I know it’s been a day or two since the last post.
But that’s the drawback of working 7 days a week and having currently 2 jobs. I just got to survive until the start of November. Then I’m down to one job and hopefully (shift dependent) more gaming.
I am going to be late or behind on posting.
Thankfully I know you will be understanding and supporting. So I feel less guilty on that front.
So how bad has the current normal hit my gaming?
Well as the 3×3 image and the underlying stats show pretty badly.
Long gone are the golden days of yester year when I was clocking up crazy gaming numbers each month.
But even taking into account the more subdued gaming stats of this year. Septembers numbers are very poor. Almost looking like my stats when the pandemic was finally taken seriously by the UK Government and we entered lockdown.
I’m not sure I’m going to beat these numbers in October. But whatever gaming I do get to do I will treasure and savour even more because I know it’s a rarity for the time being.
Finally after at least a couple of years I have returned to the rewrite of the ranking code I wrote.
I got a new copy of the data from the bgstat app that I use to record my game plays. The app also the master list of all the games that make up my game collection. And syncs all of that info back onto the bgg website for me.
The point I’m making is this new data file is different to the one I originally got from the app some six or seven years ago. Back then it was just a csv file of the game plays.
Now its a json file that contains all the apps data. So not only game results, list of games, locations, tags, etc.
Luckily using Python as the language of choice for this project means there is a nice json library I can import in to do all the heavy lifting for me to read in and process the json file I have.
Sadly for me the json used by bgstats is not a simple format. It contains arrays within arrays! A nightmare to code to get to the information that I need for this project, even with a json library.
Now if you had asked me before I had started this second attempt at a rewrite that the bits of data analysis I’ve been picking up (different projects) would be of use here. I would of been a bit sceptical.
However using the pandas library I found out I could use pandas to extract these arrays within arrays to get the data I want into a dataframe.
Having the data in a dataframe opens up all sorts of cool data analysis stuff I can do.
So not only can I do the paired comparisons, and top 10 lists, but also produce stats that not even the bgstats app currently does.
Thanks to the car taking me out of action for two weeks my May gaming was pretty sad.
But to be fair those games I did get to play were pretty cool and played with friends.
Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game;
Letters from Whitechapel;
A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition);
Terra Mystica;
War of the Ring: The Card Game;
Amun-Re;
Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest;
Red Rising;
Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition.
I’m hoping this weekend at UKGE a couple of them will join my collection.
Oh and today saw the release of four more promo packs for Rolling Realms. Three are the standard based on third party games. With the fourth being a new solo campaign for the game that can be used with the majority of cards with the game (yes that includes promos too) called Beyond the Realmiverse.
And yes within minutes of them going on sale they were in the virtual basket and ordered.
It’s that time of year once again when content creators of all types throw top 10 lists of this and that at you.
I’m not one to avoid jumping on a bandwagon.
This post is all about me choosing my game of the year for 2022 from the 54 new to me games that I played.
Now the caveat is that this is new to me. Which means that the games may or may not have been published in 2022. In fact one of them is approximately 40 years old! But until this year I had not played them.
But first here are some stats from that really great app, bgstats.
First my top 9 new to me games based on the number of game plays.
My 2022 top 9 new to me games based on number times played
Next up the bgstats insights for those 54 new to me games.
The 54 new to me games I played in 2022
Roll & Writes
I’ve played a few roll and writes this year. That side of the collection has grown considerably also. So I think it’s safe to say it’s a genre I enjoy playing.
There is one shown above, it’s not only my least favourite roll and write, but probably my turkey of the year also. That game is Super-skill Pinball: 4 Cade. The least said about this game the better.
Out of the remaining 8 roll and writes if I had to choose one to be the roll and write for 2022 it’d have to be…
the combotastic Three Sisters.
I really like all the others. They are great, fun roll and writes. But wow Three Sisters just blows the mind, especially when the combos kick off. The use of the rondel and die selection introduce a bit of decision making whether to take a die to deny an opponent that die and action, or go for one you really need.
A great roll and write that really does stand out.
Expansion of 2022
My expansion of the year is the Rise of Fenris expansion for Scythe.
