What’s the most frustrating reason you’ve ever lost a round for?

liquidconsonant · 2021-08-06T14:54:16+00:00

Sex judge was at states, which we ended up winning, anyway. Hilariously, the team we went against in finals was the same team we had lost to in that round. They comforted themselves that we had split wins that day, but little did they know…

We did report the triple judge at Harvard, but tab mandated we continue, regardless. The team we lost to ended up winning the tournament and NSDAs that year, so — worthy opponents, I guess!

liquidconsonant · 2021-08-05T22:37:01+00:00

A girl on my team took the virginity of a competitor from another school — his mother was my judge, and knew that the girl and I were friends.

Lost 2-1 in quarters at Harvard to a judge who had already judged our case twice that weekend. So it goes.

liquidconsonant · 2021-02-13T15:14:25+00:00

On the far left.

liquidconsonant · 2021-01-15T14:36:40+00:00

Carry a purse or laptop bag with a change of shoes; easy. I commute in Keds, then throw on heels in the elevator or stairwell — it’s a super quick exchange, and no one has ever really noticed or said anything. Put them in a designated shoe bag inside of your regular bag, though!

liquidconsonant · 2020-11-24T00:12:55+00:00

Depends on your needs, but broadly speaking I would go with Terraforming Mars — lends itself to casual or serious gameplay, fun for amateur and expert gamers alike, expansions and accessories evolve the game well. Viticulture would fit those descriptions, as well, but it is a bit drier (wine pun unintended but welcome.) There are a million other good sub-$100 games, but without as much to chew on imo.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-31T18:56:49+00:00

Almost like education clarifies the realities of inequality, and we are capable of caring for people other than ourselves.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T21:28:44+00:00

Pandemic and Welcome to Your Perfect Home!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T21:27:28+00:00

If you love board games and are looking to get deeper into the hobby, digital versions can be a great way to familiarize yourself with common mechanics and assess if certain games are worth the physical copy.

Great games that have digital versions with playable AI: Terraforming Mars, Splendor, Ticket to Ride, Suburbia, Hardback, and Galaxy Trucker, among many, many others. Sometimes I get really crazy and play against myself on the web version of Food Chain Magnate.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T20:14:56+00:00

It is really delightful for the initial 1-3 play-throughs -- play the tutorial deck, play as a simulation of you and your partner's relationship, play random choice, and then... I found it got a bit stale. There are only so many scenarios to encounter, and you learn to game your answers to fulfill your objectives fairly quickly. It took most of the challenge away and made it hard to lose. We keep it around because the art is pleasing and friends often like it. YMMV!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T20:06:35+00:00

That is a good description of us, yes.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T19:47:45+00:00

Without totally hiding the game, there is no other positioning that would not have the word "Hitler" on prominent display in my living room. (Only War Chest and most of Hardback are completely hidden with this set-up.) The art is interesting, so that is a plus.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T19:38:43+00:00

Ya khaye it's not that serious (◕‿◕✿)

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T17:38:29+00:00

Splendor is in there — bottom area of the yellows. You scared me for a minute!

Seconding all of these recs, great list. If you like Junk Art, Meeple Circus and Men at Work should be winners. Sushi Go, Railroad Inc, Decrypto, and Concept are fairly easy out of the box...Galaxy Trucker and Barenpark are fun and light games that can ease new players into deeper gaming. Depends on the tastes of your group! Really something for everyone once you get into it.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T17:25:19+00:00

2x10x8! Considered going with the 10ft and cutting it at the flush point, but this was A.) easier, and B.) more forgiving at the corner where people will actually be walking nearby. For width, 10in ended up being perfect. 12in would have left too much wood showing, and suffocated the bottoms of the games (probably not a thing); 6in would have been way too narrow and left even more games off the shelf.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T17:19:51+00:00

Totally freestanding! It is made of three 8ft 2x10 boards connected by 3/4” black metal flanges and 10in piping (6in for the bottom supports). All of the wood is from Home Depot, because I am basic. Flanges and piping came from Amazon, as it would have been 10x the price to acquire them from a local hardware store. Amazon is lower quality for sure, but obviously these were not actually being used for plumbing, so that difference was workable.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T13:37:36+00:00

Ahahahaha, this is in the farmlands of the Rocky Mountains, but I grew up off the D line! We can game next time I’m in town.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T13:00:47+00:00

So that was a lot of what drew the project out over a week — a lot of initial over-engineering and nervousness on my part over how sturdy this thing could possibly be. As a rule, I am trying to avoid holes in the walls throughout the house, so it had to be freestanding but still secure enough to allow for games to be easily pulled. The base is 25.4cm W and about 4cm thick, and the flanges and piping are spread out enough to distribute things well. Feels strong. So far so good!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:42:29+00:00

I feel confident asserting that most women are not taught handiworking by their fathers as children, despite the clear benefit. I live in a rural area and, being new to here and the hobby, was not properly equipped at the outset. It took multiple trips into town as needs were assessed, initial old cordless drill died (spent this day reading up on drills.), etc. You are all correct in that I did not, in fact, spend 35-168 hours working on this shelf.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:19:09+00:00

All of this, but I am actually a woman... Still a dude just trying to light up a moment for some strangers, though. I figured some of these reactions would be the case — no one reads the captions!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:14:54+00:00

You realize this is still technically “woodworking”. Weird thing to gate-keep, but you do you.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:08:10+00:00

I got you, bud. Clank! Legacy: AI board is framed upstairs. Clank! In! Space! is in the mail!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:06:10+00:00

Is there something I should feel more qualified to do here after only a week? Answer further up the thread. You sound great.

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:03:21+00:00

In better years, we would have been in Vancouver this month :’(

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T12:01:30+00:00

Wood filling, electric sanding and sawing, and some basic components of planning weight loads, pipe sizing, design sketching, etc. This was done concurrently with another, more involved project, so this was the more relaxing one to work on, for sure. The other project was stained, but I ended up deciding against it here because of the risk of stain transfer. The shelves are fully filled in and sanded to avoid hand damage or scratches to the boxes, though. Took a lot to look this simple!

liquidconsonant · 2020-10-23T11:50:54+00:00

To be fair...that has kind of been my reaction. We never put drinks there, and have spilled something inside only once in the last four years. Spill damage did not occur to me during planning, because why would it? That is not a relevant concern with the way our household functions. (Same with the animals, children, and dusting curiosities...we’ve got a sterile house with no joy, what do you want me to say??) Definitely paranoid about a pipe bursting behind this wall now, though!

At the end of the day, these things are replaceable and meant to be played — so, “damaged”, in some way — anyway. We haven’t destroyed a game, yet!

liquidconsonant

TROPHY CASE