You can also find us on most major podcast apps by searching for “Board Games with Variant Hex”.
We have no ads, no format, and no schedule – but we’ve already released over 20 episodes! We wanted to make sure we enjoyed creating these episodes before we shared them. Additionally, since we have no format, we wanted to create a variety of episodes so that anyone who might be interested in listening would have a good sampling of what to expect.
We have no intentions to ever monetize the podcast. Gaming has reinforced our friendship, and kept us close and connected as our lives, and the world, have changed in the last couple years. We just wanted to create it to capture our own conversations about games and add our voices to so many others who celebrate this hobby!
As you may notice, we also have a new logo and new branding! We use Canva for just about everything we make, with occasional assistance from Photoshop. We’ve made logos for each of us, with icons that represent our play styles:
Aaron is straightforward, and finds the fastest ways to earn points and win games. Adam is always looking to the horizon, finding fringe strategies that are hard to beat. Jason is able to see the gears below the surface, cutting through the chaos. Kellye is tactical, and is most likely to make the best move in the moment.
Years ago, we started playing Pandemic Legacy. Despite our enthusiastic start, we slowed to a halt by April. The game has sat untouched as two more Pandemic Legacy games were released. As vaccines became available for our real-word pandemic, a couple of us got the idea to celebrate our final month of seclusion by playing through ALL the Pandemic Legacy games.
We have a few things going in our favor for this second attempt: We have a preview of what will happen in the first season, which may help us get off to a faster start. And, just two of us will be playing this time (Kellye and Aaron only). We also have the benefit of knowing the play times and number of games from others, such as Dice Tower and Brothers Murph. We won’t attempt to detail every month played in the interest of time. We’ll just post our thoughts at the start and end of each season.
It’s been a long year (as far as we are concerned, 2020 started in last March and is just now ending). As we schedule our first vaccination shots, we are looking forward to gaming in person again. Playing online has helped us stay connected, and even brought us closer. Once life opens back up, we may find ourselves with less time to play Tabletop Simulator or aimlessly chat on Discord. For example, Kellye and Aaron were able to play their entire collection in just 3 months. We can’t imagine that happening in 2019. Before we know it, we’ll all be thrown back into obligations and expectations that have been suspended for a year. There’s certainly lots of changes coming around the corner, but for now we’ve got a world to save (thrice).
As we maintain a healthy distance from one another as we await vaccine roll-outs, we’ve been finding small ways to upgrade our board game experience. Organizing and improving our games helps us keep our positivity about playing together in person sometime soon.
We’ve shied away from truly significant upgrades, like new game tables or remodeling. We’ve settled in to smaller, more bite-size projects like crafty upgrades and budget buys that bring big value to our table. It goes without saying that KALLAX shelves are the unofficial sponsor of board game storage everywhere. While you’re at IKEA expanding your shelving, there’s a few more things we think you should grab. We’ve found some great accessories that are ready to add to your game right away, or can be upgraded further for a premium experience.
First up, we have VARDAGEN glass bowls. At just under five inches wide, these thick glass bowls are a sturdy, stack-able, and stylish choice for holding and passing bits during games. We with with glass instead of a solid ceramic bowls so we could peak at the bits from the sides. At only $.99, we highly recommend this upgrade for even the tightest board game budgets.
If you have a bit more to spend, there are a variety of tableware options to give your bits a more elevated table presence. The MIXTUR set give you three small bowls, as well as a long, rectangular one that can be used to hold the small ones, or as a fourth container. The INBRINGANDE, KVITTERA, and GARNERA are great choices for a small table. These tiered serving platters will let you stack your pieces vertically, and the bottom levels are roomy enough to hold individual bowls. You’ll have a basic Token Sesame for a fraction of the cost!
