Throughout my own collecting adventures, I’ve picked up more games than I can count - card games, board games, dice games, puzzle games, strategy games - and almost all of them have gone the way of the eBay after an intense period of collecting, usually after passively trying to find that extra-rare Princess Leia piece, or a Mana-Whatever from Magic : The Gathering.

I’ve always been fascinated by the sheer quantity and variety of games available for play beyond what you see on the retail store shelves. I was also curious why these games were so unenduring for me when they had so much long-term appeal for other passionate gamers. This brought be around to Eric, an internet acquaintance of mine from many a year back. He’d always deliver a wealth of information and excitement about whatever game he was playing in both conversation and blog form, and when someone shows that kind of dedicated and interested passion, I’m usually pretty easily infected.

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Collin : So, I guess this is where I officially pick your brains!

Eric : That shouldn’t take long.

Collin : You’re an active gamer. Would you consider yourself a game collector as well?

Eric : Yes - I consider the playing primary, but I won’t deny that there is a thrill in buying a new game that’s more than just the “I’m gonna get to play this” thrill. It’s doubled or tripled when I get an obscure or difficult-to-find game.

Collin : So it’s absolutely more about exploring new game dynamics than just having a game, right? Experiencing new rules and regulations and twists among the general game structure. The mental challenges!

Eric : Definitely. Learning how to play a new one is yet another thrill. Especially if learning something in one game improves your play in another. A game is a social event - it’s not just a collection of cardboard and plastic.

Collin : Let me clarify that when I say ‘games’, we’re talking about things along the lines of complex strategy games, correct? Is that your preferred type of game? Or does it go beyond that?

Eric : Not necessarily - games don’t need to be complex to be fun. For me, they DO need to rely more on strategy than luck, however. A good example is “No Thanks!” - it’s a very simple game, but it’s provided me with hours of entertainment.

Collin : In your social experimenting with games, do you have a consistent group of fellow gamers that you play with?

Eric : Yes. I’ve got a regular group that has met every Wednesday for almost five years. It’s not the same group as it was five years ago, but we’ve got a good group of regulars. (By “the same group,” I mean “we have different people, now.”)

Collin : I can appreciate the social aspect. I’ve actually made some good friends and whiled away many dorm room hours playing Heroclix - and years later, I still collect them hoping that I’ll find a similar group of people to my college buddies again.
You’ve played longer than five years though - how long have you been actively collecting games to play?

Eric : Good question - I’ve been playing games since I was a small child. I used to play Monopoly and Aggravation a lot as a kid. When I was in junior high, I received “Axis and Allies” for Christmas. I still played mostly American-style games until about 2001, however. In ‘01, I encountered several games that hooked me.

Collin : Define ‘American Style’, and the contrast to other games - if it can be done

Eric : There’s a division among the hardcore boardgaming community right now. The folks on Boardgamegeek call it “Ameritrash vs. Eurogames.” The division really isn’t that severe, and many AT players like EG and vice versa. AT games (like Monopoly, Risk, Axis and Allies, and Twilight Imperium) tend to involve a high “gee, whiz!” factor with lots of dice and minimal strategic decision-making. Eurogames (like Settlers of Catan, Ra, and Puerto Rico) tend to have a higher degree of (non-adversarial) player interaction and simpler components.

Collin : So, as a collector-slash-gamer, what’s the current focus of your collection, if there is one?

Eric : I don’t really have one - I enjoy both American-style games and European games. I have a Euro preference, but it’s not strongly pronounced.

Collin : Is there a certain theme that you gravitate towards, like ‘war games’ or ‘dice games’ or ‘card games’?

Eric : Not really - my primary focus when looking for new games is number of players and length of time to play. Ideally, it’ll hold 3-6 and can be played in 30-90 minutes.

Collin : So it all comes back to the social aspect!

Eric : Absolutely. All of my best friends are gamers of one stripe or another.

Collin : Do you have a favorite game to play with your group?

Eric : I have a few favorites, depending on what we’re in the mood for. “Mall of Horror” is a great game with the right group. My group is also quite fond of Heroscape.

Collin : If at all quantifiable, how many different games do you think you’ve accumulated?

Eric : Let me preface this just a bit : I think of my collection as being sizeable. So do most of my friends, but my collection is barely a fifth of many of those on BoardGameGeek. I have about 400 different games.

Collin : Since these are collected because of their social desirability, what percentage of those do you have the time to use at least once a year?

Eric : A fair number of them, actually. One of my new year’s resolutions for 2007 was to try to track the games I’ve played. I try to make sure my collection and my active games are pretty close. There are games that are longer that don’t get as much play because of the time commitment.

Collin : Is there a particular game that you’re especially glad to have because of its rarity?

Eric : Yes. Avalon Hill’s Dune game. And the expansions. The expansions aren’t very good, but they’re extremely rare. I received them as a gift from a friend whose wedding I was in. The base game is quite good.

Collin : What’s the most, if you’re comfortable saying. that you’re personally spent on a game?

Eric : I honestly haven’t paid over cover price for most of my collection. I DID pay $80 or so for Empires in Arms after it was out of print

Collin : Is there a ‘holy grail’ of games that you’re still searching for or saving for?

Eric : Holy Grail Game? Yes. “Broadsides and Boarding Parties.” Intact. It was part of the Milton Bradley GameMaster series (which included Axis and Allies, Fortress America, and Shogun). It had these plastic pirate ships with masts that were so fragile. I only played it once when I was younger, but it was a lot of fun. A lot of the “Grail Games” are being reprinted. “Talisman” is back in print. Again. “Die Macher” is back (in fact, Valley Games is ALSO reprinting “Republic of Rome” which WAS my Grail Game). “Acquire” is rumored to be coming back out again. “Titan: The Arena” is coming back. Fantasy Flight Games got the reprints to the old Eon games, so “Cosmic Encounter” is due back, as is “Dune” (although Dune doesn’t have the actual Dune LICENSE, so it’ll have to be tweaked and re-themed).

Collin : I spent many hours playing Talisman in my youth, but I never found the expansions. That was pre-internet days, though.

Eric : The expansions are REALLY hard to find.

Collin : Were you, at any time, a D&D nerd?

Eric : Why make that past tense? I still am. I’ve played since I was ten, and have almost as many RPG’s as I do board games.

Collin : I was just giving you a way to plead the 5th.

Eric : I’m a big believer in Geek Pride. Gaming is what I’m passionate about - in nearly all of its forms.

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… but Eric just got back from the notorious and significant GenCon gaming convention in Indianapolis also! I bug him about that in Saturday’s section, and force him to compare it to the sweaty unpleasantness of the general nerd conventions. Special thanks to Eric for providing the helpful game links above, also. Stay tuned.

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