2017: The Year of Shifts

2017 was certainly one of the more eventful and significant years of my 27 years on the planet so far. I moved to Seoul, got more into Ultimate, helped spread the cult of board games, and started reading for enjoyment again. Oh yeah, I got married as well. That was a thing that happened. Let’s look back at these major milestones just before 2017 comes to an end.

The Old Ball and Chain 

I’m a lucky goof who married a beautiful lady.

The first, and most influential, event of the year was my marriage to Kris. Despite my nervousness before the day, which you can read about here, it was the happiest day of my life up until this point. While the old cliche may not be true for everyone, it certainly is for me. I spent a day with my family and South African friends, celebrating the love that I have for the woman I now am lucky enough to call my wife. 2017 got off to a strong start.

Seoulward Bound

Kris and my cousin Catherine posing with Seoul’s motto. Yes, it is a mediocre motto.

The next change brought about by 2017 was our move to Seoul. Our third new city in three years in Korea, we have been interested in moving to Seoul ever since our first year. This year we finally landed up in the largest city in Korea, and it has quickly won our hearts as our favorite city in the country. The sheer scale of Seoul means that there’s always something new to see, somewhere else to explore. Our new apartment is wonderful and it makes a huge difference in our daily lives. Seoul also brings with it a larger foreigner community than our previous towns. This has made it easier to meet up with Ultinate friends. While not good for our bank accounts due to eating out more often, it has left us feeling more at home than ever in Korea.

Disc-loving Gent

Smile!

Ultimate has always been a big part of my life in Korea, but this year I felt like I took my love of the game to the next level. I trained more regularly, took more interest in self-improvement, and generally put more time into my game than I had before. While I have slacked off in the current off-season, enjoying the festive food and sloth a little more than I should, I am proud of how far I’ve come as an Ultimate player in 2017.

Gathering over Games

Kris and a friend playing Terra Mystica, one of our more in-depth games of the year.

When a friend dressed up as me for a casual Halloween costume party, they merely wore their ordinary clothes. Onto their shirt, they pinned a note saying:

“I love board games  (and my wife’s cat).”

That was all. And it was perfectly accurate. An increasing number of gatherings at our house involve bonding over some board game or another. This is reflected by the fact that I’ve had 77 plays of 29 different board games since April this year. And also by the fact that I am concerned enough about games to record each play. I adore board games. They allow for unique social experiences, and create memories that have stayed with me for years. This year was no different, and I have had a number of special moments thanks to board games this year.

New Stories, New Worlds

Ghüs, my favourite character from my favourite comic, Saga.

Before this year, I had spent very little time reading. Between work, the aforementioned Ultimate, and playing video games (another source of great stories, but not quite the same), I didn’t think to pick up a book much at all. However, during 2017, I longed for the escape that comics brought me throughout university. I slowly began to grow my collection of digital comics, starting by picking up my old favorite series before spreading to new discoveries. I have also read a small number of novels, a number I hope to improve on in 2018. I had forgotten how enjoyable reading is, but I shan’t forget again any time soon.
2017 may not have been the game-changer year like 2015 was, but it was close. Getting married, playing Ultimate, spreading the good word of board games, and growing in my reading habits were only pieces of what made 2017 special. There were certainly dark times as well, and there will be more ahead. But, as the year fades into the past, it’s more worthwhile to look back on the happiness. Happy New Year, everyone!

Old Habits, New Bliss

When we search for ways to make our current lives better, we often look to the latest new trend. The Internet is constantly bombarding us with the hottest new thing, as of this very second. Whether this is a new fitness regime, the latest and greatest development in fun technology, or maybe even just a friend suggestion on Facebook, the Internet tends to try and push us into new things.

Most of the time, this is perfectly fine. Without discovering new hobbies or music or social circles, we don’t grow or challenge ourselves. The past few days, however, I have greatly enjoyed doing the complete opposite. I’ve been sinking into hobbies and music that I loved at high school and university, but just haven’t engaged with in Korea or even in South Africa just before I left. In the last few years, my life has changed so drastically that I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see if I still found joy in the things that I delighted in only a few years ago.

Image from Pinterest

My first foray into past revelry was music. As the school year has wound down, I’ve had more time to play Overwatch and Dota. I usually don’t play music other than the in-game music, as it distracts me, but I was playing more casually than normal and felt like a change. So, I put on a YouTube playlist of Linkin Park, one of my absolute favourite bands of my teens and early university years. The first song I played was my personal favourite song, Numb. From there, I let YouTube’s algorithm take me where it wanted. Right from the first note, I had a smile on my face. Each passing song brought with it memories of high school study sessions or hanging out with friends in WARP (the geek club of my alma mater). Flashes of faces I hadn’t seen in years (to my shame) ran across my mind faster than the changes in the games. I had less success with System of a Down, a band I was particularly fond of in my mid-late teen years, but I was surprised by how connected my experience of life was to Linkin Park.

