It’s Been A Long Time…

I’ve reached the end of a long road.  Today, I finished all the work for my second Bachelor degree in Graphic Design. Graduation is officially February 2nd, but I picked Planet Comic Con in Kansas City with lots of friends instead of a trip to Florida with one very good friend. (Don’t worry, we have a trip to wine country planned later in the year!)  The last two and a half years flew by me, and a lot of that is due to the fact that I freaking love design. Most of the time, it never even felt like work, which is kind of amazing.

Now, I need to figure out what real life really looks like…post academic life. One thing I discovered during my academic journey is…tabletop games. Thanks to a work friend who introduced me to Wil Wheaton’s YouTube Series Tabletop, I’ve discovered quite a few new games like Settlers of Catan, Lords of Waterdeep, and a several others. That’s why one of the first orders of business was to set up a game night/ weekend with some friends.  Yes, that’s right, game weekend.  We’re going to eat, drink, and play every tabletop game we’ve got.  I’ve even got a game based on John Carpenter’s The Thing. It’s been teasing me from my kitchen table since December.

Getting into tabletop games was a little intimidating for me. Gaming stores are filled with all kinds of options and expansion packs, and finding a game that is just a step above Monopoly is harder than I expected.  Sometimes, when you’re presented with too many options, its so overwhelming, you just don’t choose anything. (At one point this was true of my life too, but I think I’ve gotten better at that.) When a colleague mentioned going to a gaming convention this summer, I started asking questions…a lot of questions. I’m pretty sure that YouTube was his way of getting me to shut up, so he could work.

His first recommendation was Settlers of Catan.  This game provides an excellent entry point to tabletop gaming. Once I started talking about playing, I was surprised by the number of people I know who already play.  They’ve made other recommendations we’re trying out this weekend.

So, tell me, what games do you like to play? I’m going to need new things to do to fill all this new free time!

‘Til Next Time,

Jessica