EC Game of the Month - On Holiday

[PaulW]

Two Questions:

1) I love the ideas of the games of the month, but I'm wondering if we should take a break.  The numbers for June's games were light and we didn't get much in the way of comments for July.  I ran some early numbers for July.  They look light too.  Maybe people are on vacation and we should start again in Sept?

2) If we want to continue with the GOTM, then what are your picks?  Hey, how about Tichu?  We haven't played that much lately.

[Jocelyn25]

im also for a break in gotm, over the summer everybody is just to busy with other things and i think we should pick up in september again. my $02

[Don_Quijote]

GOTM: I agree. I wasn't much online recently, perhaps this also made the feeling I should play the GOTM wear off a little, but I see the same tendency. I would agree with a break but I am also willing to make an effort again (which would actually be a good solution too ).

Tichu as GOTM: Tichu? What's that? (Don_Quijote hears a dog barking somewhere far away). 

DQ

[Elttil]

Sounds fine with me to take a break for a month or two. The couple times I've tried to find munchkins interested in Seidler this month no one else has wanted to play. I have enjoyed learning the games I didn't know so I definitely want to continue with it after a break.

[Esterio]

I think as well that we should make a pause in GotM, and maybe think about a new way to make them attractive and interesting. I must confess I have not been playing Siedler (at all) or Caylus (much) this month myself.

I find it a bit... surprising, maybe even disappointing, that not every munchkin (or BSW player in general of course) who has been there for a while has not tried most or all of the BSW games at least once. Maybe not really specific games which they know they would not enjoy anyway (I'm thinking about games such as Ligretto, Intrige, and also heavier games such as Power Grid, Caylus, or even Puerto Rico for not-so-heavy players), but I mean light or middle-weight games such as Transamerica, Emerald, KUK, Meuterer, Ra, Einfach Genial, Sticheln... My point is not that all these games are universally good, or that you have to enjoy all these games to be allowed to be a munchkin. It is just that some people may be missing opportunities to play games they could enjoy.

I thought that the GotM would help making these games better-known to munchkins. I am sure it helped, but there are still munchkins (and I do not mean new ones) who have not played all of the previous GotM yet. Maybe there is a better way we ought to find.

Esterio, who is (most of the time) ready to teach most games

[PaulW]

I think as well that we should make a pause in GotM, and maybe think about a new way to make them attractive and interesting. I must confess I have not been playing Siedler (at all) or Caylus (much) this month myself.

I find it a bit... surprising, maybe even disappointing, that not every munchkin (or BSW player in general of course) who has been there for a while has not tried most or all of the BSW games at least once. Maybe not really specific games which they know they would not enjoy anyway (I'm thinking about games such as Ligretto, Intrige, and also heavier games such as Power Grid, Caylus, or even Puerto Rico for not-so-heavy players), but I mean light or middle-weight games such as Transamerica, Emerald, KUK, Meuterer, Ra, Einfach Genial, Sticheln... My point is not that all these games are universally good, or that you have to enjoy all these games to be allowed to be a munchkin. It is just that some people may be missing opportunities to play games they could enjoy.

I thought that the GotM would help making these games better-known to munchkins. I am sure it helped, but there are still munchkins (and I do not mean new ones) who have not played all of the previous GotM yet. Maybe there is a better way we ought to find.

Esterio, who is (most of the time) ready to teach most games

Ok, we will give the GOTM a break.

I have to agree with E as well.  I've missed a few GOTM here and there but on the other hand I've played 39 different games and I am not a heavy gamer compaired to many others in EC (that will change when my kids get older).  I find learning new games fun.

In Sept we will either restart GOTM or think of some other idea to get others to play a few different games on BSW.

And I still need to learn Doko!!!

[reikja]

When we suggested to make the low (often: rarely) played games to become GOTM - it was our intention to get people know them and probably find out - they like them, too!

Numbers have never been brilliant since we started in January, but some of us DID try the new games, at least once. So I guess it WAS a success and - we filled the almost empty game rooms for those games too. Plus: we filled them IN town.

Any Munchkin is free to teach a game he/she knows well to Munchkins, visitors and newbes whenever he/she feels to and as far as i see, i never heard a "No, i won't teach you!"

Giving GOTM a break during Summer season is a good idea, especially for we picked looong lasting games for July.. (whoever did this, do you remember?? *gg*).

Let's start again in September and keep it with the small, fast and
not so well known games we do have in town.

The constant drop hollows the stone. reikja

[Don_Quijote]

  I just realised I have played more than 55 different games on BSW and I haven't played Manitou and Fürsten although they were GOTM. For me it has a lot to do on how often I go online. In times when I have not much time I am often too lazy to learn a new game as I want to use the limited time online with playing and not producing the famous 'mööööp' sound all the time.