Next, we have SKOGSVIKEN: a nice little tray for an even nicer price. At just $.99, this unlikely find was discovered while winding our way to the exit. Meant to hold bathroom trinkets, these 4″ x 6″ trays with 11/16″ walls are perfect for rolling dice. Like the bowls above, they stack nicely and are cheap enough to buy one for each seat at your table. We’ve tested them with dice from Corinth, Hex Roller, and King of Tokyo, all with great results. We’re thinking of adding a thin bit of felt at the bottom, and maybe even creating a foam board dice tower to attach to the side. These trays would also work perfectly fine for holding bits. It’s no Gamer’s Chest, but it’ll get the job done on a budget.
If you’re interested in some dice rolling and game component combos, BESTÅ and KUGGIS are options to consider. They’d look a bit better if you drop them in a cardboard or foam-board box, but they’ll allow you to hold pieces as well as roll some dice. They are a bit large, so you’d probably only want one or two at the table.
Last, we have our most unexpected upgrade. We recently got new bulbs for the light over our table. They were super-bright LEDs, which is what we thought we wanted. We soon realized that the light was too harsh, and created a glare on nearly everything. Now, we’ve switched to these extra big, glare blocking SILLBOs in 370 lumen each. While they won’t fit in every light fixture, they are just perfect in our builder standard fixture. These give off a diffused, yellow-orange light, which lends a cozy fireside vibe to the game table.
We didn’t see standard sized bulbs at IKEA, but they can be found on Amazon. You can also consider lamps or other lighting from IKEA to keep the glare off your cards and boards, allowing you to see the game better. We have other lights to the left and right of the table, allowing for a good mix of light while still avoiding glare.
All in all, we spent $55 on everything. The bulbs were certainly the most expensive, but we’ll get use for them outside of GameDays. In our next GameDay upgrades post, we’ll be talking about crafty upgrades for game components and boxes. The final post will discuss some of our favorite foods and cookbooks for GameDay. We hope you enjoy the series, and are inspired to upgrade your GameDay.
I didn’t think our Worm Month would actually last a month, but here I am, returning 35 days later. There’s no new ways to comment on a global pandemic, and the warping effect it has on time, energy, and life. We’ve seen a substantial amount of change here at the Hex. The latest change is nicknaming us “the Hex” in the last sentence. We always knew our regular board game meet-ups kept us close. During this ongoing pandemic, those (virtual) gatherings have kept us sane. I’m thankful in the time we gained with each other this year.
As a result of playing more games, I found myself diving deeper into the hobby. There was an abundant expression of support as the pandemic began and conventions were canceled. Many creators believed it to be their duty to work harder to produce content that would help support the community. I am grateful for their energy and generosity that helped make those first uncertain months feel engaging.
Afte we added the endless Tabletop Simulator shelves to our virtual collection, we learned a LOT more games, sometimes three or more a week. I don’t think this would have been feasible without Watch it Played, Jon Gets Games, GameNight, and the many other content creators who serve the community with their tutorials, insights, and game play. I’m thankful that they make games more inviting by helping to explain rules.
Once you know the rules, there’s still the matter of getting the game to the table, and sharing that table with others. I think most people want to believe that everyone is welcome at table, but the longevity and durability of systemic racism show a more complicated reality. As a black woman in a hobby filled with white men, this is the reason I’ve remained wary of identifying myself. Just like in my day-to-day life, I was concerned my voice or legitimacy as a member of the community would be diminished by my race.
Black Lives Matter was not a new movement, but it reached a new level of awareness and impact this summer in America. More broadly than I can remember, I noticed companies and community leaving no doubt or ambiguity on the matter of equality. Sometimes this was expressed as a single statement, and other times it was declared an ongoing commitment. As for the board gaming hobby, I am so thankful for how the community responded.
I am thankful for Board Game Geek, who made a public statement in support of Black Lives Matter on their website, and fiercely moderated the comments that followed. As a major hub for the community, their diligence is supportive and encouraging.
I am thankful for Shut Up and Sit Down for their history of denouncing racism and sexism in our hobby. Collectively, they have a significant voice in the community, and they have routinely advocated for inclusion and historical education in board gaming. This summer, they donated the revenue from a month of their Twitch streams to support equality charities such as the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.
