Topic of the Week: Three Boardgame Wishes For You

[yashima]

So recently we played Ito and one of the categories someone chose were “Your wish of the djinn” … in Ito you get numbered cards from 1..100 one per round have to make the wish fit the number so all the players wishes can be sorted cooperatively. I had a 30 and wished for “no more back pain” … and everyone at the table agreed it couldn’t be a number higher than 50 because otherwise I’d have wished for no more migraines.

In any case today I was reminded of that game and so here we go: A djinn appears on the forums and grants you some wishes.

So here is the contract for you three wishes:

1. You get three wishes.
2. You cannot wish for more wishes (because that’s a boring and the djinn wants to be entertained)
3. Your wishes have to include the word boardgame.
4. You can have no runner’s up. You need to decide all your wishes at the same time.
5. You are allowed to give the djinn hints how to fulfill’s other people’s wishes in the way of the old forum game.

Go wish for some boardgame stuff.

[pillbox]

I spend a lot of time wishing about boardgame-related things, since I don’t often get the chance to play boardgames. So, for me, this is pretty easy:

1. I wish I was not sad or envious when new version of boardgames I already own come out. My version is fine.
2. I wish I was not distracted by or envious of new boardgames.
3. I wish I had time, energy and opportunities to play boardgames weekly or semi-monthly.

[Brattyjedi]

Unlimited time, money, and storage space for board games seems obvious and therefore boring. Putting a little more thought into it:

1. Have any board game for one trial play before spending money on it to see if I actually like it enough (this includes a magical finished copy of any game currently crowd funding).

2. Any missing, damaged, etc piece of a board game is automatically replaced or repaired.

3. Always remember fully how to play any previously learned board game no matter how long since I last played it.

[yashima]

1. I wish to have a regular boardgame night with my friends that we all have somehow time for and no trouble scheduling at all.
2. For the djinn to appear at all my boardgame occasions to teach all the games I or we want play. Teaching includes explanations for all the edgecases the rulebook missed that are now scattered in FAQs and game forums.
3. That all my boardgames magically acquire a well organized insert that will fit all current and future expansions (its a magical insert after all)

[mistercrayon]

What is the character disposition of these Djinns? Are they like genie from Disney Aladdin or “if that’s what you want…” variety.

If they are the nice sort:

1. I want to be delighted when kickstarters eventually deliver

2. I wish I could evaporate games I don’t want with no guilt or hassle

3. I’d wish for games to be played first time as if we’d played them 1time bypassing a rules teach and partially clocking what the game was about.

[Simfers]

Let’s see… Three wishes specifically about board games…

1. I wish I and everybody I play with could learn and internalize the rules of any board game just by looking at the components. Not the strategies, we want to figure that out on our own, just HOW to play the damn things.

2. I wish I and everybody I play with could just instantly recall all the rules of a previously-played game, regardless of how much time has elapsed since last play..

3. I wish we had a real regular gaming group.

That would make my life so much easier. No more need to teach the games or re-learn them.

[COMaestro]

1. To instantly know all the rules, errata, and designer intent for any boardgame I choose. That last bit is important for all those little edge cases that fall through the cracks and never get clarified.

2. To be able to toss everything for a boardgame back in the box after playing and have it automatically organize itself so that it is ready to play the next time the box is opened.

3. For every boardgame I own, box and contents, to be 100% impervious to damage, accidental or otherwise. No wear and tear, no cards getting bent or marked, no minis breaking, etc. No need for sleeves ever!

[yashima]

Ah, I see how wishes can be refined across iterations

I see also how many of us have similarish wishes. I considered wishing for a specific game reprint but like the rest of you I felt something game-specific didn’t have the scope

I think the boardgame djinn is benevolent und would fulfill the wishes as intended.

[Griffster77]

I mean the facetious answers are:

1. I wish I could live forever, so I can play more boardgames
2. I wish for perfect health so I’m never too ill for boardgames
3. I wish the same for my family and friends so we can all play boardgames together!

But the real ones probably reflect the answers everyone else has given - instant learning, instant rules recall and a decent, regular games group!

[yashima]

@yashima

• I wish to have a regular boardgame night with my friends that we all have somehow time for and no trouble scheduling at all.
• For the djinn to appear at all my boardgame occasions to teach all the games I or we want play. Teaching includes explanations for all the edgecases the rulebook missed that are now scattered in FAQs and game forums.
• That all my boardgames magically acquire a well organized insert that will fit all current and future expansions (its a magical insert after all)

After reviewing my wishes again a day later, I came to a new conclusion:

Wish fulfilled:
Just play apps. They simulate your friends, enforce all the rules and usually have a tutorial and need no time for setup/teardown and there’s always enough space for expansions.

[Benkyo]

(I have to say, simulated friends don’t really cut it as wish fulfilment!)

[Griffster77]

But they don’t cheer your triumphs or mercilessly mock your failures!

[SteveB_uk]

I wish for second hand boardgames to always resale for less than 90% of retail price. Because the current situation is frickin’ ridiculous.

I wish I could play the invented boardgames from fiction, such as (Shent, I think?) the complex map boardgame from Tad Williams’ “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn”, and Azad, the game they play to decide which Empire will rule from The Player of Games.

I wish that the Elder Scrolls boardgame and Valenwood cost £25 combined instead of £250.

[yashima]

@SteveB_uk

and Azad, the game they play to decide which Empire will rule from The Player of Games.

Oh yes, I would totally want to play that one

[lalunaverde]

1. I wish that if I put an OOP board game in my wishlist, a reprint announcement will manifest!

2. I always knew Im in the minority in our club in terms of taste, so I wish I have enough people who are excited to play my type of board games (Cube Rails, 18xx, Container)

3. I wish I have a Bag of Holding to carry my heavy board games.