A question I get asked frequently is, “How did you get into board gaming?”
It only took one game to get me hooked into a world of serious board gaming. The game was called Ticket to Ride.
It was the first eurogame that I had ever encountered. I received it as a gift for my 30th birthday, and board gaming for me has never been the same since.
The final 24 hours of BGG Con was basically a blur of gaming and sleep-deprivation, and then when I returned to reality, work got in the way of writing about my experience.
As a first-timer, I read through multiple forums on BGG about transportation, food, activities and what to expect. But in the end, I was totally blown away by my experience. Twenty. Four. Hour. Gaming. Woohoo!
I returned to work telling my co-workers that the convention is just like a cruise. There are events scheduled, but in reality, you can do as little or as much as you want to. And I fully tried to take advantage of everything. So much gaming, so little time! And then just like that, four days passed, and it was time to go home.
I finished my second day at BGG Con, which is actually the third day of the convention. I wasn’t able to get in on Wednesday because of work. I totally wish I got in a day earlier. Yesterday felt like a day to adjust from traveling and then checking out what the convention was all about. Today, I was in full force and had actual plans on what I wanted to do.
Naturally, lots of board gaming happened today, some epic battles and some surprises. I met even more folks today, too. I also got a free game from a nice gentleman, and lots of swag. Everybody is so nice here. We are all kindred spirits, and see nothing wrong with staying up all night to board game. You make hard decisions such as should I go get food or join this new game that’s starting? You totally feel like you’re in Las Vegas. Non-stop gaming. And you can get beer from the bar, too.
I landed in Dallas today and jumped right into board gaming. The energy is amazing, and people are pretty friendly. There are so many games!
The convention area is the entire basement floor of the Hyatt Regency DFW. There are board-game vendors, large rooms for gaming, a library to check out thousands of games, and various events to sign up for.
A quick recap in photos:
Takenoko is an adorable panda game that gets a lot of play during my personal game nights.
My friends enjoy the cute theme, as well as the not-super-complex style of playing. It also doesn’t hurt that the rule book is this visually beautiful comic book that’s easy to follow and reference.
The game plays 2-4 players, and it takes about 45 minutes. And who doesn’t love the little panda and gardener figurines?
Out of my closest group of friends, I’m the biggest gamer. People enjoy coming over to my place (even though it’s the smallest location among our homes) to play games and learn new ones. I like having a variety of games for different group sizes and levels of gaming. There are some friends who like meaty eurogames while others prefer party-type games.
For introducing games to non-gamers, you have to understand your audience. Diving immediately into a heavy eurogame will leave new gamers frustrated and confused, which is no fun for everybody.
One such game that new gamers can jump into is Splendor. It’s easy to learn and fast-paced, but has enough strategy to satisfy even medium-heavy gamers. And a game is about 30 minutes.
In Splendor, you are a rich merchant trying to purchase gems in order to buy higher-value cards and win prestige with the nobles.
The components are well-made — cards and sturdy poker chips — and there is no board. The game plays 2 to 4 players. First player to score 15 victory points triggers one last round, and then the person with the highest victory points wins.
…