my 2018

The dark blue Total Plays line uses the right axis, the other lines use the left axis.

My 2018 has been similar to 2017 and 2016. I have settled down into a new equilibrium - not playing as much as before, but still playing regularly. I played 295 times. I played 69 distinct games, of which 37 were new to me. My wife and children played less compared to previous years, continuing the trend. As the children get older, they develop their own hobbies and interests.

This chart shows how many distinct games I have played in 2018. The colours indicate how many times I have played the game. Many games are only played once (green).

My dimes (games played 10 times or more) contribute most to my play count. I've played Star Realms 107 times, Ascension 63 times, and Pandemic Legacy Season 2 17 times. My fives were Hanafuda Koi Koi (6), Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle (5), Azul (5), and Diner (5).

Star Realms and Ascension were mostly against Han, using the mobile app. Pandemic Legacy Season 2 was with the Benz group. It wasn't as impactful to us as Season 1 was, but it did give a different experience and there were interesting surprises.

Pandemic Legacy Season 2

17 games entered my collection, which is higher than 2017. 9 were gifts, including many Dice Hate Me card games from Allen, many of which I have yet to play. I supported Martin Wallace's Lincoln on Kickstarter. I bought an older game Zooloretto because younger daughter Chen Rui said she likes it. I bought Innovations: Figures in the Sand (an expansion) second-hand, because I've always liked the game. I also bought Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle and three more Exit: The Game games. I bought Keyforge, because I was curious.

I hosted a few game sessions inviting colleagues over. It was fun playing some older games of mine, and some less complex games. Friday sessions at Boardgamecafe.net tend to be new games and gamer games.

New-to-me games in 2018:

1. Hanafuda Koi Koi - A fun cultural experience. It is unlike other traditional games I've experienced, and unlike any modern card games I know of.
   
   
   

   Koi Koi

2. Pit Crew
3. Sidereal Confluence
4. Majesty: For The Realm
5. The Quest for El Dorado - Knizia does deck-building with this race game. Pretty decent.
6. Kingdomino - Good family game. The award is well deserved.
7. Rising Sun
8. Unlock! Squeak & Sausage
9. Diner - This reached 5 plays because the children wanted to play it. It's a speed game.
10. The Lepak Game
11. Unlock! The Island of Doctor Goorse
12. Flamme Rouge
13. Spirit Island - A complex and challenging cooperative game. There is tremendous pressure especially in the early game as you try to survive.
    
    
    

    Spirit Island

14. Tesla vs Edison
15. Unicornus Knights - It was fun calling our princess crazy (Siao Za Bo)
    
    
    

    Unicornus Knights

16. Clans of Caledonia
17. Wir sind das Volk! - I played this not long after I watched The Lives of Others, so the game felt much more real. This game can be a little daunting to learn, because it does have many exceptions and special cases, but once you actually sit down to play, it is quite manageable. I like how it tells a story.
18. Exploding Kittens - It's a little silly, but it can be enjoyable.
19. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle - Low complexity deck-building game. It is fun to see all those Harry Potter story characters in the game. Unfortunately I am not sure when or whether I'll get to play all the way to Game 7.
20. Century: Eastern Wonders
21. ROOT - A complex and serious game in a cute disguise.
22. Azul - A pleasant and clever game. I quite like it. It is one of the few new-to-me games that I am enthusiastic about.
    
    
    

    Azul with Chen Rui.

23. Dragon Castle
24. Hellapagos - Clean and compact survival game. Someone will die. Quite likely everyone.
25. Feudum - Gorgeous, but a bit too much work for the amount of fun I get.
26. Quarto
27. Downforce
28. Auztralia
29. Exit: The Game - The Forgotten Island
30. Exit: The Game - The Polar Station
31. Coimbra
32. Minerva
33. Brass: Birmingham - It was good to play a Brass game again.
34. Anachrony
35. Raiatea
36. Lincoln - Simpler and not as strong as A Few Acres of Snow, but still presents a number of interesting dilemmas.
37. Keyforge