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In the various texts around the site, I mention that one of the categories of things I frequently describe as “fine” is board games. There are a few reasons for that.

The primary is that there are too many. Ones that truly delight are few and far between, and when they do, they’re board games. They’re good for a few hours of entertainment at a time. If you play them regularly, like I do, then hundreds, if not thousands of them stack up.

Boardgamegeek.com gives the following guidance for their rating system:

Given that system, I don’t think I’ve ever played a 10. I’m not sure I could even call something a 9 on this scale. “Always want to play” is hard – there are thousands of games. I would be willing to play most of them, but moods change.

Of the games I own, the “best” ones top out at 8. I like them. I’ll suggest them or ask if I should bring them, or if people ask me to bring them, I will do so. I would put John Company: Second Edition at 8, but it’s heavy. The weight isn’t for most crowds, and the subject matter definitely isn’t, either. More accessibly, I might call Kutna Hora an 8. That’s more likely to make it to the table because it’s lighter, and also, everyone I’ve played it with has liked it, too.

7 and 6 are “most” games. Obviously not the actual majority of games, but of the “hobbyist” board games I’ve played and play regularly, “I would play this again” is usually my reaction. (I frequently don’t actually play again, though, because in a friend group that collectively owns thousands of games and continually acquires new ones, there’s always something I’ve never seen before that turns up.) All the classics are probably here; Catan, Carcassone, Power Grid, etc.

Some fall to 5. In my personal ratings on BGG, things like Codaand Hex Hex are 5s. (Interestingly enough, the site-wide ratings for both are closer to 6.)

Below that, games become “bad”. But take a look at the descriptions. 4 is “not good … but could be talked into it on occasion.” Now, I can be talked into a lot of games. I’d put the bad party games here, like Cards Against Humanity. I’d probably also put Munchkin (generally regarded as a very bad game) here, too. I’ll almost never “want” to play it, but if the right people ask (or I’m drunk enough), sure.

3 is “likely won’t play” but “could be convinced” and then closed with just “Bad.” Given that descriptor, I’d probably put Monopoly here (assuming we’re playing rules as written, so it eventually does end). Everyone hates Monopoly. It’s bad. F-tier. But it still rates a 3 out of 10. (That’s not to say a 3 out of 10 is remotely good.)

In my life, I have played exactly one game that I would actually say was “completely annoying” and that I “won’t play this ever again”. In fact, I like to tell people about it, because I had significantly higher expectations for it. It’s Firefly: the Game. We played it less than once. (We didn’t finish it.) And on BGG, the current site-wide rating is… SEVEN POINT FOUR?! The average gamer is usually willing to play this? I will just about always suggest against it. Often when it’s not even brought up.

Anyway, rather than get into specific games, my main point is that, on that scale, where 10 is the platonic ideal of a game; one you always want to play and don’t think that will ever change (meaning you’ll never supersede it with newer, which is hard when dozens, if not hundreds of new games come out yearly), “good” goes down to 7, and “yeah, I guess I would play this sometimes” goes down to THREE.

So yeah, there are too many games. A few are great. Many are good. Some are bad. They’re all fine.

Every year around this time, the Gen Con housing portal opens up. Some years ago, they changed the system so that instead of just first-come first-served at Noon on Sunday, every badgeholder is assigned a time somewhere between Noon and whenever all the times are done. The “best” rooms are still gone by 1, and the rest generally not much later than that, but that’s what happens at a convention of 70,000 attendees.

I’ve been attending Gen Con since 2012, and while I’ve had several hotel rooms that were farther than I’d have liked, or booked under unusual arrangements, but I’ve always had one. It’s always possible to stay somewhere, and usually relatively close by. This year is no exception.

Actually, this year I got what I generally consider my favorite hotel, where all my con friends hang out. The room will be a little cramped, but should be fine for crashing at night.

Now, just to wait the 5 months until the con.

As noted in the Q&A of this page (and eventually in the About page), the site was named because my opinion of things is generally “It’s fine.”  I thought of the name several months ago, when things were maybe “ominous” or perhaps “scary” but people seemed like they were maybe “cautiously optimistic” (not “optimistic” in like “things will be good” but more in the sense of “they won’t be as bad as I’m imagining”) or more likely “expecting bad, but not like the absolute worst”.  Flash forward to now, where we live not only in the worst timeline, but also the dumbest and everything is most definitely not fine.  And now I own this domain name (for at least the next year).

However, I am still cautiously optimistic.  I still fear that things will get worse before they get better, and if you’re part of the LGBTQ community, part of the BIPOC community, a woman, an immigrant, or really, part of any other marginalized or underrepresented group, you probably have serious concerns, and you are not wrong to do so.

My “optimism” (if you can really call it that, as I’ll explain) isn’t necessarily that everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows.  Almost certainly not.  However, for better and for worse, our country (and honestly, the whole world now, and probably just capitalism in general) is pretty good at solving problems, but only when they become truly existential in nature.  We can’t try to solve, say, climate change, because it’s expensive and number has to go up, but everybody being dead makes number go down, so we won’t let that happen.  (It’s why Costco isn’t rolling over and dumping their DEI initiatives like everyone else; they realize, not that diversity and inclusion are morally good (they are), but that casting as wide a net as possible for customers and employees is just good for business.)

Not that we should just trust capitalism to get us out of this, because while “number go up” might keep us alive, it certainly won’t help.

What will help is the innate nature of people to survive and aid in the survival of others.  Obviously, not everyone has that, and it will be difficult to try to attend to everybody while taking care of yourself.  But that’s okay, because there are a lot of us.  So first, ensure your own safety and survival, by whatever means necessary.  If it means just lying low, then do that.  And if it means ordering grey market pharmaceuticals off the dark net, then do that.  (And there will be people providing them.)  And if it means agitating, protesting, marching, rabblerousing, etc., then go for it.  (Don’t try to make your own life worse, but if you’re in a situation where that’s the only way, then find a group and go for it.)  Then, when you’re safe, you can help others.  (Whether that’s through money, time, food, security – whatever you have that you don’t need that someone else does.)

Personally, I don’t really have perspective on how bad things are right now.  They sound awful, and they don’t sound like they’re improving, and I’m admittedly in a position of relative privilege.  Regardless of what my career prospects look like for the immediate future (probably fine, and that’s not just me committing to the bit), I know I don’t have to worry about not being able to update my passport or register to vote or use a public restroom.  I’m not on any psychological medications (although maybe I should be).  I don’t remember the last time I got a vaccine (besides COVID-19 and the flu, which will probably still be available, albeit maybe not subsidized anymore?)  Basically, when I look ahead, and see things as being “fine, eventually”, I can’t tell if that’s because they’ll actually be fine, or just fine for me.  (Or if I’m just completely wrong.  That’s possible.)

All we can do is keep on keepin’ on.  Take care of yourself.  And each other.

As for me, this will (hopefully) be the last time this site talks about any of this.  There are plenty of people out there more qualified and better equipped to do it, and if you want that stuff, you know where to find it.  I just want to get on with the nonsense I had in mind when I came up with the site.  Out there, things are on fire and people are getting hurt, but here…

…Everything Is Fine.

Watch this space for updates. Things are in the works.