Carols, friends and gaming...and a survey

A POLL: So what are your current favourite boardgames? Or what WERE your favourite boardgames as a child?

On the way to meet Allison and Jodi for a Christmas lunch yesterday, I came across these carol singers. They were chatting with each other about what song to sing next but when they noticed that I was taking a photo of them with my iPhone, they immediately posed for this picture. :-)

They started singing a few moments later, and they were really good!




Above: homemade cookies, brought by our friend Ray when he arrived for a gaming session on Saturday. Mmmm! I played Ticket To Ride and Power Grid - Factory Manager.



Ticket To Ride has become one of my favourite games. It's a train game by Alan Moon with very simple rules but a lot of potential for strategy.

I enjoyed playing Power Grid - Factory Manager (designed by Friedemann Friese) for the first time. This game was debuted a few months ago. The theme isn't as exciting to me as some other games but I was still pulled in by the gameplay. Like Power Grid, there are constant calculations to be made throughout as you try to make best use of your workers, buy robots and machinery, keeping an eye on rising energy prices balanced against the energy consumption of your own machines.



Like Power Grid, there were times when all the calculations turned into a confusing mush in my head when balancing all the different factors before making a purchase; this is not a game I could play when I'm tired. But as I mentioned in my earlier post about why I love boardgaming, I get so much more satisfaction out this kind of game than I do a game like Monopoly or other simple party games...even when I crash and burn because I don't yet have a good grasp of the strategies.



And I can't help but think how much more fun people might have if they spent more time playing boardgames and less time watching tv, especially families. There are so many family-oriented boardgames available. I also find playing boardgames a much more satisfying couple activity than watching a rented tv show or movie together.

But I also realize that everyone's situation and tastes in entertainment is different. If you're curious to find out more about boardgames, however, I strongly encourage you to check out BoardGameGeek. Not only can you find out a ton of info about pretty much every game that has ever been published, you can also get advice about what games would best suit your situation.