I need help: What to prune?

I have a small collection with some self-imposed rules to keep it from growing. I want to ditch a few to make room for Fed & Empire, ASL, and a couple of other chit games. I can't figure out what to ditch. Since none of you know me from Adam, it seems perfectly reasonable to ask for commentary from rando's on the Internet. I'm hoping that you folks will offer some commentary on the games or how they fill niches and/or life that will spark some positive or negative feelings in me. I'd like to get rid of three or so more, I think, so, like, 7 total.

Yeah, I know this is weird. Where else do you talk about your FEELINGS about boardgames, though?

Almost Certainly Gonna Keep
Block Mania/Mega Mania - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Cosmic Encounter(all expansions) - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Duel of Ages 2 (all expansions) - No chance this goes (I think ...)
Memoir 44 (ALMOST all expansions, stored in the field bag) Unlikely to get rid of.
Neuroshima Hex (all expansions) Unlikely to get rid of.
Arabian Knights - I like adventures and need something for "smart non-gamers"


The Unwashed masses up for Pruning
Cash N Guns - Party game. Everyone should have a party game, right? ... Actually, I have a home built Liars Dice. I love Liars Dice. DO I need C&G then?
Click Clack Lumberjack - Nongamers game, everyone should have one, right? Or, fuck em ... it gets them out of my house sooner and I don't like those people anyway?
Cutthroat Caverns(all expansions) - Game for gamers when they want something lighter.
Dune - Handbuilt, older copy. You would suggest I get rid of Dune? Really?
DungeonQuest (3rd) - Uh ... dungeoncrawler. Nuf said?
Escape Curse of the Temple - Lighter game/non-gamer game? A change of pace from the other lighter games?
Galaxy Trucker - Not so heavy, not so light ... IE: A Game.
RoboRally (94 version, with all expansions) - Programming is fun! Right?! Right?
ST Frontiers - I like Star Trek? But how MUCH? Enough to not place DOA2? Prob not ...
Der Untergang von Pompeji - German version. Light but fun. Nostalgic.
Wings of War (with a few minis, the mats, and a couple of the plane expansions) This is fun.


Almost Certainly Getting Rid Of
Gloomhaven
Nexus Ops
Mage Knight (with lost legion unopened)
Frag Gold (all expansions) - IDK about this ... PvP IS fun ...


A VERY old bookshelf image, full of soldiers that have already fallen many years ago ...

If it were me, I would clear out all of the games on the prunable list.

If I only had to pick three, it would be:

Star Trek Frontiers: You have Duel of Ages and Tales. I think you are covered for adventure games, both of the more complex variety and just screwing around. Plus its a bigger box.

Escape: That's a very light justification on why you need it. Dump it.

Cash N Guns: Because it's actually more of a pain to teach as a party game then I prefer, and your justification is light. Dump it.

If you're asking the question, you've probably already answered it.

barrowdown wrote: If it were me, I would clear out all of the games on the prunable list.

You are a MONSTER!
But, your comment did exactly what I was hoping for, sparking thought. What travesty would occur if I DID get rid of everything on the potential prune list? Oh, no, looks like we have to play DOA2 ...

Juggling, based on a context switch to flip the perspective, I get ...
Almost Certainly Gonna Keep
Block Mania/Mega Mania - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Cosmic Encounter(all expansions) - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Duel of Ages 2 (all expansions) - No chance this goes (I think ...)
Memoir 44 (ALMOST all expansions, stored in the field bag) Unlikely to get rid of.
Neuroshima Hex (all expansions) Unlikely to get rid of.
Arabian Knights - I like adventures and need something for "smart non-gamers"


The Unwashed masses up for Pruning
Dune - Handbuilt, older copy. You would suggest I get rid of Dune? Really? I fucking Love Cosmic and this is Cosmic. Except it hardly ever gets played.
DungeonQuest (3rd) - Uh ... dungeoncrawler. Nuf said? Dumb Fun.
Der Untergang von Pompeji - German version. Light but fun. Nostalgic. You get to make screaming sounds when you throw people in the volcano. And the lava eating people is fun too.
Wings of War (with a few minis, the mats, and a couple of the plane expansions) This is fun. You get to make machine gun noises with your mouth when playing and I like the Red Baron since I was a kid.


