Humans were close to becoming extinct. No, this wasn't some sort of natural disaster. It was what many films had predicted. An artificial intelligence had seized power and started to manufacture parts that it added to itself. The longer we waited, the bigger this monstrosity grew and the more powerful it became. If we did nothing, it would eventually become our Doom Machine by Nathan Meunier.
Being a city planner isn't easy. You need to balance out the needs of your citizens for green spaces, living accommodation as well as offices and industry. You also have to ensure the infrastructure allows everyone to get around easily, without taking over. With that in mind, we went ahead to collaborate on the design of Sprawlopolis by Button Shy.
Waves upon waves of attackers were lining up in front of me and behind me, two rows of three fighters each. I wasn't daunted by having to face 12 highly trained warriors at a time, because as a samurai I was more than able to defend myself. I wasn't even worried that every line of attackers would be replaced by another, creating a constant stream of enemies. The only thing that was on my mind was facing the bosses that would eventually appear at the end of each line - four in total. There was nothing for it. I had to give my all and fight for my honour, my Eiyo by ThunderGryph Games.
We had reached the planet Earth. There were many of us who had been watching the people of Earth for a long time, sometimes interacting with humans, sometimes influencing events on the planet. We had come from different worlds, many light-years away, because we felt mankind was an interesting species and we wanted to help them become a great people. We just had to be careful, as we had been spotted, and it was time for another UFO Wave by Paradigm Games.
There was something iffy going on in our little country village. My nose was twitchy and I was soon on the trail of some interesting clues. It was clear it was going to take some time and some clever snooping, but I was on a roll and knew I would be able to solve the Canine Capers by Atikin Games.
Things had gone missing - food, to be precise. Someone was taking bits of food here and there and stashing it away somewhere, hiding it from the eyes of everyone, especially the keepers. It quickly became clear that it wasn't any of the visitors to the zoo, but one of the animals - or a group of animals. The meerkats were acting suspiciously as well and were clearly involved. However, as security camera footage was closely monitored over the coming days, it came as a shock that the zoo had a group of Pilfering Pandas by Wren Games.
The room was buzzing. Paintings of different sizes and in different styles were filling the walls, all beautifully lit to bring out every detail and make them really shine. People were mingling and chatting, waving their champagne glasses around as they were discussing the style, composition and imagination displayed in the variety of art. Suddenly, it went silent and everyone turned their attention to the gallery owner in the middle of the room. It was time to choose the best piece of art on Canvas by Road to Infamy Games.
We had been growing tea for generations on our large plantation. We knew everything there was to know about the cultivation of the plants, the best time and method of harvesting the leaves and how to treat them to turn them into wonderfully aromatic tea, ready to be steeped and drunk. We even had ships waiting for our teas to take them out into the world. But for the moment, it was time to relax and enjoy a nice cup of Chai: Tea for 2 by Steeped Games.
The sky suddenly darkened above me. As I looked up, I saw the giant spaceship that was filling up more and more of my view. It towered above the skyscrapers like a huge saucer, dotted in lights and what seemed like openings. It was hard to make out, but it seemed to be bigger than downtown. Suddenly, small aircraft emerged from the spaceship's openings and started to descend. It felt like we were suddenly living Under Falling Skies by Czech Games Edition.
I think like pretty much every hobby, playing board games is about having fun. You might prefer to play solo, you might like to play with your partner or you have a group of friends you play with. You probably play different types of games with different people. Maybe you play lighter games with your loved one in the evenings, because you're both tired after work and want to have some relaxing time together, but when you play with your games group you want something complex and thinky to really stretch your brain. Ultimately though, I think it's all about having fun.
