Interview with a gamer no5: Ad

Saving the best for last me, Adam Best. This is also very out of date, my fiancé is now my wife! I didn’t get the other chance to rewrite theirs so mines stands too!

Please introduce yourself

Hi.  I’m Adam. Apparently I’m a grown up in my 30s… I work from home so live in my dressing gown (because it’s cheaper than heating) I’ve always loved games, reading and using my imagination. I’ve always played board games and playing with toy soldiers making up basic rules. I dabbled with Advanced Fighting Fantasy book and being a GM in primary school. I have a restless brain and would rather be doing something than just watching TV, so board and PC games are my main past time.

How many games do you own?

A quick shelf count gives me 120 big box games and 80 or so small games.

How many of your games have you not played?

About 4, Greenland, Tammany, Hall Dune and a few tiny ones from the pack of game series. I normally open and play new games in the first few days.

What is your oldest game?

My oldest games are Pit and Diplomacy from the 1960s. Diplomacy I found in a charity shop for 50p, Pit is my gran’s copy.

Last game you played?

At this time of writing, my last game is Imperial 2030 which arrived on Wednesday and played a 2 player learning game with my fiancé on Saturday, we got some rules hideously wrong but it is very, very interesting.  You play mega corporations who buy control and shares of counties and can temporarily lead them to war and expansion and then tax them, but another player can buy more shares in the country and take control of it. It is looks ‘thinky’ and nasty which sounds like a good mix to me.

Best gaming experience?

There are lots.  My best earliest gaming experience is coaxing my teen brothers out of their rooms to take part in a family game.  I love introducing non gamers to gaming and seeing the pieces of the puzzle clicking in as they realise there is more to gaming than Monopoly. I also love quick two player games sneaked into a busy day ( lunch breaks or waiting for a ferry). I’m not that great at small talk or relaxing my brain so a game of Hill 218 or Hive played dangerously fast is great medicine.

Favourite colour to play?

Purple, followed by yellow, cos purple looks awesome on the board particularly as they are often green or brown.

Favourite person / people to play with?

Laney. She is a great opponent, relaxed and easy going about learning rules of new games. We normally test and learn most games over a few rounds of two player and we make a lot of rules errors in learning them. She is always a great challenge to play against and enjoys playing thematically which is my favorite way to play.  I’m not a fan of taking ages ‘mathing’ out turns. I’d rather play  faster make mistakes and learn from them.

Your favourite game to play?

A tricky question as it depends on where and when but the most fun game has to be Telestrations.  It is playable with anyone and always ends in much laughter. I’ve played it all over the world and it packs down small- ish to go into my suitcase for group holidays.  Codenames is a close second. My personal favourite game currently is Star Wars Rebellion (epic, thematic 2 player). This changes frequently and it is usually whatever our current new favorite we like to play until we really get it.

Which game would you save if there was a fire?

Dune (or Pit mentioned earlier).  It’s rare an out of print and I spent ages trying to find it for my fiancée. We haven’t played it yet however.

What game advice do you have for a new gamer?

There are soooo many games out there.  Play lots or other peoples’ games before buying too many of your own. Play to have fun and not win. Try all types of games even they have a frowning man holding a map on the front and potentially look really boring. Equally glorious art and 100s of plastic figures doesn’t make a great game. Lastly don’t take thing personally.  I love ‘take that’ games and back stabbing people but that is SOO not me in real life. Games give you an awesome chance to do something different and take a risk.

What type / themes / styles of games do you like to play?

I prefer interactive, competitive games often with hidden roles or mission and bluffing. I do like less interactive games but they need to have something interesting about them.  There is something great about building an engine, growing from nothing to a well- oiled machine be in a machine or a farm or a team of cathedral builders.  I have a strange aversion to deck builders and worker placement games. Role play games I prefer narrative and story telling over heavy combat. War games I prefer skirmish campaign games where you don’t need lots of models and where you get to know and name each model on the board.

How competitive are you and how often do you win?

I like to win but I am not competitive. I am normally the teacher so half my brain is on running the game and making sure the newbies are having a good time, so I often neglect my own game, worse as the game owner  and teacher I am the natural target for any attacks.

I have never played a properly competitive game like Magic or a tournament, but often play 2 player board games but they tend to be thematic like Twilight Struggle, Star Wars Rebellion or Liberty or Death, where the story or the journey is more important than the winner.

What would your ideal game session be, with whom, where and what game? Be creative

This is a silly answer but I’d love to play a game of Monopoly with Elizabeth Magie inventor of the Landlord game in room surround by all the many version of Monopoly. It could well be awkward.

Have you any game and mental health / community related stories to share? Our charity this year is Mind and I think it is a great fit!

I have a number of gamers say to me our open approach and link to Mind has given them the confidence to come and play with us. This is heart -warming to me. For me I work from home and am strongly introverted. Being introverted doesn’t mean you don’t need human contact, it is just harder and more draining. I really value my gaming time as a great way to spend time with my friends.

What question have I missed? Why did you start Herefordshire Board Gamers.

Great question, why does a busy introvert with  a solid gaming group which comes to him (so he doesn’t even have to leave the house) spend so much of his spare time and energy starting a game club, when there are 3 (I wasn’t aware of Dice and Decks initially) other existing game groups in the county. I started it to support and advertise the charity board game days, but in gathering gamers in our Facebook group there was clearly a need or space for a community to support gamers and gaming. I know the value of a good community, a good activity and how inclusive and valuable gaming can be in bringing people together and providing a safe space to relax and have fun. This is why I started it and am pushing the growth of HB it’s a good cause and we can give back to the community too, I invite you all to join me on this awesome journey.