The Board Game Faith Newsletter, Issue 4
Hello, Board Game Faithful!
Daniel here! This edition will be a little shorter than usual, as I’m the solo writer. “Where is Kevin?” you may ask. Great question! Even as I write these words, Kevin is crossing the Appalachian Mountains, driving 900 miles to come and visit our family in Missouri. Kevin and I actually have not seen each other in person for 28 years, so the Hiltys are super excited to get to welcome him to our home! We are also super excited to play some games, which I’m sure you dear readers and listeners will hear about!
Update! He made it!
Coming Up
For the first time since the podcast began, we will be skipping an episode because of the holiday weekend here in the United States (November 24-27). We will return with a new episode on December 11, as we welcome Ali Karar back to discuss Muslim representation in board games, as well as the role of Jesus in Islam. We’re very excited to get to welcome Ali back (he first visited us back in episode 5)!
Games We're All About Right Now
After watching the Dice Tower’s rave review for “Super Mega Lucky Box” a couple months ago, I was disappointed when I couldn’t find the game anywhere in stores or online. Then just last week, I visited my local Staples to buy some office supplies, and there it was! I’ve been enjoying it ever since: it’s a fun, light take on bingo that is great for groups or as a solo experience.
I’ve also enjoyed getting back into Coimbra, following a video by ThinkerThemer which reminded me just how awesome it is. Coimbra is a bright, colorful euro with tons of interesting decisions in a relatively short play time. I love it!
Spiritual Stuff
After the last edition of the newsletter, Kevin and I realized that there’s no section about faith-related matters! As our podcast aims at exploring how board games and spirituality overlap, we decided it would be good to try to include something more spiritual in each edition. Hence, the new “Spiritual Stuff” section!
For our first Spiritual Stuff section, I’d like to recommend one of my favorite authors, Thomas Merton. Merton was a Trappist (Christian) monk who lived in Kentucky before his death in 1968. Though he also wrote books of theology, my favorite works are his journals and biographical reflections: from his first one (The Seven Storey Mountain) to his last one (The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton), they reflect a very personal and evolving sense of the Divine. Seeing how Merton’s heart enlarges over the courses of his life gives me hope that maybe mine can too.
Media We're Digging Right Now
Last newsletter I shared that I have started to get back into video games, after years of never touching a controller. The catch, I said, is that I’m enjoying games on the Nintendo Switch which are like board games. The second tabletop-like game I’m enjoying on the Switch is “Roguebook.” After hearing Suzanne Shedlon recommend it on the “Salt and Sass Games” podcast, I checked it out and have been hooked since. Designed by veteran board game designer Richard Garfield, it’s a deck builder a lot like “Slay the Spire,” but with what feels to me like more depth. Help - I can’t stop playing it!
Thank you!
Thanks so much for spending a few moments of your day reading our little newsletter. If you are in a part of the world that is celebrating holidays soon, our hope for you is that they are happy and life-giving and filled with people you love. Till next time!
Daniel (and Kevin, in absentia)