197 – Back the Comeback! – The Family Gamers Podcast
Back the Comeback is a movement to encourage people to get back into their friendly local game (and comic) stores. We’re joined by Brandt Sanderson who works at The Portal game store in Manchester, Connecticut.
First, some facts about 197 –
- Jonathan Papelbon, MLB closing pitcher, gave up 197 earned runs in his career.
- Dennis Eckersley, MLB relief pitcher (with the highest Wins Above Replacement statistic) had 197 wins in his career.
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 197 recommended that the Republic of Zambia be admitted.
- 197 is a “Keith” number.
A quick message from our sponsor: If you’d like to have a free conversation to help you understand how to do some due diligence on a charity before making a donation, go to firstmovefinancial.com/familygamers and schedule a 15 minute phone call.
What We’ve Been Playing
Brandt has around 200 plays of Marvel Champions. Wow!
A lot of two player dueling card games. Build a deck and play it over and over.
Abandon All Artichokes – a great game to play with kids.
Liberation of Rietburg – remarkably accessible. Much easier (and faster) than the Legends of Andor. The characters you can play have a surprising amount of differentiation.
Pictures (recreate photos with various materials – and everyone plays simultaneously! Board Game Geek has more info) Highly recommended for playing with kids.
Draftosaurus – still loving it!
L.L.A.M.A. – not a favorite.
Castle Panic – it’s been a while, but it’s so good!
Piratatak (by DJECO) – very luck-dependent, so kids like it, but it can be very short or very long.
Tiny Towns – one of many that our kids have been itching to play lately (including Draftosaurus and Castle Panic)
Metro X (now published by Gamewright) – Anitra has been playing a LOT and introducing it to the rest of the family. A flip and write game that we’ll be reviewing soon. Highly recommended as a travel game.
KOI (by Smirk & Dagger) – the more Anitra plays it, the better she likes it. A lot of randomness here.
Ticket to Ride: Japan map – with bullet trains! Interesting strategies involved. (We also discuss the Stay At Home map – mentioned last week – and the UK map.)
Ingenious – where Anitra came in last, behind a six-year-old, modeling how to be a good loser!
Back the Comeback
How can we support our friendly local game stores?
(Disclaimer: Brandt can only speak for his employer, The Portal, not any other game store.)
News – The Portal is open! They were doing curbside pickup throughout the shutdown, but have been open since Connecticut lifted restrictions.
If you’re in an area that isn’t opening up yet, or you can’t get to your local game store, there are lots of publishers that will allow you to order directly but support your local game store at the same time. We found the Board Game Geek list – check here if you’re interested.
News – Our local game store (That’s Entertainment! in Worcester Massachusetts) was closed and is re-opening – starting today! (June 8). Now open Monday-Saturday 11-4.
At The Portal, they found that their early big sellers were minis, paints, and RPG books. Then two player games and co-op games picked up sales in April.
What can you do?
Visit www.backthecomeback.com/ and tag posts on social media with #BackTheComeBack.
Check if your local store is open and visit them if you can spare a few dollars.
Participate in the BackTheComeBack charity auction in July. ( www.digauction.com/page/ComebackAuction )
Local game stores are part of our community. They’re locally owned and run. They’re a place to get together with friends, and they should be part of your experience with your kids.
Brandt tells us how The Portal used their time “off” to re-organize the store and make it work better for them.
Find Brandt and The Portal, Online:
@portalgaming60 on Twitter
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