zwischenzug (ZVI-shen-tsoog) — noun

A chess tactic in which a player, instead of playing the expected move, first interpolates another move, changing the situation to the player's advantage (such as gaining material or avoiding what would otherwise be a strong continuation for the opponent).

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Revising my collection...

A few years ago, in my initial rush of enthusiasm, I managed to collect a good number of games that I was keen to play. These games included war games, fantasy games, sci-fi, and a few other games that would provide an epic story to tell. Here I am three years later, and some of them still have the shrink wrap on them.

It's because I am a geek.

It turns out that the same personality trait that provides all of the games for my gaming group is the same trait that makes me interested in fantasy, sci-fi and epic-length games - the genres that the rest of my group is not interested in playing. So, I am changing my collection. After all, a game that no one will play really doesn't have much value.

I have traded away most of my war games for very light war games. My boy loves fantasy, and I have conceded that he will probably take most of those with him to college. Some of my two player games will just have to go.

My wife tends to prefer abstract games, and I am okay with that. I like abstracts, some of them very strongly, even if it isn't my favorite genre. Our gaming group likes European style games, and there are a lot of fantastic games that I enjoy from that vein too. I have bought a few solitaire war games to satisfy that particular itch.

My dad always said, "To have a friend you have to be a friend", and that has always stuck with me. And so I salute those great games I no longer own, even as I go join my friends a game a can all enjoy.

It's your move!

  





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4 comments:

  1. My problem isn't so much a lack of willing partners, it's more the lack of time and energy. I've owned Paths of Glory (the reportedly great WWI, card-driven wargame) for years now and still haven't gotten it played.

    But I'm not willing to give up all hope quite yet...

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  2. There are a few games that I will keep in the hopes of some day getting them to the table: Dune, Warrior Knights and my just-ordered copy of Star Trek: Fleet Captains. The same goes for Runebound and LOTR: The Confrontation, though they have been played a few times. I am looking with a more critical eye though, and I am more willing to trade some of the games that might not ever make it to the table, like Battlestar Galactica.

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  3. Yeah, I've played my copy of Warrior Knights a few times, but it's been years (from the pre-kids time). And I don't think that I ever played it after I bought the expansion, in fact.

    But I guess I've also started to be a little more critical about keeping games. I used to care a lot about building a nice collection and felt funny about ever trading or otherwise getting rid of games, but now sitting at almost 400 games, I'm pretty ready to make some room on my shelves as well.

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  4. Luckily, my limited budget mostly prevents this problem for me. However, when purchasing games I also realize there are some that I want that I simply won't be able to play for a while since my gaming group is my kids (here's looking at you 'A Few Acres of Snow'). So I go with the ones I know will get played. So, yeah, it can be a delicate balancing act!

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Go ahead and trash talk -- I can handle it!