Almost Certainly Getting Rid Of
Gloomhaven
Nexus Ops
Mage Knight (with lost legion unopened)
Frag Gold (all expansions) - IDK about this ... PvP IS fun ...
RoboRally (94 version, with all expansions) - Programming is fun! Right?! Right?
ST Frontiers - I like Star Trek? But how MUCH? Enough to not place DOA2? Prob not ...
Escape Curse of the Temple - Lighter game/non-gamer game? A change of pace from the other lighter games?
Cash N Guns - Party game. Everyone should have a party game, right? ... Actually, I have a home built Liars Dice. I love Liars Dice. DO I need C&G then?
Click Clack Lumberjack - Nongamers game, everyone should have one, right? Or, fuck em ... it gets them out of my house sooner and I don't like those people anyway?
Cutthroat Caverns(all expansions) - Game for gamers when they want something lighter.
Galaxy Trucker - Not so heavy, not so light ... IE: A Game. Both

Prune:

Cash N Guns - My copy has been gathering dust for about 12 years now. It's too light for most gamers and too heavy for drunk people.

DungeonQuest (3rd) - If there is an edition of DungeonQuest worth having, 3rd isn't it.

Galaxy Trucker - This game is ubiquitous. You don't need to own because so many other people own it.

RoboRally (94 version, with all expansions) - I actually like RoboRally, but it isn't worth playing unless you use a short sandtimer. And I think the expansions tend to make the game worse, as they add complexity without adding fun. If you can't part with one of the first three that I listed, consider eliminating RoboRally.

Do not prune:

Dune - With the new edition of Dune out and readily available, you won't get a fair price for your handbuilt version. Besides, Dune is a great game.

Your revised list looks better. You have good justifications for why you want to keep them (well, DQ's is a little iffy, but certainly stronger than what you moved to cutting). Your "Certainly Going to Keep" list is solidly backed up by your reasons for keeping. It's now a clean list ready to move on to getting it actually cleaned out.

Block Mania
Cosmic Encounter
Duel of Ages 2
Dune
DungeonQuest
Memoir 44
Neuroshima Hex
Tales of the Arabian Knights
The Fall of Pompei
Wings of War

This is a ten-game collection to be feared by all who survey it!


Thanks for the help!

Don't bother owning games specifically for non-gamers to play. Own what you like and want to play. If you must have something for parties or non-gamers then a regular old deck of cards will do. You can play Werewolf or Spades or numerous other games that non-gamers would be comfortable with.

Of the ones I'm familiar with, Cash n Guns, Nexus Ops, and DungeonQuest can safely be voted off the island without losing sleep over it.

Awesome, you have steered me to so much awesome RPG material at your site and now I have chance to repay you by talking you into getting rid of a bunch of board games!

I'm seeing just a couple of games that you absolutely should not divest yourself of. Block Mania/Mega Mania is one of the only games I have ever regretted selling. It will never be reprinted, and it is truly one of a kind. Cosmic is the best board game ever made, and you have it all. It plays anywhere from 4 players and up and it accommodates all skill levels. DOA2 is another once-in-a-lifetime thing, but let's be honest, that is a total shelf toad. However, I understand keeping it. I don't regret selling mine ($$$), but it's definitely a game I love and would like to put back on the shelf one day.

Now, I am seeing a lot of games that you own for other people. Not for Bryce. Unless you have a dedicated group, they are family favorites, or are frequently brought out to play, ditch 'em all. Don't hold games for that "rainy day" when you need a certain genre or weight of game.

Don't keep heavier, complex games, longer games that you don't play often. Ever. If any thing about the game is a burden, ditch it.

Don't have it in your mind that you need a rounded, versatile collection. You need the Bryce Lynch Best Collection. If the situation arises where you are caught off guard and you don't have something for nongamers or you are a group of 4 and they don't like <<genre>>…you'll sort it out when it happens. Don't hold games "just in case"- that was a HUGE mistake I made for many years. I think I sloughed off 100+ games on that criteria alone.

Nostalgia is another thing to avoid. Gee, you had great times playing Advanced Civilization back in college, huh? Well guess what, those great times are not contained in a box gathering dust on a shelf.

Stick by this mantra - if it ain't playin', it ain't stayin'. Games that are not currently interesting, requested, or able to be pulled off the shelf and played immediately without relearning them should go in the trash.

As for individual commentary on some of the others...

Memoir '44 is nowhere near as good as Battlelore 2nd edition...but this is one I can see keeping if you play it frequently, and it's nice to have the full set.

Neuroshima Hex is worth holding on to, I think. It's a great pick up and play game.

I'd toss (and have tossed) Arabian Nights. It's dated and "smart non-gamers" are going to sort out that they need to ask for the check 2 hours into it.

Dune, if you want this you need to just get the new edition unless your copy is really custom or you spent a lot of time/money on it.

DungeonQuest is one of the best games ever made. If it's the Revised edition that took out the stupid shit FFG put in it, it's worth keeping for sure. Simple, fun, and immediate. I play this with non-gamers pretty often to fun results.

Galaxy Trucker - egads, I hope I never see this game again.

