my boardgaming history

I got into the boardgame hobby in a serious way around end of 2003, when I was working in Taiwan. This was when I started playing boardgames very frequently, when I started surfing boardgame websites almost daily, when I gradually started to diligently record every game I play (who I played with, who won, what the scores were), when I started accumulating my big collection of boardgames. Well, "big" is relative, but at more than 100, I think that's quite big for a "normal" person.

Before I got into this hobby, there were two distinct periods (in terms of involvement with boardgames) - the childhood/teenage period, and the Axis & Allies period.

The childhood/teenage period:

• Ludo - My younger sister and I played a lot of this with our two cousins Bee Bee and Ah Dee whenever we went back to Tawau to visit our grandparents.
• Scrabble - Played with family friends. I remember once when I played this at school, I beat my classmates who spoke English as a first language and whose English vocabulary was better than me, and I was quietly quite proud of myself. I think this was a period after the Form 3 SRP exams (PMR equivalent), but before the end of the school year, so students were allowed to bring games to play at school.
• Risk - My elder cousin Edward made a home-made version, after he played this with his friends. He drew the map himself, and I think we used pieces from the Mind Reader game as armies. Later I did get the real game.
• Carrom - Sometimes played during parties.
• Monopoly - I actually created my own board for this, by drawing on the back of the Monopoly board. I won my Monopoly game from a lucky draw at the Teo Chew Association. I think I drew #50, and it was the last prize to be given away, so I waited quite long for it. I was pleased when I saw it was a big box.
• Secret Message - A game that came with one of the issues of World magazine (not 100% sure about the name of the magazine), a children's magazine published by National Geographic. I remember playing this with Elaine and Elliot.
• Pay Day - Elliot's game, which I quite liked at the time.
• Cluedo - I owned this, but I have no idea what happened to it.
• Others that I remember playing are Master Mind, Mind Reader, Chinese Chess, Chess, Othello, checkers, Chinese checkers, Connect Four

The Axis & Allies period started after my first trip to Chicago in 1997. This was the first year of my first job, and I went to USA for a 3-week training. That was when I bought Axis & Allies (1984 version published by Milton Bradley). It wasn't the first time I saw Axis & Allies. I remember I first saw it in Singapore when I was much younger, probably in primary school. I wanted to buy it but was not allowed to, I think (I don't remember exactly). So I was very happy when I saw it and could buy it myself now that I was earning my own money. It was like fulfilling a childhood dream.

I played it with my roommate, Puneet Karla, who was from India. I won the game, but we did have quite a number of disputes because neither of us were very familiar with the rules. I think we probably played some rules wrong. I don't remember whether I was the Axis or the Allies.

From 1997 to 2003, Axis & Allies was the style of boardgames that I liked. I thought that was the best type of boardgames around. I didn't play often, maybe around 3 times a year, because these games take almost the whole day to play. Stories from that period:

• Axis & Allies - I remember a time when the PC version came out, and Ricky and I played this quite often at Kondo Miharja, where I used to stay. He'd bring his laptop and we play'd laptop against laptop using a serial cable. He usually played the Allies, and me the Axis.
• Samurai Swords - I had a Samurai Swords gang: Sylvia, Kenneth, Hilda, Chune Kit, Soong, Terrence. I remember those killed Daimyo's (generals or clan leaders) forming a support group at the side of the board. When Michelle came back from UK, I asked her to play with me, and after that she had nightmares about spearmen chasing her. My bad.
• Axis & Allies Europe - I only remember one game which Taun-Yeu and Sylvia played, but at different times (because of arriving late / needing to leave early). I don't remember who else played in that game.
• Axis & Allies Pacific - I didn't play many times. I only remember Ricky played Japan and won.
• Warhammer - Played only once in Hong Kong with Ben, en route back from USA after a company training. A little disappointing. Maybe we were too new.
• Victory: The Blocks of War - This was bought at the same time as Warhammer. I don't remember whether I played this with Ben also in Hong Kong.
• Advanced Third Reich - Bought in Hong Kong, never played, and now some of the pieces are damaged by my daughter Shee Yun. I tried reading through the rulebook twice, and failed on both counts. I didn't even start reading the scenario book. This is waaay beyond me. I had thought Axis & Allies was a highly complex game and nothing else could be too difficult for me.
• Sid Meier's Civilisation The Boardgame - Mei bought this for me from Melbourne. I was a big fan of the Civilisation PC game. I played 2 or 3 games of this, before I found out how many people disliked this boardgame at www.boardgamegeek.com.