2016 Reviewed and a Look Ahead

It’s almost the new year, and a good time to take a step back. How did 2016 stack up for the San Marcos Board Gamers?

Overall, it’s been pretty good. The group has had 57 meetups, often with ten or more attending. We’ve hung around in the library, the IHOP, and the occasional home. We’ve played classic games, new games, and prototypes. We even joined the party on International Tabletop Day!

International Tabletop Day, one of the high points of the year.

It’s hard to properly count up all the games played without spending several hours digging through session reports, but it looks like at least 150 different games hit the table over the course of the year. Some of them were just visiting, but many have returned on a regular basis. Here are some of our favorites.

The Galleons Game

I’m not sure this game has a proper title, but David has been working on it for quite a while and it’s a treat to see on the table. A great mix of fun and beauty and sinking each other.

Smoooooke… on the water…

Mare Nostrum: Empires

Keeping up the nautical theme, this game of trading and conquest in the Mediterranean was probably the best received “new’ game of the year. (It’s actually a new edition of a 2003 game, but most of the gang had never played the old version.) There’s a lot happening and plenty of strategies to pursue, but it’s also surprisingly easy to teach to new players, even with six at the table.

Conquering Mare Nostrum.

King of Tokyo

Sometimes you just want to smash things up, and these kaiju were here to help.

“Excuse me, which way to Ueno Station?”

Pig Pong

And then there were a few games that defy explanation.

But are lots of fun!

From 2016 to 2017

Overall, 2016 was a pretty good year for gaming, but 2017 is looking even more promising. We’re currently negotiating with the city for what might turn into a very fun regular game venue. The library is interested in doing more events like Tabletop Day, and it would be fun to build up more of a community presence this year. It would be great to do more afternoons focused on longer games like Battlestar Galactica or Diplomacy. This blog could also use some more regular updates, too.

This group is pretty laid back, but we have a lot of members and there are a lot of possibilities. If you’d like to put together an event, try out a new game, or write for the blog, then jump in and join the fun. See you in 2017!

Archived from the San Marcos Board Gamers website.

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