That Was Nice

As I noted yesterday, I wasn't feeling all minty fresh. I forced myself out of the house this afternoon to go to the monthly West meeting of the Memphis Strategy Board Gaming club. They aren't just war-gamers (all those little markers and the complicated rules, though I like those games, too) nor do they play the dumbed down American department store stuff. What they play, and the reason I went, are what's called Eurogames.

These are time or turn limited games that are less competition- or win-oriented and much more social in design. The rules are usually easy to grasp quickly, though not simplistic, and games play in less than ninety minutes. You can learn more at Board Game Geek.

I met Alan and another nice guy whose name I have forgotten, and someone I know already from the blog community, Brock. We played an Egyptian themed Eurogame called Ra. It uses a combination of resources and auctions to force some strategic thinking. Nothing deep, but still a lot of fun. We managed two games in as many hours. And I was a total newbie to the game! It's tough enough you have to pay attention and think about things, but not to the point that it's a chore or the fun side is lost.

I had a great time and my spirits are certainly boosted. I definitely plan to go back again. If you're interested in playing friendly, challenging but not mind-numbing games, you might want to look this club up. They bring a variety of games, and are open to others.

We met at Cafe Francisco, across from the Pyramid and the Central Terminal bus station (a plus for me!). I had a much better experience with CF this time, and found myself enjoying the place. Still a bit too dark, but not as noisy today.

It was weird to see so many tables taken up by singles with headphones plugged into laptops, quietly typing or clicking away, both enjoying and oblvious to their environment. It's a strange form of socialising, to say the least, but I guess this is the "new normal" for that generation. One table was three young (and cute!) women industriously working away, only occasionally interacting with each other. Passing strange....

Anyway, as you can see I'm feeling better.