January 22 - Boardgame Night

Friends! Games! The very thing for which I have been looking for years. Being a mostly solo gamer was not by choice, it just sort of happened. Since getting back into this hobby I have had a few things happen which shaped me into a solo gamer: I worked a job with odd shifts, which meant it was hard to find a wargaming group, a tough few years in my new career with a heavy work load, young children, other commitments. The one group of wargamers meet on a Tuesday night about a 30 minute drive away, but Tuesdays hadn't worked for me. Southampton on Board met on Monday nights, but again, not good for me. No other convenient groups. A thread on Boardgame Geek unsuccessfully trying to organise some kind of gaming meet-up in my area for a few years. 

Then a couple of months ago someone took the plunge and booked a space nearby. The first meet-up was in November and had a few people, but I didn't hear about it until too late. The December one was cancelled due to Covid caution, but last night it was on. I went, bumped into a co-worker who I had no idea liked boardgames. Then played games with a bunch of strangers who will hopefully become friends. It was great.

I arrived just behind one guy who I ended up playing Carcassonne and Citadels with. It was a little awkward at first as the others had all grouped up just before we arrived so we were stuck doing 2 player, but everyone seemed apologetic and felt bad. So I really liked the atmosphere. I won the game of Carcassonne, and won Citadels. Carcassonne is a fun game. I get a lot of pleasure from games that start with not much on the table and it  grows, whether it is tiles, cards or anything else. Citadels I had only played twice before. It is pretty fun, quick and simple, but requires some thought and strategy. My kind of game. I would like to play it with more than two players though.

The night ended with a six player game of Colt Express. It was just a really fun time. I feel like that game is less about winning as much as it is about just shooting, punching and running along the train! I didn't win but to be honest I didn't really care much about winning. It was all about the interaction with these people and the laughs we had.

I am very much looking forward to February's meet-up!