RoboRally - I don't know that anyone really "enjoys" this game. One of my friends said the night he played RoboRally for the first time was the worst night of his life.

ST Frontiers - that sort of goes into nostalgia. Trek is awesome! But the game is meh and think about all the other awesome Trek stuff you don't have. Do you miss it?

Love Pompeji, but I've sold it twice.

Gloomhaven/Mage Knight, there are approximately zero reasons to own this if you play RPGs. And I'm pretty sure you do. Spend the time with those instead of these, you'll get more out of it.

Nexus Ops - really? That's another one of the best games ever, and it's the most accessible DoaM I can think of. The FFG version is trash, but if this is the AH one...reconsider!

I'm on the verge of reducing my collection down to about half of what it is now myself...which is to say, down to about 35-40 titles. Hard choices to make, strict cuts. Good luck!

You should write a book for the Kon Michael method of hobby collection de-cluttering.

Robo rally is one of my all time favorite games, but you could easily get rid of the old one and make $texas selling the expansions, and pick up the superior newest version for like $15. Note: gameplay superior, the components are garbo.

Chiming in late because that's what I do a lot of the time:

The first thing to consider is what you enjoy playing and what you're going to be playing. Don't keep games like Dune if you don't think they're ever going to come off the shelf and that's a concern to you. But that last phrase is the real issue: Are you pruning because you want to have more shelf space (For what?) or are you pruning simply because you think you should? If there really isn't a compelling reason (and, believe me, all that cardboard sitting there that will do nothing but collect dust can qualify as a compelling, emotional reason), then I think it's worth questioning if you're doing it because it's important to you or if you think it's important to other people.

bryce0lynch wrote: Block Mania/Mega Mania - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Cosmic Encounter(all expansions) - Monsters, you would force me to prune this?
Duel of Ages 2 (all expansions) - No chance this goes (I think ...)
Memoir 44 (ALMOST all expansions, stored in the field bag) Unlikely to get rid of.
Neuroshima Hex (all expansions) Unlikely to get rid of.
Arabian Knights - I like adventures and need something for "smart non-gamers"

All of these are fine. Some of them are games that I hold in particularly high regard, not only because of their design aspects (CE and NH), but also because of their appeal to varied audiences, which is something to consider, but not necessarily a compelling thing if you already have a play group for them. Since you're retaining NH and Memoir, I'm assuming that you have a regular 2-player partner.

bryce0lynch wrote: Cash N Guns - Party game. Everyone should have a party game, right? ... Actually, I have a home built Liars Dice. I love Liars Dice. DO I need C&G then?

No. It's a fun game, but it's not essential if you have other things that would work better at a party... assuming you regularly bring out games during a party, which isn't the most common thing. Again, it may be more important to consider why you're pruning, rather than what.

bryce0lynch wrote: Dune - Handbuilt, older copy. You would suggest I get rid of Dune? Really?

Um, yeah. Really. Now, this is a hand-built copy. That means a lot of time and attention on your part, so if that labor is important to you, then it shouldn't make any difference if it lingers around the house. I played GW games for years... but, likewise, haven't played any for years. I still have thousands of points of Skaven in my basement. Why? Because I put a lot of work into them. I still have a few Chaos Marines there, too, despite not having played them for longer than the Skaven and having sold the rest of them. Why? Because my Possessed Marines conversions are actually pretty good, IMO. Someday I'll sell them, but Marie says they still "bring me joy", so...

That said, if your concern is actually using the stuff that's in your house and you don't think Dune will come off the shelf very often, then it doesn't matter if most people regard it as a classic. "Most people" are not "you." Dune is a great game, but it's also a difficult game to both teach and become experienced at, in order to enjoy to the fullest. You know all those complaints about people not grokking Root until 3 or 4 games in? Same thing here. Are you actually going to have enough regular plays of Dune with people to get that experience? If not (and only if that's important to you; again, 'why' not 'what'), cut it.

bryce0lynch wrote: (3rd) - Uh ... dungeoncrawler. Nuf said?

I like dungeon crawlers, but I am among the distinct minority here that thinks DQ is an abomination of design. And I'm a GW fan.

bryce0lynch wrote: Untergang von Pompeji - German version. Light but fun. Nostalgic.

On the gamer vs non-gamer level, I will say that Downfall of Pompeii easily has one of the highest "interested passersby" factors of any game I've owned. People love the volcano, especially when you tell them that people get tossed into it. But, how often are you playing "non-gamer" games? Does that matter?

I also agree with MB that Nexus Ops is a great, quick wargame, if that kind of thing is a regular occurrence among your group. It is a wargame, so if you have regular players who aren't into the whole "kill your guys with my guys" thing, then don't bother keeping it. But that brings us back to the question of 'why'...

