Jan 15th

So, a two-parter here today because I wasn't able to post yesterday. Yesterday was my first day of leading a group, and I chose the game Betrayal at House on the Hill. This has been one of my favorite games for a few years now, and I actually credit it with getting me back into board games and group games. I remember the first time I played it was when I went over a friend's house at midnight, and me, my friends Peter Jared and Chris, and two other people I had never even met before played it together and ended up playing it two more times before we finished up at 5 am. The best part about the game is I remember feeling no desire to stop. As soon as we finished, we already had basically agreed to start the next round of play. My love for that game is what made me want to bring it in, and after the class I was really happy by how well it seemed to go over. Initially, the game starts out somewhat slow because of everyone trying to go through the house. It can come off almost boring because if it's your first time playing, it's hard to really see anything that's happening in the game world. But once the betrayal happens, it's funny to see how much the action ramps up, and how much luck can factor into the game. When the card was flipped to show that the attic was on the other side of the house, the heroes were obviously disheartened, but through that they came up with other strategies, and even contingency plans in case those strategies fell through. My favorite was the person who didn't seem to be enjoying it as much as the others at first volunteered if necessary to stick in the room with the betrayer so that he could be blown up by dynamite. So, even though she would have died, the team would have won overall. Another was just how organic and funny the game can be. The game was won by a 63 year old priest beating up a track and field star! The way the game plays out is one of my favorite parts about Betrayal, and it always comes back to surprise me. The best part though is you always feel like you're doing something. People actually grouped around us to check it out, so I'm excited to bring it tomorrow night. I feel like it'll be the hit of the party.

Today's games went pretty well too, and I really began to appreciate how much thought goes into making these games so that everyone has a good chance to win. Ticket to Ride was a lot of fun because you never know what is going to happen next, you could be ready to place down a 7 section of track, only to have someone right before you have it done. It's also interesting to see the strategies develop and grow as the game goes on. I expected to stick with my short tracks and not even go for my long one, but I realized I was able to make it work after a bit of luck. I definitely want to play that one again.

7 Wonders was a lot of fun too, albeit a bit confusing. It had so many levels to it that you can score points on that it's actually staggering how much thought went into it so that it could be played out and balanced. Each card seems powerful, but you're never completely out of the game. I ended up winning, and had a fun time being able to see what I did in the first Age play through to the last. Though it's all cards, I felt like I was building a great city that would really rival one of the ancient wonders of the world.

Overall, I'm really enjoying this class. I love the games we're playing, and I'm glad I'm able to meet a lot of friendly people I probably wouldn't have before. Even with our group project, I ended up not having one and now all of the people who didn't have one are consolidating with an idea everyone seems excited about. I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks!