Games That May Have Passed Me By (For Now At Least)

(Disclaimer: I was originally going to call this blog 'Games That I'd Love to Play but Probably Never Will', but I am more hopeful than that. I am hopeful that these games will one day grace my table at a time when all other obstacles have been cleared).

As with most things in life, there is an ideal time for us as individuals to experience something and if that ideal time is missed, then the gains may be deeply diminished. For example, I've watched films in recent years that I know my 18-year-old self would have gone doolally for but they just don't work for me now, or I have gone back to a film that I loved during a time when I could relate to the character's dilemmas, but am now so far away from that life that the film has lost it's magic and I see it for the ugly camel that it is.

While I can't say if this is the same with board games, I am very much aware that some of the games I would love to play may have escaped me for now. And they may evade my clutches for at least a decade for all I know.

This is because I am married with a toddler, a baby on the way and almost all of my friends are in a similar position. The games I play now need to fit into our lifestyle. For us, they can't be too long, too complex or with a theme or mechanisms that don't sing to us. We can no longer spend an entire day playing games and getting so lost in them that we forget that a whole world exists outside of the room.

Here are just a few games that I fear I may never get to play, or at least have to wait many years to get to play:

Twilight Imperium 4

I don't really know much about Twilight Imperium if I am honest, but sometimes it's good to go into a game knowing very little about what it is and just let yourself get swept away in it's glorious waves. What I do know is that it can take around six hours to play. I am sure every second of it is entirely wonderful, but I just don't have the time.

I wish I had been aware of it when I was at university because I had a surplus of time to spare after only attending a few hours of lectures a week and working my part time job. My younger self would have squeezed as much out of this game as he could but, unfortunately, he will never get to experience such joy.

I am hopeful, however, that within the next 10 years myself or a friend will take the plunge and buy it. From what I have heard, it is an experience that shouldn't be missed.

Cosmic Encounter

Cosmic Encounter is a classic and one that I really may never play no matter how hard I try. I know I won't buy it because it plays best with a high player count and my family and many of my friends won't get on board with the negotiation and the length of play. I, for one, love the idea of a negotiation game, of making allegiances and turning my back on them when they are no longer useful to me. But I know this will put a lot of my friends off.

Again, this would have been an ideal game to play at uni and would have created so many wonderfully painful memories, but that time has gone and I need to accept that. Of course, if I get the chance to play this I will jump on it without a second thought and ride it like a bucking bronco.

Gloomhaven

It's impossible to ignore this monster of a game, but ignore it I must. Again, at least for now.

I would love to find out what mysteries await inside the mammoth Gloomhaven box, but as I said, time is in short supply for me at the moment so I am unable to commit to such a long campaign no matter how worthwhile I know it will be. I have avoided finding out too much about it because I am sure that it would be too much of a kick to the crotch knowing that I won't be able to experience it.

It also doesn't come cheaply, which puts it further out of my reach, but I am pretty sure that should a friend decide to take the plunge, I will be powerless to resist its call. I just hope my family remember me when I finally emerge from the haze.

Games Round Up

So, there you have it, just three of the many games that have slipped my grasp with no return in sight. I may be back to briefly explore more of them. With so many great games out there, we should all take the chance to play them should the opportunity arise.