I am thankful for Richard “Rahdo” Ham, who continues to wear his Black Lives Matter shirts in his videos. His commitment is a loving reminder that systemic racism is not solved with one post or comment – it’s ongoing work that requires consistency.
I am thankful for The Dice Tower for reinforcing through their choice of contributors and through their words that everyone is welcome at the gaming table. Welcoming diverse views helps to grow and sustain our hobby, and the Dice Tower includes and supports a range of voices.
I am thankful for Our Family Plays Games, who have willingly stepped forward to advocate for representation in our hobby. Starla and Miklos “Mik” Fitch have candidly spoke about bringing their own games to conventions, in the event that no one wanted to play with them. By sharing their story, they are helping others understand how they can be better stewards of inclusion in their own gaming circles. I am grateful that Our Family Plays Games encourages all of us to see those we share the gaming table with as family, and to embrace the entire gaming community as extended family.
As for my immediate gaming family, we’re a core group of four: a married couple and a couple of friends. Each one of us has navigated significant life changes this year. Because we started playing virtually (and pandemic life freed up our schedules) we were able to play more than ever, which meant talking more frequently. We went from meeting once a week to meeting as often as three times a week. Sometimes we’re playing games, but most recently we’ve just been talking about work, swapping Instant Pot recipes, discussing news, and sharing reviews of what we’ve watched. I’m thankful that during this pandemic, we’ve grown closer though we’ve been apart.
And finally, I’m thankful for you. Thank you for taking the time visit our blog. I hope that some of these words have resonated with you, or at least inspired you to think about what you’re thankful for in your life. We’re so close to the end of a year that was so unexpected, and many people are feeling completely worn-out. Taking some time to reflect on gratitude has given me a renewed energy, and I hope it does the same for you.
"We’ve been humans doing human things for a whole nine months of this year and frankly, we want it to stop."
— Quintin Smith
The spring pandemic has spanned far beyond it’s expected reach, blazing into summer and settling deep into fall. For us, this has created an uneasy warping of our standard lives, with half of our existence frozen in time while the other half changes completely. It feels like ages ago when we were celebrating Leap Day and playing Clank Legacy together.
The last couple months we’ve found ourselves busy managing late-activating effects of the pandemic. We’ve been helping family members move, most of us have had jobs both disappear and be replaced, and we’ve experienced countless other events that have exhausted our capacities. And this has turned us, to borrow a phrase from Shut Up and Sit Down, into worms.
"We’re going to stop doing human things, because, well, we’ll be worms."
— Tom Brewster
We began to wormify earlier this month, and while we have continued some board game activities from our various wormy… burrows(?) we haven’t captured any of this game play – not here on the blog, and not on boardgamegeek, bgstats app, or Instagram. We did briefly re-humanize to enjoy AwShux!? last weekend and pick up a few new games at Target. We watched streams, played games, and generally reveled in the joys of having arms and doing things. We even continued non-worming for a few extra days. But now, the wormification has reached its final stages, and this state will endure until sometime next month.
"Say goodbye to your limbs, your worries, and your responsibilities."
— Matt Lees
And in that future month, we are considering some very un-wormy activities: more activity on Instagram with a push to top 1k followers, logging every single one of our plays, trying out a new review system, and maybe even a podcast! But, those decidedly un-wormy events are still at least a couple weeks away. Until then, we encourage you to focus on your health and wellness. Take all the worm time you need to recharge, renew, and refocus to finish out your human year.
We’ve made it! Our Countdown is finally complete, and Gen Con Online is underway! The last ten days featured the games that got the most likes. Some of that surely has to do with the names of many games also being actual locations… but Scythe had no such advantage. We enjoyed getting these games back off the shelf to finish out the countdown.
First, we have a couple honorable mentions for tenth place. Both Ceylon and On Mars also got 90 likes by the time Dice Forge was posted. As of now, On Mars has 93 likes! Given that it was posted on day fourteen, this was a quick surge into contention, but not quite fast enough to be featured again.
All of these games came from our physical collection, aside from Scythe. We have the stunning Tabletop Simulator DLC for that one, which we cannot recommend enough. The countdown allowed (forced?) us to try more new games per week than ever before. Tabletop Simulator has been a great way to find and play new games, and we’ve seen more and more official mods as online conventions continue.
