Games I am Thankful for This Year

For some, it may seem odd to have specific games that they are thankful for. After all they are just games, but the impact that they can have can vary greatly. I wanted to share five games that I am thankful for this year due to the impact that they have had in one way or another on my life. Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating today!

Scythe

I will always be thankful for Scythe by Stonemaier Games. Scythe was my first Kickstarter that I backed that was non CMON and not preplanned. I backed it and never looked at the campaign again. What I did not realize was that it would completely change my tastes in games and it would become a beloved family past time.

Scythe was my first non gateway level, non dudes on a map game. I poured over the rule books for days to teach my family how to play. Then was excited when I loved the game, and everyone in my family loved the game. I was so excited in fact that I was terrified to paint the minis at first and ruin this wonderful game. It took me over a year and a half to feel comfortable painting them.

I am mainly thankful because I have a million fond memories of playing Scythe with my parents and my younger brother. We play it almost every weekend. There have been so many laughs, some tears (I am really not kidding there), and so much strong family time that it will always remind me of my family. I have completely splurged on Scythe, going for everything I can for it because one day I hope I can pass it on to my children and give them something really nice that they will hopefully love. At the end of the day, I would love to thank Stonemaier Games for introducing a game that really has brought my family together.

Replicants

You may have never heard of Replicants by Attention Span Games, but it is the reason you are reading this blog today. Attention Span Games reached out to me about doing a review of Replicants using my Instagram at the beginning of this year, and while I did the review I noticed that Instagram did not leave me enough room to say everything that I wanted to say.

I was so excited that a company thought I would have a strong enough understanding of games and interesting enough thoughts to have me review their game that I was inspired to make my blog, The Meeple Street. While this game does not see the table very often at our house, I am incredibly thankful for the motivation that it has given me to have the confidence to write my blog. After all my blog has become something I am very proud of and enjoy writing for.

Ice Cool

Ice cool by Brain Games Int. is a game I am thankful for because it has allowed me to share my love of board games with three of my young nieces and nephews. I was able to get it for them for last Christmas. The way their eyes lit up as we played the game all evening is something that I will cherish forever. Now every time I go to visit them, they want to play the “penguin game”. It will forever remind me of this time where they are so young and engaged with the game. Their joy truly is what I remember every time I play the game.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons by Wizards of the Coast is beyond just a game to us at this point. It has become a catalyst for change. When I found D&D I was incredibly depressed, with very few friends. This gave me a weekly activity to enjoy with other people. Slowly, as the weeks turned into months and those months turned into years those “other people” became family. We have had people come and go from our game group, but the party we play with each week I consider to be apart of my family. I know that they are some of the biggest supports I have, and know that when things get tough in game or out of game I can count on them.

Beyond these close knit friends though, D&D has given me an outlet to meet a ton of new people. I love spending time playing D&D at conventions because I think players connect more closely than even playing a board game. I have met many of my long distance friends by playing D&D and love what Adventurers League has done to allow people to connect easily in that way.

So thank you D&D, for helping me manage my depression, and get out there and socialize. The confidence it has given me has certainly been life changing.

The Stonebound Saga

Finally I am thankful for The Stonebound Saga by Sky Kingdom Games. The designer is local to us, so he offered to get together to teach us the game not too long ago. To be perfectly honest, I was dreading going because I thought I was really going to hate the game. After all, it was direct combat and skirmish which is not usually my thing.  However, after playing it I found that I not only liked it, but it became one of my favorite games of the year. I loved the resource management aspects of it, the beautiful artwork and the competitive feel to the game.

I am thankful for this game because it reminded me that I shouldn’t write off games based on a predisposition about the type of game it was. I often do get sucked into judging a game by a cover or by its general description before playing. I think keeping an open mind is important and I was drifting away from that before playing this one. It was really eye opening for me.