I think that’s as it should be. The establishment in the 80s was kind of like that, and the contrast with the horrific alternative of the Soviet system put kids in the position of having to love it. It preserves relatability by setting up these earnest, open-hearted kids to grow into cynical Gen X.

The Murderbot books. The show is good at bringing much of what’s great about the books to a new audience, but the books feel a bit different, and I like them better. They contrast a future where capitalism captures government with something a lot more humane.

Eh, painting is very much the sort of hobby that stalls from time to time. I didn’t paint at all for about 15 years.

Speaking of, how’s your journey into mini painting going?

Finally, a game which does what I was expecting when I bought an $8 starter deck of Magic cards at B Dalton in 1993, and thought to myself, “Man, this game is CHEAP!”.

“Virtue is its own reward” is rarely so clearly evidenced.

Finally, I need to call out Legacy of Yu. It’s not mechanically amazing, but it’s fabulously inviting. The provided organizer is very handy, the campaign is long enough to satisfy without ever feeling burdensome, the rules are approachable—just a very player-focused presentation and design.

Intellectually, I know that Mansions of Madness (2nd) doesn’t really deserve to be on this list. The scenarios are uneven, replay value is low, and the rules don’t do anything exceptional. But the emotional highs and lows have been unbeatable for us, and some of the writing is strikingly effective.

Too Many Bones is a triumph of game design brainstorming. There are individual encounters which feel like whole games. The whole vibe encourages players to take risks—to PLAY. Which means that you act more like your character (because the gearlocs all seem wild). A messy game, but so worthwhile.

I’ve only played Castles of Burgundy digitally, but it’s incredible. Very simple core, with numerous other rules which are such intuitive ways to address natural questions that the cognitive overhead of rules remains light. So you feel like you’re thinking about the game, not the rules.

Lovecraft Letter is my favorite small multiplayer card game. Love Letter was already excellent, but the addition of the sanity dynamic gives the game just enough to feel like thinking carefully might pay off, and introduces more entertainingly bananas interactions.

Fifth, I’ll choose Chaos in the Old World. Absolute banger. The fact that you basically have one resource for everything makes it feel like you can do whatever you want, but never enough to be comfortable. Eric Lang always has my attention because of this game.

Clank Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated was my favorite campaign experience. My kids were of an age to get the humor, it introduced mechanics at a perfect rate, and this was the game which taught us that my eldest likes being the “banker”/game master more than playing.

Magic: the Gathering is really a ton of different games with (mostly) interoperable parts and many shared rules, but some of those games are tremendous, and it’s been a huge part of my life. That a game this complex has become a lingua franca in gaming is extraordinary, and so helpful.

For my second pick, I’ll mention War of the Ring. Terrific game, and my son’s willingness to get really stuck in and play a bunch with me was a treasured consequence of the pandemic. Could really benefit from a third edition, I think.

A hot shot is just what it sounds like: a cannonball heated before firing so that it might start fires, or even ignite a magazine. So, maybe the metaphor is that she’s so attractive she might inflame passions in those viewing her?

Very helpful—thank you! I was especially grateful that you addressed how they plan to make money; “free” gives me the heebie-jeebies these days.

My guess is, engineers are used to feeling like explanations which they feel are sufficient may try the patience of their listeners without some verbal warning that they are actually on their way to the point, not just rambling.

I see it used to imply explanation, as you mention. But it’s also used to preface a seemingly-unrelated thought which will become explanatorily relevant later. E.g. “Why is the South so conservative?” … “So, 230 million years ago most of the South was oceanic shallows, which left lots of biomass…”