With the countdown complete, we’ve been wondering: what’s next? We’ve upped our gameplay considerably, and become more involved in the board game community during our countdown. We think we may start a podcast or start streaming board games… but for now, we’re enjoying Gen Con and replaying some of our favorites.
It’s not long now! We’re getting our schedules sorted and snacks ordered for Gen Con Online in just a few days. We started this countdown on a whim, and it’s been a focusing force for the last few months. We hope you’ve enjoyed seeing a different game featured for each day, and we look forward to sharing our plays more regularly going forward (but not every day…).
As we’ve found unique games to post each day, we’ve been forced to expand our gaming horizons and try things that we’ve passed up. Dungeon Academy, Islebound, Paper Tales and War Chest were all games we had heard about, but never really dug into. While we’ll be happy to go back to some of our old favorites, finding new games has been rewarding.
This set of games featured stronger art and themes with titles like On Mars, Oceans, and Crystallo. Much like Parks from the last 10-Day recap, these games are as enjoyable to look at as they are to play. Through the Ages and Concordia on the other hand, fall more in line with typical beige Euro vibes, even though the individual elements are colorful. We’ve had the Through the Ages app for a while, and still feel like it’s the best way to play. To our knowledge, there’s no Concordia app yet. As we’ve seen more and more games going digital, we hope this one turns up soon.
Death Eaters Rising is yet another Harry Potter game, but overall our group liked it more than Hogwarts Battle. We feel like we can’t keep acquiring every game from the Wizarding World… but we’re also pretty sure that we’ll pick up that new House Cup game.
The days are going by fast! We’re making our final Gen Con gear selections and browsing the events as we continue to countdown to Gen Con Online. Our daily posting engine is running dangerously low on fuel, but we’re doing our best to finish strong! We may still post daily on Instagram once the Countdown is over, but we’ll probably focus again on our game collection and what we’ve recently played instead of posting a unique game everyday.
We appreciate games presenting new themes, like in Chai and Parks. Games with unique themes can also be great ways to introduce our hobby to people who may be unfamiliar, or apprehensive. Have a friend that loves tea? They probably have no idea there’s a board game about it. The art in Parks is so delightful, it’s easy to convince someone to spend some time playing a game with such wonderful designs.
Imperial Settlers almost sounds like a parody of the standard theme for so many board games, but it’s so well done that we can’t hold anything against this one. We originally played in on Tabletop Simulator, and almost immediately bought a copy from our local game store. We’ll likely do the same with Istanbul Dice and MMAGK, which has the much-less exciting name of Divvy Dice here in the U.S.
Champions of Midgard, Keyflower, Teotihuacan, and Villagers were all games that we loaded just to browse through the cards and pieces. We’ve enjoyed being able to sift through components as we decide what to learn next. Before, we would be limited by the number of games we wanted to buy. Now, we’re limited by how much we can learn and play.
When I started this challenge, I was playing the games in any random order. These were the ones that were furthest along when I decided to start writing about my progress. That’s also why Part One has 9 games, and this post has 11. For the last three parts of the challenge, the games will be grouped a bit better in sets of 10 games each.
In Part One, I described Metro as “a better Tsuro”. I stand behind the statement, and also believe that the Tsuro app is better than the Tsuro physical game. While Tsuro is one of my favorite games to introduce to co-workers and new-to-gaming friends, it doesn’t ever get to the table at Variant Hex GameDays. The app includes a “longest path” and “most loops” game variants, which give much-needed variety to the base game.
I don’t have a physical copy of Roll For It!, but it’s another great introductory game. Playing against the AI is a bit dull, since it’s a basic dice-rolling game. This one is better as a pass-and-play, and would be a great choice to play with a friend while waiting for a table at a restaurant. If your waiting on a table and waiting for your friends to show up, Onirim is a well-designed one player card game. While there is a bit of strategy, the gameplay will depend heavily on the shuffles of the deck. There is a LOT of shuffling in this game, so the app is a bit more convenient than the physical game.
