Board game shelves around the world #3

Analog Games aren’t just fun. They also often come in interesting boxes featuring beautiful artwork. It’s no surprise that a lot of us love to proudly showcase our board game collection on a shelf. In this series, every week one of our fellow board game enthusiasts will exhibit their board game shelves and tell us something about their favorite board and card games. Today we are going to look at the board game shelves of Kristofor from the United Sates!

Hi Kristofor, please introduce yourself.
“Hello, my name is Kristofor, but people may know me as Player To The Left. I’m a board game enthusiast from Utah in the United Sates. I’ve always enjoyed gaming, whether digital or table top, since I was a very young boy. I love working through puzzles, strategies, and mechanics trying to figure out the best and most effective methods to piece things together in whichever game I play. I just love challenging my mind.”

How did you get into this world of non-digital games?
“I didn’t start collecting and becoming very serious about board gaming until about 4 or 5 years ago though. Sure I’ve played hundreds of games of Catan, and owned all your common staple household games like Monopoly, Phase 10, Risk, and etc. until that point, but something snapped…I snapped…during another long never ending trek through Monopoly. As we neared the finale, or so I thought, I threw my hands in frustration into the air and declared that we would never play Monopoly or one of the other so commonly known games for a game night again. I took it upon myself to research board games knowing that there had to be something better for us to play out there…something fresh, new, and exciting.”

“I first had to overcome the overwhelming feeling of the BoardGameGeek website as I first stumbled upon it, but then as I delved deeper and started to understand how that website worked I felt like I came across a giant treasure filled with bounteous riches. I also started watching TableTop, The Dice Tower, Rahdo, and a few other board game enthusiasts on YouTube to learn more. I was completely drawn in and felt like I couldn’t get enough. I just couldn’t believe how many different and fascinating games there were out there. Long story short, one thing led to another and about 5 years later my game collection is now nearing the two hundred mark.”

“I now play tons of fresh, new and exciting games with family and friends. Everybody has a great time and I enjoy seeing people, young and old, getting excited about certain games or experiences. I feel like my hard work is paying off…but also, my hard work has pushed me to want to do more in the future with various board gaming projects…stay tuned…”

How often do you play?
“I would play every day if I could, but life is pretty busy. I normally try to get people together at least once a week to play through a few games. Sometimes I will get to sneak in a game or two here and there during the week, but mostly it’s during the weekends. It does feel good to end a long week with friends and family playing games though. When it comes to deciding what game to play, personally I’m always willing to play something whether it’s heavy or light, but it just depends on the group I’m playing with. I’ve collected a good variety so that I have games that fit the gaming group’s personality at any given moment. If there are people there that are new to board gaming I usually have success showcasing Codenames, Camel Up, Mysterium, Love Letter, Coup, or Dixit (to name a few). As they get more familiar with the games I own I will start easing them up to medium and heavier games and Euros.”

Can you tell us something about your shelves?
“About 2 years ago my wife and I moved into a new home and in one of the closets there were some already built in shelves that worked perfectly for my games. It’s mainly where I keep all my games still today. I did have to add more shelves and start moving more of my games onto shelves outside of that closet though. I still have room if I expand anymore too which is nice. I mostly try to keep everything in an organized manner so it looks nice, but I’m pretty particular on keeping all my games with artwork by Alexandre Roche together. They include Bruxelles 1893, Troyes, Tournay, and The Golden Ages. Great games, love the art, and I’m very proud to have them as part of my collection.”

What is your favorite game at the moment?
“That is a very difficult question to answer. I can’t pinpoint a specific favorite game at the moment, but I do need to make a shout out to Roxley Game Laboratory for an amazing year last year. Both Super Motherload and Steampunk Rally from them were probably played the most of any game I played in 2015. Both are fantastic games and very well done all around. Can’t wait to see what those guys come up with next. Other great games that I love right now include Viticulture/ Tuscany, AquaSphere, Orleans, Keyflower, La Granja, and I could go on forever.”

What is your most special or obscure game?
“Bruxelles 1893 is very special to me. I had a hard time trying to find a copy once I discovered that game. It was sadly out of print and very difficult to get a hold of. I finally did find a seller on Amazon who didn’t charge too much for it and I’m so happy that I now have a copy of it in my library of games. It’s such a great game. There are so many game types going on in Bruxelles 1893, but it all seems to work out. It has worker placement, area control, resource management, card collecting, bidding, economics, building development, and so much else. It sounds super busy, but it all blends together smoothly. Just talking about makes me want to go play it right now. Plus, who doesn’t want to play a game when the first player token is the famous Manneken-Pis! Cracks me up.”

Thanks a lot! Something you would like to add?
“I just want to say thank you so much for letting me share a little bit about my favorite hobby and write about some of my favorite games and experiences. I have a lot planned for the future as Player To The Left and hope to get even more involved in the board gaming world. I don’t know how soon, but I will be making board game videos and I’m currently in the process of getting t-shirts made with the Player To The Left logo on it. Also, come check out what I have been sharing on Instagram @playertotheleft and Facebook at Player To The Left and share your own experiences with me. Thanks again and stay tuned!”

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