I often say to people that there are three things that are extremely important to me in life.  Disney, Cookies and Board Games.  In January of 2015, I didn’t really know anything about board games or the hobby therein.  I had played Monopoly and LIFE growing up, but that was about it.  We’d made some friends who had been inviting us over for “Game Night,” but we hadn’t really pushed for it as we didn’t have much interest.  At long last, they got us to the table and it turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened.  A new hobby and addiction was born.  We love board games.  We play them at least 2-3 times a week.  My partner Carl works at the board game store next to our house, The Geekery HQ.  Board Games are as much a part of my life as Disney.  And that’s all well and good.  But Now It’s Your Turn.

A few weeks ago, I announced that we’d be working on our very own Disney version of one of our favorite games, Legendary.  From this, I had folks reach out and say “Hey!  You should write about all the board games you have.  I’d be down with that.”  This was a big wake up call for me.  Why wasn’t I writing about games?  Why, Dammit, Why?  The thing is, there are TONS of board game review sites and videos and information.  What could I bring to the table that wasn’t already being said?

Some games have surprises. While others have Caturday Surprises, which is a step up from regular Surprises.

I had this talk with my partner Carl, and asked him this question, to which we casually replied, “Well, you’re funny.”  And that was all it took for me to start to form an idea.  See, the thing with any hobby is that in order for it to flourish, you need people to get into it.  Board Games aren’t necessarily cheap and they also can take lots of time to play.  The fact remains, that if you want people to play board games with you, you sort of have to convince them to dive in and that can be harder than it sounds.

Other games allow you to play as…well…this guy, as you conquer the galaxy one planet at a time.

Yes, there are TONS of Board Game review blogs and videos but 99% of them are BORING!!!  I can’t even imagine asking a friend who doesn’t play board games to watch some of the ‘Big’ Board Game reviewers on Youtube.  They would fall asleep halfway through.  Those videos are intrinsically made for people who are already submerged in the hobby.  I wanted to create an ongoing blog project where I could ease people into the hobby.  Show them what I loved about it and share the funny antics that happen when you’re playing Cosmic Encounters and a card says that everyone has to use “Sir” or “Ma’am” at the end of a sentence or they lose.  I want to talk about that moment in “Adventure Time Munchkin” where a card says that you get an extra 40 attack power if there is actual candy on your table.

Some games have cute dinosaurs and let you eat your friends by creating a carnivorous turtle monkey.

N.I.Y.T.  (Now It’s Your Turn) will be a weekly post that releases every Wednesday.  Yes, to some extent, I am going to be reviewing board games in the same way that I review Disney films.  There will be no scores or thumbs to point up or down.  Merely thoughts and impressions.  Most of all, I want to show all of you, whether you already play board games or not, what I love about this hobby and why you owe it to yourself to at least give it a chance.

Other games let you be the hero of your own Star Wars Saga. No seriously guys, they really weren’t the droids you were looking for. Can’t we all just get along?

So join me at the table.  Let’s play a game.  Let’s roll some dice, shuffle some cards, flick some cowboys.  I play a lot of board games, it’s true, but N.I.Y.T is all about the hope that at least a few of you will fall in love with the hobby the way I have.

Now It’s Your Turn.