-A Somewhat Falling Out-
During my time in high school and early 20’s my interest in gaming focused mainly on video games, mostly JRPGs. Board gaming stuck around, but it was not as prominent in my life as it was and now is. During this time, I would play one game in particular with my sister. I obtained and then pieced out a board game known for its value before being remade. There were a few game nights during this time frame and Magic the Gathering would also make a return.
My sister and I did not get along well during this time in my life, but we did come together and play Masterpiece. This game was on from my aunt’s collection. My sister, friend, and myself would spend a good two weeks sitting on the floor playing this game at the farm. We would all fight over American Gothic which we called “Ma and Pa Kettle”. If you have never played or heard of this game, the value of a painting is random and max value is $1 million. This did not matter to us when it came to that painting as auctions would go above the $1 million mark just to obtain the painting. This game was nothing compared to the game I would acquire around the same time.
While it did not bring as much joy as the previous game, I was able to get my hands on a copy of HeroQuest. I had no idea what I had at the time and when I started to get heavily involved in the hobby, it was one of the more expensive games you could buy. I only played once or twice, but I used the miniatures for the Homemade RPG that my friends and I would play. These pieces would eventually get lost along with the game itself. That was it for board games during my high school years, with the exception of my neighbor getting into Magic the Gathering.
My neighbor was a few years younger than I was. When I discovered his fondness of MTG, I decided it was time to pull out my collection once more. We played a few times, but it was not long lasting. I would eventually retire my MTG cards again. This would not bed the last time MTG makes an appearance in my love for the hobby. After high school, TestGradeA and CPLKiller would move into the farm and one game would rule them all.
With all of us living in the same place, we were able to play longer board games. Games could sit out on the dinning room table for days. The game that was played the most during this time was Risk. Not just Risk, but Risk: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition. Some plays of LOTR Risk could last a few days depending on the number of players. We would just pick up where we left off the day before and continue playing for a few hours in the evening. I ended up moving away to Hawaii for a year shortly after us all moving in together, but when I came back, game night would become official.
It took a little while to move back into the farm after my return, but the same crew was living with each other off and on at different locations. During this time we would start to have game nights with no set schedule or location. The players consisted of other couples who were together at the time. We would mostly party games that you can acquire in most store game isles. After eventually moving back into the farm, an official game night was created. Although we continues to do party games, there was now a set schedule. This lasted for a short while until we would all go on to do other things in life. Eventually, I would return to the hobby with the help of YouTube.
If you enjoyed more of my history with board games, please check back later for part 4. This will be the last part of the series and will cover my time in the hobby for the past 10-15 years . Again, if you would like to comment please visit our Discord and look for Baked and Board under the conversations thread.
Written by: Link Stryder