Episode 403 – Taking the Pressure Off
We love the board game community, but it can lead to pressure to play MORE or HARDER games, to keep up with the newest games. What can we do to dial it back down and make games FUN again?
0:00:00 Fact for 403
403 is the code on the internet for NO. If you want to go to a website, but you don't have access, 403. Technically the word is “FORBIDDEN”, but really it means no.
Here's actual standards document. But it's really, really boring. https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7235
Sponsor Message
First Move would like to make us all more aware of some of the newer scams out there. Be very careful clicking links, even ones that look legitimate!
If you'd like to talk to someone about how you can protect your financial assets, remember you can book a free meeting with First Move at firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers (https://firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers) .
0:04:45 What We've Been Playing
more Paint the Roses, with 4 players this time. Much harder!
Charcuterie (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/charcuterie/) )
HUTAN (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/hutan/) )
Stew
Horrified: World of Monsters / Greek Monsters mashup (review coming soon)
Goblin Vaults (off the shelf of opportunity!)
Sagrada
The Magnificent
While camping:
Flip 7 (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/flip-7/) )
Cabanga! (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/cabanga/) )
Trio (our review (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/trio/) )
Sushi Go Party!
Order Overload: Cafe
Sabobatage
Altiplano – a big miss for us.
0:24:30 July Monthly Report
Anitra: 49 plays of 27 unique games. H-index 3, with a lot of plays of Trio & HUTAN, but also at least 3 times with: Paint the Roses, Fight for Olympus, Canvas Critters, Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard, Quarto.
Andrew: 29 plays of 17 unique games. H-index 3. Lots of The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Paint the Roses, Trio, plus Jekyll & Hyde v. Scotland Yard, HUTAN.
0:26:35 The Family Gamers Community
Welcome to our newest community members (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4117745728514886/) !
#Backtalk
We asked about board game mechanics you dislike, and what you do about them. You answered on the #backtalk channel (https://discord.com/channels/1157003438425653379/1239323617368604672) on our Discord, and in this Backtalk (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4092019231087536/) post in the Facebook community (https://www.facebook.com/groups/familygamersaa/posts/4105341636421962/) .
0:36:00 Too Much Pressure?
This hobby of board gaming lends itself to always chasing the hot new thing or trying to do MORE. Probably true of a lot of hobbies, since it's so easy to find a community online where people brag on the cool things they're doing.
Do you feel pressure to go to every convention, or keep up with the latest hot new thing? Pressure to get your kids to play “real” games with you? Pressure to finish a game you don't like, or pull games off your “shelf of shame”?
First: when you feel that pressure, realize that YOU are the one putting pressure on yourself; no one else can do that to you without your consent.
0:38:40 The Shelf of Shame
We prefer to call this the “shelf of opportunity”, but it still means games that are sitting unplayed. What are some strategies to deal with this without feeling guilty?
• Set limits on bringing in new games – YOU set this limit, not someone else.
• Set a deadline on PLAYING a specific game that's been sitting on your shelf. If you can't manage to play it, purge it without feeling guilty. (More on purging (https://www.thefamilygamers.com/episode-243-purging/) )
• Recognize that you can move on from a game – that doesn't mean it's a “bad” game. Instead, it means someone else will get to try it and enjoy it!
• Getting rid of a game doesn't get rid of the good memories you have associated with it.
• “Why do I want to keep this game so much?” If a game needs JUST the right set of circumstances to play it – be honest with yourself. Will that exact set of circumstances actually happen? And even if they do, is there another game that will be easier to get to the table?
0:48:00 Getting Your Kids to Play Games
If you're listening to this podcast, you want your kids to play games with you. You may also be feeling pressure from your friends (or other parent gamers) if your kids don't want to play games!
• The point of games with our kids is to have fun – with your kids. If they're not having fun, it's not serving that purpose.
• Forcing someone to do something they don't want to do is likely to breed resentment instead of fun.
• But it is okay to apply a littl...
