I was considering doing my own "awards" for boardgaming in 2010, and so wrote down all of the games I bought that came out this year. Of course, this is not all of the games I bought, just the ones that were published this year. The result was more than a little disturbing for everyone but my FLGS. Here's the list of euros and strategy games I bought (non-wargames):
7 Wonders
Alien Frontiers
All Things Zombie
Ascension
Resident Evil Deckbuilding Game
Dominion: Prosperity
Dominion: Alchemy
Dominant Species
Dungeonquest
Castle Ravenloft
Fresco
Gosu
Heroes of Graxia
Leaping Lemmings
Lords of Vegas
Perry Rhodan and the Cosmic League
Railways of the World: The Card Game
Settlers of America
Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game
I estimate that this is about 50% of the non-wargames I purchased in 2010, many of which were published in late 2009 but not purchased until 2010.
Here are the wargames. I am not including magazine games, even those from Operations Special #3 (which are pretty close to "real" games). Assume there are another 10 magazine games on the list. Games that were pre-ordered have an '*' at the end of their names. Also note that there are probably a few games here that skirt the definition of wargames but go with it.
Bataan!
Yalu
Beda Fomm
Chariots of Fire*
Conflict of Heroes: Price of Honour
Frontline D-Day
Hearts and Minds
Julius Caesar
King Philip's War*
Labyrinth*
Nations At War: White Star Rising
Normandy '44*
Nothing Gained But Glory*
Ottoman Sunset
Panzer General: Russian Front
Fires of Midway
The Spanish Civil War*
The Tide At Sunrise*
Serpents of the Seas*
At a very rough estimate, I would say that the wargame list is about 80% or more of the total number of wargames I've purchased.
Clearly I have a problem, and I don't just mean storage.
Next year I will have a very clear idea of what I purchased because I'm now tracking my acquisitions on the 'Geek. I'll also note that I have cut back my preorders for wargames to include only game that are 1900-present or pre-gunpowder (and even that I'm mostly excited only in strategic games when it comes to ancients). Even that is probably way too much.
This year I gave away or sold at firesale prices a large number of games, and still have something like 25 I'd like to get rid of. Were I to just give up on Avalanche Press entirely and sell off all of my Panzer Grenadier, Great War at Sea, and Second World War at sea games, that would free up a few shelves of space. The collector in me just can't quite do it.
I'll probably die underneath a pile of wargames when I'm in my old age, just like those hoarders you see on television recently. The neighbors will figure it out when they haven't heard my dice tower making any noise for a month. Sigh.
And the awards? I didn't think I'd played enough of these games, especially the wargames, to make any good judgements! I certainly haven't played any of the euros enough to make a call either. Bad sign, man.
I should also note that I didn't include any expansions in the list either. There are a few of those as well.
3 comments:
Looks like I bought roughly 30 games (and probably 10+ expansion parts) this year. Fortunately I also have sold 38 games so far this year. My collection is currently at 286. I'm considering trying to get down to 250 next year. You could shoot for a similar idea scaled to the size of your collection.
Dug,
I also have the same problem. But I play the game and if I do not like it, give it away or sell it. My justification to games is that many of my friends blow their money drinking beers at their weekly dart meeting or are divorced. At least my wife knows that I am sitting in the basement ohhing and aahhing over the newest game that came in through the mail. You can't beat that feeling. :)
Uwe
Uwe, apparently I've been married for too long and that particular justification for gaming has lost it's effect.
I generally don't buy a game anymore unless I'm pretty sure I'll like it. That doesn't always work, but it does keep the incoming flood down to a dull roar.
Doesn't help. This was a very good year for games, I'm afraid. ;-)
And yeah, I'm all over that new game smell.
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