are there any games in your collection that you will likely keep forever but also probabilistically will have zero plays?
I suppose the obvious candidates are something like your friend has X and you buy X but then you never need to play your X because you can play X at your friend’s house.
But what about something even weirder - a rare thing you’ve never played, bought with a dream but will almost never be played but also you cannot bear to part with? Is there anything in your collection like this?
What’s keeping the object there in the collection? Laziness? The maintained state of hope, like a gym membership you’ll never cancel? Sentimentality? One day it’ll be worth 1 pound more than you paid for the kickstarter and you can retire in Essen?
For me it’s going to be inhuman conditions I think. That game is a nice object (I’m reminded of it as the app is on my phone too). But imagine… wheeling out a conversations game in real life! The horror of such a thing is just beyond my bravery ha. I brought it all the way to the first Tekelicon but we played the far more normal Unfathomable and all the other things.
Surely I am not the only one to make this kind of choice.
If we can include games that will never get played again, probably my Memoir 44 collection. I either play it online or at a games store/club. I love it but its so much faff to set up
I have marked a bunch of games as “collectables” which means that I am unlikely to play them but will not put them on the sell-pile. This may change in the future.
Notable games on this list:
Dune: love the IP
Weimar: need to keep for history
18DO: my dad’s hometown, my dad loves trains, had to have this
Wir sind das Volk: same as Weimar, except I have played this thanks to @Benkyo but am unlikely to get it tabled anytime soon
Cosmic Encounter: have played, didn’t really work on my table, want to keep for the diverse ideas of spacefaring peoples it includes
Ghost Stories: huge nostalgia for my first cooperative game
I might try to get these played at some point but these are pretty unlikely to hit the table anytime soon.
A long time ago I kickstarted a game which had a particular cultural resonance to me (generation plus 1 Indian Diaspora in the West) but the game looks really duff. So I think the historical/culture thing might be something that brings people in to buy a thing but makes it tough to part with.
I tend to sell games that doesn’t get played. Even the “sentimental ones” aren’t so sentimental when shelf space was put into question. I sold People Power mainly because of how bad it is, that I would sell it.
So far, there’s two:
1817 I am dead set on not selling. I’ve played it online over 30 times (recorded). I don’t think I will get to play it for real. I’m fine with that.
Luzon Rails I kept because it’s a very competent game, but I often opt for other Cube Rails like ChEx. I only kept it because of the theme. I was born and raised in Luzon.
Big one for me is Revolution: The Dutch Revolt 1568-1648. I bought it when I finished my dissertation for my PhD because the Dutch Revolt is background in chapter one. It was the best I could do as there is no game directly about the main topic of my dissertation. Online says setup Turn 0 can take 1-2 hours for new players then it’s likely another 5-6 hours play time. Pretty sure I will never play it.
Wow, this is a great topic of the week! Wish I’d read this before posting
There’s some that will likely never be played with another person, but I’ll break them out solo (e.g., John Company, Paladins of the West Kingdom).
I like to think I’ll someday play all of these, but the ones at risk:
Too big, limited slots, some of them just won’t get picked. So some of these will fall, but a handful will end up played:
Twilight Imperium 4e
Anachrony
Dune
War of the Ring
Forbidden Stars
Archipelago
Needs someone dedicated to several uncomfortable plays to really grok the system:
Polis
Hands in the sea
Impulse
Won’t get played unless I somehow grow tired of Keyflower and Carson City:
Argent: The Consortium
Wise Guys
Other:
Millennium Blades (this requires a very specific type of person. Unless @Pillbox or I make the 10 hour drive I’m not sure either of us will ever get this down.)
Android: Netrunner (sad face)
Pixel Tactics (just too much overhead to compete in the dueler space)
Lord of the Rings (Knizia Coop)
That said, some of these I might sell even unplayed. Pixel Tactics, Millennium Blades, Wise Guys. I think the rest I would hold onto “just in case,” unless money or space becomes a real thing.
Of all of these, Lord of the Rings is the only one that has really seen the table in the past. It’s not a good game. But it’s very evocative of the story, and I’ll keep it around on the off chance that someone wants to experience the journey with me.
I’m unlikely to ever sell my Ticket to Ride, but I’m unlikely to play it often. I have a couple of expansions too. It’s tempting to sell them and just keep OG TTR. Maybe get Europe for the Geography?
Following a theme, my 18XX are unlikely to be played but I like having a few to remind me that trains are the best.
This is 1876: Trinidad, 1848: Australia, 18Svea (when it gets here) and 18Scan (ditto). I need to stop buying them.
A left field are my Apache Rails poker chips are unlikely to ever see play once the mini ones arrive. I’m thinking of getting more…
It’s not so much that I don’t like it. I quite enjoy it, buuuuut the only time I’ll play is with lighter gamers or non gamer friends. There’s much better choices for that now IMO
Overall, I want to play all of my games. But ones that may never get played but I will likely keep forever include:
Star Wars Rebellion, The War of Ring, Axis & Allies, Fortress America, and Quest for the Magic Ring.
The first two are just big, epic games that I really hope to play at some point. TI4 goes in with this group, but I have actually played it once and think it could happen again.
The last three are nostalgic, games I played in high school, and while I don’t really see them hitting the table again, there is always a chance it could happen.
My friends own it. I borrowed it and just read the rules and oogled the pieces. Never got to play it and returned it, but bought by own copy once I found it on a good sale. Really hope to play someday, but really want to paint the units to more easily differentiate the various Nations. While I might be able to tell the difference at a glance (eventually), my gaming partner may not be able to do the same. Different colors should help that.
