The Board Game Faith Newsletter, Issue 8
Hello, Board Game Faithful!
Kevin: I hope you and yours are doing well. It rained for a hundred years yesterday but I managed to slop through it. I’m going to play Coup and Root later today, so it will be a pretty good day. I wonder if I could design a Coup-Root combo game, how cool would that be. If you assassinate a member of someone’s court then you can build a roost or something. Hmmm.
Behind the Episodes
Kevin: The medievals were just so amazing and do not get enough credit for being imaginative, real people. I enjoy seeing this glimpse into their lives that were so very different, but not completely different, from ours. You’ve got to love the courtesans who decided it was too dark to go hunting and so opted for chess instead. King Alfonso 4evuh!
Daniel: We had a lot of fun in our last episode (22 - “The Medieval Book of Games”)! An 800 year old document detailing the games played in medieval Spain may sound like something without much relevance today, but we were both surprised by how contemporary the text felt both to modern hobby games and to theological reflection on the role of play. If you’d like to read the text for yourself, you can check it out here.
Coming Up
Daniel: We have some amazing guests coming up! It’s so exciting! First at bat (hey, I just used a sport metaphor!) is Dan Thurot, who will be a part of next episode (23 - “Games as Devotion with Dan Thurot.”) Many thanks to GrenadierBG (one of our faithful listeners) who first introduced us to Dan’s podcast, "Space-Biff! Space-Cast!" Each episode, Dan leads thoughtful board game discussions that often delve into larger matters of life, meaning, philosophy, and sometimes faith. We’re super excited to welcome him!
But wait! There’s more!! Over the next few months we also will welcome Mandi Hutchinson (from the "Salt and Sass" podcast) to discuss “Games that Teach, Part 2!,” as well as Takuya Ono (a Buddhist abbot from Japan who will discuss the role of board games in his ministry).
Games We're All About Right Now
Kevin: I’ve been back to playing Hadrian’s Wall and the challenging solo campaign. I’m determined to beat Fort 11 Banna is crushing me. I will play Root tonight and can’t wait! My family finally finished Detective: City of Angels and that is a fun group activity, even if it has a frustrating gotcha element to the game that I kind of dislike (it’s what I dislike about Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective as well).
Daniel: I’ve been playing a lot of “Three Sisters” recently–both multiplayer and solo–and I love it. I’m so grateful to Kristen for suggesting that we get it! It’s from the designers of one of our other favorite games, “Fleet: the Dice Game.” While the two titles share a lot of similarities (complex roll-and-writes with amazing chaining bonuses), “Three Sisters” is set in a charming garden with art by the amazing Beth Sobel, and offers a gentle introduction to Native American growing techniques for sustainability.
Spirituality
Daniel: I am reading The Anatomy of Peace for a church leadership group, and am thoroughly enjoying it. Written as a fictional narrative, the book posits that the germ of conflict is our own self-betrayal: when we choose to see other people as objects instead of humans, despite our hearts knowing better. While the book is not explicitly religious, its teachings remind me of many of Jesus’ teachings: the importance of recognizing our own brokenness before noticing the brokenness of others (Matthew 7), the presence of the Holy Spirit within to lead and guide us (John 14), etc.
Media We're Digging Right Now
Kevin: The Last of Us on HBO is all the rage right now, and I too am excited for the next episode to drop. I would like to play the game but have steered away from console game ownership – I wish I could just rent a PlayStation for a week. I’ve started reading Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire and it’s really great if you like sci-fi.
Daniel: I’ve recently become a fan of PJ Morton, who is one of the keyboardists for Maroon 5. In his solo work that I’ve listened to so far, PJ offers hopeful and encouraging lyrics in a genre that inhabits the space surrounding R&B, pop, and gospel. If you’re feeling down and need an extra dose of encouragement, check out these two versions of “The Better Benediction” (here and here on Spotify, or here and here on YouTube). Seriously, you'll feel better. (You can also find both tracks on our Spotify playlist.)
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!