In the Hello World post I did say that this blog would not just be outdoors stuff but also a home for other bits too. This is going to be one of the posts that fits in to that category.

Since moving back to my home town I have got back into playing tabletop games. Tabletop games are for the casual reader board games. You know Monopoly, Cluedo, Risk etc. The games we all played when we were kids. However stray from the “traditional” games we grew up with and a whole new world opens up. Welcome to the world of miniatures, euro games, war games, role playing, casual games, collaborative games, the list of styles etc goes on. The tabletop world is so much richer now when I was growing up. And truth be told the games are far more fun.

I don't play in a local gaming group (I should try and find one), although I have been once to a X-Wing Miniatures thing that runs on a Thursday at The Rift in Peterborough (really need to get back there to play some more). So normally I buy games like a collector! But not really as I buy games that meet certain criteria.

Ideally the game should be:

• playable solo – being able to play a game solo is a big advantage, it means I can play it at home, get to know the rules before playing with others.
• be playable by 2 players – some games although they say 2 players or more really aren't 2 player games. So games that are equally enjoyable as 2 player games as multiplayer are important. Why? Well when I visit Nathan I take a selection of games with me for us to play as father and son. So the 2 player experience is very important for me.

So what sort of games do I like? To answer this I think it will be easier to list my collection of games. Some I have played and some I haven't. The ones I haven't got round to playing I will eventually it's just they are on the list of ones to play with Nathan when I visit him.

• Carcassonne
• Zombicide
• Dead of Winter
• Settlers of Catan
• Lost Cities
• Munchkin
• Fluxx
• Love Letter
• Shoot Out
• X-Wing Miniatures
• Red Devils
• Memoire 44
• Battle Cry
• Castle Ravenloft
• Resistance
• Betrayal at the house on the hill
• Small World
• Zombie Dice
• Munchkin Quest
• Flash Point: Fire Rescue
• Ticket to Ride
• Alhambra
• Takenoko
• Boss Monster
• Space Hulk: Death Angel
• Pandemic
• Forbidden Island
• Tsuro

And I have some expansions for some of the above too. The current games I am really big on at the moment are Zombicide and X-Wing Miniatures. And over on the Manic Coding blog I will probably do a post about Zombicide and using it to teach game design at some point. Also at some point I will do a post that lists whats on my wish list of games to get.

As I said above where I talk about a criteria for choosing a game, I play them with Nathan when I visit him. Normally when I visit take a selection games we have already played (that I know he enjoyed) and also some “new” ones that we haven't played. It is then up to Nathan to choose what he feels like playing. For me all the games are good, and made extra special by playing them with Nathan. Quality father and son time.

Some of the games I bought are also collaborative games. I usually take those games into work to use in induction week with new students to act as kind of ice breaker. I think they make a great change from the usual “build a bridge out of paper” type exercises.

So there you have it my tabletop “hello world” post, I hope you have enjoyed it.

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