I downloaded the BG Stats app in February 2018. Since then, I have recorded 1178 sessions in 475 different board games. I played five or more times in only 53 of those 475 board games. What’s more, I played 258 games only once and never got back to them. I learned the rules, prepared the game, and then one session and never again. That’s a scary statistic.

Merry and I got a board game accessory for Christmas this year. We chose 10 titles that we love, games that bring us a lot of fun, games that, damn it!, deserve much more time on our table. Sorry, new releases, this year, get in line to be played…

So there was this one guy in the wargaming group who wrote a post that he’d already played Nevsky three times, and each play was boring, tedious, and he really didn’t like this game. Nevsky is one of my favorite board wargames, so I just smiled and repeated to myself: “De gustibus non est disputandum. To each their own. There’s beauty in variety.” I was surprised that this guy actually spent three sessions, each four hours long, on a game he didn’t even like. On the other hand, Nevsky isn’t the cheapest, so he probably wanted to be absolutely sure it wasn’t for him. I respect that.

But not even a month later, that same gamer, in the same group, was roasting the game called Almoravid. For all of you who don’t know what Almoravid is, I will explain—it’s Nevsky, but in Spain. The same genre, the same series, just a few changes in the rules. That’s when I started to wonder.

It’s been more than a decade since I’ve participated in a tournament. Though attending conventions is my job, I usually work at the Portal Games booth at those events and don’t have time to spend hours in competitions. Also, it probably doesn’t befit someone working in the industry to fight for main prizes with other competitors. At some point in my life, I stopped competing in wargaming. I didn’t join the fight for keys in Keyforge or road building in Catan. Tournaments are a thrill, a rush of adrenaline, but also a lot of frustration, when one of the competitors focuses too much on the prize and destroys the fun for everyone else, ignoring the rules of fair play. I haven’t experienced all of this in years.

Last weekend, after my decade-long break, I took part in a tournament. I was stressed out, of course! But I packed my Arkham Horror LCG cards and went to the small, local tournament organized in a board game pub in the city I live in.

John Wick is one of the most important creators in the RPG games industry. I had the pleasure to meet him in person just once, for a short time, when he was a guest at one of the Polish conventions. I’m that guy from the board games industry, and he’s the star of the RPG scene, but we somehow always manage to pass by each other.

John designed some of the best games in the history of RPG—Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea. I had lots of fun playing both these titles, but what’s equally important, they heavily influenced my beginnings in the industry. John is also a great writer—his series of articles about Orkworld, published online in 2000, had a huge impact on my narration style and marketing of my first games. This legendary collection of opinion articles, printed and bound, proudly stands on my RPG bookshelf to this day. Right next to the Orkworld, of course.

My most expected book of the year arrived. It’s not a new novel from Brandon Sanderson. It’s not a new Stephen King novel. It’s not even the new novel about my beloved Troll Slayer. It’s Dice Men by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson. It’s about the beginnings of the Games Workshop. 

You know, I am a sucker for everything that covers behind-the-scenes information. I loved these extras that back then were added to DVD discs. I loved documentaries about creating and developing games (like Indie Game: The Movie). I cannot express how I enjoyed  Designers & Dragons series by Shannon Appelcline. And now this – the origin story of the Games Workshop! OMG!