Fresh Plays

I've been offline for a bit, navigating some "unexpected-turned-exciting" life changes. Before I dig into that, I want to wish my beautiful, Pinochle-loving mother a very happy birthday! She's amazing, and I would not be where I am today without her endless love and support. It's not always easy living so far apart, but the memories we make when we see each other are unbeatable. I'm looking forward to seeing which games I can get her into this upcoming year. I mean, she's a mere 76 years old on November 10th, but I'm almost certain, if I play my cards right, we can get her to the table for an epic TI4 game by her 80th birthday. Love you, Momsy!

Things have been WILD on my end. I unexpectedly left my full-time Media Creator position at BoardGameGeek at the end of September, and at the time, I wasn't sure what would be next for me. Then I thought, "Welp, I still love playing board games and sharing my passion with others", so perhaps I'll give this freelance thing a whirl and see if I can get by producing board game content (along with the loving support of my amazing Sweet-and-Low Daddy).

Matt and I have been traveling a bunch since this all came up. First, we hopped on a big ol' ship for the BGG@SEA WestMex cruise and discovered first-hand how awesome and chill board game cruises are. We even had the pleasure of playing Galactic Cruise on the cruise with Jeff and Kristine (BGG@SEA organizers).

Shortly after the cruise, we traveled to Germany for SPIEL Essen '25, which was uplifting and exciting, as always... followed by a wonderful visit with our friends from Captain Games in Belgium.

...and now I'm writing from beautiful Point Loma (San Diego), where we've been hangin' and gaming with amazing friends for SDHistCon. I'm so grateful for all of these awesome opportunities. It's amazing to travel the world and connect with so many wonderful human beings. Thank you to everyone who helped me/us make these trips so wonderful!

Now for a tidbit of bigger news...

I'm in the midst of soft launching my own brand/channel Kickin' It Creative, with a fresh new podcast and YouTube channel, in addition to my Squawk 'N' Roll newsletter. I'm pumped to experiment with some new video concepts, and collaborate with more amazing board game enthusiasts. More to come soon!

BOARD CARD GAMES

Collect! Collect! is a simple, light, little card game packed with fun, funny moments (ironically from a publisher that mostly produces BIG games with miniatures). For kicks, I kept telling people there were super tiny minis in the box. Yep. I said "kicks". ​ In Collect!, 2–5 players are racing to be the first to gain a crown by forming alliances of animals. On your turn, you draw and play an animal card into your row, in hopes to be first to line up four of the same animal to win the game. The twist is, each animal has its own special ability, which may be activated after its played in your row, often to mess with your opponents' card row(s). For example, the crocodile eats (discards) one of your opponents' cards, the monkey lets you swap cards around, and the parrot lets you attempt to guess the top card on one of the stacks to potentially gain a bonus card. ​ Collect! has been a hoot. I've played it 5+ times so far and it's always an enjoyable experience. I couldn't help but think about Beasty Bar with a pinch of Sea Salt & Paper whenever I play it. For such a simple card game, it's fascinating to see how engaged everyone at the table is, especially with the "friendly" negotiations that often arise when you threaten to manipulate someone's card row. Plus, it has shiny chameleon cards! ​BGG Link​

TOP TRACKS

Evil Sprites The Sound Of Animals Fightin... PREVIEW   ​ Evil Sprites Imagine a supergroup comprised of musicians from indie rock bands most people have never heard of.... Imagine experimental rock music that flows in-and-out of progressive, art, ambient, electronic, post-hardcore, and post-rock moments, fused with poetic spoken word, hooky vocal melodies, occasional dissonance, and energetic screams... Imagine a dynamic live show with the sickest beats, intricate riffs, and an artist on stage painting imagery on a canvas while the music mesmerizes the crowd... That's just a glimpse of what makes The Sound of Animals Fighting so special, and why I consider them to be one of my all-time favorite bands. While many won't get their sound, to me, they crush it in terms of creating music that checks all the right boxes. Each album they put out is its own work of art, with their later titles being most accessible. I've been hooked on their latest album (The Maiden) and listening almost non-stop. I highly recommend checking out the entire album if you dig Evil Sprites.

Soon I'll be back to Kickin' It Creative in LA, recording my first podcast episode and dropping new videos on YouTube. Thank you all for your ongoing support and encouragement! It means the world to me.

Thanks for reading Squawk 'N' Roll: Fresh Plays!

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