2011: the highlights

Wow, it had been 7 months since my last post. I would make a promise to write more, but that would be a lie. Let's just say that if I feel passionate enough about something and feel I can add even a minimal amount of value by writing about it, it will likely end up here.

That said, I recently got to thinking about the past year, and figured I could share some highlights (inspired by a Nintendorks Chatter topic named "2011 - the Highlights"):

• Visited my dad's side of the family in Lebanon! I had gotten pretty out of touch with the arab culture, so after 13 years it was really nice to visit and meet my 2-year old niece, and re-meet my cousins and other family members. Visited some really cool natural landmarks (especially the Je'ita grottos), and had so much great food, yum. I still hate arabic music. And the drivers there - it's chaos on the streets.
• Visited Paris! This being the more touristy of our two-part summer trip, my brother and I roamed the streets and tried to soak in as much of the main city as we could in 3 days. Getting incredibly bad diarrhea on Day 3 did not diminish the awesomeness of this trip, which aside from the regular touristy stuff included singing Sweet Child 'O Mine karaoke in a small Parisian bar on Pigalle street (the hooker district). I was also really proud of my 'Dany points at Parisian Lampposts' photo album idea, where I'm pointing at a post but there's some famous landmark in the background.
• Finished my MBA and got a pretty great job! In hindsight, I paid way too much for my education and despite much valuable learning, from an ROI perspective, I wish I had gone to a different school. Moreover, my job is definitely on the lower end of the payscale compared to my fellow graduates', but at least I like what I do and the company I work for does great things worldwide, so it's pretty fulfilling knowing the impact of my work.
• Got to play board games on a regular basis! A new coffee shop opened last year in Toronto called Snakes and Lattes (it's really popular, if anyone's looking for a business idea), and with its location and ginormous selection, it has become easier and ever to get together with enough friends to enjoy a good strategy board game or two. Awesome times.
• It's been a good year for our improv group, The 404s! We've had some new blood join, we started a monthly gig at a Toronto bar, and more geek conventions want to book us as guests than we can handle given our lives with full-time jobs. We're very minor celebrities in a super niche community, but it's still pretty awesome to receive that treatment and to have 'fans'.
• Went to a Foo Fighters concert! Best concert I've been to this year, and second best concert I'd ever been to. Dave Grohl is the man when it comes to putting on a good show. I was blown away and wish I could be even a tenth of the rockstar he is.

Having said all of that, August/September was an incredibly sad time with two deaths in the family. And I haven't had a good woman in my life for far too long. I also feel like aside from my MBA classes and stuff for my job, I haven't learned much this year, which is a bit of a bummer.

But I'm optimistic for 2012! Started Aikido classes in the last month and really enjoying so far, planning to stick with it for a while so it might be a good topic for next year's review! I also plan to move to Toronto by mid-next year, but that hinges on me securing financial stability, which I'm also pretty optimistic about. Drastically reducing my commute time and living independently again is going to be a nice fresh kick in the pants for my life. I can't wait.

As for the women...well, what are you waiting for, ladies? I'm here for the taking.

Review: A Game of Thrones: The Board Game

I've been loving the crap out of A Game Of Thrones: the Board Game recently. If you can ever afford a 4-5 hour block of time to set aside for gaming with a friend or five (this is a 3-6 player game, but I wouldn't recommend it with just 3), this game is worth looking into. I had spent many Sundays playing the now-out-of-print original 2003 edition at Toronto's very popular Snakes & Lattes board game cafe, and when I heard Fantasy Flight Games was re-releasing this gem last month with updated rules, much nicer components,  and gorgeous artwork, I didn't hesitate to put down the $50 for a pre-order. Now that I've had a few sessions with the new edition, I'm ready to lay down the word on what's up (or something like that).

At its core, A Game of Thrones is a military conquest strategy game in the vein of Risk, but minus the randomness, and with a strong emphasis on alliances and treachery. Each player controls one of the 6 major Houses from the A Song of Ice & Fire series, and the goal is to capture 7 castles and strongholds on the continent of Westeros, or be the one with the most at the end of 10 rounds. Each round has 3 phases:

• Westeros phase: world events occur, potentially affecting the military and political status of all players vying for the isle of Westeros. There may be a Wildling attack at The Wall, that all players must collectively defend against. A Mustering event allows players to create new military units for combat. Political power is just as (if not more) important as military power in this game, and the Clash of Kings event forces players to bid their power tokens on three areas of influence: the Iron Throne, the Fiefdoms, and the King's Court, which significantly affect players' abilities and limitations. 
• Orders phase: players secretly assign orders to all of their units. This is not limited to movement and combat: units can passively raid other areas to disrupt their plans without direct engagement, as well as pledge to support combat occurring in adjacent areas. The support command is by far the biggest source of heated arguments and controversy, as in addition to their own armies, support units may aid battles that their House is not actually involved with. 
• Action phase: players execute their now-revealed orders one at a time, claiming territories with valuable resources, capturing castles and strongholds, playing nice (or betraying) their allies, and fending off their enemies. This is where everything happens and the order in which you execute your commands matters a great deal. 

The rules can be incredibly intimidating at first - there is a whole lot that can happen - but after one or two rounds you find that everything makes sense, with only a few small details requiring regular clarification from the rulebook. Unfortunately, in my experience players WILL try to find every opportunity or loophole to get out of whatever situation they face, so the rulebook will often be consulted. With this in mind, this is not the right buy for a person new to board gaming. However, if you've already played your Catans, your Carcassones and maybe your Dominions, and are thirsty for something with a bit more complexity, this will fulfill that need nicely.

In addition to being a fun and smart military conquest game, A Game of Thrones: the Board Game captures the flavour of the A Song of Ice & Fire series very well. Most prominent characters make an appearance as army leaders during combat, and the forming of alliances (and breaking of said alliances at the most opportune moments) is a defining aspect of the game, leading to much treachery and controversy. Table talk is absolutely crucial in this game, so it's not for the meek...but I absolutely wouldn't have it any other way.

In conclusion, A Game of Thrones offers an engaging, noisy experience for those who can set aside several hours with at least 3 experienced gamer friends, or fans of the series who are willing to learn.

Oh, and you get to gang up on House Lannister to make sure they die a horrible death every time...that's got to count for something, right?