Gameguythinks

Crazy Squirrel Game Store

June 26th, 2011

Fresno California has a great game store. It warms my heart to be able to write that. If any you traveling gamers happen to be driving through Fresno, you need to take the time to visit the Crazy Squirrel Game Store.

A couple of years ago, I thought it would be a neat idea to write a little review if I happened to visit a really good game store. I decided that I would only write positive reviews, because I didn’t see the point of writing a negative one. After visiting a handful of stores, the only review I had bothered to write was about Endgame in Oakland California. The other stores I visited were really nothing to write home about, especially the one where the merchandise was covered in dust and the ferret loving employee couldn’t be bothered to answer any questions.

How satisfying that the next store worthy of review is just a few miles away. The Crazy Squirrel Game Store, or the squirrel, as we are fond of calling it, is the result of a great deal of hard work and intelligent planning by its owners, Scott Martin and Jennifer Ward. In less than a year, they have managed to not only provide a good inventory of games, but have also become the center of the local gaming community. I think that’s really important. A good game store will have a copy of that game you might want, but a great game store also provides you a with place to sit down and play that game, or try out some new games and maybe make some new friends in the process.

The squirrel has a weekly calendar of events that range from tactical minis to RPGs to boardgames. I tend to go to the boardgame meetups on Thursday evenings, when I can manage it. I had a great time last week on Free RPG Day. I once brought my kids in for a bit while my wife was at a doctor’s appointment nearby. We sat and played one of the many games available in the store library. Great job Scott and Jennifer!

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Adding Up the Fun

March 22nd, 2011

I think setting goals is a good practice; however, I have come to the conclusion that attempting to set goals for gaming is counterproductive for me. I was trying to average a game every day. I wasn’t necessarily trying to play every day, but at the end of the month I wanted to have played as least as many games as there were days in that month. I didn’t like the idea that I was adding some quantitative element to my recreation; however, I felt that setting a goal helped me resist my natural tendency for solitude. I was wrong.

I found that over time the expectation that I was somehow behind in my gaming was making me anxious. I found myself choosing shorter games so that I could somehow catch up to my gaming goals for the month. I would think about how far behind I was that month, and how a game of Agricola was going to count as a single play, compared to a few games of Dominion or Lost Cities. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with shorter games, but I don’t think that some meaningless self-imposed quantitative goal should influence my choice of game. It’s really all about the quality of the time I spend gaming that is most important.

It’s the same reason that I normally don’t do daily quests in World of Warcraft. If I have to do a repetitive task every day, then that seems like a job. I have a job. I certainly don’t need another one that doesn’t pay. I don’t need to punch a clock playing multiple games of Zombie Dice just because I need the overtime. That’s just stupid.

I have resolved to let go of these goals. I will play what I feel like when I feel like it, and not worry about it.

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Around the World in 80 Days

February 16th, 2011

I got a Kindle for Christmas and I think it’s the bee’s knees. One of the first books I downloaded was “Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne. I had read a few Verne novels in middle school, but I had missed that one, and it was free. It was a very enjoyable, if somewhat silly, novel, and I recommend it if you would like a pleasant weekend read.

I know there is a boardgame based on the book, and I’ve heard good things about it. Designed by Michael Rieneck, Around the World in 80 Days was nominated for the Spiel des Jahres in 2005, but lost to Niagara. My goal is to play Around the World in 80 Days before the end of February. As far as I can tell, which means I briefly checked the Geek, it’s a racing game that utilizes card management to make your way through the events of the novel. It plays from three to six players, but as with most race games, I imagine the more players the better.

Okay, so who owns this and when do we play?

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