Last weekend I spent in Bremen, demoing my games during Bremer Spiele Tage. I think it is a good moment to chat about people playing my games on cons…

Category I
He comes to my stand. I explain rules. He plays. After the game is finished he gets up from the table, says 'Thank you’ and walks away.

I can’t believe it really happens. I want to scream!

Hey! You’ve just played my game! My great game! How it is possible you didn’t fall in love with it? Why didn’t you buy a copy? Don’t you want to have it in your games collection? Are you kidding me? 'Thank you’? That’s it? You just walk away?!

Category II
He comes to my stand. I explain rules. He plays. He likes it. He asks: 'Are you the author?’ I say: 'Yes, I am.’ He says: 'It is very good game, congratulations.’

I say 'Thank you!’ and I am in heaven.

He says: 'I think I will take one.’

Heaven it is.

Category III
He comes to my stand. I explain rules. He plays. He loves it. He buys. Sometimes he asks for signed copy. He congratulates me. He walks away.

Next day of convention I see him coming back. He comes with friends. He explains them the game. He recommends it. They buy the game. I say thank you.

Heaven? No, not heaven. It is paradise…

***

So I was in Bremen this weekend. There were players who didn’t fall in love with my games (can you believe it?!). There were players who played my games, liked them and bought them. There were 'Category III’ players too. Played Robinson and came next day with friends and talk – in German! – about the game. I don’t speak German, but I believe they didn’t bring their friends just to show them Robinson and say it sucks, right?

There were even guys who tried to bribe me and buy my last demo copy of Robinson – my last and incomplete! English copy of Robinson. (greetings to Engoduun and 'You suck!’ guys )

Thank you for meeting all of you. Each con is a great compilation of mini events and meetings that on one hand are boosting my ego and keep me in heaven and on the other hand let me maintain a little bit of humility…

But seriously… How it is possible you didn’t fall in love with my…

In 'my version’ of Robinson Crusoe setup for 4 players was: Take 2 Starting item cards and 2 No starting item cards. Shuffle them. Deal 1 card to each player.

In that way players had fun since the very very beginning of the game – it was just like in those novels – they are on the beach and they are checking their pockets looking for anything valuable. Some of them have something, some of them nope.

It didn’t make it to the final rules set.

Why?

Because it makes set up longer. Because I need to find all those small moments that make game longer and kill them.

Make it fast. As fast as you can.

***

Have you watched The Dice Tower best co-ops? Do you watch or read stuff from other reviewers? Every reviewer see short of the play as an advantage. It plays quickly. It is rather smooth. It plays in an hour. You can play two games in a row. These all are advantages. No doubt about it, right?

***

I talk a lot with my friends from Rebel.pl This is the biggest games store in Poland. I talk with them to know what is trendy, what sells well, what customers say about games. I want to be updated.

Customers choose quicker game.

He ask for economy game.
He is recommended two games.
One plays in 2 hours.
The other in 90 minutes.
Do you you want to take a guess which one will he buy?

7 Wonders? Civ game that plays in 40 minutes.
1812: The Invasion of Canada? War game that plays in 90 minutes.
Egizia? Euro you can play in 45 minutes.
Race for the Galaxy? Man, you can play 3 games in a row in 90 minutes…

Yeah, players like games that play fast, do they?

***

There is however one question that pops in my mind again and again. If we are games fans, why we want games to play short? Shouldn’t we be damn happy playing them as long as possible? Why we want fun to be short?

I have this rule ’Never purchase new game if the one you bought previously is still unplayed’

It helps me keep my budget under control. It helps me keep reasonable number of games in my collection. This is important.

So – never purchase new game if the one you bought previously is still unplayed. It’s clear. Of course I had to make one small exception when Christmas was approaching but well, what could I do?! Shouldn’t I buy games for my family because I was lame and didn’t manage to play game bought in November? Should I hurt them? No!!

So basically, the rule is: never purchase new game if the one you bought previously is still unplayed except the situation when not purchasing would hurt feelings of people you care.

Yeah, it is a little bit longer, but it is fair.

***

For a moment I was wondering if purchasing six games for Christmas isn’t a violation of my rule but technically it isn’t. I was buying them in a one moment. I don’t think it is exploiting the rules. I hope you agree.

***

There was a tight moment at the beginning of January with a good offer for Smash Up in one of the Polish game stores, so I needed to look at the situation with wider perspective – Space Cadets which I bought for Christmas and didn’t play yet is a game for 3-5 players. Merry and I makes 2 players.

This is objective reason why I didn’t played Space Cadets yet. I simply can’t. I really wanted, but I can’t.

In this situation everything is clear – never purchase new game if the one you bought previously is still unplayed although you could play it (except the situation when not purchasing would hurt feelings of people you care).

I was totally allowed to buy Smash up.

***

Mid-january shows me as a loyal client and man of honor. I was contacted by my favorite game store. They informed me that they just managed to import the game Coup I was asking about few months ago. You can not expect me being rude and cancel my order, right?

This is matter of rules. This is matter of being a honest and responsible man. Yeah, I bought Coup but I didn’t break any rules. Read them carefully. Everything is according to rules.

Never purchase new game if the one you purchased previously is still unplayed although you could play it (except the situation when not purchasing would hurt feelings of people or game stores you care).

***

Few days ago I discovered the problem with wording, and you know, wording in rules is extremely important. Carelessly I used the word 'purchase’ when writing the rule. It obviously should be 'buy’. I mean, this is important, because the fact that I am just receiving 4 new games from Polish edition of Math Trade is something totally different. Technically it is not buying. I want you to understand very clearly. This is not against the rule.

Never buy new game if the one you bought previously is still unplayed although you could play it (except the situation when not purchasing would hurt feelings of people or game stores you care).

Math Trade is legal. I can exchange as many games as I want!

***

This week I bought Mage Wars.

And technically, I mean, if you look at this promotion I was offered and if you consider I am father of big family and I really need to keep my budget tight and such an offer let me save money so I can buy warm clothes for my little kids and…

OK, you know what? Give me a break. Look at my avatar here. I am game designer. Not rules lawyer. Are we clear?