The Board Game Faith Newsletter, Issue 22
Hello, Board Game Faithful!
Kevin: Hello all! I refuse to talk about the weather because it’s so maudlin. (But, speaking of the weather, we had a few not awfully humid mornings this past week, thanks for asking.) The kids are back in school so I’m playing Mr. Taxi Dad a lot.
Daniel: We’ve been able to reconnect with some old friends recently. It’s been a joy, but it’s also caused me to think about how cool it would be for all of us Board Game Faith friends to get together at some conference or other event sometime. What do you think? Would you ever be interested in some sort of conference or event on board games and faith? Drop us a note at boardgamefaith@gmail.com and let us know!
Behind the Episodes
Kevin: I’m exploring maybe some grant possibilities for this expedition we are on with Board Game Faith – the nonprofit! It’s a world of foundations, applications, and networking. Super interesting stuff.
Daniel: Speaking of (non)profit: did you know that we have a new t-shirt? You can check it out here!
Coming Up
Daniel: We’ll be releasing our second foray in Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Play in about a week. I’ve been enjoying journeying through the book with Kevin, and hope it’s fun for all of you out there too! Please let us know your thoughts.
Kevin: There are some swell special guests we are inviting to the show, so stay tuned. Daniel and I did a planning session recently and mapped out the next few months, and I’m excited about these upcoming episodes.
Games We're All About Right Now
Kevin: I broke out Destinies the other day. This is a game I started with my wife and 1 son, and we never finished it. So I am determined to get ‘er done and play it through solo and perhaps let it find a new home. It’s a cool game in a lot of ways (a very D&D type experience, with an app) but it’s something that once you finish, you finish. I also played Galaxy Trucker some, and what a hoot that game is. It has just the right balance of strategy and luck for its theme and style – mostly goofy but a bit of luck and planning. There’s something fulfilling about building your ship!
Daniel: I am now living dangerously close to a friendly local game store, and want to visit it pretty much every day. So far we’ve only purchased a couple games in a couple months. Our last purchase, however, has provided great incentive to invest in more: The Search for Planet X is a big hit in our household (pictured above)! It’s a streamlined deduction game with all sorts of options for increasing difficulty. Plus it plays well at 2, which not every deduction game can claim. It’s great!
Spirituality
Kevin: We are doing 3 baptisms at my church this Sunday. I’m very excited and honored, if a bit nervous, as these are teenagers and it’s full immersion in a baptismal pool! “When you were buried with Christ in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God” (Colossians 2:12).
Daniel: I recently had the joy of getting to share some of the work Kevin and I have been doing as part of a theology of play discussion with pastors on the way to ordination. It’s a joy to hear a little of their stories and and their reflections on the role of play in their callings.
Media We're Digging Right Now
Kevin: I started The Witcher, which is so great in season 1 but is so far in season 2 a bit meh. I don’t care for the whole “isn’t training challenging and amazing” aspect. I want to see monsters not human effort! I am still dipping into David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest: here is a snippet:
"On Skull’s back a half-m.-long [half meter long] skeleton in a black robe and cowl playing the violin in the wind on a crag with THE DEAD in maroon on a vertical gonfalonish banner unfurling below; on one biceps either an icepick or a mucronate dagger, and down both forearms a kind of St. Vitus’s dance of leather-winged dragons with the words—on both forearms—HOW DO YOU LIK YOUR BLUEYED BOY NOW MR DETH!?, the typos of which, Tiny felt, only served to heighten Skull’s whole general tatt-gestalt’s intended effect, which Tiny presumed was primarily to repel."
Daniel: I have really been enjoying the podcast Rabbit Hole Detectives! Every week the hosts (an archaeologist, a journalist, and a priest) research the obscure origins of everyday objects. If you like to find out where things come from, check it out!
Thank You!
Thanks so much for being a part of the BGF community. We are grateful for each of you and the ways you make the world more awesome. And if you haven’t had a chance to tell us a little about yourself yet, we would love it if you could fill out this form please!