brian

(ColtsFan76)

"You play to win the game!"
- Herm Edwards (then) coach of the NY Jets

- About Me -

- Secret Santa Participation -

To my Secret Santa:

Thank you for participating this year!

I have tried to keep my list updated with many options. If it is listed as a 1 or a 2, I want it! And I will be grateful for anything you consider to send. To help put in a priority, I have ranked all of the 1's and some of the 2's with "stockings." The higher the number, the more I want the game.

But again, I am just happy to particpate and look forward to the surprise. So have fun and Merry Christmas to you!

-brian

2008 Edition of: My Secret Santa Sent Me... - [GameID=]
2007 Edition of: My Secret Santa Sent Me... - 1960: The Making of the President

- Geek of the Week #152 -

For those who haven't figured it out yet, I am both a Christian (since 2001) and an Indianapolis Colts fan (since 1997). Both aspects help make up my personality. Gaming contributes to my competitive nature and addiction to winning. The "76" represents the year I was born and is the usual ending to my account names. I live in NW Indiana but work in Chicago as a Contractor. My gaming opponents consist of my girlfriend fiancée wife (zoe79); members of my church (only the_spectre has an account on the Geek); occasionally my old college roommate (ipgyst) and his wife; another college friend (JettaKnight) and his wife; and a host of PBEM players (too numerous to mention).

Gaming is one of those things that stay with you most of your life. I have been playing the classics since I can remember - the light stuff of the 80's - Trouble, Sorry!, Connect Four, Monopoly. We could never figure out the American Dream Game so we made up our own rules.

In junior high we discovered Axis & Allies and it became a new definition in gaming. The sessions were epic, weekend-long events. We fell in love with the plastic pieces and special rules for each unit. Solo play was also discovered at this time as we tried out new strategies on our own, working out the probabilites of dice rolls based on experience, and hoping to catch our opponents off guard at the next meeting.

In college, we learned about Magic: The Gathering CCG and the transformation of card games. Too much money was wasted on this cardboard crack as we tried to buy the best deck possible. I broke the addiciton though and was able to break even on my investment. After that, the only games we played were the "party games" of Taboo, Outburst, and other team type games. Since I am from Indiana, Euchre was often on the table.

Things quieted down on the gaming front until gaming and toy collecting merged: GI Joe was offering a G.I. Joe TCG. I held my nose and jumped in head first. Even better, I learned the ability to play online opponents with the software that had come about since MTG. But as quickly as the game had surfaced, Hasbro pulled the plug. A dejected group set-up ship to create new expansions for the game and learned the value of balanced game design. Though we all wanted the uber-cards, we had to learn the limits to keep the original card game intact. But Hasbro wanted to pull the plug on that too and shut down our site.

Through the online process, I rediscovered A&A and picked up the Axis & Allies Revised Edition. That lead to purchasing the rest of the A&A series. Though I liked the minis, I didn't want to waste my money and time on another collectible game. So I searched for other games to fill this new hunger. Through the process, I discovered the Commands & Colors games (my favorite being Memoir '44) along with many other high-quality adventure games. I have been working my way back into the gaming hobby and make BGG a daily stop as I check out all the new info and learn about new games.

Thanks for having me!

For those interested, here is my info on Friendless' Extended Stats site and msaari's BGG rating correlation


Top 10's
Since it seems we must define our usage of the Top 10's, here is mine: The "Top 10" is my all-time favorite games according to rank on the Geek. This gets a periodic check-up to see if anything new has crept onto the list. Ties are broken by number of plays and my general mood on the day I update it.



The "Hot 10" is my recent list of most played games. I try to update this at the beginning of every month and either look at the "Last 30 Days" as provided by the Geek or look at the current month to date plus a full month before that: typically, whichever tends to give the most accurate data of what I have played the most recently. Ties are broken by current rank or my general impression of the game on the day I update it.



For a more accurate update on what I have been playing, here are my "Most Recent 10" plays over the last couple of weeks.




- Microbadges -
Microbadges that I have created and have been accepted:

Game Related
Commands & Colors Series Fan:
I smell new games!:
Plano Box fan:
Tanga People:

Publishers


Games
The Making of the President:
BattleLore:
Bohnanza:
Carcassonne:
Caylus:
Colosseum:
Cranium:
Hannibal:
Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot:
Die Macher:
Memoir '44:
Notre Dame:
Pizza Box Football:
Quelf:
Shear Panic:
Starfarers of Catan:
Trivial Pursuit:
Union Pacific:
War of the Ring:
Wits & Wagers:

Hobbies
Miscellaneous:
Cars:

Literature and Arts


Colleges


Miscellaneous
M&M Snacker:

Pop Culture


Profession
Naval Flight Officer:

Sports


Zero Owners*


To buy any of these MicroBadges for 15GG, please click here:

All badges with an (*) will be deleted on March 1, 2008 unless they are purchased. Save the badges!

Badges I created that were deleted:

Microbadges That I Own:
21 purchased from hard-earned GeekGold
39 "free" from auto-awards, contest participation, etc.
28 redeemed through badges sold
88 total as of 12-NOV-2008

Avatar / ÜberGeekBadge Series
I suppose changing "clothes" entitles me to post a bit about my different Avatars and ÜberGeekBadges. For the archives:

Avatars
- July 30, 2006 (to present): Main Avatar

- April 23, 2007 (about one week): In recognition of the White House South Lawn Ceremony for the Super Bowl XLI Champions

- February 4, 2008 (about one week): In recognition of the NY Giants beating the much-hated NE Patriots and preventing Brady and Belicheat from obtaining "the Perfect Season"

- April 1, 2008 (about one day): April Fools' Day

ÜberGeekBadges
- January 13, 2008 (to present): Main ÜberGeekBadge

- February 4, 2007 (about one year): In recognition of the Indianapolis Colts winning Super Bowl XLI

- February 3, 2008 (about one week): In recognition of the New York Giants winning Super Bowl XLII

- April 1, 2008 (about one day): April Fools' Day

- Secret Santa Participation -
2008 Edition of: My Secret Santa Sent Me... - [GameID=]
2007 Edition of: My Secret Santa Sent Me... - 1960: The Making of the President

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

78% Nerd, 52% Geek, 30% Dork