We've officially crossed over into the second half of 2024 and with it comes an excellent opportunity to take a look back at my (in-person) board game playing thus far. Here's the breakdown for the first half of the year in terms of games played:
- January: 39 plays across 23 games
- February: 12 plays across 8 games
- March: 33 plays across 14 games
- April: 20 plays across 9 games
- May: 15 plays across 8 games
- June: 35 plays across 16 games
- July: 84 plays across 27 games
Wowsers! As you can see, the month of July was very, very good to me in terms of playing board games. My son took part in the majority of my game plays (60 of the 84) but that still means I managed to play 24 games that didn't involve him which is a huge number for me these days! Oh, and if you were wondering, only one of those plays was a solo play.
Here's the full visual of what I got to the table this month:
The big winners of the month were Railroad Ink and Bandido with Lost Ruins of Arnak, Keep the Heroes Out!, The Quest for El Dorado, and Kingdomino also have strong showings. July introduced me to a number of new-to-me games including the aforementioned Bandido plus Slay the Spire: the Board Game, Camel Up: The Card Game, Half Truth, Queendomino, and Ticket to Ride: Berlin.
Here's a closer look at my Top 9 most played games of the month:
Bandido was a small box game that I picked up at my local game store. My son loved this one. It's a simple tile layer where you work together in a cooperative manner to trap the criminal who is trying to escape. I've found games of this can either end super quickly in victory or often take a long time with an almost assured defeat at the end. It's fun for what it is but I don't think it has a ton of lasting power for me. I'll be shocked if it shows up in my Top 10 next month, for whatever that's worth.
I can't say the same thing for Railroad Ink as that game is simple, quick fun for the whole family. Even my wife has gotten into it, so much so that she sought out a copy to gift to one of her friends. If that's not a seal of excellence, I don't know what is!
I should also give a shoutout to Slay the Spire: the Board Game. That's a game I backed on Kickstarter because I enjoyed the computer game...and I have to say, the board game might actually be better somehow! I think it's the cooperative nature of the game - it definitely shines at two player (this one I played with a friend, it's probably quite a bit too advanced for my son still).
Overall, this one of my best months of board gaming ever...and definitely my best month of gaming in 2024. I have noticed that my son is much more into playing board games when he isn't having to spend all day in school. I guess that makes a lot of sense...and I'm glad to see he's still into playing when he has the mental energy to do so. I will say, we hardly play any "kids games" anymore so he's always being challenged as we play.
That does it for the July recap. I kind of doubt that August will be as robust, especially since my son (and I) both go back to school later this month. However, I'm of the opinion that I need to be happy with whatever gaming I can get in so whatever happens, happens!
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