Casting Shadows

RPGaday, continues thanks to the idea put forward by the Autocratic blog, which asks us to start talking to each other on a daily basis about our hobby as RPG players. Today’s question asks us about our favorite new game of the past 12 months. August 2014 to the end of July 2015. I have picked up quite a few games this year although much less than my usual number. Interestingly for me, most of them have actually been old to very old. I may need to answer today’s question as “new to me.”

This year was focused quite firmly on completing some collections, and exploring some ‘firsts’ in gaming. As a result, I have not been able to devote much in the way of resources to acquiring new games. To keep things sane and manageable, I have also been actively steering away from news of Kickstarters and new projects – to the best of my ability.

My shelves have seen new additions from the 80s in the form of old RuneQuest and BRP material like Ringworld, netting a good copy of Ghostbusters, and so on. I have not been without exposure to new games, but the focus has definitely been on exploring the bits and pieces of the past that I missed along the way. I have recently been filling out my Noun World collection, for example, and there is some evidence that I am intrigued by both FFG Star Wars, and its less fortunate predecessor, Warhammer Fantasy 3rd Edition.

I have been spending a lot of quality time with these games and with games which have been in my collection unused for far too long. Games like Broken Rooms and CthulhuTech have been given their due, and Blue Planet cannot be far off – if it can shoulder Brass&Steel out of the way. Nephilim has made a resurgence, Stormbringer keeps yelling at me to slay souls for Arioch, and if I don’t let Aces&Eights out of the corral again soon, no stagecoach will be safe. These are not, however games which have really caught my attention this year, and as stated above, they certainly aren’t all that new or a part of ‘the last 12 months.’

One game that qualifies in both senses of the question, both new to me, new this year, and can claim status as a favorite would have to be Circle of Hands, by Adept Press. I have spent a lot of time with this book since getting it in print, and even went so far as to do a chapter by chapter read through which included input from the author. Better yet, if the stars align correctly, I may even get a chance to play the game with its creator, which is always cool. Obviously, few games in my collection at the moment, and certainly this year can compete with that sort of attention. It has to be the favorite of the year.

There you have it, then. With a close 2nd by the too old for this question, but such great fun that is FFG Star Wars, Circle of Hands finds itself as my favorite new game of the past 12 months.

How about you?

#rgaday2015