On the other hand, games have to be learned at some point! I guess I need to make use of Esterio's offer and learn those games before we start again with GOTM.

Mea culpa (and with that greetings to Ricky Martin )

DQ

[PaulW]

The bottom line is that there is soooo many games and soooo little time.  With better and better games (and interfaces) coming on BSW, it's only a matter of time that the other games will drop to the side.

Take 6N for example.  I like that game the about same as Manitou, but will likely play 6N just for the flying cards and the mooooo sound.

The best we can do is try to point out the hidden gems and get a few people to try them out.

Speaking of Doko, if we can get 3 other people (besides me) to read the rules, I would love to try it out.  If there are any takers let me know...

[Esterio]

I guess I need to make use of Esterio's offer and learn those games before we start again with GOTM.

Sure, I could teach you Fuersten. But since the explanation and first game will require about two hours, I would rather teach it to several new players at once. That was supposed to be one of the interests of having it as GotM

Also, for most games, but especially the heavier ones, like Fuersten, reading the rules in advance usually helps. Heavier games are more difficult to learn, but remember they are also more difficult to teach and it is easier to forget a rule when explaining (I have taught Fuersten online much less often as lighter games such as, for instance, KUK or Emerald).

With better and better games (and interfaces) coming on BSW, it's only a matter of time that the other games will drop to the side.

I agree that the interfaces are improving (although they also tend to have more and more annoying sound effects), but the games themselves are not, in my opinion, better (or worse) than the old ones. Of course, having more available games and just as much time means you can only spend, on average, less time on each game...

Speaking of Doko, if we can get 3 other people (besides me) to read the rules, I would love to try it out.  If there are any takers let me know...

Sure. I have to refresh my memories of various contract types, and scoring, but playing Doko will probably be quite refreshing after so much Tichu lately.

Esterio

[PaulW]

With better and better games (and interfaces) coming on BSW, it's only a matter of time that the other games will drop to the side.

I agree that the interfaces are improving (although they also tend to have more and more annoying sound effects), but the games themselves are not, in my opinion, better (or worse) than the old ones. Of course, having more available games and just as much time means you can only spend, on average, less time on each game...

Speaking of Doko, if we can get 3 other people (besides me) to read the rules, I would love to try it out.  If there are any takers let me know...

Sure. I have to refresh my memories of various contract types, and scoring, but playing Doko will probably be quite refreshing after so much Tichu lately.

Esterio

1 - I guess you are right about the games.  Caylus I like.  TuT is a improved ParisParis to me, but not a outstanding game (even though it just won game of the year). uKuK is not my cup of tea.  Heckmeck, I haven't played yet.  I guess it looks average to me.  Verflixxt is really brainless.  Nothing else jumps to mind.

2 - 'annoying sound effects'  Hey that mooooo sound kept my youngest kid happy for about 1 to 2 months.  That's gold to me. 

Paul runs off to reread the Doko rules....

[Esterio]

1 - I guess you are right about the games.  Caylus I like.  TuT is a improved ParisParis to me, but not a outstanding game (even though it just won game of the year). uKuK is not my cup of tea.  Heckmeck, I haven't played yet.  I guess it looks average to me.  Verflixxt is really brainless.  Nothing else jumps to mind.

See, you have forgotten FussballLigretto already

2 - 'annoying sound effects'  Hey that mooooo sound kept my youngest kid happy for about 1 to 2 months.  That's gold to me. 

For even more annoying (in my opinion) sound effects, try Heckmeck. Or FussballLigretto.

[PaulW]

1 - I guess you are right about the games.  Caylus I like.  TuT is a improved ParisParis to me, but not a outstanding game (even though it just won game of the year). uKuK is not my cup of tea.  Heckmeck, I haven't played yet.  I guess it looks average to me.  Verflixxt is really brainless.  Nothing else jumps to mind.

See, you have forgotten FussballLigretto already

2 - 'annoying sound effects'  Hey that mooooo sound kept my youngest kid happy for about 1 to 2 months.  That's gold to me. 

For even more annoying (in my opinion) sound effects, try Heckmeck. Or FussballLigretto.

Well I've never played LG, so I didn't even look at FLG.  Now I'm going to have to check it out.

[ratpfink]

Dearest munchkins,
September is SchrilleStille month!

Yours truly,
Hein O.

[Jocelyn25]

1 - I guess you are right about the games.  Caylus I like.  TuT is a improved ParisParis to me, but not a outstanding game (even though it just won game of the year). uKuK is not my cup of tea.  Heckmeck, I haven't played yet.  I guess it looks average to me.  Verflixxt is really brainless.  Nothing else jumps to mind.
Paul runs off to reread the Doko rules....

Verflixxt is NOT brainless *fumes