Splendor and Kingdom Builder are two games that seem to get more shade than I think is earned. The additional challenges in Splendor give the app plenty of value for the price. I also think playing these challenges can improve your skill for standard, physical plays of the game. There aren’t extra challenges in Kingdom Builder, but the AI is decent and the already variable board and goal setup gives a good amount of variety. This is also one of the first games I’ve mentioned that you can load up with AI opponents and play way faster than in person. And, because the scripting will show you all available moves when using bonus titles, I think it can help improve your strategy.
“Just one more round” is what I’m often saying after finishing a game of Jaipur or Ganz Schön Clever. Jaipur is a two-player only card game, with different AI levels and game length options. Ganz Schön Clever is a roll and write that can play with many or just one. The design of Jaipur is well done and goes with the theme of the physical game. Ganz Schön Clever… is kind of just a spreadsheet? The advantage of the Jaipur app is having an AI opponent to play any time, while the advantage of Ganz Schön Clever is not having to do the math yourself at the end.
Maybe I should have compared Jaipur to Patchwork? Both and well-rated two-player only games. But, I’ll be comparing Patchwork to Cat Lady instead. Though the games are not very similar, I like the use of themes not often seen in board games. And, they are two games I think I could get my mom to play (but I’d suggest Calico to her first, which combines these themes). Cat Lady isn’t too difficult, and the app has a room full of achievements for you to attain as you play. Patchwork has a fiendishly difficult “Uwe” mode that I’ve never beaten.
I’ve left my least favorite apps for last. Kings and Assassins and Dream Home were both a bit tedious. I think I feel about Dream Home the way Quinns of SUSD feels about Wingspan: I have experience in the topic, and something about the game themeing just isn’t enjoyable for me. (For the record, I think Quinns could not be more wrong about Wingspan, and I’m sure someone feels the same way about my opinion on Dream Home). Kings and Assassins is a perfectly fine grid movement strategy game, but it just leaves me wanting to play Fire Emblem instead.
We’re settling in for convention season, from the comfort of our desks! Gen Con 2020 would have been our first convention ever. Now that many are heading online, we are taking advantage by indulging in a steady stream of board game content. We watched much of the Virtual Gaming Convention and The Dice Tower Summer Spectacular, and are looking forward to participating in all sorts of conventions online that we never would have traveled to in person.
Because apps are comparatively cheap and endlessly portable, we’ll often find ourselves buying both a physical copy and a digital copy of games we like. Many of the apps we have are already featured earlier in the countdown (Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Terraforming Mars, Istanbul, and Splendor, to name a few). We had a fair amount of stand-alone apps this decade of the countdown: Galaxy Trucker, Exploding Kittens, Dragon Castle, Mysterium, Mystic Vale, Kingdom Builder, and Le Havre. The remaining games were either from Tabletopia or Tabletop Simulator.
Some games certainly perform better as apps than others. While Kingdom Builder is still enjoyable, the controls are less than great and there’s no undo options or confirmations for your moves. Mysterium has a bit of a campaign mode, but it is a bit strange to play a game like that with AI. A game like Mystic Vale is able to benefit from crafting cards much easier on the app, and highlights your available moves. Dragon Castle and Galaxy Trucker are a couple of the ones we like the most. Dragon Castle is well designed and has optional animations that help highlight the top level of the castle, and Galaxy Trucker has a story mode that makes playing solo more interesting.
We’ve been a little obsessed with Garphill Games recently, playing through both the West Kingdom and North Sea Trilogies. Architects and Viscounts were the last two on our list. We felt that Orléans was a bit similar to those trilogies, as there were many interconnected elements that could lead to victory points. Unfortunately, Orléans felt a bit long, especially because there doesn’t seem to be any rubber-banding to keep the game competitive. In our game, the standings at turn 9 were the same as they were at turn 18. An early lead, or an early mistake, seem to set your course for the rest of the game. But, it was only our first playthrough, so perhaps we weren’t commanding all available strategies.