I am a firm advocate in the power of music to influence your day-to-day existence.Perhaps it is the raw emotional nature of Linkin Park’s music that causes such a strong reaction. Maybe I just stopped listening to them out of snobbery. Maybe they released a bad album or two and I lost faith. In any case, time-travelling through music is something I look forward to doing again soon. I am definitely going to see if the Linkin Park effect can be repeated by other past musical obsessions like Muse.

Beyond music, I have also been engaging in two hobbies that I have lost touch with in recent times – reading and model painting.

Image from Amazon

While I regularly read comics, I have only read two actual novels this entire year. A few weeks ago, I picked up a small collection of books from a fellow teacher. This past Saturday, I decided to crack open the treasure trove of stories for the first time. I elected to start Andy Weir’s The Martian, and I have been devouring it ever since. I have almost finished the story, and I cannot wait to see how it ends.

One catalyst to my high reading time has been an unintended plus of my LASEK surgery. In years past, I have been incredibly prone to motion sickness while in a car. I could not read or use a cellphone for more than fifteen minutes before I would feel queasy. Since my surgery, this time has grown exponentially, to the point where I found that I could read for the entire 90 minute bus trip to Seoul without feeling sick in the slightest. Combine this with trips to Seoul and Daejeon between Saturday and Monday, and I relished more than seven hours of reading time that I used to plow through Mark Watney’s exploits on the Red Planet.

Image from Pinterest

The other hobby that I found pathos in recently is model painting. At the wonderful Seoul Board Games Flea Market, I picked up a copy of the masterpiece that is Shadows Over Camelot. In the game, there are small plastic models for many different aspects in the game, including Arthurian knights, catapults, and even Excalibur and the Holy Grail. At university, I was a devout player of Warhammer 40 000 (Orks and Tyranids 4 lyf). I had spent dozens of hours bringing my Warbosses, Trukks, and other boiz to life. In the Shadows models, I saw an opportunity to test my skills and see if I could even paint. So, after my LASEK checkup yesterday (my eyes are still improving, yay!), I went to a popular hobby shop to kit myself out for bringing the Arthurian universe into full colour.

The dream! Image from Pinterest

I decided to start with the simpler models to warm my painting skills up. Once those were complete, I would move to the intricate Knights of the Round Table. I spent almost two hours walking between two shelves of paint, planning out my colour schemes. Which shade of green did I want for my Pict battle garments? (Lime Green) Did I really need Dried Blood and Fresh Blood? (Yes). I was in a zone that I hadn’t been in in years, and I left the store 90 000 won (R900ish for my South African audience, $85ish for Americans) poorer but with a deep sense of inner peace. I have already hit most of the models with a coat of white primer, and I will probably start painting the catapults today. We’ll see if they turn out like brown blobby triangles or beautiful examples of medieval siege weaponry.

So, if you’re tired of trying to look for the newest thing to add to your life, try looking back. For many hobbies or musical styles, you might have left them in the past for a reason. But you might just stumble upon something that you find moments of true joy or peace in, and you’ll be left wondering why you left it behind. Even if that heightened emotion is only temporary, it will be worth your time.

Boards, Cards, and Happy Fun Times: My Four Favourite Tabletop Games

In my last post, I discussed how board games have impacted my life, and how they can help bring people together. Some games do this better than others. I may not have played a vast number of board games, but of the ones that I have, these are the ones that I have found to provide the most consistently fun experiences and worthy post-board-game-night stories. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to try as many of these games as possible. You won’t be disappointed.

Munchkin

Image from fox.mmgn.com

In Munchkin, you start out as a level 1 character with no powers, abilities, or shiny things to make you more powerful. The aim of the game is to acquire loot, defeat monsters, acquire more loot, defeat bigger monsters, and eventually be the first Munchkin to reach level 10 and win the game.

Does this sound pretty dry and repetitive? Well, imagine that you’re facing up against parodies of classic gaming and pop culture tropes. In Munchkin, you can defeat Great Cthulhu with the Necronookiecon, or defeat a robotic version of Queen Victoria with a cane version of a gunsaw. The strength of Munchkin is its sense of humour. Whilst the game is mostly pretty balanced, the cards will often have you chuckling throughout your entire game due to the sheer insanity of the humour.

There are a host of different versions of Munchkin, with a unique setting in each. My personal favourites are Munchkin Cthulhu, Adventure Time Munchkin, and Munchkin Steampunk. If you’re interested to see how Munchkin plays, check out famous geek Will Wheaton play the game with Steve Jackson (the creator of Munchkin) and some of his friends here.

Love Letter

Image from The Nerds’ Table

In Love Letter, you are one of up to four suitors vying for the affections of a princess. Each turn, you play one of two possible cards to try and eliminate the other suitors from the round. If you are the last suitor remaining in a particular round, or you have the card of highest number value of the players left, you win a token of the princess’ affection. The first person to a set number of tokens wins the game (this varies depending on the number of players in the game).