I had a blast playing the 8 game campaign. Which can be reset and played again. However you can also add it as modules to the main game. Adding more options, variability, replay ability to the game.
But that first play through. The twists and turns. The big reveals. Epic.
Also this was the last game I played with my friend Ben before he left us. Ben will be missed. But it’s the fond gaming memories that remain behind. Rise of Fenris will be one of those memories.
Honourable mentions: Dune Imperium: Rise of Ix (I won’t play without this expansion), Tapestry: Arts and Architecture
Ok onto the main event.
54 games to choose from.
Some incredible games played.
A very very hard choice. However I did come to a decision.
My GOTY 2022 is…
Drawn to the game by comparisons to Scythe, but apart from a mechanic or two it’s not really like Scythe.
I loved this game. From the variable board setup, to the era cards, power ups via paintings, variable leader powers and player boards, being able to tailor the maps to encourage or discourage combat.
It’s a really great game.
Honourable Mentions: Survive Escape from Atlantis, Libertalia Winds of Galecrest, Portal: the uncooperative cake acquisition game, The Thing boardgame.
Obviously I’ll be returning at the start of 2023 with the monthly round up plus the stats for for 2022.
Hard to think it’s been a month since the last one of these jumps back in time to look at what I was playing six years ago.
Time sure flies when you are going from one challenging situation to another.
So let’s get right to it and look at what my top nine played games were back in October 2016.
My top 9 played games of October 2016
Looking at the top nine, it looks like Netrunner was still a thing at my FLGS. FFG hadn’t started nerfing Anarchs or NBN at this point.
I was also getting some games in of Ashes. Although I was still using the pre-con decks, and hadn’t gotten into the deck building side.
If memory hasn’t failed me my games of Star Wars Imperial Assault were from one of the rare organised play events at my FLGS. Which means these were skirmish games not campaign games.
With Tiny Epic Western being played the Kickstarter for it must have just arrived. I know this didn’t sit with everyone who played it, but I did like the mix of worker placement and poker. Plus I loved the playmat they did for the game.
Karmaka is a great card game that deserves seeing the table again. I really liked the mechanic that attracted me to the Kickstarter where cards you play can be used by your opponent. The theme really does come through in this game.
Zombicide hit the table. I’m shocked that happened.
7 Wonders Duel, an instant two player classic. One I need to play again. Nathan loves this game too. That’s how good the game is.
Still enjoy playing Splendor, although no longer in my collection, I do have the Marvel version.
Star Wars Timelines. A lovely quick Star Wars game that does test your knowledge of the original trilogy.
Finally for this type of post here are the raw stats for the month.
I hope you like the new image for these posts. Don’t worry that’s the only change. I’m not going to start changing the current no thrills, just the data format.
No onto the data.
My top 9 played games for September 2022
Ok here are the stats and games played for the month.
It’s time to quantum leap back to September 2016 and the games I was playing that month.
My top 9 games played in September 2016
It’s an interesting top 9 this month. Four of the games played were Kickstarter editions.
It’s nice to see I was getting Android Netrunner to the table. I think this was the time that it started to get some traction at a local gaming group and the FLGS. So games were easier to come by.
I don’t remember much of the game play for Thief’s Market. I vaguely remember dice and I think I split you choose mechanic. But I might be wrong on the mechanic.
I’m always going to remember Saloon Tycoon as the first game I ever played with Diego. It’s also the game he earnt the reputation as points monster. First time he ever played the game he wiped the floor with Jonathan and myself.
Grifters was a very cool card game with an interesting cool-down mechanic that I backed on Kickstarter. I even backed the follow up to this. I loved the cyberpunk theme that might be connected to the Resistance universe if I remember correctly. The art is pretty cool.
Talking of theme Hit Z Road just oozes it’s post zombie apocalypse theme. It’s a nice light dice based game too. Jonathan even enjoyed this one!
I really need to get Spectre Ops back to the table. I think we have the play group for this now. The promised app for it never did appear. And I really should get the follow up. I see the basis of another bgstat challenge here.
The Great Heartland Hauling Co. is a nice light pick up and deliver game. Pretty small box also. I liked it so much I got my own copy.
