October 2024 Wrap-Up

A year ago I posted the first of these month wrap-up posts and I'm proud of myself for keeping them going. Some months have been leaner than others with the content, but I like to come back each month and share what's been going on. I think the fact that I do these posts has affected my yearly goal of posting three times a month because I could do individual posts for some of these sections. However, I really like this format and it feels less like work which always makes me want to keep doing something. This October was the busiest between work and home of any month in years, but it was all really good. 

Blah Blog Log

Bored Board Games

Between this year's Solotober challenge and my new gaming group, I had 142 plays across 48 unique games. *Spoilers* I was able to complete my gaming goals of 600 total plays and 150 unique games. Everything from October 19th and forward is just padding the stats at this point. Between Solotober and just a dumb amount of plays on BGA, I logged my second most number of plays since I started tracking them in the BG Stats app. The highlight of the month was 27 plays of Kingdom Builder. It currently sits as a my third most played game of the year and will be the featured tile for this month's wrap-up.

Kingdom Builder - Published in 2011, the game went on to win the 2012 Spiel des Jahres (German game of the year), which is the most coveted award in tabletop gaming. Four subsequent expansions were released through 2017 and a four of mini expansions have been released as of 2023, when a deluxe big box of the game was released that had everything included. All this to say, the game is well loved and continues to be played a lot 13 years after release. It's a very straightforward and easy to learn, but also very tactical and strategic. A bit of luck is needed because of the randomness of card draws.

From the BGG Page: "During his turn, a player plays his terrain card and builds three settlements on three hexes of this kind. If possible, a new settlement must be built next to one of that player’s existing settlements." It couldn't really be any simpler, but that's only part of the game. Players can also gain special actions by placing settlements near various locations on the board that are different from game to game. Using these special actions will be key in scoring the three different objective cards drawn each game along with the one static objective of placing near castles that are printed on each board. When one player has used all of their settlements, the game ends after an equal number of turns and then players score with the highest /score winning the game.

I just love how quickly the game plays even with up to four players. The modular board and variable set-up make it so no two games are anything alike. By including the expansions, the are even more board, special action locations, and scoring objective cards which allows for infinite replayability. The one frustrating note about the game is that the card draws each turn can really screw somebody over. However, you learn how to mitigate that once you've played enough. It reminds me of endless road tile draws in Carcassonne. They seems bad at first, but then you learn how to use them to your advantage. Regardless, since the game is on the lighter side and can be played in a short amount of time, a little randomness just adds to the fun.

Enjoyable Eats

There wasn't a specific meal that really stuck out in October, but I want to share a bit about a really cool restaurant that we had dinner at in Baltimore while attending PoeFest. A group of us got an Airbnb and spent a couple nights in the city to attend the yearly festival celebrating all things Edgar Allan Poe. I've always been a huge Poe fan (some of you may remember I published a few free print and play games that are themed using Poe's stories), but these are the types of events one attends when married to an English teacher. I probably should have done a whole post on the weekend but I'll focus here on the Annabel Lee Tavern.
From their website: "Annabel Lee was the last poem that Edgar Allan Poe wrote before his tragic death at the age of forty in the year 1849. ... Poe’s dark romanticism is echoed throughout the space, from the lines of poetry scrawled on the walls to the Poe-themed cocktail menu." It's beautiful both inside and out and was the perfect way to wrap up a very enjoyable day for me. I had the 'Fleet Street' Cheesesteak, which was just as good as any other cheesesteak I've had before. However, the star of the plate was the duck fat fries, which are as decadent as they sound.  I would definitely go back during future trips to Baltimore so I could try some of there other dishes.

I'm Watching 👀

We're big fans of basically anything Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story, Nip/Tuck) has a hand in, so we knew Grotesquerie was an instant watch. It feels very much in the same vein as a American Horror Story season, but more gruesome and graphic. The plot of the show is a detective (played by Niecy Nash) and a nun investigate a series of heinous crimes that seem personal, while grappling with personal issues and uncovering a sinister web that raises more questions than answers. We're about half way through the first season and are thoroughly enjoying it. It definitely pushes the boundaries of being comfortable to watch and I could definitely see people not continuing on because of how messed up parts have been so far. It's hard to be more specific without giving anything away. If you like psychological horror, this would be right up your alley.

Resolutions Update

Completed one goal but the other two have fallen off. I think I'm going to focus on just one goal next year, now that gaming seems to be really locked in for me with the creation of my gaming group. It's also clear that focusing on multiple things doesn't really work for me. I also strive for a slower and simpler life, so one goal a year feels like it fits better with that.
  • Goal #1: Cook More Italian Food - I might make this my only official goal for next year. I really liked writing about food when I was cooking through a cookbook a few years back.
  • Goal #2: Log 600 Plays of At Least 150 Games - I hit both of these goals on October 18th during a solo game of X for Solotober. 
  • Goal #3: Write at Least 3 Blog Posts Each Month - I did squeeze in a second post of the month with my Solotober recap, but was just too busy to cover anything else. As I wrote in the header, these posts are counterintuitive to this goal, but I like doing them so I'm keep the focus there.

Whatcha Snackin?

I'm always on the lookout for a good snack mix and have shared a few here before. This month I've been snacking on the Sweet & Savory Bar Mix from Southern Grove. Southern Grove is one of the snack brand names that Aldi's uses, this one is specifically for all of their nut and trail mix products. Unfortunately it only comes in one size, a 41oz tub, which includes: Honey Roasted Peanuts, Spicy Peanuts, Smoke Flavored Almonds, Toffee Peanuts & Pretzels. I've been partial to the toffee peanuts, pretzels, and smoke flavored almonds, so I'm now mostly left with a mixture of honey roast and spicy peanuts. I'm not sure I'll buy this again because of the size and the fact that I know I'll just pick out the stuff I like more. That being said, I like the remaining mixture enough to eat a handful or two while I'm at work each day.

Wrap It Up

I hope you've enjoyed this first of hopefully many monthly wrap-up posts. Please comment below with any thoughts or comments on anything I've covered. Thanks for reading!



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