down the road in Hamburg (Berks county). We played Manifest Destiny that day, a game I hear you’re interested in trying out.  If you find the time before you leave maybe we can squeeze one more game session in and play it. Either way have a great vacation. -Jim Carvin (jcarvin on BGG) Posted by Jim Carvin on Jun 21, 2006 at 10:09 PM | #

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