Rebirth of a Board Game hobby

A couple years ago I was re-introduced into the world of board games.  Like me, at some point you've probably played games like Monopoly, Life, Chutes & Ladders, Candy Land, Battleship, Twister, Yahtzee, Uno, Sorry, Risk, or Jenga.  While I have fond memories of playing these games as a kid, they had lost their luster over the years.  In an attempt to ascertain why, it came down to a couple of things:

1. Simplicity and/or monotonous play.  There's only so many times you can roll the dice, climb ladders, and sink ships before it becomes a chore.  Games like Monopoly or Risk may still fun for the first hour or so, but quickly become enervating once you realize there's no chance of winning, yet you still have hours of "play" ahead of you.
2. Video games.  Despite my numerous attempts, I'd never been successful in convincing my parents to buy me a video game console.  Sure, I played Mario Brothers and R.B.I. Baseball at friend's houses.  But at home the predominate option was cajoling my siblings into playing a game that would often end sooner than expected due to the board being tossed in frustration.  On Christmas of 1989, my gaming world was invaded by Will Wright.  My evenings and free time were consumed with building (and destroying) vast, sprawling cities.  Cities turned into worlds with Civilization. Countless hours slipped away due to "one more turn".  With the SNES (and soon to follow N64), console gaming with friends filled the after school and weekend hours.  Other than brief stints into Axis & Allies and Magic: The Gathering, PC and consoles would be my primary go-to for gaming. My small collection of board games sat on shelves or in boxes gathering dust.

Similar to my inception into video games, it was a Christmas gift in 2012 that reinvigorated my interest in board games.  The gift, 7 Wonders, played unlike the board games of my past.  Games could be completed in less than an hour, with numerous viable strategies for success.  Immediately after playing the first game, I wanted to play again.  I began to wonder, if this was a representation of the new "modern" board game, what else was out there?  Slowly, I began to explore, slowly adding games to my collection.

Then last year, this exploration process hit warp speed.  Two things happened:

1. An enabler.  Was invited to a acquaintances house last winter for a board game night.  Was eager, yet unsure what to expect as up until this point had really only played a few games with my brother or family during holidays.  Over the course of the evening, we played multiple game styles ranging from short fillers, to raucous party, to more complex Euro-style.  Not only did the evening reveal a greater variety of games, but more importantly showcased an enjoyable way to engage with others similar to how video games had in the past.  Over the next few months attended more of these nights along with getting together with the invitee to learn and play other games.  In short, this person became akin to being my board game dealer. 
2. PAX Prime.  Having gone to PAX for a few years now, had usually ignored the board game section for it's larger, flashier cousin, the video game.  This last year, due to my increasing interest into board games, managed to convince my video gaming friends in attendance with me to first investigate the board game area.  What we found is a hesitancy to leave.  There was so much to see, do, and enjoy.  The rest of the convention, while appealing, wasn't enough to prevent us from returning back to the board games again and again.  Even though it was comparatively smaller to the rest of the convention offerings, there was so much to explore.  This experience only served to further cement my interest in this new hobby.

Fast forward to today, board gaming has becoming more than a passing interest.  It's an involved hobby that has definitely overtaken, maybe even replaced video games as my favored form of entertainment.  This blog will be used to share my experiences, both good and bad.  Board games have evolved from my youth.  Some have said we're in a "golden age" of this pastime.  I'm under the impression that it's more of a reawaking and that there's much more to come.

- NA