December Challenge: Playing My Current Collection & No-New-Games (Days 10-20)

 

I have 11 days left! My No-New-Games Challenge for December is close to the end! It's been HARD trying to not buy games for myself. Ads are everywhere, sales are going on, Kickstarters are launching, etc. BUT. I've learned this: board games are not going anywhere. New ones are always in the making and a lot make it to retail anyways, so I feel like the FOMO hasn't been hitting me that hard lately? Maybe that's just me?!

Instead of highlighting a few games I recently played, I actually just want to cover some things I have learned/realized so far. Keep in mind, I only have 37 games so my collection is pretty small. 

1. I am content with the size of my collection. I'd like it to be at or under 50.

Everyone has different perspectives on what their limit should look like, and that is OK. While I do love the idea of having 100+ games and big shelf to display them all, I honestly feel like that would overwhelm me. I just know for a fact that if I do have 100+ games, I won't be able to play all of them in my lifetime. 

I'd like my collection to be filled with high-replayability games I love, expansions of those games, and of course new ones that are exciting to learn and obsess over. 

2. I'm learning the difference between being a collector and a player, and I can be both!

Collecting is definitely fun. I like to collect pretty-looking games with an amazing world to explore or a series of games (like Kinfire Delve or Kilforth series), but I do find myself to be more of a board game player lately.

Whenever I do research about potential purchases, I always make sure to look at the mechanics of the game. I always ask myself these questions:

    - "Is this a type of mechanic I already have in my collection?"

    - "Am I collecting this cause it's part of a series?"

    - "What's the replayability like for the base game?"

    - "When or how often would I play this game?"

    - "What's the world/lore like?"

    - "How complex is this game?"

    - "Is the solo variant simple enough or at least easy to learn/manage?"

    - "Am I willing to spend time/money on a heavy game?"

3. I genuinely enjoy playing every game that I pull off the shelf.

I've noticed that my reviews on all my games are all genuinely positive (I don't think I've purchased or received a game that I don't like), but that's because I buy games I know that I'll enjoy haha. I think I just know my taste in games now, which is good! And if there is a game that I just simply outgrew, I just sell it and don't feel bad about it. It's nice to let things go!

It's true that all the games I own are games that I LOVE playing. And that's the most important. I want to have games that I know I'll play more than once a year, hence why replayability is so important for me. 

4. I love the fact that I saved money this month!

Saving money is always good. Let's be real. It's hard, but it's good. I had a bad habit of impulsively buying games when I first started this hobby; especially if there was a sale or if there was a cheap game I saw while browsing the board game store. 

I've been learning to say "not right now" for new games and really enjoy ones that I've been obsessed with, like Dark Venture and Iron Helm. My plan is to get a few expansions for those games in Jan. 2025 and maybe get a new game as a late Christmas gift to myself!

5. It's ok if the games I enjoy aren't "trendy."

That's it! That is all! As long as it is fun, then it's worth playing!!!

Those are all my thoughts! I'll still track the rest of the 11 days, but won't be covering a blog reflection about it with the holidays and such. Hope everyone enjoys their holiday! Thank you again for all the support, really enjoy all the connections on Instagram. Much love!!!