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

After the last instalment, I have been thinking more and more about the games that may have passed me by. There seemed to be a pattern forming, a pattern of limited time. But I know that it can't just come down to a game being too long. So, this month I intend to focus more closely on other reasons why I may never play these games.

So, without further delay, here are a few games that fit into that painful category.

Dead Men Tell No Tales

I first became aware of this game four or so years ago. I had been playing game after game of Jamaica (never tiring of the onslaught of the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack booming into my ears) and was also really enjoying the co-operative games, Flash Point and Pandemic. Dead Men Tell No Tales seemed to be the perfect combination of pirate theme and the co-operative gameplay.

I was desperate to get my hands on it. But it was like searching for buried treasure with no map and a broken compass. It was nowhere to be found, so I gave up and decided to enjoy the games that were available to me. And I soon forgot about it. In my mind, it was buried deep in the sandy earth never to be found again.

Fast forward a few years and it is available in to buy from many shops her in the UK. Past me is jumping for joy, swinging an arm and declaring his joy with the simple and stereotypical, "ARGGHH!" But present me is happy to leave the game buried, to let it continue to be my lost treasure.

But why?

I can only put it down to my evolution as a gamer. I no longer find much joy in co-operative games, especially those that utilise the action point selection mechanism. I still enjoy the collaborative nature of co-operative games, but I'm finding other elements fall flat. For instance, I often find that the end game can be a bit of an anti-climax. Generally, when we win most of us sigh and ask, "is that it? We won?"It just feels flat because the race to find the solution often seems to slow and ease off so much that it almost feels too easy by the time you score the victory.

Pandemic Legacy may have killed other co-ops for me because every game seems to matter. You're grateful for the seemingly easy victories because it means you can move forward in the pursuit of the answer to the many questions you've been asking.

If the opportunity to play Dead Men Tell No Tales presents itself in the future then, of course, I will jump on it, but I won't be going out of my way even though I'm sure it would be a wonderful gaming experience.

A Feast For Odin

A Feast For Odin peaked my interest from the moment I glimpsed it. It took just looking at the box to make me salivate and wonder what might be awaiting me inside it. All rational thought left me for a while, when I forgot that I have a wife who enjoys light to medium weight games and friends who had little board gaming experience. I also forgot at that point that I really only enjoyed light games that were mainly social deduction.

After I emerged from the fog, I was pleased to find that I hadn't made the purchase because it would have been money wasted at that point. I would have tried to play it, but found little to no joy in it as it really didn't suit me or my friends/family.

After a few years, I am happy to say my board game taste is much more refined, and A Feast For Odin would go down well with me and my friends. But we no longer have the time. And the more I think about it, the more I question whether I'm quite there yet.

But I certainly hope that I get to play this one day.