I'm gonna miss you, Twonky, most of all: "The Twonky is cursed. It knows exactly what's going on. It knows there is no escape, and it knows that telling the other robots will only make things worse. The control computer for LOOK-E-77-P decided to place her in the Roborally after she began starting floor status reports with selected quotes from Nietzsche."

Thanks for all the commentary folks, it's exactly the sort of stuff I was looking for.

I'm going to give some of these away locally and then I'll post what's left. They'll all be free, if you pay shipping. And none of this "I'll take it all!" stuff. Don't worry, I know someone who will take RoboRally and love it, locally, so that Phat L$$T expansions are not going to be resold.

In with the new! I'm looking for a couple of the following, if anyone has a line on them I'd appreciate it if you dropped me a line. DONT JUDGE ME! YOU CANT JUDGE ME! youre judging me aren't you?

ASL starter kit 1, and maybe 2/3. ... rebuying for the second time ...
Bonaparte@Marengo ... I think there were a couple of others that used the same system? I'm looking for any singular one.
Downtown, Airwar over Hanoi ... rebuying for the second time ...
Albion Land of Farie, from Ares ... for the fourth time ...
Warplan Dropshot ... for the second time .
AirCav ... Yes, the shitty old game. I've always loved the cover.
Federation & Empire ... for the FOURTH time. This game haunts me. I love it. It hates me. It abuses me. And I keep coming back. I'm not usually an "editions" guy, but for this I'm looking for the 2010 edition.

And the glorious dead:
RoboRally. With the metal figures, so the WOTC version. My second ex-wife loved this. This is, I think, the oldest thing I own. And I mean, of ALL my possessions, the thing I've had the longest. Fie! Fie upon you! You unfun too long game!

Gloomhaven. Played about a third of it with a group of regulars every Sunday. It was a better 4e D&D than 4e D&D. A third is about all it takes, any more and it would grow stale, I think. But you have to have the other 2/3's there to make you WANT more.

Mage Knight. I used to play this with my son. There was an epic night when a HUGE Norwegian cat ran in to the room, jumped up on the table, and did a cartoon legs-under-them thing on the board. He recently decalred he didn't like it, because the randomness meant he could not plan well. Weird, he's not usually that sort of person.

ST: Frontiers. Bought so my now ex-wife would play Mage Knight. Besides, I like SciFi better. Not as flavourful as Mage Knight though. But, fuck, Fed & Empire man ...

Escape. A crazy party game. I think this is best if you buy it, play the fuck out of it all in one night, and then trash it the next day. IE: a fun activity for a single evening.

Cutthroat Caverns. What do people call these? An opener or something? Something that we would play with the "real" gamers when we could not fit in a longer/more complex game, because of drunk/time. I love the reprogrammed books Wish they did more of those.

Nexus Ops. Not much play time. Why play this when you could play Mage Knight or DOA2? "Because I want to play something in 30 minutes!" Knock Knock. Who's there? Fuck You, that's who.

Frag. You should never own Frag. It's fun to pick up and play, especially while drinking, but that's it. Go play it late night at a con.

Cash & Guns. I fucking LOVE bluffing games! Butm as someone pointed out, no fun to teach to noobs, and I like Liars Dice more. (Although, still, noobs have issues with it?)

Galaxy Trucker. My 2nd ex liked games where she could make little plans that would then unfold, so she liked this. It was kind of like an adventure so I thought it was ok.

Tik-Tok Woodman. I would take this to work parties. That's it. I would set it up and no one would play it. I's ok, but, Liars Dice is always more fun. Shittalking for the win!


And the Hall of Immortals ...
Dungeonquest. You people have no soul. I'm the shit that sent that guy the original DQ in, like, the first or second secret satan, whatever it was. (Reminder, send him some more empty toilet paper rolls ...) I mean, no one plays with that shitty "card combat" stuff do they? I just used the colored dice varient. great fucking around fun.

Pompeii. Monster. You get to scream while throwing people in to a volcano. Your OPPONENTS pieces. While shittalking. Glorious fun!

DOA2. Another one my son and I play. Plus, it's the very definition of AWESOME. I always loose because I always play combat and still have a fuck ton of fun.

Arabian Nights. Fucking dated my ass. It's an adventure Charlie! I love adventures!


Dune is a special case. Home built, gorgeous board. I had plastic minis from that guy in France. (Belgium?) I made a custom sticker front for the box. You can see it in that old pic. But, man, fuck, new version? I mean, nice or not, it's still home built, so a bit janky. But, fuck, I love my custom box art.


Again, thanks everyone. You've really helped me sort things out. It's hard to understand sometimes the attachment of games ... unless you're also a hardcore nutjob also.

What wings of war stuff do you have?