We don’t actually live in a digital world

 While playing board game digitally is an amazing resource, I also like playing games analog as well. Actually playing with physical components definitely affects the experience. Literally, adding the tactile means an additional sense is involved. 

When I moved away from my gaming groups, I focused on digital gaming but slowly but surely, Print and Play snuck in, giving me an easy way to explore solitaire gaming. And a way to keep analog gaming in my life.

Two that I keep coming back to over the years are Elevens for One and Criss Cross. That’s because I feel like they are as little as you can get and still feel like you’re really playing a game. 

 

I’ve written about the idea brain fog games. Those are games I can play without actually thinking. In this case, I’m not talking about that. In this case, I am looking at games with minimal prep and play time that still actually make me think.

And there are plenty of games like that, thanks to  games like Love Letter, Qwixx and Palm Island increasing an interested in the development of micro games, Roll and Writes and In Hand games. Elevens for One and Criss Cross have just become two of my fall back ones. On any given month, they both see play.

I will admit that Elevens for One is grandfathered in a bit. It was one of my first serious PnP steps and was the gold standard for me for a bit. That said, there are a limited number of card interactions so plays can be formulaic. 

Criss Cross, though, is a tiny Knizia gem, giving me tough choices in twelve moves. It’s not his simplest game (Catego is currently holding that place for me) but it’s the simplest I want to play lol

When I started writing this, my focus was on those two games. However, what I’ve found is that it’s really why playing physical copies of games is still important. 

Playing games is mostly mental (pun intended) but analog gameplay has value. You are actively doing, which uses other parts of your brain. Part of why PnP R&Ws is because they gave me a production-light way to explore a bunch of different ideas.

We don’t live in a digital world, as hard as that is to believe sometimes. Having a non-digital way to game can make a big difference.

Okay, PnP gift ideas

 Holy cow, Christmas is barreling down on us like a runaway toboggan. As a lazy PnP guy, I feel like I should make suggestions for PnP games for gifts.

Which I realize is exactly the kind of gift that can fall really flat.

Soooo... instead of an exhaustive list or games that I _think_ would work, I am just going to list the two games that I’ve used on more than one occasion that seem to have done well.

I’ve used Elevenses for One in multiple PnP Secret Santas and it’s been well received each time. It’s actually been published. (Which doesn’t prove anything really but it does mean some folks had faith in the game)

I used to consider Elevenses for One the gold standard for light PnP solitaire games. I have come to feel that it’s a bit simple and formulaic to get that high a mark. But it’s a fun game that is accessible, easy to make and still looks good if you don’t have a color printer.

The other game I’m going to suggest is 13 Sheep. I’ve included it in Christmas cards in the past and I didn’t get any complaints. 

13 Sheep is a very light, very simple Roll and Write, the kind that any number of people can play as long as everyone has a player sheet. It is one of better Roll and Writes I’ve played that uses just one die. Damning with faint praise, I know but it really is a fun little game.

As I said, PnP games, particularly ones made at the last minute, are an iffy proposition at best but these are fun.

Changing without realizing it

 I feel like one’s sense of being a gamer is something that changes, sometimes so subtly that we only notice it when we look back. I don’t think of it as a constant upward climb but an ebb and flow. Trying to find a sense of balance as the rest of our lives change.

I’ve always been aware of this but you get reminders now and then.

I recently pulled out Elevenses for One.  About three years ago, when I started seriously looking into both print-and-play games and solitaire games, it was a fairly important to me. Elevenses for One felt like a ‘real’ game to me. Despite all the changes my gaming habits had gone through, it reminded me I was still a gamer.

Now, having explored a lot more solitaire games and print-and-play games, going back to it, I was surprised at how light Elevenses for One felt to me. I mean, I always knew it was a super light game. And I still think of it as a gold standard PnP game and one I always recommend and one I have used as a gift.

I know that I have been playing tiny little PnP solitaire games that I can fit in the minutes. That’s been a big part of my hobby as of late. That’s what has really kept me in the hobby at times. 

I just had’t realized the range and depth that I had been finding even in that tiny world. While it might work only be a minute fraction, I would say that games like Orchard or Food Chain Island are meaningfully deeper than Elevenses for One. 

I didn’t think I had been growing at all but I guess I have been.

(I should dig Micro Rome back out and see how it feels now)

My 2018 Mini PnP Secret Santa experience

Now that I know that my Mini PnP Secret Santa target has gotten my package, I feel like I can write a little about the experience.

2018 was the second time I participated in the Mini PnP Santa and I felt a lot more confident doing it this year. In fact, I’d been doing some definite planning for it earlier in the year. Last year, I was still a little shaky and just thew whatever in the envelope. Luckily, whatever included Pocket Landship so my target got something they liked.

This year, I was more prepared and confident and I feel I sent my target some solid little PnP games. Pocket Landship and its expansion went into the envelope. Even though I thought there was a good chance a fellow PnPer would already own it, Elevenses for One. The Palm Island demo which is a great game by itself. And Murderer’s Row since I am on a mission to get it more attention :D

One thing I realized is that I don’t make tuck boxes in general. Part of my goal in PnP is to expand my collection while taking up minimal shelf space so I bag everything. And if I’m shipping stuff overseas, tuck boxes make things more difficult and expensive, even if I included them flat.

In fact, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel up for the big boy PnP Secret Santa. I feel like that calls for tuck boxes and color printing and better quality  components than just laminating.

However, the mini one is pretty awesome for me. That’s something I feel up to and it’s a great way to be part of the PnP community.