What I adore about Love Letter is the amount of game you get for its size. Some games take up a large box. Love Letter is 16 cards, 4 rules cards, and the tokens of affection, all stored in a small cloth bag. It is perfect for occupying down times when travelling. Like Munchkin, there are a host of different versions of Love Letter, from Munchkin to Batman to my personal favourite, Adventure Time (you may be seeing a trend here). It is simple to explain and play, but has high replay value because of the shenanigans possible with the effects of each card. Watch Will Wheaton and co. play Love Letter here!

King of Tokyo

Image from davidkelly.me

In King of Tokyo, each player takes control of a monster. Players take turns rolling dice to see which monster will be crowned King of Tokyo by earning the most victory points or simply smashing the other monsters into the ground. During the course of the game, players can upgrade their monsters to have things like poison spit or psychic probes, each of which has unique gameplay effects.

King of Tokyo is probably my favourite quick and simple board game. It looks great, the game is well-balanced, it is easy to explain, and every person that I have played it with has loved it. There is great replay value due to the different monsters and the quick nature of the game. Games take between 20-40 minutes, so no-one’s brain is going to hurt overly much after a game or two. This game is great for families, game nights, and for anyone who enjoys playing with monsters and having fun. Watch Will Wheaton and friends play it here.

Cosmic Encounter

Image from fantization.com

If King of Tokyo is probably my favourite quick and easy game, Cosmic Encounter is probably my favourite game of a higher complexity. Whilst it is still not a whole-day-spanning, sprawling game like the Twilight Imperiums of the world, there is a depth of play in Cosmic Encounter that is far greater than the other games on this list.

In Cosmic Encounter, each player chooses one of 50 possible alien races. Each race has a unique power that breaks the rules of the game in some way. The players will use their powers during encounters with other players. These encounters revolve around encounter cards, which can be peaceful or aggressive. However, these cards are played face-down, so the possibility for shenanigans is high. A player wins the game by securing five colonies in other players’ territories. Unlike most games, multiple players can win the game at the same time. Here is a video explaining the game in a simple, accessible, and quick way.

Cosmic Encounter is a phenomenal game. From the sheer variety of powers available, to the heated discussions that happen during the encounters themselves, some of my fondest memories from game nights come from Cosmic Encounter. This is a game where almost anything is possible, and slyness and fast-talking ability are rewarded.

So, from the simple beauty of Love Letter, to the smashing fun of King of Tokyo, to kicking down doors in Munchkin, or shenanigans in space with Cosmic Encounter, these are my four favourite tabletop games right now. Many games came close to making it, but there is just something special about each of these four games. If you want to play a good game, you can’t go wrong with any of these, in my personal opinion. The great thing about games is that everyone has their own favourites. For some more good recommendations, check out TableTop (the video series by Will Wheaton I’ve linked multiple times already) or the BoardGameGeek leaderboards. There are board games for you. Go out and find them!

Board Games: The Universal Unifier

Gaming is a pastime that permeates almost every aspect of who I am as a person. I play games to relax. I play games to challenge my reaction times, logic, and emotions. I play games to tell stories. I play games to have stories told to me. The most social way that I play games is to have some fun with others. These games most often take the form of card or board games. Whether I play with my family, my friends, or my students, I find that games are a way to bring people together, regardless of circumstances.

Everyone has to start their gaming life somewhere. For most, this was playing simple games like Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, or Bingo with their family. I am no different. I remember many weekends spent at my grandmother’s house trying to outwit my cousin and brother in order to win Monopoly. A board game or two were always present on family holidays, and a pack of cards was always at the ready. Anecdotes of hotly-contested games formed part of family banter – “Yeah, but you still couldn’t beat me at Monopoly!” was an oft-used retort to expressions of superiority. And yes, we played Monopoly to death.

As I grew older, particularly when I entered university, the door into the true world of board games was opened to me. All around me, dozens of games that I had never even heard of before were played and enjoyed. I took one last mental look at Monopoly and dove in. I played games of all sizes, lengths, complexities, and themes. I hunted for Thunderstones and Munchkinned my way to level 10. I became a successful, profitable bean farmer and laid train tracks throughout Europe. I planeswalked and fought giant monsters. I even fended off cannibals in a little house on a hill. I did all of this whilst bonding with friends that I keep in touch with to this day (although not as much as I should!).

When I landed in Korea, I thought that the attitude towards board and card games would be different. In the land where League of Legends and Minecraft reign supreme, I held little hope that my students would even want to open a game that wasn’t an app on a phone or computer. I should have rather remembered the experiences that I’ve been lucky enough to have throughout my life. When I first showed my students one of my board games, their eyes lit up, and I saw my young self in them. Now, board game lessons are a highly effective reward for good behaviour and work ethic.

Life without board and card games would be a lot less interesting. They bring people together like nothing else. Just this week, I have already had one board game night, with the potential to have two more before the week is over. Every time I pick up a game, I think of all of the memories that I have made with that game. If it’s a new game, I am filled with the giddy anticipation of what is to come. In my next post, I will list the games that I couldn’t live without (it will be out this week, I swear!). Until then, play more games!