Western Legends
I bought Santorini by Roxley Games on October 10th, 2019. This represents the first game that we got since Mikayla, and I began our relationship. It’s still in the collection and sees play about once every few months. It will always be in our collection, not just because it is a game that we enjoy, but because it also represents the beginning. One day we hope to acquire their most recent Kickstarter of the game to have it as a coffee table piece when we have our own home. For now, our original copy satisfies our needs.
We are not collectors, so we’ve set an arbitrary guideline on how big the collection can get. If a game doesn’t see play frequently or has doesn’t sentimental value or attachment to it, there is a high chance it will leave the collection. We have a 5x5 Kallak shelf from Ikea, which we have set as our space limit for our collection. When games start to get stacked next to the shelve, we know it’s time to pair down the collection.
When these moments happen, I first like to pull every game we haven’t played in the last six months halfway off the shelf. It helps visually represent what games might be on the “chopping block.”
Nostalgia Stays
Of the games that have been pulled forward, we will go through them together and see what our thoughts are on each one. Games like Cosmic Encounter and Obscurio will get immediately pushed back into place. They will always be games we bring out with friends, and not having friends over in 6 months doesn’t mean they should leave. Other Games like Century: Golem Edition and Root will also be slid back in. The happy memories we get from looking at them on the shelf justify their space. Nostalgia and Friendship will always have space on our game shelf.
What Gets Cut
Usually, we are left with anywhere from 10-15 games still popping out. These are the ones that have the “list” applied to them.
When was the last play we had?
How Many plays does it have?
What setting would we play this in?
How much space is it taking up?
Is there a game in our collection we would always rather play instead?
This process usually convinces us that seven or so of the games pulled will never get played on game nights. If it only takes up space, the game should go to someone who will actually get it to the table.
The Game That Gets Special Treatment
Western Legends is a game that will get pulled off the shelf every time we look to cull. We have the Big Box that holds all the content. It won’t be played more than twice a year, takes up half a kallax cubby, takes a while to set up, doesn’t play well at two players, and has a lot of downtime when you play with more than four players. It is also a game that will always get passed over for the chance to play Dune: Imperium, Scythe, Moonrakers, Root, and Northgard: Uncharted Lands when we have our normal playgroup over.
With all that being said, It’s staying around for the foreseeable future! I even wrote this blog to justify pulling it out to take photos of it!
Western Legends seems to be an anomaly. It goes against all of the “rules” we have to keep games in our collection. I could lie and say that the action system with the poker cards is a design mechanism I’m interested in learning from in a future game. I could say that, but I’d be a liar… I think I like the Western theme and the way it looks on the table. For now, I’m ok with having a game like that take-up space in our collection.
Is there a game you hold on to for some silly reason outside of nostalgia? I’d love to know what game it is and why you hold onto it in the comments below.
