Board Game Calendar and Gaming Goals
Do you think having a board game calendar on the wall would get you to play more games?
Well, we’ll know by the end of 2017.
That’s because this year I’ve got one of Scott King’s awesome board game calendars hanging in my home office where I see it every day.
I first found out about these calendars a couple years ago and thought they sounded and looked so cool. Scott King’s photography is beautiful and his board game photos are the best around.
So when Scott started his Kickstarter campaign last summer for 2017 calendars, I dove right in.
And I’m so glad I did – because the calendar is fantastic!
Scott offered two different options. People could either order a standard calendar with set photos for each month. Or they could pay a little more and get a custom calendar with photos of their choice along with special dates.
Of course I went with the custom option and chose games I love for each month. (With more than 120 photos to choose from, it’s tough to whittle it down to just 12.)
You can check out Scott King’s Portfolio to see for yourself how cool his photos are.
My calendar arrived in October and I waited patiently for 2 months to finally get it up!
So with the new year not only do I have a sweet board game calendar on my wall, but I’m also reminded of one of my 2017 board gaming goals every time I look at it.
You see, one of my board game goals this year is very simple: Play the game featured on the calendar during it’s month.
Because not only did I get to choose which of Scott’s awesome photos went into my calendar, but I also got to determine which month they went on. So I can use the calendar as a reminder of which game I need to pull out and play that month.
Some people like to take on different challenges each year. One of the popular options is a 10 x 10 challenge where players pick 10 games they want to play 10 or more times that year.
Being a board game reviewer makes that one really tough for me because so much of my game playing time is spent playing new games. (Actually more time is spent reviewing and writing about them than actually playing them but that’s another issue.)
Anyway, that’s why my board gaming goals have to be a bit simpler.
Last year I played 183 different board games (131 of those being “new to me” games). However, setting a goal of more and more isn’t always the best option. And as I’m involved in many more other things this year, I don’t anticipate having as much time as last year for games. (Plus the only game conference I’m planning on getting to this year is SaltCon.)
So I’ll stick with my target number of 150 different games played in 2017.
The other goal I’m shooting for is to play more of the games I’m already familiar with. Last year over 71% of the games I played were new games. Which meant that many of the games I really enjoy didn’t hit the table. So I’m shooting for more of the games I play this year to be ones I’m already familiar with. As such I’m shooting for a 60/40 split – with 40% being games I’ve played before.
And the board game calendar by Scott King should help me with this balance because all 12 games depicted on the calendar are games I’ve already played and love.
If you’d like to play along at home with me, here are my Featured Calendar Games:
- January – Pandemic Legacy (played twice so far)
- February – Tobago
- March – Colt Express
- April – Takenoko
- May – Star Wars: Imperial Assault
- June – Forbidden Desert
- July – Ticket to Ride
- August – Carcassonne
- September – Castle Panic
- October – 7 Wonders
- November – Stone Age
- December – King of Tokyo
If you do play along, feel free to shoot me a message when you play it that month @boardgamefamily on Twitter.
And you didn’t get in on the Kickstarter campaign, don’t worry, you haven’t missed out completely. You can still head over to Scott King’s website and order a standard board game calendar.
Oh, and I guess I should also mention that those who backed Scott King’s Kickstarter project also got access to the photos as computer backdrops as well. So yeah, I also rotate through his awesome game photos as my backgrounds as well.
Big tip of the hat to Scott King!
And we’ll see if having this cool gaming calendar helps me stick with my 2017 board gaming goals:
- 150 Different Games Played
- 60% new/40% familiar games
- Play the Featured Calendar Game of the Month
Wish me luck!
